Can't find quality employees? Maybe it's your hiring methods.
All too often, landscapers bemoan the fact that they cannot find and retain quality employees.
Given well-established cost pressures involving elevated minimum wage rates and persistent employee salary demands, coupled with greater difficulties in meeting gross margin goals due to increased costs and heightened customer expectations for value, landscapers certainly have a legitimate point.
Yet, despite those problems, employers frequently make the situation worse by not improving their employee selection procedures, which are often characterized by the following common 10 mistakes.
1. No staffing plan. Most landscapers only perform staffing functions when a vacancy exists due to termination or resignation. In contrast, they should have a staffing plan for the next 18 months, supported by an adjoining 18-month profit and loss forecast that enables them to hire prudently, conduct labor market reconnaissance or promote from within to achieve organizational goals, rather than hurriedly filling an unexpected staff opening out of desperation.
Internal. Leverage a lucrative employee referral program and build extensive internal bench strength.
External. Utilize contract recruiters, staffing agencies and search firms.
Technological. Use social media, the company website and internet job postings.
3. Low priority. Because of their busy schedules, many landscapers usually think about staffing as an inconvenience they will get to when they are done with their other tasks. Hiring is now a proactive 24/7 function (e.g., interviews should be conducted each week even if no vacancy exists). Recruiting applicants, reviewing resumes, screening candidates and conducting hiring interviews must be part of a manager's normal weekly routine, constituting at least 10 to 15 percent of his or her time.
4. Inadequate materials. An often observed and fundamental hiring mistake centers on inadequate staffing materials. Essential hiring documents now include: a company-wide written staffing procedure, a job description, a performance appraisal form, an interview protocol and a conditional job offer letter. Taken collectively, these materials crystallize attention onto the position being staffed, demonstrate alignment with organizational goals and convey professionalism to the candidates.
5. No metrics. Landscapers measure everything: revenue, labor, materials, job quality, customer satisfaction, gross margin, profit, etc., but not staffing. Landscapers should devote the same rigor to staffing by tracking: time to fill a vacancy, number of resumes received from all respective sources, selection ratio and total cost of hire. These metrics will improve the accuracy of subsequent budget projections, future staffing plans and succession planning.
6. No interviewer training. Just because an interviewer has conducted hundreds of interviews does not make him or her a better interviewer; training does. Interviewer training (e.g., structured questions, probing follow-up, rating errors, illegal questions, listening) should be a mandatory component of a company's annual supervisory skills training program (e.g., EEO, performance review, coaching, delegation, goal setting, leadership).
7. One-on-one interviews. In today's litigious environment, no employment interview should be conducted with a single interviewer. By way of contrast, panel interviews promote greater reliability, validity, efficiency and defensibility. A spurious claim of interviewer discrimination can cost a company tens of thousands of dollars. Avoid the risk: Schedule multiple interviewers or have human resources sit in on the interview as a witness to verify procedural integrity thereby preventing any costly "he said/he said" allegations.
8. Lack of an onboarding program. The goal of staffing is more than just filling a vacancy. The goal of staffing is to hire an employee who will help the company achieve its business goals. If the employee leaves suddenly, the staffing goal was not met. To secure the staffing goal, companies must have an onboarding plan (e.g., orientation, training, development plan, monthly one-on-one meetings, 90-day review) to provide the contextual features necessary to ensure the employee's satisfaction, productivity and retention.
9. Not focusing on employee engagement. Employee engagement is critical to commitment, job performance and retention. Lamentably, it is rarely considered in most staffing processes. To that point, an organization must repeatedly specify how the candidate's direct actions will help contribute to achieving the company's goals. Thus, during the interview, orientation program and onboarding, employees must consistently be able to connect their unique inputs to company results in order to remain motivated, fulfilled and valued as a team member.
10. Accountability. Who owns the staffing process? Is it human resources, the hiring manager, the interviewers, the executive team, the employee's supervisor? Crickets… That is why it is a common mistake. Outlined in the written staffing process, supported by human resources and discussed at each executive staff meeting, the clear point of accountability, rate of progress and the definition of success must be well understood throughout the organization.
We all know the standard mantras: "It's all about the people," "people are our most valued asset," "take care of the employees and they will take care of you." Underscoring those refrains is the fact that hiring is the cornerstone of organizational success.
With that premise in mind, landscapers must review their current staffing procedures, consider some of the issues presented above, and redesign their hiring processes to the extent that they will be treated as equal to other organizational responsibilities necessary for the company to accomplish its business goals more efficiently than they currently are being achieved.
Steven Cesare, Ph.D., is an industrial psychologist with the Harvest Group. If you have any questions on this article or any other human resources issue (e.g., employee handbooks, staffing, training, wage and hour, discipline, employment law, strategic planning and best practices), please contact him at steve@harvestlandscapeconsulting.com or call 760-685-3800.


The State Department just released a dry, complex document analyzing the environmental effects of a new oil pipeline. But really what it did is finalize a showdown over one of the most important fights in American politics.
The State Department just released a dry, complex document analyzing the environmental effects of a new oil pipeline. But really what it did is finalize a showdown over one of the most important fights in American politics. Here's everything you need to know about it. If you want the most immediate news, skip down to section three.
1. The pipeline would shuttle oil from Canada to Nebraska.
The Keystone XL pipeline is part of a network that the Canadian company TransCanada wants to use to shuttle oil from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast. That network, pictured at right, is already in place, but the Keystone XL section — the dashed blue line — would allow for more of the product to be moved from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, more quickly. Earlier this month, the stretch extending down to Texas began operation, after months of conflict.
A key factor at play is that this isn't conventional oil. It's oil that's extracted from a sort of sand-clay-oil mix known as oil or tar sands. To be transported, it's made into a slurry called diluted bitumen, or dilbit.
2. Approval of the pipeline is up to President Obama.
Since the Keystone XL pipeline would cross the border between Canada and the United States, it needs to be approved by the State Department. That has given President Obama the ability to veto the pipeline outright if he wants to do so. And it's given his Republican opponents a potent shorthand for suggesting Obama has to choose between the environment and jobs.
In 2012, as the presidential campaign approached, Obama rejected the proposal, in part because Republicans attempted to force the issue. But it was also largely because the proposed route from TransCanada brought the pipeline through an area of Nebraska known as the Sand Hills, an area that quickly absorbs water that then replenishes a massive natural freshwater aquifer deep underground. A pipeline spill above the Sand Hills could have been an unparalleled disaster, and even Nebraska's Republican governor objected to the pipeline as a result.
So TransCanada moved the proposed route and asked for new environmental consideration. Nebraska signed off on the new route, and the State Department last summer released an initial environmental assessment.
3. Per the State Department report: Keystone wouldn't change environmental math, though tar sands oil is more carbon intensive.
The report released Friday is the State Department's final analysis. In short, the report doesn't raise any significant environmental objections to the proposed pipeline, similar to the initial report last year. "Approval or denial of any one crude oil transport project, including the proposed Project, remains unlikely to significantly impact the rate of extraction in the oil sands, or the continued demand for heavy crude oil at refineries in the United States," it reads in part.
It does however note that tar sands crudes "are generally more [greenhouse gas] intensive than other heavy crudes they would replace or displace in U.S. refineries, and emit an estimated 17 percent more GHGs on a lifecycle basis than the average barrel of crude oil refined in the United States in 2005." This jibes with an independent study from Oil Change International that indicated that "181 million metric tons of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere yearly" if Keystone XL went into operation, from the extraction process through to the end of the line.
And that makes things a little trickier for Obama.
4. The report puts Obama in a tricky political position.
There are two criteria there, highlighted: The pipeline can't "significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution," and its "net effects" on the climate are critical.
Does the State Department report give Obama the flexibility to approve it? Does it necessitate he kill it? A source told The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza that the State Department left precisely that room for the president, intentionally or not.
5. The economic viability of tar sands development may rely on building Keystone.
One of the more interesting aspects of the debate is that Keystone XL is seen by some as critical to any significant development of the Albertan tar sands. In 2012, The Wall Street Journal explained that the inability of Canadian companies to get the dilbit out to customers was causing prices to sink. The lack of pipeline capacity out of Alberta was key: "Until those new outlets get built, Canadian crude prices will 'come under extreme downward pressure' next year and in 2014," the Journal reported. It cited a market report: "This could cause a slowdown in oil sands development."
The State Department report suggests that this isn't the case — in part because it assumes that the dilbit will com to market another way: other pipelines, trains, or tankers. Recent train accidents could make such alternatives less appealing.
6. The Environmental Protection Agency and environmentalists see the pipeline as much riskier.
That's exactly what environmentalists hope. Spurred by the declaration from Dr. James Hansen, then of NASA, that the Keystone XL pipeline was "game over" for the planet since it unlocked access to a huge new deposit of what is essentially unreleased carbon dioxide. 350.org's Bill McKibben did the math on what would happen if that carbon dioxide was added to the atmosphere: It would move us past the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide that could keep us within what scientists estimate would be a "safe" level of warming.
McKibben's 350.org and other organizations launched a series of events in 2011 aimed at swaying Obama against approval. Earlier this month, The Times declared that the protests had "lifted the environmental movement."
The EPA offered a boost when it last April critiqued the State Department's assessments of the pipeline's effects, indicating that State downplayed the carbon creation and the risk of spills, among other things.
7. There's controversy over the State Department report.
Documents obtained by the Sierra Club under the Freedom of Information Act and reported by BuzzFeed's Evan McMorris-Santoro show that the firm chosen to conduct the environmental review for the State Department had links to TransCanada that it never revealed. This was the second time that a company tasked with reviewing the pipeline had been found to have links to TransCanada. Legal experts have pointed out that such analysis requires a level of expertise and investment that makes it less feasible for the government to conduct it.
The State Department's independent Inspector General has been investigating the relationship between ERM, the firm that did the review, and TransCanada, but that it would not release those findings on Friday.
8. There's also controversy over the job creation benefits.
Republicans and business groups have long argued that the Keystone XL pipeline should be approved because it would create thousands or tens of thousands of jobs. In its initial report last year, the State Department figured that approval would create 42,000 jobs — almost entirely short-term construction gigs. Over the long-term, the pipeline would employ 35 people in America, along with those working in Alberta at the extraction site. It would also include 15 temporary contractors once the pipeline is in operation.
The company is vague on its estimates.
9. Obama could announce his decision at any point.
The only thing Obama was waiting for was the report released today. Which means that there are two considerations left. The first is political: does he hand Republicans a mid-term election talking point on how Obama picked the environment over (35) jobs, or does he try and use the decision to energize environmentalists before November?
The second consideration is the more important one. Is this actually for the greater benefit of the country? Obama will, according to State, look at "energy security; environmental, cultural, and economic impacts; foreign policy; and compliance with relevant federal regulations and issues." Whether or not, at the end, Keystone XL qualifies under enough of those stipulations — including the lines drawn last June — ultimately comes down only to Barack Obama.


Like my most recent read, Conversations with Friends, I devoured Goodbye, Vitamin in just two days, 190 pages and all. The novel, witty and endearing, with the subjective style of dark humor that not every reader finds appealing, is Khong's first, and a tremendous feat for a debut novelist, exploring style and structure in an intelligent manner. I really enjoyed Goodbye, Vitamin and all of its quirks; even with such a sad subject like Alzheimer's, Khong manages to keep the mood light and funny, and I definitely did not want to say goodbye when I reached the final page.
Freshly disengaged from her fiancé and feeling that life has not turned out quite the way she planned, thirty-year-old Ruth quits her job, leaves town, and arrives at her parents' home to find family life more complicated than she'd realized. Her father, a prominent history professor, is losing his memory. Her mother, like Ruth, is smarting from a betrayal. But over the course of a year, the comedy in Ruth's situation takes hold, gently transforming her grief. Told in captivating glimpses and drawn from a deep well of insight, humor, and unexpected tenderness, Goodbye, Vitamin pilots through the loss, love, and absurdity of finding one's footing in this life.
Humorous and lighthearted, Goodbye, Vitamin follows thirty-year-old Ruth after a tragic break-up with a fiancé she dropped out of college and moved across the country for, as Ruth moves home to help care for her ailing father, whose memory loss only increases as time goes by. The novel places a heavy emphasis on memory: Ruth's memories of her ex-fiancé, of her childhood, and of her father as he struggles to hold on to memories of his own. Goodbye, Vitamin is told in small bursts and glimpses, in journal entries that capture the little moments; in that sense, the structure of Goodbye, Vitamin profoundly complimented the story.
Just like the book, I'll keep my thoughts short and sweet: Rachel Khong's poignant debut is an expertly written story, both heart-breaking and heart-warming. With such a unique writing style and sense of humor, I'm not sure all readers will agree with Goodbye, Vitamin, but I got along with it splendidly and I'm eager to see what Khong comes up with next.
Thank you to Picador and Olivia for my copy of Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. All thoughts are my own.
Thanks for the review. Will look out for the book.


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ProTalk: Designer Sean Kelly – Part 1
By PilotApril 4, 2017April 12th, 20172 Comments
The ProTalk Format Change
I'm excited to announce that today marks the day we start a new format for the ProTalk design series. Instead of just reading, I want you to hear the interviews that I capture. So that you can get the subtle nuance of to conversation and really pay attention to the joy, sorrow, pauses and banter. I want you to feel more included. That being said, I want to introduce Sean Kelly of Grovemade:
Sean Kelly is the design lead at Grovemade.
Let's take a listen to the first part of our interview with Sean here:
My name is Sean, and I was born here in Portland, so I've been kind of just sticking around here. And one thing I really love about this city is that I didn't know I wanted to be a designer when I was young. All the signs were there like leading towards a creative path or a creative career, but I didn't see it coming. And luckily I had people in my life that kind of inspired me and guided me in that direction, but Portland as a city grew as I grew into the design city that it is today, and I feel really lucky that I was able to kind of be here.
I feel really lucky to be here and sort of my first moment where I knew sort of what I wanted to do was because of my grandfather. He was an architect in Eugene, Oregon. And he designed mid-century like late mid century houses like in the early 70s kind of. And they were all hillside houses, and so he realized specialized in that kind of design. But he wasn't a trained architect. What he did was he would draw plans. He was really good at drawing, and he did the watercolors and things like that as a hobby. But he would he just learned by doing. He would draw up the plans. He would take them to an architect and get them certified and figured it out. And then he would build the house himself.
Like pretty much by himself. It seemed like my dad would help him every once in awhile as sort of like free labor in a way, but…
And and you were you were sort of on a perch watching this happen, or…
I think I didn't I didn't necessarily realize what he was doing until I could I started to understand like people were talking about these houses that I had visited when I was young because they used to live in them, and I don't have very much, if any, recollection of actually seeing the houses or being in them when I was young, but when I would go to my grandparents' house, I would be able to play in his office sometimes or just hang out in there. And I would see all the stuff he was working on and see his setup.
So it was kind of really ingrained from a young age of what was going on? There was there was no like no big epiphany?
Yeah, and also my my dad, too, like my parents bought this this old house in Southwest Portland and it was really small and then they had three kids. And my dad just took this house, and he with the help of my grandfather kind of kept adding on and changing and improving the house. And so I grew up in a state of kind of constant improvement of the of the space I was living in and seeing like my dad being able to pick out things and just try to make everything a little bit better in some way and at times even being able to help him; the basement was separated from the upstairs. And so we'd have to walk around the house to do the laundry because the the laundry room was downstairs. And so my dad just dug a hole from an addition that he did in front of the house, dug a hole into the ground down along the foundation which was like a cinder block foundation.
Once he got to the depth he wanted, he just took a sledgehammer and just started bashing through the wall. And I remember him like taking me down in this hole and giving me the sledgehammer and just having me just break through this wall. And then it was amazing because it was it just connected our main lives here to this downstairs area.
So you you really got to see those those transformations take place…
Yeah, and be involved a little bit, too, like like having being pulled in and being able to interact with the process.
Do you remember that first process? Did you say, "Oh, this is part of a process", or were you more like, "Oh, I'm doing what they're asking me to do?"
I think I was I think I was just excited just to see like what was going on. I just remember like the stages, like there were specific stages and how I would interact with a you know a half-done part of a house in different stages and you play differently in a room that's just all plywood floors and like framed out walls than you would in a room that has furniture…and everything's finished. So being able to have lived in all of those situations was very inspiring just to see that you can you can start something, and you can take it all the way to something amazing.
And so I think that I think that definitely left an impression on me at a young age. I mean all my family members left a creative impression on me in different ways, but those moments specifically kind of led me to want to be an architect. That's what I wanted to do when I grew up and because you know I felt like you could make money doing art, and people were telling me like art, you can't make money doing art, like maybe something different in architecture which my grandfather was doing, and I loved houses and I loved buildings like interacting with buildings. So I thought that would be a cool thing to try. And then I lucked out because in my high school they had an architecture elective.
Oh, that's perfect. So how did you go from architecture to product design?
That happened at the U of O. So I went I took the architecture classes in my high school, found out there was an elective, architectural drawing and mechanical drafting. And we did CAD for it. So we would do hand-drawn stuff at first, and then we'd jump to the computer. You know, black work screen with a grid. And we just started laying stuff out. And I immediately, the first day, I like started like you know pulling orbs and cylinders out. I'm like you know like; "Oh, I wish I could like work with this, but we had to do the 2D stuff."
But I went from there to then running track my first year of college at a community college and getting like you know a scholarship and getting all my prereqs out of the way. And then I went to the U of O, and I knew they had an architecture program.
So that was kind of like, that's where I wanted to be. Leading up to it, I took a lot of printmaking, sculpture, drawing, painting classes, like a lot of art classes leading up. And I actually got into the art school at the U of O first as a sculpture major and did a bunch of sculpture stuff, and then I was about to transition into architecture, but I had to take one last math class. And math class is not has never been my strong suit, and I worked really hard at that class. I just barely didn't get it. And I was like, okay, well, I have to take this class again if I want to get to the next thing which was like a type of math that I was better at. And it was like a year out before I could take the class. I'm like, "I can't wait a year because this is like the one thing that's holding me back." And then product design kind of appeared out of nowhere at the U of O. This was the first year…
Out of nowhere?
Yeah. It was the first year they were offering it. My mom wrote me, actually. She was like, "Hey! I was on the U of O's website." I don't know why she was on there, but she she saw a link to that thing, and she sent it to me. She's like, "What do you think of this?" And I was looking at it. It's like, this is really interesting. And I I started reading more about it.
And then I ended up, I think I ended up talking to one of the professors about it for a little bit and then I saw that it was the perfect blend of what I had been doing and what I wanted to do which was I wanted to be an architect, but I loved the art that I had been doing. It was this kind of middle road between the two. Also I saw immediately that there's just so much that you can do. I liked variety. So being able to to kind of choose a path and go on that path for a bit and then choose another path or discover a new path is is really exciting. So I applied. I actually started taking classes before I even got in, so I applied the next year because it was already too late, but I started taking classes at the beginning of that year. So I was in the very first the very first day of product design at the U of O, very first class. I was in that class. So we were the guinea pigs.
Did you feel like by the time you graduated you were validated at the end of it in some way?
Yeah, I think it it's funny because I interned at Grove, so being here since I was in school, it almost feels like it's connected to school in a way because I interned here, so that was part of my learning, and then I still feel like I'm directly connected to school by working here still. It's good and it's and it's bad in some ways. So I still feel it almost makes me feel like I haven't graduated yet. But I think that's a good…
We should have Ken [Tomita] plan to get you like an honorary diploma.
I think that's a good mentality to have in anything you do really is to understand that where you were when you graduated is totally different from where you're going to be eight years later. And looking back, like I've learned so much here and doing other things and just in life in general. And that drive and that need to keep learning, like I don't want to ever feel like I've graduated or I've finished. I want to I want to keep pushing forward into new things.
I'm going to ask you sort of a particularly cliché question, and I only ask it because I love the wide array of answers that I get to it. Sean, what is design?
What is design? Oh, man. It's something that I that I that's a question I often think about, and it's really, really hard to nail down. , I like to think there's all these objects in the world that that exist that we use and that we interact with on a daily basis. And I love thinking about the the fact that those things were in someone's brain at one point. Like it was it was a thought. It wasn't a thing at some time, and because of nurturing and time and collective effort of different people, it became a thing.
So I think design for me and the way I think about it is like it's how you it's how you take those thoughts and those dreams, and you put them into reality. But the main tool for that to happen is you. Like it's it's the people that come together to make something real, and without that I mean there wouldn't be design. So thinking about like just the relationships of people and how they work together I think is is a big the biggest part of design.
The last time I saw you, you had a smock on, an apron on. Is that standard apparel?
No, actually. It's it's very strange because everyone used to wear them. And I feel like it's almost like I'm old guard at Grove now because because I just like wearing it. And I think it's because you know when you're prototyping as a designer, you want to have your tools handy. And I don't like maybe it's because of like lean manufacturing at Grove or like the way we've been working, but I don't like having to walk too far to get what I need. So I like the the apron and the smock because I can have all my tools right there and ready to go so I can just flow.
It helps me flow. And also it it's almost like a security blanket in a way, I guess.
Okay, yeah. You're kind of swaddled...
But I'm standing like with my hands in it. I like to just I don't know I just like having it on. It just feels it feels good. When you're eating lunch like the crumbs drop on it.
You're protected.
Yeah, I mean, it's it's great. It also has some history on it, too. Like there's objects, little things on it that are leftovers from different people who have worked at Grove. It's just…
Oh, okay. So this isn't your apron.
It is my apron, but there are symbols of things that have happened to the apron and and things that have been given to me that I keep with the apron. Just kind of little memories. Because a lot of people have come through these doors and and left to go do other amazing things. So I like keeping little memories of those people.
That's awesome! Sort of like a totem blanket.
Yeah. Or like a what is it? The the flare from "Office Space" on the on the on the restaurant jackets. One of my flares fell off, though, recently, so I have it up on the board, but I'm going to put them back on.
That's great! Okay. I might have to take a photo of that. So it's safe to say you're sort of the head of the design component of Grovemade, here.
Yeah, but it is it's very very team-oriented, so Ken and I work really closely, and then when Kevin was here we were all a very, very tight unit. And there was no one. I was sort of helping directing and guide and the energy of the design, and Ken was helping direct us in terms of you know the fits and what the business needed. We all helped each other.
When I was talking to Ken last, we talked about how this place is it's not really a company. It's a team–It's a family. And I mean that was reinforced. I just heard it again, and I wish I recorded it again of the meeting happening. And you hear applause. You hear laughter, and like it's a it's a genuinely warm environment. And the fact that you keep totems of people who used to be here, I mean, you don't see that, that often.
Yeah, and it's kind of nice.
You have sort of a unique opportunity to foster what products get to the consumer. Is there something that you do to identify what might make it to the product line and what won't?
Well, earlier on about probably two years ago we had more of a wide scope of what we thought would go with our customers would accept and also what we thought that we could make. And we tried a bunch of stuff, and we we saw what worked and what didn't work. And then that recently has been do- the more of the guiding force for what we're designing and when.
Just this year we've been really getting to know our customer a lot more, really diving in deep. Ken and Jim and Nick and I, recently we did phone interviews with a bunch of our customers who had bought iPhone cases in the past just to kind of learn who they are, where they're from, what they do for a living, like what they like, or why they bought our case, like kind of just learn about like what brought them to us and like what that relationship is and what they're like as as people, what they're into.
That's great. I mean, the reason that's great is because you keep skipping ahead with my questions. It's really funny. I was going to ask you, how do you empathize with your potential users? It sounds like you're doing focus research.
Yeah. For a long time, like we were the users. So we were designing things that we wanted to see in the world and that we would use for ourselves. And there are you know we we thought that you know there are a lot of people like us. And they appreciate the same things. So we wanted to design things for ourselves that were for those people that we would use and that they would use. And we discovered what was working through that process and what wasn't working and one thing that we wanted to add to that was really focusing in on who are our customers because that's something that we thought we knew, and you know early on when you're selling iPhone cases, your customer base is so broad. But as you start getting more specific into the desk-related stuff, you know, everyday carry-related stuff and anything else that we're designing, the people become more specific. And so we really wanted to jump in. And so learning that dive was about iPhone customers specifically. So we were talking to them, learning from them, and one thing that we found out, too, is that a lot of people own multiple of our products and the the reasons for buying them and the directions for buying them are totally different from buying an iPhone case. One fun thing from the interview, it says I think at least four of the people I interviewed are coming in for tours when they're in Portland.
That's really unique. You don't hear about too many businesses that not only design their product but manufacture it saying, "Hey, come on in, customer! Come see everything else." But I think it's a great opportunity for you to really create some intimacy with the people you're working with.
How do you put yourself in their shoes regarding experiencing the design problems that they do?
When Kevin and I were working together a lot, we did a lot of sort of things what we called brainstorms, but they were also brain writes. We would we would try to embody and think about a situation so we would when we were designing a certain collection, we would think about the moment that you're using that collection and like what's happening before that? What's happening after that? What's happening within that moment? And what is the person who's using that product? Maybe it's an existing product already. What are they going through? Like, what's in their mind? What are they feeling when they're doing it? And we would write all this stuff out, and we would talk about it and discuss it. And then we would kind of dive into the lifestyle, maybe the person that we were designing for so we we would look at different websites or magazines. Or we would go places to actually like be in spaces where we thought our products would be used. And we would just experience that that space and that moment and try and identify where the points of tension were and also where the points of opportunity were. How we could change something that's been the same way for a long time or how we could improve on something that's been the same way for a long time.
I think the catch-all that we did for the entryway collection is a good example because everyone has stuff that they carry with them, and we all throw it different places. For me personally it was just on my kitchen counter like in a bowl.
Thinking about like we were designing for a specific kind of style of house and the specific style of lifestyle. So thinking about what does this person have in their home? How do they enter and exit the home? What's going through their mind? What do they want to do? How do they want to unload and also gear up? And what solution can we design? And it wasn't a shelf. It wasn't a piece of furniture. It wasn't a bowl. It was something between all those things that combine those things and created sort of a station.
That's cool. I every time I go on the website, I'm always kind of fascinated by how the collections are laid out and everything just fits really well together. It's really well-designed and very thoughtful on how each piece relates to the other piece. I can't wait to see the blotter pad. That's just going to be rad.
I like what Jim, our COO says about it sometimes. He talks about this idea of a red thread like interlinking everything. And at Grove there's certain aspects of each product that come from the very original product that we did. So we made an iPhone 3 case a long, long, long time ago and there is like one specific detail that carries throughout every single product.
It's like a specific angle or a specific shape, and that's the thread that ties the product that we just designed to the product that we first designed. But that thread also as we've designed more and more, it it's become more subtle and subtle and subtle and subtle as you move out. But there is an essence especially when designing for a brand you have to keep that continuity over time but also push it in a way that makes the products new and exciting. And that's actually one of the really fun things about about working here is is doing that.
Are there any problems you have have a harder time seeing because you're the one solving them versus experiencing them?
I think so. I mean, it's it's really hard to to get out of your head sometimes or get out of your personal level sometimes in terms of like your thought process and really think differently. That's a hard question. I think that sitting here you know doing something on screen or drawing it or putting up sticky notes like it it doesn't have hold weight sometimes against actually going out and doing the thing.
So it's sort of a design assumptions versus design experience.
I feel like it's very easy to make assumptions. When you're designing things and when you're when you're thinking about people, especially even like even just thinking about your coworker or even your significant other or your children. It's like it's very easy to assume what they're feeling or or what they're going through when in reality we are all in ourselves alone and like we have we only we know what's going on. And so it's really hard unless you just ask someone. I think as designers, it's important that we ask questions constantly and like talk to people. Talk to the user.
Well, I think it's it's interesting because I learned a lot about cognitive therapy, and a lot of people don't take the time to think about what they're thinking or feeling. They just take it sort of for granted. And so you have to come in and almost be their "cognitive guide" so that when you wind up solving a problem for them, they're like, "Oh! All of a sudden, this is easier. Oh, this functions so much better. Or, "Oh! My experience is so much smoother now." A lot of people kind of take that for granted, I think. I don't know, though.
I think it's because we just move so quickly. I know that we we load our lives with things that we feel like we have to do or we need to focus on a lot of the time. And I think a lot of our brainpower is put towards that when in reality if you make small shifts, you're able to kind of step back and see yourself from outside yourself in a way and and be able to recognize where these things are that you want to grab — things that you're really trying to grasp, and then you're able to to to move forward those things.
You can find more of Sean's work at both Grovemade and his personal site – SeanMiKelly.com
Stay tuned for next week when we continue on with Sean's interview and learn a little bit more about paring down ideas, the parting line of a human being, and the value of Post-it Notes.
Are you a professional 3D artist or designer? I'd love to talk with you about your work! Reach out to me here and maybe you, too, will be featured in the ProTalk!
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We've run into an issue using the FKCeditor in IE6. On occasion, the textarea does not appear correctly in that it is filled with repeating rows of icons (the icons that display are not supposed to show for that specific textarea - we only use bold, italics, underline, ordered list and unordered list). I've included a screenshot of how this looks when it happens.
Has anyone run into/solved this issue before? Couldn't find any mention of it on the support forum.


An empire will burn. Below, Watch the Marco Polo TV show's season two featurette from Netflix. The ten-episode second season of Marco Polo drops tomorrow, Friday, July 1, 2016. The historical drama follows 13th century explorer Marco Polo during his adventures along the Silk Road. In the video, the cast and crew set the scene for Marco Polo, season two, which promises to be much darker, internally as well as externally.
Featured in the video are Creator EP John Fusco, Lorenzo Richelmy (Marco Polo), Rick Yune (Kaidu), Benedict Wong (Kublai Khan), Claudia Kim (Khutlun), Remy Hii (Prince Jingim), Olivia Cheng (Mei Lin), EP Patrick MacManus, Mahesh Jadu (Ahmad), Tom Wu (Hundred Eyes), Gabriel Byrne (Pope Gregory X), Michelle Yeoh (Handmaiden/Lotus) and Brett Chan (Stunt Coordinator).
John Fusco is executive producer and showrunner along with Dan Minahan, whose previous work includes Homeland and Game of Thrones. Patrick Macmanus, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein. and Elizabeth Sarnoff also executive produce.
Have you watched the first season of the Marco Polo TV series? Will you devour or savor the second season on Netflix? Let us know, below.
Absolutely stunning. Congratulations to Netflix and the cast of this amazing show.
Love it! I've gone through almost all of Season 2 in a day, and it's thrilling — again! Finest thing I've ever seen on TV, and pretty much anywhere. Love the cast — incredible performances — and the gorgeous costumes and colors, and the dramatic situations are intense! Thank you, thank you, Marco Polo team!


Head chef James Chapman has been part of the team at the Scran & Scallie for three years in the position of Head Chef.
Before joining the Scran & Scallie, James was working at Michelin star restaurant The Kitchin.
Prior to joining The Kitchin group, James gained experience working at a number of critically acclaimed restaurants across the country and studied International Hospitality Management at the University of Surrey.


text:
Next Passion Project
a premium hair-care line exclusively available at Sephora. Sundial pulled in an estimated $200 million in revenue in 2015, an increase of
31% year-over-year. Such growth caught the attention of Bain Capital, which in September 2015 acquired a minority stake in the family-owned company for an undisclosed amount, valuing it at an estimated
$700 million.
Bain—and Dennis—are betting on the same thing: that Sundial's multicultural products will have mass appeal when placed outside the ethnic aisle. And with SheaMoisture recently surpassing Burt's Bees as the top-selling natural brand in the bath and beauty category in the U.S., their faith seems well-placed. With the investment from Bain, Dennis expects Sundial's distribution footprint to grow from its current
25,000 stores, which include CVS, Walmart, and Target, to a total of
45,000 by next year. "People want ingredients they can pronounce, that have a history and a story to them," says Dennis.
The brand has come a long way from 25 years ago, when Dennis was living in New York City and hawking shea-butter shampoos by the pound on the streets of Harlem. At the time, Dennis was displaced in the United States as civil war broke out in his native Liberia. "Our home was destroyed," he says. "We had to ask ourselves what to do to survive until we could return." Dennis, his mother, and a close friend from college turned to the family business: In Africa, his grandmother had supported her children by crafting soaps and lotions from local plants. Using her recipes, Dennis's family began making natural beauty products in their tiny Queens apartment. Dennis recalls struggling to convince potential buyers that they weren't just selling snake oil. "There weren't any natural beauty companies serving multicultural consumers," he says.
Natural is now becoming the
norm. Over the past six years, the
natural beauty market has seen
double-digit growth; it's currently
worth $33 billion globally, making
up 13% of the overall beauty mar-
ket. Sundial has benefited from this
trend and the explosive rise of mul-
ticultural beauty: A third of the U.S.
population, after all, is not white, and this group has historically spent more on beauty products.
As he grew Sundial from its cramped Queens digs to its current Amityville, New York, headquarters, Dennis anticipated these changes, adding brands and pushing out everything from lipsticks to baby shampoos. (In 2015, he also certified it as a B Corporation, confirming the company's commitment to giving back to the communities where it sources ingredients; see "It Takes a Village," right.) Just as important, he positioned his products not simply as multicultural but cross-cultural: Rather than explicitly targeting black women, the company sells items that can treat a broad range of conditions—from acne to eczema to frizzy hair—that transcend race.
"We want women to have options and not be forced into somebody else's idea of what their beauty needs ought to be," says Dennis.
It's an approach with significant potential, especially when it comes to hair care. "Certain products and certain natural ingredients, as well as clinical ingredients, are beneficial for many different hair types," says Karen Grant, an analyst at market research firm NPD Group. "We need to move away from thinking that this is some little niche market.
It's an untapped opportunity in the hair-care market."
#BreakThe Walls was the first step. Today, Sundial is working with retail partners such as Target to move its products off specialty shelves, and encouraging them to rethink such aisles altogether.
If it all goes according to plan, SheaMoisture will no longer be the dominant brand in the multicultural space, but will be going head-to-head with the likes of Procter & Gamble and L'Oréal. And then the next battle begins.
Heritage brand
Dennis based his original shea-butter products on his grandmother's recipes.
A cornerstone of SheaMoisture's operation is its
fair-trade production program that helps benefit suppliers.
Here's how it works.
Sundial starts by identifying high-quality sources for its ingredients, including shea butter, shea soap, and baobab oil. The company currently buys from more than 2,500
women in Ghana and Turkey, and plans to add suppliers in Brazil, Jamaica, Kenya, and Morocco this year.
The company's Community Commerce team works with suppliers to identify local needs. "We see what investments Sundial can make that will improve their lives, like making the process more environmentally friendly or bringing piped water into the area," says Sean Hall, VP of Community Commerce.
After harvesting, ingredients are sent to Savannah Fruits, a Ghana-based company that weighs and tests them before shipping them to Sundial's factories in New York and Amsterdam, where they undergo chemical-free refining and are added to products.
SheaMoisture creates nearly four dozen Community Commerce–labeled products, which are distributed to more than 20 leading retailers nationwide. Ten percent of the gross sales of these items are channeled back into Community Commerce initiatives.
FIND FEMALE
SUPPLIERS PU T COMMUNI T Y FIRS T CREATE THE PRODUCTS COMPLETE THECIRCLE
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Folks, it's once again Black History Month—a month that tends to sneak up on me since I've been on staff at The Root, where every day is steeped in black past, present and future. But as February 1st approached, so did the uncomfortable feeling that I haven't been doing my best for the culture; specifically, the culture I otherwise do my best to champion every day.
True Confession: Though I write about black-owned beauty products almost daily, and experiment with the latest offerings on the regular (mostly in-store, or in sample form), my daily routine is not even mostly comprised of black-owned products. No, I'm not proud.
Why? Mainly out of laziness—you know, you find what works and just stick with it, whether out of fear, lack of time, or lack of energy (you've been there, I know). And I work from home, generally wearing no makeup whatsoever. So, new looks are mostly an off-hours concern, if at all.
And for those of you who think I must be swimming in swag, that's unfortunately a half-truth. As a beauty editor, I get a fair amount of product to sample. But surprisingly, only about 30% of it is from black-owned brands.
That's not a complaint. Black-owned startups rarely benefit from the kind of generational wealth, loans or seed funding their white counterparts sometimes garner. And historically, they have a harder time making it onto the shelves of big box retailers—which is why we celebrate each time it does.
But while celebration—especially on a public platform—is great, so is financial support. With that in mind, this month, on behalf of the Glow Up, I am embarking on a black beauty only challenge, meaning that for the entire month of February, I will be using only black-owned or black-helmed brands for my skin, face, hair and nails. And with the rare exception of the swag items we've been sent or might receive during the month (which I'll disclose here—bring 'em on, beauty entrepreneurs!), we'll be trying to purchase these items, to be as objective as possible.
That's right: Wash Day? Black-owned beauty. Ash patrol? Black-owned beauty. Night out? Black-owned beauty. Mani-pedi? Black-owned beauty.
I'm thinking of it as a welcome blackout on my tried-and-true yet tired assortment of products (that is, all except the black-owned ones). And as anyone who's ever gone on a fast knows, removing temptation is key. In this case, the timing couldn't be better, since I'm moving at the end of this month. What better place to start packing than my vanity?
And while I won't be posting every day, I will be keeping you up-to-date on what I buy, where I buy it, how it works/wears, and whether it becomes a long-term replacement for something else I've been using. We're rooting for everybody black, and it's going to be an adventure—wanna come?
C'mon... if you can go vegan with Beyoncé, you can blackout your beauty routine with me. And while I can't offer you lifetime tickets to, well, anything I'm currently doing, I can promise that you'll be doing it for the culture.
The Glow Up tip: Have you tried some incredible black-owned beauty products you think I should dip into this month? Drop suggestions in the comments (actual consumers only, please).
How We Got That Glow: What Were the Glow Up's Favorite Black-Owned Beauty and Hair Finds of 2018?


Comments: **ONLY 52,258 MILES, **5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, **Redfire Clearcoat Metallic 2005 Ford Mustang GT Premium RWD 5-Speed Manual with Overdrive 4.6L V8 24V, Sought After Options include, **WE OFFER LOW FINANCE RATES, **WE BUY CARS & TRUCKS, from **Weathers Motors- Recipient of Federated DEALER of the YEAR AWARD.WEATHERS MOTORS- CELEBRATING 97 YEARS IN BUSINESS- Sales & Service....Media, West Chester, Glen Mills, Aston, Brookhaven, Springfield and Ridley used cars near me, auto repair near me......... Recent Arrival! Odometer is 21876 miles below market average!Don't miss your chance to SAVE BIG $$ We price our cars below market value right from the start. You get a great car at an exceptional price! .**Call our friendly sales staff at 610-566-5475 to schedule your appointment. Enjoy our relaxed, no pressure policy. Award winning dealer- Family owned and operated Since 1922. Free CARFAX, Report with every vehicle. Weathers Quality, Professionally Detailed, and 27 Point check. WE SELL, SERVICE ( Oil Change, PA State Inspection, Tires, Brakes, Auto Repair, Engine Repair ) and BUY all makes and models, imports and domestics. Check out our website: WeathersMotors.com.


The Tapas Sauces is a family company with more than 50 years of experience. The Spanish company came forth by the hand of the López family. Each summer, in each barbecue, the López Brothers experimented creating a new sauce. They devised diverse recipes, contents, flavors and textures. Slowly, their sauces began to success, especially among their own neighbors, relatives, friends and so on, who started demanding a manufactured final product susceptible to be purchased in markets. Thus, the sauces started to have some fans. From the so called "mother sauces", came up the idea of start commercializing The Tapas Sauces. Being aware that the key lies on sharing, the López Family joined together to put in motion the project and after years of great endeavor, sacrifice and illusion they finally create the sauces as we know them nowadays.


The unsavoury comments made by Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu against chief secretary L V Subrahmanyam incurred the wrath of retired IAS officers.
As many as 13 retired IAS officers including I V Subba Rao, S Bhale Rao, K V Rao, T S Appa Rao, A K Parida, S K Sinha, Sutheertha Bhattacharya, Vidya Sagar, M G Gopal, C V S K Sarma, Vinod K Agarwal, J C Mohanty and Dr Vijaya Kumar wrote a strongly-worded letter to Naidu for making derogatory comments against Subrahmanyam.
It may be mentioned that Naidu had called Subrahmanyam a covert of YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and a co-accused in Jagan's case. He also questioned Subrahmanyam's appointment as CS and his meeting with DGP R P Thakur.
The retired officers said Subrahmanyam was known as an outstanding officer and the high court had quashed all the cases against him. They wondered how he could be called an accused.
"We request the chief minister to avoid such comments in future and withdraw them at once and apologise," they demanded.
They also found fault with Naidu for going to the office of Chief Electoral Officer and talking to him in strong words.
"It is also not in the best traditions of administration and will send a message of intimidation. We request the chief minister to desist from such actions," they said in the letter.


text:
Camara: My heart is broken
Champions Cup pool draw 2019/20 Next
https://www.rugbypass.com/news/i-leave-with-a-heavy-broken-heart-but-my-blood-is-and-will-always-be-a-little-pink-djibril-camara/
'I leave with a heavy, broken heart... but my blood is and will always be a little pink'
Champions Cup pool draw 2019/20
Challenge Cup pool draw 2019/20
Djibril Camara has penned an emotional goodbye to Stade Francais fans (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Bastareaud misses out on France's World Cup squad
U20 World Championship Round-up: Oceania's best to battle defending champions in final
Dramatic day ends with New Zealand failing to make the Under-20 semi-finals
'England will be based around the Saracens machine and that mindset will pay real dividends'
Djibril Camara has penned an emotional open letter to Stade Francais fans after his stint at the club was ended by dismissal for alleged serious misconduct.
The 29-year-old back, capped four times by France, fellow foul of the club during the season and after it was confirmed he would not be returning, he decided to address the Parisian team's supporters via social media.
"There, it's finished," he wrote. "Sometimes destiny, or the chance of life, makes one have to leave dear people. Essential people, people who gave us a lot.
"You, the supporters of Stade Francais, count among those. This message of goodbye is the expression of my deep emotion, of my gratitude. Stade Francais was, for me, much more than a club. It was my family, my pedestal, my desire to surpass myself. Here, I lived exceptional moments, I grew up and built my life as a man.
"I arrived at the age of 13 through my friend Jeremy Fumey. I was still a child. In 2006, with a fabulous generation, we were French junior champions. In my head, there are still mages of joy, happiness and joy. It was the time of carelessness.
L'ancien joueur du Stade français, @camaradjibril4, s'adresse aux supporters ?https://t.co/9bj6Zp4ruA
— RUGBYRAMA (@RugbyramaFR) June 19, 2019
"I had the chance to go with the under-18 team, to enter the Stade Francais training centre and sign my first professional contract. I was only 18 years old and my head was full of dreams. These dreams, I partly accomplished them.
"I obviously want to thank Max Guazzini without whom nothing would have been possible. What a president he was!
"I still remember my first try for the professional team. It was against Dax. It was yesterday. I treasure every day the chance I had to wear this jersey with players like Christophe Dominici, Julien Dupuy, Mathieu Bastareaud, Juan Hernandez, Antoine Burban, Sergio Parisse, Sylvain Marconnet, David Auradou, Nani Corletto and many others. It's hard to mention them all…
Aux amoureux du stade français
A post shared by Djibril Camara (@djibril_camara) on Jun 19, 2019 at 2:07am PDT
"At the moment of leaving, I also have an emotional thought for Thomas Savare and Pierre Arnald. They have been much criticised, but I can assure you that they have always been kind to me as with the club.
"The title of champion of France in 2015 will forever be engraved in my memory. Just like the European title in 2017. Thanks to you Gonzalo (Queseda) for having taken the trouble to understand me and to have made the best of myself.
"I would have loved to follow the footsteps of Pierre Rabadan and make my career at Stade Francais. Alas, it is not possible.
"Another adventure opens before me. We'll see each other soon here and there, on a pitch or somewhere else. I leave with a heavy, broken heart. But my blood is and will always be a little pink."
WATCH: The new RugbyPass documentary, Going Pro, about the Saracens women's team and their successful attempt to win back to back English titles


Buying a house will no doubt be one of the largest financial transactions and most nerve-racking decisions people will ever make. Jay's expertise will help guide you through all the obstacles during this important decision process.
PLANNING ON BUYING IN THE SHUSWAP SOON?
As first time home Buyers, my husband and I were unsure of what to expect in our price range and what a realtor would be able to find for us. After viewing many different properties with other Realtors we felt confident that Jay had our best interests in mind and so we chose Jay as our Realtor. Being patient, honest and encouraging, Jay helped us make what we feel was the best possible decision for our first home. Our experience was great and we'd highly recommend Jay as a Realtor to anyone."
"Thank you Jay for assisting us in purchasing our first house! Jay made the process very easy, and made us feel so comfortable through out everything. We couldn't have asked for a better or more personable realtor than Jay. If anyone is in need if a GREAT realtor just give Jay a call! We appreciate all your guidance, help and time you put into making our first purchase a breeze. Thanks!"
Remember you're not just buying a home... you're buying the "Shuswap Lifestyle!". Jay tells buyers that all the time and they laugh. "But it's true," he says "we are so lucky to live here!" He gets that, and that's why Jay loves what he does. Whether you are a first time Buyer or a veteran home purchaser Jay promises to make the process of purchasing Salmon Arm and Shuswap area real estate easier, more enjoyable, less time-consuming, and less expensive than if you undertook this challenge with someone else. He will help you locate and assess local properties for sale that match your specifications, and help you through the myriad of details attending the actual purchase.
As an experienced, full time local real estate agent working every day he is always familiar with the current listings on the market and knows the individual neighborhood values well. Jay can help you determine which properties are fairly-priced and in good condition before you start your search.
At your request, Jay can provide you with on-going emails of new listings that fit your criteria so you are always one of the first to know! If you are new to the area he'll be happy to provide you with a complimentary re-location package plus arrange to give you an escorted orientation of the area.
Your first step to buying a home is to first ask yourself why you want to buy a home: To stop paying rent? To start building equity? To have a place of your own? To raise a family? Retirement? Next, list what kind of home you'd like and where you would like to be. Be specific. Separate the "must haves" from the "want to haves."
Think of yourself as zeroing in on a target, going from the general to the specific. Consider area (north, south, east, or west side); neighborhood (older and settled or sparkling new; a particular school zone; recreational facilities; and other community services.
Once you have addressed the above needs, your next step in the purchasing process is to get pre-qualified with a mortgage company. This can be done over the phone or even online in a matter of minutes. Call Jay and he will refer you to a mortgage professional with an excellent reputation and track record for successfully acquiring loan approval for his/her clients.
Once you've been pre-qualified and know what price range you can afford to stay in, he can help you determine which properties fit your needs by using the (MLS) Multiple Listing Service system to locate them. He has the best possible resources and communication systems available today to help you locate the homes on the market that match your specifications. By clicking on these links you can even search his personal current listings as well as all of the office listings. Jay will help you complete your financing and inspections, and close on the transaction. His top priority is to make sure that your home buying experience is pleasant, cost-efficient and successful.
"Thank you Jay for assisting us in purchasing our first house! Jay made the process very easy, and made us feel so comfortable throughout everything. We couldn't have asked for a better or more personable REALTOR® than Jay. If anyone is in need if a GREAT REALTOR® just give Jay a call! We appreciate all your guidance, help and time you put into making our first purchase a breeze. Thanks!"
The Homelife Salmon Arm Realty office is owned and managed by local REALTORS®. The 6 co-owners, including Jay, share the concept of full service and the office has a great working atmosphere of focused professionals getting results.
Their solid reputation in the community has attracted many of the area's top selling sales agents. Homelife Salmon Arm Realty has received many national awards for outstanding listings and sales production based on similar sized offices throughout Canada.
These statistics are generated based on the current listing's property type and located in Shus./Anstey/Sey.. Average values are derived using median calculations.
Listed by Century 21 Lakeside Realty Ltd.


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According to Lovecraft, his dread god Cthulhu sleeps in R'lyeh, in the far south Pacific, but have Plankton Portal classifiers found him in the Mediterranean?
Thankfully for mankind, this is just a close-up of a mauve stinger jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca), so the hunt for the High Priest of the Great Old Ones goes on.
It does, however, serve as a reminder that Plankton Portal recently got an all-new interface and a data set from the Mediterranean, that you should totally check out today!
Next Next post: Happy Birthday Zooniverse!


text:
Bonaire: This Dutch Caribbean Island will be the best dive vacation you ever take!
GOPR0085DCIM\100GOPRO\GOPR0085.JPG
This spot in the Dutch Caribbean will make for the best dive vacation you ever take
Written by Matt Meltzer
SOME THINGS IN LIFE just shouldn't be DIY. Complex electrical work, for example, and dental surgery.
Some would say scuba diving falls into that category, too, what with the completely unnatural nature of submerging the human body under 50 feet of ocean for an hour at a time. But if you're a certified diver with even a modicum of experience, there's a place in the Caribbean where DIY diving is divine. A place where yellow stones off the highway each mark a new magical undersea world. When diving in Bonaire, all of this is easy to explore with nothing more than some gear, a C-card, and your diving buddy.
In many dive destinations, you fly to a far flung tropical island, book a dive trip with a local operator, and hope they show you the best sites. It typically involves a boat ride, a guide, or in some cases, a live-aboard vessel. And your experience is nearly always at the mercy of your dive company's agenda and availability.
But in Bonaire, what you see and when you see it is entirely up to you. That's because this Dutch Caribbean island smack between Aruba and Curaçao is designed as a shore divers heaven, with plainly marked dive sites, easy dives, and plenty of places to swap out your empty tanks for full ones.
Bonaire is ideally suited for avid divers for a few reasons. First, the reef is pretty easy to navigate, even for those who lose their way underwater easily.
"The reef is pretty much the same all around the island," the manager at Dive Friends at the Delfins Beach Resort told me as I picked up gear for the week. "The bottom slopes down, then the reef slopes up, then it drops down again. And it's never that deep, so if you can't figure out where you are, just pop up to the top, look at the shore, and swim back."
To his point, few dives go much deeper than 50 feet, and most can be experienced at 30 feet or less. Because the reef is also close to shore, you'll never find yourself an unswimmable distance away.
Bonaire is also specifically designed with independent diving in mind. Dive Friends is among the largest operators on the island, with shops in major resorts like Delfins as well as other freestanding stores in town. Each shop is part of an island-wide tank refill program, where intrepid divers can roll up and trade in their empty tanks for full ones. The whole thing runs about $35 per day, and makes diving without a guide or boat trip simple.
Finally, Bonaire makes it easy to find its dive sites, as each one is marked by a yellow stone on the beach, located just off the main highway. So you can rent a car, load it up with gear and tanks, and traverse the island looking for the best places to dive without much difficulty. Because the dives are shallow, you won't need long surface intervals, either. So if you like packing your days with as much diving as possible, Bonaire is where you want to be.
Hit the road and experience Bonaire, one gold rock at a time
There's really no right or wrong way to dive Bonaire. Most of the dives sit on the calmer west side of the island, and since visibility is pretty good here whenever you are able to go, you won't need to hit them in any specific order. But if you're struggling to figure out where to start, the Salt Pier is as good as anywhere.
Spotting the Salt Pier is pretty easy, as it sits adjacent to a skyline of 50-foot salt mounds. These are Bonaire's famous salt pyramids that were mined from the island's salt flats and shipped out from a large industrial pier near the island's southern end. This pier, which is still fully operational, is also home to the Bonaire's signature dive.
Starting out just south of the pier, swim out to its far southern end, then drop down about 17 to 20 feet. From there, you'll swim through the pier's pylons alongside eels, parrotfish, and the occasional squid. The quantity of marine life here is spectacular, too, as schools are drawn by the cool darkness cast by the pier's shadows.
After exiting the water, you'll likely come across another group parked near you, preparing to enter the water, just as I did.
"How's the viz?" a middle-aged man with a New York accent asked as I unloaded my tank into my car.
"Great! You're gonna love it!" I said. "Where you guys been today?"
"We were over at Red Slave," he said. "Saw some turtles over there, I think they're hanging around all day."
Such is the nature of divers' camaraderie in Bonaire, similar to what you'd find from backpackers along the Appalachian trail, or hunters in late-fall Nebraska. If you're diving Bonaire, you're likely an enthusiast, and because of that you have an instant bond with almost anyone you meet. It's kind of like a band-themed cruise, but instead of Heart you're seeing actual barracuda.
From there, myself and the crew I was diving with took the New Yorker's suggestion and headed to Red Slave, a dive site marked by the concrete huts set right on the shore that gets its name from the fact that the buildings once served as quarters for enslaved people who worked the eighteenth-century salt mines. There were turtles swimming there, along with an abundance of fish similar to what we saw under the Salt Pier.
About five minutes up the road, we stopped at the beach in front of Bonaire's best wreck dive, the Hilma Hooker. The wreck is bookended by boat moorings less than 100 feet from shore. The dive area ranges from 60 to 100 feet, so it's best done by more-experienced divers. It's a fascinating look at how nature takes over once artificial objects are left to its mercy.
Other dive sites include 1,000 Steps, set just outside Washington Slagbaai National Park. While the trip down to the beach is not a full thousand steps long, the 64 stairs down are still a strenuous journey in full dive gear. The payoff is worth it, though, as you'll finish on one of the most stunning beaches in the Caribbean. Inside the water, you'll find towering pagodas of star coral near the boat moorings. Among them, sergeant majors, turtles, rays, and the occasional shark are common sightings. Not far from here you can also hit Bari Reef, where more than 300 species of fish have been sighted.
The shore diving capital of the world isn't limited to shore diving, though. At Klein Bonaire, the small island just off the capital of Kralendijk, you'll find the highest concentration of marine life in Bonaire. A short, pleasant boat ride takes you to sites like Forest and Monte's Divi Tree, which boast thick schools of diverse fish and your best chance to spot sea horses.
Bonaire is one of the world's most affordable dive destinations, too
Perhaps the best thing about diving Bonaire is that it can be done (relatively) affordably. Though it's important to know that the Dutch Caribbean should never be confused with a budget destination. Still, compared to other Caribbean islands where hotel rooms cost $300 a night and a 2-tank dive trip can cost just as much, Bonaire is a downright bargain.
I stayed at the Delfins Beach resort, a 4-star spot with a private beach and dive pier. Here, most rooms are full suites with kitchenettes and separate living rooms. Rates at the time of my visit started at less than $200 a night. Shore diving is free, and if you need to rent gear you can get a full set for $50 a day, or about $250 for a full week. Tanks are $35 a day, and offer air or Nitrox.
Meals weren't outrageous either, with an average meal for two people on the island running about $80 to $100. Drinks were about the same – scoring a couple of cocktails for $10 wasn't impossible, and even the island's top cocktail bar, Tiki & Co., has few creations over $10 a drink.
Before you plan on the solo dive trip of a lifetime, remember diving is never a solo sport. If you're planning to go by yourself, you'll either need to meet people to dive with or bring a guide. And this kind of unsupervised diving odyssey should only be undertaken by experienced, certified divers, who know what they're doing and feel comfortable going down 30 to 40 feet.
Assuming all that holds, Bonaire is going to be the best dive vacation you ever take. From the thousands of fish, to fantastic visibility, to DIY diving at reasonable prices, it's hands down the best Caribbean island for the avid diver. And even for those who aren't, it's a gem where the greatest treasures lie underwater.
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The soulful rockin' sonics of Handsome Jack sound more like they're from the Southern U.S. than southern Niagara County, N.Y., 20 miles east of the Falls. But that's the origin of the rootsy and dynamic power trio who have just issued their second album Everything's Gonna Be Alright on Alive Naturalsound records. Among its treats is the simple stomper "Baby Be Cool," sounding like a Wet Willie outtake but with eventual Memphis-style horns.
We're proud to debut the striking video for "Baby Be Cool," which combines the classic hair and plaid look of the band with the bright colors of a '70s sitcom intro, with an eye-catching typography that leans toward the late '60s 3D cursive of old logos found on LP covers from the Flying Burrito Brothers or the Jackson 5.
But while upholding the classic sounds of rockers enjoying the blues, there's nothing overtly retro about the band, other than the good old feelings they conjure up. They're more like onetime label mates the Black Keys inciting something unpretentious and solid.
PHOTO: CARY HORTON | The Bottle Rockets have always had a flinty, no-nonsense way of expressing the very concrete things of everyday life that sets it apart from most bands.
There's a hard-won Midwestern honesty to their hard-charging songs about defining the limitations of life and accepting them (or at least naming them clearly). And when Brian Henneman and crew have a new set of songs to present, by gum, they're going to do them, playing everything from a new album because they're just as proud of every song on it, and letting an audience know what exactly to expect.
At a previous headlining show at Gypsy Sally's in DC, they played the entirety of their 2015 South Broadway Athletic Club in order, one after another before going onto their older favorites. In a satisfying show Thursday opened by Sarah Borges, they played the songs from their new Bit Logic in order as well. And though they refused to take requests from fans during the main set, they at least did throw in some old favorites in between the new ones to allow a taste of the familiar.


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text:
Q: When date is approaching (1 week) Change colour of worksheet tab As titile describes, this is what i got so far.
Private Sub Workbook_SheetCalculate(ByVal Sh As Object)

Dim i As Long

Dim cell As Date

For i = 14 To MAX_ROW
    cell = ActiveSheet.Cells(i, 14).Value
    If DateSerial(Year(Date), Month(cell), Day(cell)) - Date <= 7 Then
    Sh.Tab.ColorIndex = 3
    Else
    Sh.Tab.ColorIndex = 6
    End If
   Next

End Sub

What i have is a table for car inspections. In the table there is two columns one for the date inspection is completed and the second for when the next inspection is due. In the case of the code when the inspection is due is in column 14 (the table also starts in row 14 so thats why i have i = 14) and what i think my code does is that it searches that column until the if condition is met (sorry if im wrong i started very recently). Since there is a few vehicles instead of checking each sheet on at the time i want it so that the worksheet tab color changes once the duye date is close (in this case 7 days later).

Thats what the table looks like the column in the right is the next due date which is calculated with formula =IF(M14="";"";DATE(YEAR(M14);MONTH(M14)+6;DAY(M14)))
Which adds 6 months to the date added in the column to the left (which is the completion of the previous car checkup) so therefore the right one is now when the next check is due.

A: Try this: checks to see if the service date is less than 7 days in the future and not marked as "Completado" in the next cell to the right.
Private Sub Workbook_SheetCalculate(ByVal Sh As Object)

    Const MAX_ROW As Long = 40 'for example

    Dim i As Long, dt, c As Range

    Sh.Tab.ColorIndex = 6              'default color
    For i = 14 To MAX_ROW
        Set c = Sh.Cells(i, 14)
        dt = c.Value                   'Sh not Activesheet
        If IsDate(dt) Then             'check is a date
            Debug.Print Sh.Name, i, dt
            'is the service date within 7 days from now and not already completed?
            If Date - Sh.Cells(i, 14).Value < 7 And _
                     LCase(Trim(c.Offset(0, 1).Value)) <> "completado" Then
                Sh.Tab.Color = vbRed
                Exit Sub               'done after one change
            End If
        End If
    Next i

End Sub

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The news that Peter Jackson is negotiating to direct the two halves of The Hobbit hit the internet Friday afternoon, not quite as a bomb, because many had expected it, but with resounding effect nonetheless. Still, it seemed a strange thing, given that the problems that forced Guillermo del Toro to leave the film — notably a very uncertain schedule thanks to MGM's financial state — haven't been resolved. And, indeed, a somewhat nebulous statement seems to indicate that Jackson isn't as close to being set as the film's director as many would like.
Over at AICN, Harry Knowles has a rambling, rather difficult to decipher piece that targets news reports about both Spider-Man and The Hobbit, in which he basically takes Mike Fleming and Deadline to task for running very speculative, unsourced and unconfirmed reports.


text:
Home Sports Local Sports Cougars Open 2020 On A High Note
UMM Cougars
Cougars Open 2020 On A High Note
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The UMN Morris men's basketball team (4-7) opened up the 2020 calendar year with an 81-74 victory over Presentation Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Dillon Haider led the way with 24 points.
The Cougars jumped out to a 14-6 lead over Saints almost five minutes into the game.
After the Saints brought the score within one at 17-16, the Cougars then went on an 8-0 run to take a 25-16 lead. In the closing minutes of the first half, Presentation overcame a nine-point deficit to take a 35-34 lead into halftime.
second half saw the Saints build an eight-point lead at 56-48 with 12:31 to play in regulation. The Cougars were able to battle back and take the lead at 65-64 with 6:52 to go in the second half.
With the score tied at 71-all late in the game, Jaret Johnson put the Cougars up by two with 3:21 to play in regulation. UMN Morris made four free throws down the final seconds of the game to secure the 81-74 victory.
Haider was 6-of-9 from 3-point range, along with Haider, Nick Peterson (17 points), Kenneth Riley (15 points) and Blake Martinz (11 points) all scored double-figures.
Peterson led the Cougars with six rebounds. Trent Jerome tallied four assists to lead the Cougars.
The Cougars are on the road in Mankato, Minnesota, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 5:30 p.m. against Bethany Lutheran.
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The UMN Morris women's basketball team (7-4) cruised past Presentation, 96-52, in a non-conference contest Saturday afternoon. Four Cougars scored in double-figures on the day.
The Cougars opened the game outscoring the Saints, 11-3, and then took a 24-15 lead into the second quarter. With two quarters of play in the books, UMN Morris held a 41-26 lead over the home team.
During the third quarter, the Cougars built their lead to 35 points over the Saints, and led by 32 at 68-36 with one quarter to go.
The Cougars capped off the 96-52 victory outscoring the Saints by 12 in the fourth quarter.
Mia Wassink paced the Cougars with 15 points and eight rebounds, Lexus Eagle Chasing and Abby Van Kempen each tallied 14 points. Along with her 14 points, A. Van Kempen secured nine rebounds. Haley Wollschlager finished the game with 11 points.
The Cougars outscored the Saints, 24-4, on points off of turnovers.
The Cougar bench outscored the Saint bench, 35-5.
Previous articleOturu Dominates As Gophers Slip Past Northwestern
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Season Opener For Numerous Area Teams Saturday
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Your dog's day for fun! So many things for your dog to do and all in one place. Including the Ultimate Air Dogs, The FastFetch Cup & Qualifiers, Lure Chasing, Delmarva Unleashed Cover Model Search, Pie Eating contest, Seminars, & more!


text:
//
//  ZJStatusFavoritesViewController.m
//  ZJWeibo
//
//  Created by dibadalu on 15/11/9.
//  Copyright (c) 2015年 dibadalu. All rights reserved.
//

#import "ZJStatusFavoritesViewController.h"
#import "ZJAccountTool.h"
#import "ZJAccount.h"
#import "ZJHttpTool.h"
#import "ZJStatus.h"
#import "ZJStatusFrame.h"
#import <MJExtension.h>
#import "ZJStatusCell.h"
#import "ZJProfileStatusTool.h"
#import "ZJFavorites.h"
#import <MJExtension.h>
#import "ZJStatusDetailViewController.h"

@interface ZJStatusFavoritesViewController ()

/** 微博数组--存放的是微博Frame模型 */
@property(nonatomic,strong) NSMutableArray *statusFrames;

@end

@implementation ZJStatusFavoritesViewController
#pragma mark - lazy method
- (NSMutableArray *)statusFrames
{
    if (!_statusFrames) {
        self.statusFrames = [NSMutableArray array];
    }
    return _statusFrames;
}

#pragma mark - system method
- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];

    self.title = @"收藏";

    //获取当前用户的收藏微博
    [self setupFavoritesStatus];

}

#pragma mark - init method
/**
 *  获取当前用户的收藏微博
 */
- (void)setupFavoritesStatus
{
    /*
     https://api.weibo.com/2/favorites.json get

     access_token	false	string	采用OAuth授权方式为必填参数,其他授权方式不需要此参数,OAuth授权后获得。
     */
    //1.拼接请求参数
    ZJAccount *account = [ZJAccountTool account];
    NSMutableDictionary *params = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];
    params[@"access_token"] = account.access_token;
//    params[@"count"] = @1;

    //2.发送请求
    [ZJHttpTool get:@"https://api.weibo.com/2/favorites.json" params:params success:^(id json) {
//        ZJLog(@"请求成功--%@",json[@"favorites"]);//数组

        //字典转模型
        NSArray *newFavoriteses = [ZJFavorites objectArrayWithKeyValuesArray:json[@"favorites"]];

        //将ZJFavorites转化为ZJStatusFrame
        NSArray *frames = [self statusFramesWithFavoriteses:newFavoriteses];

        //将微博数据,添加到总数组的最前面(插入)
        NSRange range = NSMakeRange(0, newFavoriteses.count);
        NSIndexSet *set = [NSIndexSet indexSetWithIndexesInRange:range];
        [self.statusFrames insertObjects:frames atIndexes:set];

        //刷新表格
        [self.tableView reloadData];

    } failure:^(NSError *error) {
        ZJLog(@"请求失败--%@",error);

    }];

}

/**
 * 将ZJFavorites转化为ZJStatusFrame
 */
- (NSArray *)statusFramesWithFavoriteses:(NSArray *)favoriteses
{
    //遍历status数组
    NSMutableArray *frames = [NSMutableArray array];
    for (ZJFavorites *favorites in favoriteses) {
        ZJStatusFrame *frame = [[ZJStatusFrame alloc] init];
        frame.status = favorites.status;
        [frames addObject:frame];
    }
    return frames;
}

#pragma mark - UITableViewDataSource
- (NSInteger)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView numberOfRowsInSection:(NSInteger)section
{
    return self.statusFrames.count;
}

- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    //1.创建cell
    ZJStatusCell *cell = [ZJStatusCell cellWithTableView:tableView];

    //2.给cell传微博frame模型(在cell里面设置frame和数据)
    cell.statusFrame = self.statusFrames[indexPath.row];

    return cell;
}

#pragma mark - UITableViewDelegate
- (CGFloat)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView heightForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    ZJStatusFrame *frame = self.statusFrames[indexPath.row];
    return frame.cellHeight;

}

- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    //    ZJLog(@"didSelectRowAtIndexPath---%ld",(long)indexPath.row);
    ZJStatusDetailViewController *detail = [[ZJStatusDetailViewController alloc] init];
    ZJStatusFrame *frame = self.statusFrames[indexPath.row];
    detail.status = frame.status;//传微博数据给ZJStatusDetailViewController
    [self.navigationController pushViewController:detail animated:YES];
}

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Calculus Velocity and Acceleration Here's the question:

I know that:
$a(t) = -9.8$

So I integrated the acceleration function to find the velocity:
$v(t) = -9.8t + c$

And because $v(0) = -5$, I can determine that $c = -5$, thus:
$v(t) = -9.8t - 5$

I then integrated the velocity function to find the position:
$s(t) = -4.9t^2 - 5t + c'$

And because at time $t= 0$, the position $s(t=0) = 0$, $c' = 0$, thus:
$s(t) = -4.9t^2 - 5t$

Then, when the ball hits the ground, $s(t) = 30$, so:
$4.9t^2 + 5t + 30 = 0$

This is my working so far and I just wanted to check if I did it right since I was a bit confused by the question. To find $t$ now would I just sub in to the quadratic formula? Any input would be appreciated, thanks!

A: Almost all of it is correct, only the last equation is wrong:
The ground is 30 meters UNDER the bridge, so you want the time at which the value od $s(t)$ is equal to $-30$.

It will be very helpful for you to understand why I was able to very quickly notice that something is wrong with your solution. Here is the thought train that got me there:

*

*OK, looks pretty much OK, the OP found $s(t)$ to be some sort of quadratic expression in $t$.

*I see, now he's solving the equation $s(t)=30$

*But wait, that means he's solving an equation $c_1 t^2 + c_2 t + 30 = 0$! But that's no good! Because $c_1$ and $c_2$ are both positive, $c_1 t^2 + c_2 t + 30$ will be positive if the time is positive!

*

*This is not possible: from common sense, I know that the ball must hit the ground. There must have been a sign mixup somewhere.


text:
Helping youth leaders empower
students to reach their world.
Multiply Your Youth Ministry
When the Gospel spreads like wildfire, it's rarely because of one big event—or one youth pastor. Here's how stage 5 Gospel Advancing leaders keep the flames blazing.
Ben Phillips
One late summer night when I was middle school, my youth group hosted a firepit gathering at one of my friend's homes in the rural fields of northeast Colorado. We sang, ate whatever food we could manage to skewer securely enough to not drop into the fire, and played games as the sunlight gave way to darkness.
As the final rays disappeared behind the horizon, stars burst onto the scene, making the black sky their stage for an unmatched performance of beauty and wonder. A group of us climbed onto the hoods of a few cars parked away from the noisy gathering and began to search for constellations, planets, and the occasional shooting star.
As we watched, there was one star that seemed to be getting brighter than the rest. It was moving, but not like a typical shooting star. It kept growing brighter and bigger, and our eyes grew wide in amazement. "What is that?!" one of us exclaimed, as an unsettling feeling of excitement and fear flooded over our small posse.
Suddenly the big, brilliant object hit the atmosphere, lighting up the entire sky for a second! Then we watched, stunned and amazed, as something dropped beyond the impact toward the ground in the distance.
A few days later, we found a news report describing how a fireball had fallen from the sky and landed on the ground, southeast of Denver, Colorado. It was truly a wonder to behold, and the group of us shared our story and bragged about our experience for weeks afterward.
Chasing Fireballs
I look back now and realize I don't remember much of what happened that night beyond the fireball. I can't tell you a single song we sang or who shared with us from the Bible as we sat around the fire. I can't even remember who all was there!
This is exactly what it's like for us in the ministry world, if we're honest. We rarely remember beyond the big moment or event, because that's what we believe is the goal. We want a "fireball to light up the sky" moment to happen in order to reach the teens of our communities.
I think about the book of Acts, chapter 2, where Peter stands up on the day of Pentecost and shares the Gospel. Acts 2:41 says: "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."
Talk about a fireball moment! Something huge had happened, and I bet the 120 believers who had gathered that morning to pray were too hyped up to sleep that evening, after watching the Body of Christ explode in size before their eyes. This was a big shift from the crucifixion of Jesus that had happened only a month and a half before, and it must have felt as if things were finally where they were supposed to be.
We love these moments, because we get convinced that the instant response of a seemingly big crowd is the way God wants to advance His Kingdom. The early church had this mentality too, but that wasn't what Jesus had in mind. While they stayed in Jerusalem watching their numbers grow, He had called them to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).
As you continue through the book of Acts, you see the tension build until persecution struck in a new way at the stoning of Stephen. At this point the "fireball" gathering scattered across their region, looking for safer places. You might expect this blow to the early megachurch model to end the movement, but instead it accelerated it.
"Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went." Acts 8:4
We know the story. The Gospel spreads like crazy throughout the known world, as people carry the message with boldness from place to place. It's incredible to read, but do you notice what didn't happen again? There was no repeat of Pentecost. No huge response in a single moment. No fireball. Instead, there was something reproduceable happening that multiplied out exponentially and ultimately led to both you and me being able to know Jesus today.
Multiplication vs. Addition
So how do we mirror this today? How do we continue the pattern of multiplying ministries that are thriving in Gospel Advancement?
We network!
Imagine if, in your first few years of youth ministry, you had a group of local leaders from other churches who invited you in, poured Gospel Advancing values into you, and worked alongside you to reach every teen in your community. How incredible would that be, or have been? Too many of us are focused on our own version of success, even within the Gospel Advancing movement, and because of that we forget the simple math.
In my area, there are 3,558 teens. Even if my students carried the Gospel to each of them in a relatively short time, then what? My youth building legally holds 250 people. I can't even host, let alone disciple, 3,000+ teens! I need to team up with others to accomplish the mission in my own community.
You as a leader may be thriving in a Gospel Advancing ministry, but until every teen in your area is reached, I urge you: Don't be satisfied! Let the fire of the mission burn in you and drive you to connect with other church leaders you can spread it to. Gather together to pray, dream, inspire, and encourage one another, until your buildings are overrun with teens looking for Jesus!
Host Campfires
Fireballs aren't reproduceable, but campfires are. When you get your local camp (network) of leaders going and growing, start thinking of the next community over. Who could your network pour into to help them start a "campfire" of their own? Help light it with the bold vision your network has for your community and watch as the movement spreads rapidly through your region. Focus on the reproduceable model, and you'll begin to see the same results the early church did when the Gospel was unleashed.
Be a host of a campfire, not a seeker of fireballs.
Ben Phillips is Dare 2 Share's Gospel Advancing training specialist. He—alongside his wife, JaNae—has served in the local church as a youth, college, young adult, worship, and church planting pastor in Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas over the past 15 years. Ben has seen God do big things through the Gospel Advancing values, and he desires to see others catch the vision of Jesus to reach the world.
Teen Anxiety—and Your Role as a Youth Pastor
How to guide students spiritually when they're struggling
Turn Your Student Ministry into a Gospel Advancing Ministry…
…through the power of student leaders.
5 Fall Ideas for Youth Pastors
Practical ways to keep the Gospel front and center in your ministry this season
free youth ministry resources
Free youth ministry curriculum, books, evangelism training, ebooks, videos, and more! Download your free resources now and grow your youth ministry.
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yeah, that's right. did u read the books or just look at the website?
Avalon est un monde sans danger!
I've only read one book lol. I want to read them but I can't find them. Mum's getting them for me today.
yeah, i told u, didn't I? or did I just imagine that?
i found out BY MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG, I got the next 3 books: Song of the Unicorn, All's fairy in Love and War, and Ghost Wolf. my fav was ghost wolf, 'cuz Adriene was the main character. SHE GETS BACK STROM AND BECOMES A LEVEL 2 MAGE!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!
OMG. I just heard about the movie. I have all the books. my favorite character is Adrienne. Is the movie out yet? or when does it come out?
Will it be on video/dvd or in theatres?? lemme know!!!!!!!OMG. I just heard about hte movie. I have all the books. my favorite character is Adrienne. Is the movie out yet? or when does it come out? Will it be on video/dvd or in theatres?? lemme know!!!!!!
hey, Stormis4ever, I could show u how 2 make that ur signature. Just ask.
this sux, they won't make the new book! AND no progress of the movie has been heard of.
I like the books, and there's going to be a contest and auditioning for the movie, sounds very interesting.
I like all 3 girls because they each represent a little part of me.
I've read all the books so far, and I really want to get "The Heart of Avalon", it sounds like a big adventure.
is it out? have u read it???
nice!!! Hey, do u want me 2 make u a sig &/ or a avatar?
Sure! If you want too!
well, I like the sig u have now! I'll make ur avatar, then.
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