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Recruited by Tech
Adventures in finding software jobs
Coda Music – 1997
On June 27, 2018 By Recruited by techIn Tech1 Comment
I separated from my first wife in December of 1996. My first order of business was figuring out where to live, what stuff was mine, what stuff was hers, etc. But after that, I had to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I had the opportunity to start over if I wanted. Did I want to do music full time, and maybe go back to music school? Did I want to try to break into major league baseball as an analyst? (Although MLB still did not have people who did that at this point.)
I was not particularly happy at Sun, although it was fine. But I thought maybe I wanted to work on software that really captured my imagination.
I applied and got turned down to positions on productivity applications team like Adobe Photoshop. I talked to some friends who were in the video game industry, and the stories they told had all of the things I hated about StyleWare.
I knew nothing of web programming. I took at class (on Sun's dime) at University of California Berkeley Extension on Java programming. That was my first introduction to object-oriented programming (and the only A I ever made in a computer science course), so many of the internet startups that were starting to spring up seemed out of reach.
There was, however, one piece of software I used all of the time for my music hobby projects. It was software I had envisioned writing myself the first time I saw a Mac in 1984, but I knew I would have trouble getting funding for and making money off of.
It was Finale. Finale was to music publishing what PageMaker was for traditional print media. It had everything a composer/arranger needed to write down music, play it back trhough the computer, and produce professional looking copy.
One of my arranging projects. It actually got played!
Finale was a Mac and Windows app. √
Finale leveraged my knowledge of music theory and preparation. √
And, in Spring of 1997, Coda Music had an opening for a programmer on the Finale team pm their website. √
So I applied. I put together a custom resume with all of my music preparation and theory experience, along with my Mac and Windows programming experience, printed it, and the first page of the above arrangement to show I knew something about the product, and mailed it away to Minnesota. In an envelope. With a stamp.
Was not surprised that I did not hear from them for the rest of 1997.
Sun Microsystems Laboratories – 1997
On June 24, 2018 By Recruited by techIn Tech2 Comments
I started at Sun in March of 1996 as a contractor. I did not really like being a contractor, even if a 3rd party company was actually paying me. I had no health plan. The 401K was very limited. I had no vacation or sick days, and I was hourly. And had no job security. There was almost no paperwork to get rid of me.
I was particularly worried about the health plan. I have always had some chronic health concerns. At the time I started, my then-wife just put me on our plan. However, we separated near the beginning of the year in 1997, and I planned for the divorce to be final by the end of the year, and at that point, I needed a health plan. It's one of the major reasons I was interviewing around in 1997.
After I had been there 6-9 months, I asked my manager about possibly getting a permanent position. He said, "We'll see". Finally, after about a year, I got an offer for a permanent position at Sun Labs. It was actually kind of an ultimatum. I was also told my contract was ending the Friday before the first day in the offer.
The pay was actually a little less than I got as a contractor. The assumption was that I was paying more for benefits as a contractor, which wasn't true as long as I was covered by my wife's plan. But given that this was the choice I had in front of me if I wanted to stay employed, I accepted the offer. And then I had insurance, a 401K plan, an Employee Stock Options Purchase plan, use of the onsite fitness center, etc.
The only downside: I had to get a new badge at Sun. This was a nightmare.
When I first joined Sun as a contractor, I did not initially get a badge. I had to sign in at the front desk to go to work, sign out when I left for the day, and had to have coworkers hold the door for me to get into the cafeteria (called "Sparcy's"; Sun's most successful product at that time were SPARC-based computers). I was told I was going to need to go to the badge offer to take care of this.
There were two badge offices in the Bay Area; one was in Mountain View, on the same campus as where I worked. However, it was only open 9-12 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There was a another office in Milpitas 20 miles away open 9-5 5 days/week. On Tuesday, I drove out there. I then found out that personnel records were uploaded and downloaded across Sun offices via satellite on Wednesdays, and I could not possibly get a badge until Friday.
Friday, I got a badge. Hooray. It opened the door to the employee area when I tried it. Hooray.
It did not, however, open Sparcy's. Boo. I was then told I had to launch a piece of software called "BadgeTool" from a Solaris box to fill out a request for access to Sparcy's. Well, I was hired to do Mac and Windows, and did not yet have a SPARC box to work with. I was then told that my boss had to launch "IT Support Tool", and request a SPARC box for me.
So, the following Wednesday, I got a SPARC machine, which, actually, it turns out I needed for work anyway. I launched "BadgeTool", this hideous X-Windows confusing app, and request access to Sparcy's.
Friday, I was informed that I then had it. Great.
The next week, I had to go get something in my car, and go back into the building after 5:00. No dice. I went home. The next day, I asked my boss, and he said I needed to launch "BadgeTool" again, and request after-hours access.
That took a couple of days. And I was set.
Until July 1. My badge stopped working. My boss told me that as a contractor, I had to renew my badge every six months, and he had to request it, and he would.
So I had to get another badge. At least by this time, the Mountain View badge office was open 9-5 5 days/week. Oh, and I had to request access to the cafeteria, and after-hours access to the building again.
And I had to do it all again six months later, in January.
So, when I became a full-time employee, I had to get yet another badge. This time, however, I did not have to request the additional access (all employees had it), and I would not have to renew it every six months.
Badges. We don't need no stinkin' badges.
Xinet – 1997
On June 19, 2018 By Recruited by techIn TechLeave a comment
A friend of mine had a friend who had a tiny company in Berkeley looking for a Mac programmer. They were a Digital Asset Management company, which meant that they had a system for tracking documents, including licensing, indexing, etc.
Berkeley was a long drive, but I made my way up there.
There was no chemistry here. I was not really interested in the product/company, and the person I talked to was not particularly impressed by me.
Saved me a hard decision about moving to East Bay, so I got that out of it.
Intuit – 1996
Intuit had a job listing on a Usenet listing in ba.jobs for Software Engineer. (Think Facebook group without graphics and you get the idea). I applied.
A nice lady called and talked to me about my Mac and Windows experience, and about computer science in general. She told me that she would get back to me about scheduling an onsite interview.
About a week later, she called back, and said that they had decided not to pursue me any more.
When I started dating my now-wife, I mentioned this to her. One of her friends worked at Intuit, so she talked to him. According to her, an executive at Intuit who had worked at Claris told the team that I was not a good engineer, and they should find somebody else.
Thing is, I loved this executive. I would have done just about anything for him. I consider him a role model for leadership.
Even after he torpedoed my chances at a job at his new company.
Borland – 1992
On June 15, 2018 June 15, 2018 By Recruited by techIn TechLeave a comment
I am trying to keep this blog chronological, but there is no guarantee…
I joined the FileMaker Pro team at Claris permanently in late 1989. However, most of the team had been put together before I joined the team by a couple of years. I had a learning curve; I had been working on the Apple IIGS in assembly language for two years. I had to learn Mac OS. I also had to reacquaint myself with my old friend, Pascal.
My first programming courses at Rice were taught in Pascal, but we were switched to C for the advanced courses. I like Pascal better, but Pascal had some major problems. The biggest problem is that the standard for Pascal did not have some basic things like strings, dynamic allocation of arbitrary memory and typecasting, and compilation in multiple files. It was fine for teaching, but really, it was a limiting language, and C was better.
FileMaker Pro was written using the Pascal compiler provided by MPW, the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop. MPW Pascal was based on a standard of Pascal built by University of California at San Diego. This version of Pascal had the missing features I listed above. It also had some fun classic Pascal features like sets, arbitrary array indices, etc. I found the language much more readable than C simply because the keywords are based more on English. C is designed to minimize typing; it's very terse.
program Hello;
writeln('Hello, World!');
Isn't that friendly?
Alas, the C syntax won. C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, Java, JavaScript, Golang… these all have syntax derived from C. It takes work to actually distinguish generic code written in any of these languages from each other.
Isn't that ugly?
Anyway, FileMaker was written in Pascal (this is public knowledge now; this presentation at a FileMaker Pro Developer's Conference talks about it). The original database for DOS that FileMaker was built in was written using Microsoft Pascal, which was not that similar to UCSD Pascal, the basis of MPW Pascal. The original FileMaker developers ported their code to MPW Pascal because that was the first supported compiler on the Mac, and FileMaker for Mac shipped in 1985.
There had been an effort to put FileMaker on Windows from that time, even though Windows 1 and 2 were not commercially viable to build apps for. When Claris decided to port FileMaker to Windows 3.0, I joined the team that did the port.
And we had to answer the Pascal question once and for all. Using the 1990 version of Microsoft Pascal would have been painful; we could not have kept a common codebase for the Mac and Windows versions. The Windows version would have always been one release behind the Mac as we transmogrified it to Microsoft Pascal.
I started looking around. The first thing I did was I bought a copy of Turbo Pascal for $99. This compiler was incredible. It was sooo fast. And, more importantly, it was based on UCSD Pascal. This meant the source code for both would be very similar, similar enough to use a couple of custom tools to turn the code from Mac to Windows and back again.
The problem was, Turbo Pascal was only for DOS. It could not yet be used to generate Windows applications. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to contact the developers at Borland, and I got Claris onto the Borland Pascal for Windows beta program.
It was still a huge task to port FileMaker to Windows, and it was a huge task for Borland to port Turbo Pascal to Windows as well. But we shipped FileMaker Pro for Windows in October, 1992, and Borland Pascal shipped a couple of months before, after we were well on our way.
This was not the first compiler that shipped soon after we got FileMaker to work with it.
There was a Borland Developer Conference in Santa Clara about a mile from Claris that I went to, and I met the developers and the QA team from Borland Pascal. I had lunch with one them, the QA person I had worked the closest with.
"FileMaker is doing OK?", he asked.
"Oh, yes. Your tools are working great."
"You have reported a lot of bugs. They were very detailed. Have you worked on compilers before?", he said, cutting up his entree.
I finished my bite of mediocre conference food. "At school. One of my favorite courses".
"And you told me you have a lot of assembly language experience?"
"Shh! Don't tell anybody! I don't want to program in assembly any more!"
"We have openings in our compiler group. I think that you would be a good candidate for that team. Would you be interested in talking with us?"
I stopped.
"Where is your office?", my mind whirling a mile-a-minute.
"Scotts Valley."
"Eew. Highway 17?" I made a face.
"It's great if you live in Santa Cruz." He smiled.
"Well, either I do that death-commute, or my wife would have to do that death-commute. She used to live there before we got married, and moved into the valley to stop driving 17."
"Well, think about it. Here's my card. Send me your resume if you would like to talk."
A couple of weeks later I send a Thanks; No Thanks mail. Borland was already starting to fall apart. They had a serious head start on everybody for Windows applications, but dropped the ball and let Microsoft's apps blow them away. They did an ill-advised merger with Ashton-Tate. They shifted their focus from mass-market software to enterprise software. The reason they had openings in their compiler group is that they had lost some senior people.
I don't regret turning them down.
Fun stats: It took about 35 minutes to build FileMaker Pro using MPW on a Macintosh IIfx. Using Borland Pascal, it took 4 minutes on a 33 MHz 386, and 2 minutes on a 50 MHz 486. Was incredible. And did not need a makefile (a difficult-to-maintain template for building). The only drawback is that it would only show you one error at a time. We got used to that!
Oracle – 1997
I honestly don't know how recruiters operated before Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. It must have been really hard work to get by on just building up your own personal database of contacts, of people who knew people, matched by skill set, where they worked, etc.
For whatever reason, one called me. Introduced himself. I grilled him on what he did and how he actually made money.
"I charge a fee of 20% of your first year's salary if the company hires you."
Oh. Now I understand. That's also fairly lucrative when recruiting software engineers.
He wanted to put me in touch with this hiring manager at Oracle. I told him that I had not heard good things about working at Oracle. He assured me that this was different than the normal Oracle job.
A few days later, a fellow with some kind of accent (my guess was New Zealand) called me. He was going to start a company that was going to be spun out of Oracle. Oracle was going to set aside a bucket of cash, and looks for other investment partners to also put in cash. In any case, they were starting a software company, and wanted to talk to me about working there. He had me set aside an hour for a phone call.
To talk to him. We talked about software methodology. We talked about nit-picky areas of the C standard. We talked about QA and its importance (where I got to talk about my recent expertise in test-driven development). At the end of the hour, he said:
"Right then. I am going to make you an offer. But first I need to see some code samples."
"I can send you the main files for my menu work on Tk for both Mac and Windows."
"That will be fine."
I asked a question that had been bothering me. "What kind of software is this?"
He replied, "That's confidential. Once there is an offer on the table, there should be an NDA, and we can talk about that to help you make your decision on whether or not to accept it."
"Well, I am looking forward to seeing this offer."
"What do you expect in terms of salary?"
I took what I was making and multiplied it by 1.1. A 10% pay raise sounded nice.
"That shouldn't be a problem. There will also be equity, and Oracle is providing the benefits."
Two weeks later, I got an email:
"My apologies – normally the process is a lot quicker than this. Unfortunately, Larry Ellison and Jerry Baker are reviewing the hiring budget and are sitting on the approval which I am waiting for – I'm told that this will be complete by Wednesday – and then it will take me a few more days (perhaps a week) to get a formal letter into your hands."
He then laid out the terms, which were reasonable.
"I hope that you will forgive the delay and am sure you will find the offer a good one with good upside potential – significantly better than the potential elsewhere. If you have any questions, please let me know."
One week later:
"I'm really sorry that I haven't contacted you before now. My hiring is still being held up because Larry Ellison is undertaking a budget review. However I do hope to hear something positive tomorrow. I really regret the delay – profuse apologies and several beers owing – I really hope to have something in your hands by the end of this week in the form of a written offer but currently my hands are tied."
Four more weeks later, I got a phone call.
"I'm afraid I have bad news. The entire project's funding has been cancelled. Oracle decided that even if it was spun out, the work that this company would be doing was not something that Oracle wanted to be involved in. I am going to try to get venture funding on my own. If something happens then, may I call you?"
"Sure. That's disappointing."
"I assure you; nobody is more disappointed than me. Thanks so much for allowing me to waste your time."
I never heard from him again. Still waiting to have beer with him. Would have been nice to meet him face-to-face.
And that would not be the last time the hiring manager has said that he was just "waiting for the approval" for an offer to be forthcoming. It's amazing that companies post jobs, but when it comes time to pull the trigger, they have a change of heart, and eliminate the position or reorganize or lie to a candidate that they were going to receive an offer.
And this also did nothing for my image of Oracle as a company.
Microsoft – 1996
On June 3, 2018 By Recruited by techIn TechLeave a comment
A friend got in touch with me.
"Hey, I'm working on the Internet Explorer team for the Mac. It's just getting off the ground. We are recruiting, and I thought of you."
"Sounds good," I said. "Tell me more."
He filled in a lot of non-important details (at least 20 years later), and then dropped the bombshell.
"It's in C++."
I gulped. "I don't know C++."
"Well, everybody understands that there is not a lot of expert experience out there, so if you know the basics you should be OK."
The interview was scheduled, and I had two weeks to learn C++.
It was a different world in 1996. There were many roadblocks to learning C++:
Google was not yet up and running. There were other search engines, like Altavista and Yahoo, but having all of the language knowledge at your fingertips was a few years away. I bought Stroustrup's book, and tried to read through it.
C++ was still relatively young. The language itself had been kicking around for a decade, but the available compilers were slow to implement all of the features.
I owned a Mac. I did not own any development environments. There were not free. They were several hundred dollars, and I spent money for my personal machine on music software.
At work, I had access to C++ compilers on Mac, Windows, and Solaris. However, I did not feel right learning C++ for a job interview on another company's machines with the versions of compiler they were paying for.
Now, there are many, many free resources with free compilers for any language you want. Then, however, it was really hard without spending lots of money for the off-chance I might get the job.
Interview day. This Microsoft office was in Foster City. There were the only team there. Most teams, of course, were in Seattle.
Resume deep-dive: The hiring manager went over my resume with me, asking me about each position, my education, etc., and tried to feel out whether or not I knew what I was talking about and whether or not I had social skills.
Technical discussion: Discussion of some computer science concept. I don't really remember the topic for this particular interview, but hash tables were very common for this in the nineties.
Open-ended question: Here the Microsoft people were famous for asking strange questions. They asked me the famous "Why are manhole covers round?". I talked about the fact that circular shapes minimized the area-vs-perimeter relationship. Oh, and it keeps them from falling in. (I'm ok with talking about this question, as it is one of the most discussed questions in the early days of the Internet).
Coding example: "Write a C++ class for managing shapes"
How hard could it be? It is the quintessential example in almost every object-oriented programming book. I read through one.
I wrote all of the member variables and methods; they were straightforward. Then I had to write a constructor.
And I froze. It was painful. It was obvious to me that the interviewer wanted me to succeed. The vibes from all of the interviewers were awesome, and if I could just write this very simple constructor, I would get an offer.
I did not get an offer.
Google Again – 2014 January 11, 2020
War of Attrition – 2014 December 23, 2019
Google – 2014 December 20, 2019
Mozilla – 2014 December 6, 2019
Amazon – 2014 November 20, 2019
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text:
Vol. 17 No. 1-2 (2015) /
A Double Issue of The Pomegranate: The First Decades of Contemporary Pagan Studies
Chas S. Clifton Colorado State University-Pueblo
https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v17i1-2.29701
Paganism, Witchcraft, Wicca, Pagan studies
Tracing the history of Pagan studies, primarily in the United States, I look back to the Pomegranate's inspiration, Iron Mountain: A Journal of Magical Religion and touch on some high points in the history of Pagan studies book publication well.
Chas S. Clifton, Colorado State University-Pueblo
Formerly of Colorado State University, Pueblo, he researches and writes on new religious movements and contemporary Paganism. He served as a contributing editor of Gnosis: Journal of Western Inner Traditions from 1986–2000, and as co-chair of the American Academy of Religion's Contemporary Pagan Studies Group from 2011–2016. His published work includes Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America and as co-editor with Graham Harvey, The Paganism Reader.
Aitamurto, Kaarina, and Scott Simpson. Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe. Durham: Acumen, 2013.
Bonewits, Isaac. "Quibbles with Kirkpatrick." Iron Mountain: A Journal of Magical Religion, no. 1 (1984): 41–2.
Davy, Barbara Jane. Introduction to Pagan Studies. Lanham, Md., AltaMira Press, 2007.
Clifton, Chas S. "Asking the Wrong Questions." Iron Mountain: A Journal of Magical Religion, no. 1 (1984): 38–40.
——. Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America. Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press, 2006.
Coleman, Kristy. Re-riting Women: Dianic Women and the Feminine Divine. Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press, 2009.
Forfreedom, Ann. "A Good Survey Turned to Trash." Iron Mountain: A Journal of Magical Religion, no. 1 (1984): 40–1.
Hutton, Ronald. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof: oso/9780198207443.001.0001.
——. "Writing the History of Witchcraft, a Personal View." The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies 12, no. 2 (2010): 239–62.
Kelly, Aidan A. Crafting the Art of Magic, Book 1: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939– 1964. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1991.
——. Inventing Witchcraft: A Case Study in the Creation of a New Religion. Loughborough: Thoth Publications, 2007.
——. "Inventing Witchcraft: The Gardnerian Paper Trail." Iron Mountain: A Journal of Magical Religion, no. 1 (Summer 1984): 19–29.
Kirkpatrick, R. George, Rich Rainey, and Kathryn Rubi. "An Empirical Study of Wiccan Religion in Postindustrial Society." Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology 14, no. 1 (1986): 33–8.
——. "Pagan Renaissance and Wicca Witchcraft in Industrial Society: A Study of Parasociology and the Sociology of Enchantment." Iron Mountain: A Journal of Magical Religion, no. 1 (Summer 1984): 31–42.
Lewis, James R., ed. Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996.
Scott, Gini Graham. Cult and Countercult: A Study of a Spiritual Growth Group and a Witchcraft Order. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980.
Weston, Donna, and Andy Bennett. Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music. Durham: Acumen, 2013.
Wise, Constance. Hidden Circles in the Web: Feminist Wicca, Occult Knowledge, and Process Thought Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press, 2008.
York, Michael. Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion. New York: New York University Press, 2003.
Clifton, C. S. (2016). A Double Issue of The Pomegranate: The First Decades of Contemporary Pagan Studies. Pomegranate, 17(1-2), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v17i1-2.29701
Vol. 17 No. 1-2 (2015)
© Equinox Publishing Ltd.
For information regarding our Open Access policy, click here.
Chas S. Clifton, Re-examining "Idolatry" in Pagan Studies , Pomegranate: Vol. 12 No. 1 (2010)
Chas S. Clifton, Oss Tales DVD, directed by John Bishop and Sabina Magliocco , Pomegranate: Vol. 9 No. 2 (2007)
Chas S. Clifton, Aradia and the Revival of Modern Witchcraft , Pomegranate: Issue Number 1, February 1997
Chas S. Clifton, Book Review: The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture , Pomegranate: Vol. 10 No. 1 (2008)
Chas S. Clifton, Review: Red Cactus: The Life of Anna Kingsford , Pomegranate: Vol. 9 No. 2 (2007)
Chas S. Clifton, Review of The Witch as Muse: Art, Gender and Power in Early Modern Europe by Linda C. Hults , Pomegranate: Vol. 8 No. 2 (2006)
Chas S. Clifton, Review of The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World by Adrian Murdoch , Pomegranate: Vol. 7 No. 2 (2005)
Chas S. Clifton, Letter from the Editor: The Pomegranate Returns from the Underworld , Pomegranate: Vol. 6 No. 1 (2004)
Chas S. Clifton, Edward J. Watts, The Final Pagan Generation , Pomegranate: Vol. 20 No. 1 (2018)
Chas S. Clifton, Editor's Note , Pomegranate: Vol. 15 No. 1-2 (2013)
Michelle Mueller, Deepening Conversations between Ritual Studies and Pagan Studies , Pomegranate: Vol. 16 No. 1 (2014)
Joshua Marcus Cragle, Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data , Pomegranate: Vol. 19 No. 1 (2017)
Gwendolyn Reece, Pagan Leaders and Clergy: A Quantitative Exploration , Pomegranate: Vol. 19 No. 1 (2017)
Dalia Senvaitytė, The Hunt for Lost Identity , Pomegranate: Vol. 20 No. 2 (2018)
Shai Feraro, 'God Giving Birth' - Connecting British Wicca with Radical Feminism and Goddess Spirituality during the 1970s-1980s: The Case Study of Monica Sjöö , Pomegranate: Vol. 15 No. 1-2 (2013)
Kimberly D. Kirner, Healing Community: Pagan Cultural Models and Experiences in Seeking Well-Being , Pomegranate: Vol. 16 No. 1 (2014)
Nemanja Radulovic, From Folklore to Esotericism and Back: Neo-Paganism in Serbia , Pomegranate: Vol. 19 No. 1 (2017)
Martin Lepage, A Lokian Family: Queer and Pagan Agency in Montreal , Pomegranate: Vol. 15 No. 1-2 (2013)
Graham John Wheeler, An Esbat among the Quads , Pomegranate: Vol. 20 No. 2 (2018)
Michael York, An Intersubjective Critique of A Critique of Pagan Scholarship , Pomegranate: Vol. 15 No. 1-2 (2013)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I am incredibly excited to be invited by Salesforce to one of the first companies in real estate to be invited to speak about Marketing Automation at Dreamforce 2016 on behalf of Elegran, held October 4th-7th in San Francisco. Dreamforce is the largest software conference in the world, attracting over 175,000 technology entrepreneurs and business leaders, to connect with their peers and learn from industry pioneers. I will join speakers Melinda Gates, Mark Cuban, Marc Benioff, Tony Robbins and many more on the stage at Dreamforce this year. Elegran prides itself as a pioneer in technology and real estate marketing in NYC and is eager to present successful marketing strategies on a national stage to other leaders of the global business community.


Stephane Brize and Vincent Lindon team up for the third time for 'La Loi du Marche', which is screening in competition at the Cannes film festival. Rough cut (no reporter narration).
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION): STORY: French film in competition 'La Loi du Marche' by director Stephane Brize premiered at the Cannes film festival on Monday (May 18). Brize wanted to capture the reality of life in the piece and used handheld camerawork. Also, aside from the lead actor Vincent Landon, all the actors in the film were non-professionals. Lindon, who has received high praise among critics for his performance, has worked with Brize on three films. For this film, though, the pair worked more as partners. "We had an idea together and he wrote four pages and he said to me 'I'm going to bring you the pages and if you like them, I'm going to start 30 pages - the whole story but not with the dialogues, the whole story' and he said to me 'we are at the beginning of the story. Why don't we start to produce the movie but really like produce as in the word 'to produce' - 'produire' - do everything," said Lindon.


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Direct Relief is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief in the United States and internationally. Their mission is to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. Pelican products are useful and reliable tools in times of crisis, and we are honored to provide Direct Relief with product donations to assist with global natural disasters. directrelief.org.
Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military & veteran families can stay free of charge while a loved one is recovering in the hospital. Pelican is honored to support this organization with product and proceed donations to help save military and veterans' families in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation. fisherhouse.org.
The Best Defense Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of veterans with archive, transition, and battlefield return programs. All programs work to help veterans remember their fallen comrades, gain closure, and form communities. Pelican contributes to these programs both logistically and financially and has provided "Pelican Memento Kits" to participants. bestdefensefoundation.org.
Operation USA
Operation USA is an international disaster relief and development agency helping communities at home and abroad overcome the effects of disasters, disease, violence, and endemic poverty. Pelican is proud to provide continued support to Operation USA over the years by providing our products that are crucial for disaster relief, reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and development aid. opusa.org.
Disaster Relief Efforts
Pelican Products is committed to disaster relief on a global level and responds by sending equipment cases and lighting tools to those places and people in need. These natural disasters cause tragedy of epic proportion and Pelican is honored to provide products to first responders, humanitarian organizations, and residents at such critical times.
Pelican For Patriots
The Pelican for Patriots program offers a complimentary Protector Case to the men and women who served in the United States, Canadian, Australian or British military in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and sacrificed a limb while protecting the freedoms we hold dear. Excelling in environments ranging from the battlefield to the job site, the Pelican Protector Case is designed to protect and transport valuable prosthetics. It serves as a small gesture of Pelican's tremendous gratitude and deepest respect.
Navy Seal Foundation
Pelican is proud to be a sponsor of the Navy SEAL Foundation. The Foundation's mission is to provide immediate and ongoing support to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the demand for Special Operations Forces has greatly expanded. Their mission, strength and resolve is large yet their numbers are small, which underscores why this Foundation's mission is so crucial. To learn more and support, visit: navysealfoundation.org.
One Tre Planted is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses give back to the environment and create a healthier climate through reforestation efforts. They operate across North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Pelican is proud to support One Tree Planted with reforestation efforts in our home state of California and will continue to take significant steps to enhance our sustainability practices and policies, while working diligently to do more. onetreeplanted.org.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation honors and remembers America's fallen fire heroes by providing resources to assist their families in rebuilding their lives, and work within the fire service community to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries. Pelican is honored to participate in supporting the foundation through participating in fundraising events and providing donations over the years. firehero.org
World Blood Donor Day Blood Drive
World Blood Donor Day
Pelican holds annual blood drive events at its various locations in honor of World Blood Donor Day. This multi-day community service event contributes to saving hundreds of lives and provides employees with the opportunity to give back.
Pelican Products' South Deerfield location partnered with Westover Air Force Base in their Adopt-A-Family program in 2017. This partnership underscores Pelican's commitment to giving back to our community and helping families in need. Pelican was happy to donate nearly 100 gifts and additional funds to purchase more gifts; plus collecting mittens, hats and scarves for the kids for winter. To learn more visit westover.afrc.af.mil/Units/Airman-and-Family-Readiness.
1736 Family Crisis Center
Pelican's corporate headquarters in Torrance, CA donates to families in need through partnership with the 1736 Family Crisis Center. This center is a local charity responding to the growing needs of victims of domestic violence, runaway and homeless youth, victims of human trafficking, homeless families, homeless and at-risk Veterans, unemployed adults and youth, and other low-income community members in need of assistance. 1736familycrisiscenter.org.
Surfrider Foundation Beach Cleanup
The South Bay Chapter of Surfrider Foundation is a grassroots non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves, and beaches. Pelican employees, family, and friends join the foundation for various cleanup events to reduce litter and raise awareness about waste and plastic pollution in our oceans. Surfrider is represented by over 50,000 members and approximately 80 local chapters in the US, plus multiple international locations. surfrider.org
Rainbow Services
Rainbow Services is a charity local to Pelican's California headquarters committed to providing shelter and support to anyone impacted by domestic violence, empowering them to move beyond trauma, and towards stability and safety. Pelican participates in annual holiday, back-to-school, and other donation drives. rainbowservicesdv.org.
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Wednesday afternoon's press conference, "Celestial Soundings with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey," featured the latest results on baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). Michael Wood-Vasey (University of Pittsburgh) explained how BAO can be used to chart the expansion of the universe over time , and David Schlegel (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) showed an example using the Lyman-alpha forest to determine the expansion rate 10 billion years ago. Daniel Eisenstein (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) showed how BAO can be used to measure cosmic distances, and Shirley Ho (Carnegie Mellon University) presented a 1% distance measurement to massive galaxies at redshifts exceeding 0.5. AAS Press Officer Rick Fienberg moderated the briefing.


The first "clue" is to make about 40 triangles using a new ruler (thanks to coupons and teacher discount). The birds are a directional fabric, but since I don't know what the final project will look like, I'm not too concerned…in fact I think it will look great, like they're flying all over the place!
Speaking of birds flying around, the second "clue" is to make flying geese blocks. A whole flock of geese actually. Thanks to Marta, I borrowed her BlocLoc ruler to square up the final blocks, which made it much easier.
At the November Sewing Saturday, Joyce gave us the next two clues (four square patches and square in a square blocks). She helped me with some color choice ideas and techniques for making accurate blocks with cutting/ironing techniques.
Here's what Marta's looks like as she finishes sewing the pieces together!
One of the guild activities each year is a Challenge Quilt. This year, it was the theme "Initially Yours". We were to use either fabrics or styles or images reminiscent of our initials. For me, this was a chance to make a quilt I've been thinking about for awhile, a landscape beach scene.
I used the "A"pplique technique of using "F"usible "F"abric and decorative "S"titches. Included are fabrics that imitate "A"qua water, trees in a "F"orest, and "S"andy beaches. There's even a tidepool and kites flying since those are two of my favorite parts of visiting the ocean.
It was fun to see what other people came up with, and many of us used this opportunity to try a new technique. Here are a few that I liked, which turned out to be the three most popular as voted on by the guild members.
(2015) This year's challenge quilt was to use "neutral + 1 color family + zinger". It was again interesting to see how people interpreted those "directions". This was one of my favorites.
(Fall 2014) This month, Karla Alexander visited the Westside Quilt Guild. Her studio is in Salem, so I've seen her work over the years. She is known to be a good teacher, so I'm really excited to sign up for her class in September. At the meeting, she showed many quilts from her new book Stack, Shuffle, and Slide as well as some other quilts from previous patterns/books. I choose two that I like most to buy a pattern for the upcoming class (and borrow the rulers needed). I hope to choose some charity fabrics and donate the quilt when it's completed.
I really liked a few other of her quilts, and appreciated hearing how she decided colors/rulers to use plus pointing out the shape of the "block".
"I am the boss of my quilts." meaning that you get to decide the colors, shapes, techniques to include. If you don't like something, it's okay to change from the pattern to make it yours.
Modern quilts include techniques like "upsetting the grid" meaning that things could be set on their side or at angles that are unexpected. Floating blocks and using the background as a design element also create a more modern look.
Also at this guild meeting during show and tell, I showed my ladybug quilt! There was also a presentation to the previous board president of a collaborative quilt (my block is one of the yellow ones). Also, I made two of the star blocks for the free BOM this time in hopes of winning the stack (someone else won this time though).
I was impressed by the projects by this group, but the organization of the meeting wasn't comfortable for me. I didn't feel welcomed as a guest and the updates about things focused on website updates and/or key things that only members would know. There were some quilts donated to an organization but no description given so I had to google them to figure it out (Camp Erin serves kids/teens who are grieving). I was surprised that some of the donated quilts were dreary colors and/or patterns that didn't look like teenagers to me. Again, maybe working in middle school I'm more tapped into their style. Overall, I think I'll look online at the PMQG blog for pictures of projects but not make the long drive over to their meetings.
This shop hop, the Row by Row Experience, is nationwide and quite simple. Just visit the participating shops and ask for their free "row by row" pattern. The theme is "seasons" so it might be holiday themed or use the four seasons tree fabric provided by the sponsors. Some shops offer a kit for purchase with the fabrics needed to make it in their color palette. Many shops are also selling license plates with funny fabric/sewing related sayings. I'd like to collect one from each state I visit this summer.
When I returned to Oregon, I collected another few row patterns and started work on a wall hanging using 8 of the blocks. Since I only bought the fabric pack from two shops, for the rest I used stash fabrics or picked up fat quarters to fill in sections. It was fun to practice some new techniques, like the fusible applique.
After a few nights up until midnight sewing, I turned in my finished quilt for the prize at Quilter's Corner Store. 25 fat quarters in a rainbow of colors ready for inclusion into new projects and 2 yards of anything in the shop (I bought some beautiful batiks for an upcoming quilt project! Tea Time Calico also generously gave me a free yard of fabric for including their row in my final project. It'll be fun to show the final project at the September WSQ guild meeting.
I received patterns for a modern quilt block of the month from our Sewing Saturday group. They got permission to distribute this collection of patterns from the Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild. The other women have already started, which leads me to think about what color palette I want to use.
I decided on my fabric collection for this modern BOM. I'm intrigued by Amish style quilts with the contrast of black and solid color, so I've taken that up a notch to become more modern. Bright, saturated colors and a black/gray print background are going to pop! Thanks again to Deb at the Quilter's Corner Store in Beaverton for her advice about fabric selection.
The January Block created an illusion of woven strips. Making the February Block was my first time making chevrons, using paper piecing for precision. Then for the March Block, the center block wonky star is from another online tutorial. I like how the colors I chose turned out looking like the sun.
(3/15) Last night at the Sewing Friday in North Plains, I cut up the fabric for a few more blocks, and today finished sewing three of them! A paper piecing block is also started. I decided to color on the paper pattern to make sure I get the colors in the position I want (so it doesn't look like a rainbow but includes all 6 colorful fabrics).
(3/16) The flying geese around in a circle block is complete now. I think this is my favorite block so far. Hopefully I have enough fabric at the end to make another one like it for a table runner project. I've started planning the next paper piecing block and asked Aaron to color in the pattern. It's a helpful way to see how the block will look and plan out where to put all the pieces.
The next block is made with 25 2″ squares, then I need to figure out how to cut out a circle and then set the circle on top of another circle (red fabric) and then both on top of black. To make the grid, lining things up carefully and strip piecing made it a quicker easier process.
(5/25) The final few blocks are now complete! Next step is to decide about how to connect them into a quilt top. The challenge from the guild is to have it ready to show in September.
Now that all the blocks are finished, time to put it all together and create a back. At the September Sewing Saturday, I finished placing the 12 blocks, 11 on the front and one on the back with some scrap pieces. At the October Sewing Saturday, it all sandwiched together with black batting (purchased off the roll at Sharon's Quilt Attic). I used a technique my mom showed me on youtube that uses two boards to provide the tension to flatten it out and not need pins. Instead, it's basted with black pearl cotton and ready to machine quilt, perhaps I'll practice free motion quilting.
When sewing, it's nice to have something nearby to catch threads…keeps the sewing area (and your clothes) a little less covered in random threads. I found a free pattern on Amazon for the kindle to make a Fairytale Pincushion and Thread Catcher. During the shop hop, I found the crushed walnut shells for the inside of the pincushion as well as a mini-charm-pack of squares for the patchwork fabric design.
Each month at the Westside Quilt Guild meeting, there's a free BOM (block of the month) pattern you can pick up to try. If you make a block (or two or three) using the pattern and bring it back the next month, there's a drawing and one person walks away with all the blocks. I like participating when it's either something I would like to win, would teach me a new technique or block style, or is a color scheme I already have in my stash. My goal is to only use stash fabrics to complete these blocks.
Next up is an Amish quilt block. Amish style quilts remind me of visiting my grandparents in Ohio who live near enough to an Amish community that we often visit the shops and restaurants there. The plain bright colors contrasted with black background is a very traditional look. We were asked to use black background, bright yellow star, and another bright solid for the other parts. Thanks to Deb at Quilter's Corner Store for the fabrics. I like the puzzle piece part…make the components and then line them up like in the picture before sewing into rows and rows together into the block.
For the June 2014 guild meeting, we're making Scrappy Mountain Majesty blocks in white/cream/tan and blue/green/brown color palette. Here's how mine turned out (second try after a mistake measuring on the last step). I like how easy the block was and only one matching seam. Also, it's fun to be able to find pieces from my stash to use for these blocks. Wonder how they'd all look placed together in a quilt? Looking at the pattern maker's explanation, maybe I wasn't supposed to sew the halves together. I suppose whoever wins the batch can decide how they want to arrange all the blocks.
can you find mine in this finished quilt?
In January, I made this block to contribute.
In April, I made this block — first time trying a log cabin!
Here's the block for May. Not my favorite color combo, but using all fabrics from my stash.
And the pattern for the one for June is at this link http://www.azpatch.com/bom/bom2002/08aug02/bom02aug.htm. We're to use white on white and a bunch of bright colors, so I'll see if I can get that done in time for the June meeting.
I've been wanting to create some sort of Valentine's day wall hanging for decoration and/or a table runner for the top of the piano. Also, mom gave me the Lil Twister tool and book, so thought I'd give it a try and make the heart pattern. Enjoy the pics!


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69+ Year Old Man Campaign from Cenegenics
57 Year-Old Swimsuit Model Ad by Gary Halbert
76 Year-Old Man Ad by Matt Furey
Health & Wellness Advertorial Print Ad Storytelling Matt Furey
Although, it could have very well run longer, this ad was spotted from 2007-2009 in fitness, self-defense & popular science magazines.
"The Story of A 76 Year-Old Man Who Got Me Into The Best Shape of My Life"
This ad from fitness guru and well-respected internet marketer, Matt Furey, ran from 2007-2009 in various magazines selling his popular Combat Conditioning course....View More He uses a great story-based hook that generates curiosity by the fact that a 76 year-old man was in better shape than Matt and knew special workouts that Matt (and likely the audience) is unaware off. He takes the story one step further by discussing how the type of exercises he teaches can be traced back 5,000 years & legendary athletes like Bruce Lee & Hershel Walker used them. All of this makes a strong case for the effectiveness of the exercises, while building fascination & a sense of mystique around them. Once you know the exercises Furey teaches, you can really appreciate the storytelling from a marketing perspective. Even though Matt's exercises may be more effective than others, because they seem simple and not fancy or flashy, he must build them up into being special & premium. Without the background stories & explanations, the exercises would be valued considerably less. On top of that, Matt takes the fact that the exercises are extremely simple & translates it to perks like how the exercises don't take long, can be done outside of the gym, don't require weights & are better for you. He ends the ad with a list of benefits including sleeping better, eliminating back pain & having more self confidence. Then mentions at the end that if you buy now, you'll get free reports.
Swiped in September 2015
In a crowded niche full of products that promise a lot of the same things, Matt uniquely positions his fitness product by using a personal story that ties into the benefits & potential results you can achieve with it.
Matt extracted a fascinating aspect of his story, the unlikely description of his mentor. The idea of Matt getting in shape from the help & advice of a 76 year-old man makes you curious as to what this man knows that's so powerful. It's what draws you in to read the ad.
If you have a fascinating story behind your product, think about how you can turn it into a hook that sounds unbelievable and ties into the benefits of the product.
In the ad, Matt mentions that Herschel Walker used body weight exercises. This does not mean he used the exact exercises he's teaching, just the same type. This is a classic example of finding related proof that doesn't come directly form the product, but closely relates to it. It comes across like Hershel Walker used his product. This goes the same for Bruce Lee. Matt implies that Bruce supposedly used some of the exercises. This is a huge form of social proof.


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Life | Food and Snacks | 90s
It's Time For 'Zomething Different' Because Zima Is Coming Back Again
By Tanya | May 15, 2018
There was a magical drink that was available to us in the 90s. It was clear, it was light, and it was bubbly. It was the ultimate drink for those who weren't really into beer but still wanted something with a little zing and when they discontinued it we all were distressed.
Zima was first introduced in 1993. It was glorious. A lot of you probably remember it as the first alcohol you ever drank. It was kind of like a wine cooler, but not as sweet, and had a citrus taste that was so much more refreshing.
Sure, they had some issues convincing those "manly men" that Zima was the cool beverage of choice, but who needs them! Women loved this drink and the men who were cool enough to know that this was the best alcoholic beverage on the market got to enjoy a perfect summery drink.
The problem was, people weren't buying quite enough of it, and in 2008 it was officially discontinued the product in the U.S..
No more Zima, no more hilarious Zima adds, never again would you get to drink "Zomething Different".
It was a depressing time. We were all grieving, but as with all heartbreak, time passes and we learn to move on.
But then, last year we got this little glimmer of hope. This little ray of light that made our summer great and our taste buds happy.
Zima Returns
Beer Street Journal
Last summer, Zima came back but it was only for a limited time. A very limited time.
For the summer of 2017, the MillerCoors company decided to bring Zima back. They wanted to give all those fans who had been begging for it, and even those who had never even heard of it the chance to try it out.
"Tons of people have been asking for Zima to make a comeback, and this summer seemed like the perfect time. Whether you remember it or not, this summer is your only chance to taste the 'it' drink of the '90s." - Tristan Meline, senior marketing manager of innovation at MillerCoors.
It only stayed until Labor Day though, so it was a short but wonderful reminder of the times that had passed.
While we only had a few months to enjoy it, a lot of people did. It brought back good memories and made us all feel young again.
Apparently MillerCoors agrees that it was a good time, because guess what, they're doing it again!
Zima Returns... Again
Last year, their return was enough to get the public reinvested in Zima, so once again the company is bringing it back.
"The enthusiasm from drinkers and, especially, retailers has been off the charts. They're really supporting the brand." - MillerCoors senior marketing manager for innovation Dilini Fernando
They realized that the drink is obviously the perfect option for the summer so they are bringing it back, but only for a limited time. Fernando explained that it was a nostalgic time last summer.
"Last summer, Zima was the ultimate comeback kid. People were picking up a six-pack to relive their 90s memories, to stock up for theme parties, or to just see what all the fuss was about. So, when it was time to decide if we were going to bring it back, we thought 'why wouldn't we?"
Don't worry, it's the original recipe coming back
We all remember the failed attempt at changing the formula right? Zima Gold was supposed to have a stronger liquor flavor, with a darker color to try and make it look more like beer.
They hoped that this would make men want to drink it, but apparently it did not work at all.
They also thought that raising the alcohol content might make it a little more appealing to the male demographic. The company increased it to 5.9% alcohol, and called them 'Hard Punch' and 'Hard Orange', but they just couldn't compete with the Smirnoff Ice coolers.
Their last attempt to keep them out of bankruptcy was to finally give up and actually embrace the fact that women wanted to drink Zima. They added more flavor options and offered less alcoholic versions and low calorie options in an attempt to keep their female customers happy.
However, even that couldn't help and they had to discontinue the beverage, leaving all of us a little disappointed. That is, until this summer.
In some ways, it never left
It's actually been available in Japan this whole time. They apparently never had the same hang ups about men ordering the drink, and they've been able to have Zima all along.
Maybe that's a lesson for everyone out there, just let people like what they want!
Z2K
The new marketing campaign they have running for the new release is going off of the old Y2K fears from 1999, but instead of the end of technology, "The end of Zima is near...Again."
You can go on their website, which has a decidedly 90s feel to it, and enter your zip code to find out where you can get yours.
Hurry, stock up today because the end is near apparently!
Will you be getting a six pack of Zima when it comes back into stores again?
Zima came back before, but I don't know that the commercials could ever be as good as the originals, they were the best and most ridiculous things ever.
That's not the only thing you loved from the 90s coming back, KB Toys is coming back too, but maybe don't mix these two things together... Go to KB Toys, get some new games, then go home and drink Zima.
H/T - WTHR / Mental Floss
Tags: zima, drink, alcoholic beverages
Reptar Bars Are Back And They Are The "Superist" And The "Duperist" Versions Yet
Everyone remembers watching Rugrats as a kid, right? It was only the best kids' show ever. Those "dumb babies" as Angelica Pickles would say were a lot more clever than they let on, and in their many adventures they inspired us kids to believe that we could do anything. I mean, we don't have to question how or why a baby keeps a screwdriver in his diaper, because the logistics of where he got it or how he keeps it in there without hurting himself is beyond me, but that's not what matters here. What does matter is that these
Remembering The Bizarre McDonald's Halloween Promotions You Used To Be Obsessed With
Halloween was basically the most important time of the year when we were kids. I mean, it's when you get to dress up in a costume that makes you happy and run around your town demanding candy from strangers, what's not to love?While it wasn't quite as hyped up as Christmas was, there was one place that always seemed to know how to do Halloween right: McDonald's. The fast food giant was always good at getting into the spooky spirit, bringing some of the best promotions and events for us to enjoy, and we still remember them to this
Your Favorite Monster Cereals Actually Have A Bizarre And Controversial Past
Franken Berry, Boo-Berry, and Count Chocula were three of the best cereals to ever come across our grocery store aisles. As children, we would beg our parents to get us some of these marshmallow-filled treats instead of the boring, old, healthier options, and when they actually did it, we were so thrilled. Even though kids loved the cereals, there were actually a couple of different controversies involving the General Mills classics. Flickr - medea_materialCompeting against Tony the Tiger and Snap, Crackle, and Pop isn't the easiest task, but they managed to come up with some fun little creations for
10 Treats We Got On Halloween That Our Kids Will Never Get To Experience
Going trick-or-treating when you're a kid is probably one of the most important days of the entire year. When else are you supposed to get a whole bunch of free candy for little to no effort? I mean, I guess there's Easter and Christmas, but you know what, with Halloween you get to wear super fun costumes and pretend to be whatever you want. Those of us who enjoyed trick-or-treating as kids probably developed quite the sweet tooth, that often makes us crave some of the delectable snacks from our childhood. But here's the problem, some of our favorite candy


"Thank you for calling me the XYZ Widgets."
There is something like that Call Centers are unattended in a wardrobe and answer hundreds of hundreds of daily calls Although calls are sometimes observed, most of the time the operator knows that no one will listen, so what is the motivation of fast hanging? Since the operator knows that the monthly performance bonus is a it's just about one thing: how many calls Are you working on a shift? Customers are really satisfied or not, practically irrelevant. This is only the relevant factor in the number of "processed" calls, not whether these calls are effective.
A similar scenario will be held when the order stops the executing agencies, so that the duration of the call does not exceed 13 minutes (or any other number). Call Center Employees & # 39; the performance bonus is fast and "effective". It's all good and good as long as there is a big problem that it takes for more than 20 minutes, then suddenly the previously useful call center rep had done everything that the mercenary caller down the line.
As long as Customer Service Performance KPI is quantifiable and not customer-level satisfaction, these scenarios continue to disrupt the public. That's why many companies have introduced a more reliable customer service performance measurement system. These new KPIs more accurately reflect whether the customer really feels that they have received a service level. These models look like this: when customers answered questions to each of them, the Customer Service Representative asked a number of questions. "Are you satisfied with the answers to your questions?" "Have the questions answered properly and professionally?" – Is there anything else we can do today? Sometimes these questions are asked by the representative himself and sometimes by a supervisor or another rep. The employee's primary KPI was based on customer response to these questions.
The more frequent the primary customer service KPI is based on the mere amount, the less customer satisfaction will be. The only accurate KPI for the Customer Service's performance is the Customer's actual understanding of whether or not he has received the right service.
← Customer Service – dying art?


Sky's greyhound offering tonight comes from Hall Green with the highlight for once not the feature race, the Prestige Stakes, but the rollover Jackpot which is forecast to reach £500,000. The fact that the jackpot - on which we will be concentrating here - has rolled over more than once is a reminder that Open races on Sky nights regularly throw up shock results, and that's well worth bearing in mind when building a perm at Hall Green in particular as anyone familiar with the track will understand. In all three Prestige heats, dogs unfamiliar with the track ran very wide at the sharply unique bends and if there is one track at which to side with the locals, even in the face of an apparently stiff task, it is Hall Green.
The first leg of the Jackpot at 19.43 is a maiden Open and it's a tricky start to say the least. Top Belle Vue grader Ballymac Chas in T2 has the best early pace but she lacks a look round here and is opposed for that reason. Wide-running Ballyhoe Code (T3) arguably has the best form but has yet to achieve much in four trials or races here and lacks experience from a draw near the inside. Top local Coolcroo Tiger (T4) tends to be slowly away, which may be no bad thing in the circumstances given the potential make up here, and she makes the shortlist along with trackmate Tyrur Susan in T5. We'll also take T1 local River Ali, who has a bit to find on the clock but breaks smartly and looks set for a clean run round the inside, to get us through the first leg.
Multiple Open Race winner Ilewin Allot, trained by champion trainer Mark Wallis and drawn in T1, will be popular in the second leg at 19.59, a sprint over 285m, but he's done virtually all his winning over standard trips and comes here without a look round so gets the boot, as does Cape Impact (T2) who is seldom well away and fared poorly on his only previous start here. T3 Mister Hondo is a must-include selection, as he won a heat of the BAGS Sprint championship here in November in a decent time, has since gone better in a trial here last week and is well housed in the white. Millwards Katy is interesting finally dropped in trip after showing bags of early pace at Romford and she didn't fare badly in a trial here last week. Top local Kavarna in T5 has bundles of early pace too and could well get her own way on the outside with T6 Goes Hot 6 set for a potentially very wide run at the very tricky first bend on his first ever look round.
Leg 3 at 20.16 features Blonde Razor, who has a clear edge on class, but we're happy to oppose him back in trip. Second in the 2014 Prestige, Blonde Razor was impressive in the first round of the Coronation Cup when pinging the lids but was eliminated after a slow start in the second round and has questions to answer after another lacklustre slow-starting display last time. With possible short-runner Fred The Pilot (T5) likely to need the lead and uncertain to get it, and T6 Sidarian Blitz set for a very wide course judged on his trial and first look round here last week, it seems the percentage call to concentrate on the inside traps. T1 Whittle Eagle and T2 Express Master both won heats of the BAGS track championship here in November and a repeat of either of those performances may well be good enough.
The best marathon dog in the country, Burgess Borna, runs from Trap 3 in the fourth leg (20.33). Knocked out of the Prestige here last year from a bad draw in T6, her form has moved to a different level since being given an extreme test of stamina but she won over this sort of trip at Yarmouth in December and recorded a decent time for the type of dog she is when second in a trial here last week over an inadequate 480m. She'll be staying on strongly and should make the frame. T1 Black Francis has really found his niche since being moved up to staying trips, has fair early pace for a stayer, so should be able to outgun local hope Builders Fantasy to the first bend, but he lacks a look round and he has only won once from four goes at a new venue without having first had a trial. Kinsley raider Nans Speedy is likewise 0-3 at venues racing for the first time without having had a trial, so T6 Kakantu is our other selection. He narrowly missed out on making the Coronation Cup final when one of our ante-post picks at 33-1 but he made amends when winning an Open shortly after, has tremendous early speed and recorded a decent time in a 480m trial here last week.
One dog stands out in the penultimate leg at 20.51, another maiden Open over the standard trip, Droopys Gooch in T4. Droopys Gooch has won four of his last six A1s here and also landed a heat of the BAGS track championship. He has three slower starters (including two with minimal track knowledge) drawn inside him and ought to be able to dominate from halfway. With puppy Jayceebee very inconsistent out of the cans in Trap5 and probably not good enough anyway, and T6 Carlow Bolt classy but lacking a look round, locally trained T1 Sylviasmamasaid, a regular winner in A1 grade here, could be the one for the forecast but we will stick with T4.
The final of the Prestige and last leg of the Jackpot at 21.08 is between T1 Billy's Bullet and T2 Wiki Waki Woo according to the market. Billy's Bullet won his heat well from Jaytee Osprey after something of a charmed run through after a slow start. He's better drawn on the rail today, but there's probably not much improvement if any on that time, whereas locally-trained Wiki Waki Woo was unusually slowly away in his heat yet still managed to post a winning time right up there with his five-length defeat of another heat winner Supreme Turbo in an Open race here last month. He's right at the top of his game at the minute. If there is a runner that is overpriced, however, it is Dinzeo, who was unfairly called some unflattering names after his short-head defeat by Supreme Turbo in his heat. In what was the fastest run of the heats in the early stages, Dinzeo broke level with Supreme Turbo but found himself adrift after catching that rival's heels before making up more than five lengths going down the back straight. The exertions of making up so much ground so quickly took their toll and he was done on the nod, but he's more than capable of winning this at a decent price if things drop right.


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In the Spirit of Seoul
November 8, 2018 Amanda Cardini Features 1
Courtesy of Kuoni
By Amanda Cardini, Editor-in-Chief
When I decided to go on the Summerim in Asia this past summer, I immediately knew that I wanted to travel to Japan before the program started. Shanghai and Singapore (the cities the Summerim included) were interesting enough, but I had felt a pull to Japanese culture, fashion and cuisine since I was little, and couldn't miss the opportunity to pay the country a visit. I started mentioning this to other T-birds committed to the trip, hoping to find someone to accompany me to Japan, and succeeded in finding another T-bird looking for a pre-program travel companion. Only this T-bird wanted to visit Seoul.
I hadn't really thought much about Korea, and I knew very little about Seoul, but being a Thunderbird means traveling to places you never imagined you'd visit. We agreed to do both Korea and Japan, and recruited one more T-bird to join us in what was sure to be a whirlwind of a trip, due to the limited time we had before the Summerim started. Despite my initial focus on Tokyo, I actually enjoyed Seoul more, and it ended up being my favorite city of the entire Asia trip.
The streets of Yongsan-gu, the neighborhood of our Airbnb in Seoul. Courtesy of Amanda Cardini
On our first day in Seoul, we arrived on a flight that can only be classified as the worst flight I have taken in my entire life, due to the relentless rain and turbulence we endured throughout the entire two hours from Tokyo. Shaken from the stormy conditions, and still jet-lagged for having only been on this side of the world for three days, our first order of business was to find our Airbnb. The host had sent us a map with specific directions from the subway, but it was difficult nonetheless as none of the three of us spoke or read Korean. This was a problem we had already encountered in Tokyo, so we did not underestimate the challenge. But the roads in the neighborhood we stayed in in Seoul were significantly more narrow, hilly, winding and cobbled than the almost eerily perfect paved roads of Tokyo. Not to mention that we were lugging large suitcases the whole way, bumping them along the cobbled streets, due to the fact that the Summerim required us to be in business formal attire almost every day.
Despite the difficult uphill trek from the subway, the neighborhood we had emerged into felt friendly, warm and exciting. After three days of nonstop rain in Tokyo, it was a relief to take our first steps in Seoul in sunshine. The streets were lined with blossoming trees, and filled with small boutiques and restaurants, where young people were meeting up and exploring. Our airbnb was located on a tiny side street, and it took us a few wrong turns to find. Luckily the wonder of the place kept frustration at bay, as we had arrived in perfect timing to catch the sunset blessing the tops of the mountains that surround the city with a golden glow.
Our Airbnb in Seoul. You can't say it didn't have character. Courtesy of Amanda Cardini
On our first night we explored our neighborhood, and stopped in a Korean barbecue place for dinner, not knowing that this would be the first of many incredible meals. The area in which our Aribnb was located was not touristy, which meant that the restaurants did not have English menus, and most of the wait-staff did not speak English. As T-birds, we were up to the challenge, communicating mostly in gestures and short phrases. One night the language barrier was so strong that we simply pointed at what the people next to us were eating to signal, "we'll have what they're having." To this day I'm not exactly sure what kind of meat we ate that night, but it was one of my favorite meals of the entire trip.
One of the things that struck me not just in Seoul but in some of the other cities we visited in Asia, was the juxtaposition of old and new. On our second day in Seoul we were leaving the Namdaemun market and accidentally ended up in front of one of the original gates to the city dating back to the Joseon dynasty in the 14th century. Though the gate has gone through its fair share of strain over the years and undergone several restorations, it was awe-inspiring to be standing in front of such an ancient piece of history surrounded by a modern concrete jungle.
Inside the Secret Gardens at Changdeokgung Palace. Courtesy of Amanda Cardini
My favorite part of Seoul was our visit to the Changdeokgung Palace and secret gardens. We took a tour and learned that the place was constructed in the 1400s as a home for kings, some of whom were even coronated there. The gardens were used for meditation and relaxation, and were designed to be in harmony with the surrounding nature. It's not hard to see why meditation was a common practice here; the place emits an air of tranquility that is incredibly contagious. The pagoda-style gazebos are set next to ponds lined with lily pads, and lush green trees provide canopies above. I felt like I could have spent all day curled up in one of the many corners of the gardens, which make up 60% of the entire property.
Of course, our trip would not have been complete without experiencing the famed nightlife of Seoul. On our last night we walked a narrow street in Itaewon that was filled from end to end with differently themed bars, ranging from casual and grungy to outlandish and flashy. We found ourselves in one called Off The Record, which was a second-story vinyl bar, and it was here that we met people who worked for the State Department in Seoul. They were thrilled to hear that we went to Thunderbird, and answered our many questions about their careers. It was a testament to the value that the Thunderbird name still holds abroad, and the connections Thunderbird can help you make.
Traveling with fellow T-birds was unlike traveling with anyone else. There's a mutual desire to understand and respect a place that perhaps other tourists don't get. Seoul felt like a place I could spend a lot of time in, certainly much more than a few quick days, and I look forward to the day I can return, hopefully in the company of T-birds.
Additional photos:
Namdaemun market. Courtesy of Amanda Cardini
Myself and fellow T-birds Shay and Bryce, at the original gate to the city. Courtesy of Shay Woods
Nightlife in Itaewon. Courtesy of Amanda Cardini
Summerim
Identity, Ideas, and Free Speech
Hippie Tree
Debisu Hyde
Excellent article about "The Spirit of Thunderbirds in Seoul" !!!!


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"Today I Sing the Blues" is a song written by Curtis Lewis and performed by Aretha Franklin.  The song reached number 10 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1960.  The song appeared on her 1961 album, Aretha. The song was produced by John Hammond. Franklin re-recorded the song in 1969 on the album Soul '69 and it reached number 101 on the U.S. pop chart.  It also charted on the Cash Box Top 100 chart.

"Today I Sing the Blues", originally written in 1948 and recorded the same year by Helen Humes and Buck Clayton's Orchestra, was included in the second album of Sam Cooke, Encore, recorded in 1958.

Chart performance

Aretha Franklin

Cover versions
In 2012, Christine Anu covered the song on her album Rewind: The Aretha Franklin Songbook.

References

1960 songs
1960 singles
1969 singles
Aretha Franklin songs
Columbia Records singles
Jazz songs
Song recordings produced by John Hammond (record producer)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


末 了给您提个醒,Yahoo在Best Practices for Speeding Up Your Web Site中提到了Flush the Buffer Early,也就是利用PHP中的flush方法把内容尽快发到客户端去,它和本文介绍的fastcgi_finish_request有些许的类似.
1995 年4月, 最早的apache(0.6.2版)由apache group公布发行. apache group 是一个完全通过internet进行运作的非盈利机构, 由它来决定apache web服务器的标准发行版中应该包含哪些内容. 准许任何人修改隐错, 提供新的特征和将它移植到新的平台上, 以及其它的工作. 当新的代码被提交给apache group时, 该团体审核它的具体内容, 进行测试, 如果认为满意, 该代码就会被集成到apache的主要发行版中.
Nginx 是俄罗斯人编写的十分轻量级的HTTP服务器,Nginx,它的发音为"engine X", 是一个高性能的HTTP和反向代理服务器,同时也是一个IMAP/POP3/SMTP 代理服务器.Nginx是由俄罗斯人 Igor Sysoev为俄罗斯访问量第二的 Rambler.ru站点开发.


Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excessive sweating. Axillary Hyperhidrosis is when the sweating is particularly bad, under the arms. Sweating is one of the most important ways in which the body loses heat, however, people with hyperhidrosis, produce sweat in amounts far greater than needed to control their temperature. It is thought that about one in 200 people have some form of hyperhidrosis.
There are two main types of hyperhidrosis. The more common type is focal hyperhidrosis, which can affect the armpits, hands, feet or face. Generalised hyperhidrosis is less common, affecting the whole body. This is often caused by other health problems such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Often when the health problem is treated, the sweating usually stops.
For those wanting a more effective solution to their underarm sweating, injections of botulinum toxin (type A) has been shown to be a very effective treatment.
Effects start within the first week after treatment and last for an average of seven months before further injections are required. Side effects are rarely troublesome.


It is very obvious that one can not understand the mind of a human. Our minds are filled with positive and negative thoughts. Very often when we are inclined to positive thoughts then our minds started To produce positive vibes in us ultimately resultend  in our actions. Therefore good action sprouts from positive vibes on the other hand when our minds are more prone To negative thoughts then our minds become negative thus we end up in mess. Therefore let's fill our minds more and more with  positive vibes rather than the negative things. Even though we are surrounded by many negative force let our mind be always attune To the positive side. Since we have a capacity To assimilate between good and bad therefore it is our choice to decide. At the same time it is too difficult for any one to comprehend the human mind and the thoughts that are going on there and still it is an Unanswered question. Well we can get no answer for that.


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'Pennyworth' season 2 to premiere in December on Epix
Entertainment, Television
Pennyworth season 2 is returning to the small screen on Dec. 13, 2020. Epix announced the premiere date and unveiled the teaser and trailer at the Comic-Con in New York.
The first and second episodes of Pennyworth season 2 will air weekly on Dec. 13 and 20, respectively. A two-part episode will air on Dec. 27, while the rest of the season will launch in January 2021.
New casting announcements for this season include Lucius Fox, who will be played by Simon Manyonda (His Dark Materials) and Melanie Troy, who will be played by Jessica de Gouw (The Hunting, Gretel and Hansel).
Lucius Fox is a young American scientist, precise to the point of pedantry, deliberately calm, honest, and direct to a fault; he suffers no fools gladly. His friends would say he's a man of conscience; his enemies would say he's judgmental and dogmatic. An integral part of the DC universe, this marks his introduction to the Wayne family.
Melanie Troy is a military orphan, who became a woman of the world far too young. She married a dominating older man, but with her wry intelligence and a sardonic sense of humor, she's no submissive and gives as good as she gets. Introduced to Alfie as the wife of his former SAS Captain, the two kindred spirits have an immediate connection.
Season two also introduces new series regulars James Purefoy (The Following, Sex Education, Altered Carbon), Edward Hogg(Taboo, Harlots, White Lightning), Jessye Romeo (Curfew, In the Long Run), Ramon Tikaram (Brassic, The Victim) and Harriet Slater (Faunutland and the Lost Magic).
To watch all of the PENNYWORTH news announced out of New York Comic Con and to hear the cast discuss what fans can expect from the new season, click HERE for the full panel from Sunday, October 11.
About Pennyworth
From Warner Horizon Scripted Television, the origin story Pennyworth is a drama series based on DC characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. It follows Bruce Wayne's legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon), a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), Bruce's billionaire father, in 1960s London.
ABOUT EPIX(R)
EPIX, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices.


PopHealthCare values expertise, accountability, hard work and creativity, which results in a truly Wicked Smart organization. Each member of the team possesses a deep desire to find unique and progressive ways to meet the currently unmet needs and expectations of customers and patients.
We are wicked smart, passionate people committed to improving the lives of high-risk patients.
If you are ready to join us in our mission, search our job openings and apply today.


The technique of tempera painting is an old technique, which few artist use nowadays. It is a slow way of working, as the artist has to grind pure pigments and then mix them carefully with the yoke of an egg and a little water. To achieve the intensity of the colour the artist has to paint many thin layers over each other, letting the paint dry in between each application. The result is vibrant and intense, while the pigment sparkles slightly. Once finished gold or silver leaf can be applied.


I've watched enough of the TV show "Pawn Stars" to know that, as Rick Harrison says, there are a "ton of fakes" when it comes to autographs. But I didn't know that something like 50 percent of certain famous signatures are forgeries.
PSA/DNA is one of the premier services for authenticating collector autographs. They've recently put out a list of the 10 most likely to be forged in 2012, and said about half of those they examine are fake.
Depending on what's signed, these autographs can be worth hundreds up to tens of thousands of dollars. Nice bit of money just for someone's signature. Who says writing by hand is worthless?
According to the FBI, forged autographs are big business.
The world of autographed sports and celebrity memorabilia is huge—a $1 billion a year industry. Unfortunately, at least half of the items that are sold are forgeries, even many that come with certificates of authenticity…which are also forged. Over half!
That means signature seekers need to be especially careful before laying down hard-earned money for the scribble of their favorite celeb, athlete or historical figure. Otherwise, you might end up like this poor fellow who had to learn about autograph forgeries the hard way.
While we applaud anyone who still puts pen to paper, we have to ask: Guys, can't you channel your entrepreneurial energy into slightly more legit endeavors?


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Long IslandSuffolk
Co-workers use CPR to save employee after electric shock at Yaphank business, police say
By ELLEN YANellen.yan@newsday.com April 10, 2015
Three people saved a co-worker after he experienced an electric shock at a Yaphank business Friday morning, Suffolk police said.
The man, 47, was trying to repair a machine at Hi-Temp Specialty Metals when he appeared to have stopped breathing about 9:45 a.m., police said. He appeared to have been injured by contact with an electrical panel, police said.
John Stanislaw, Manju Mathew and Joe Smokovich performed CPR and used a defibrillator to revive him, police said.
Their co-worker was in stable condition and taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue, police said.
The business, at 355 Patchogue-Yaphank Rd., buys certain metals, including tungsten, from the electronics, lighting and glass industries and recycles them to sell to other industries, including aerospace, according to the company's website, which lists Smokovich as the chief executive, Stanislaw as the plant manager and Mathew as the technical director.
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Authorities said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified.


A big problem with the ZX Spectrum is the keyboard membrane.
The plastic layers are getting bad after it's 30 years life.
The same happend to my ZX, the membrane broke at both connectors so I can't use the keyboard anymore.
I can order a new membrane from the UK for around €20.00 but I'm afraid that it will break again when I try to do some more mods (opening the case multiple times).
So I ordered some small switches only 0.3mm high, and will try to mount them below the keys.


MIDDLEWICH High School pupils have received specialist design and manufacturing training.
Intent Design, based at Midpoint 18 in the town, teamed up with the school to help GCSE pupils with their coursework by talking to them about its work and the commercial environment.
A competition is being run by the firm, which will present an award each year to the pupil who has made the most effective use of CAD/CAM computer design tools during their course.


WHAT IS A CASE STATUS? •	The "case status" information field demonstrates the present stage of a case. •	ACTIVE means the case is progressing and additionally activity is as yet pending. The court has not yet settled on a choice or issued an order or judgment for the situation.
Is visiting a torrent website illegal in India?
Rajesh Sharma and Ors v State of UP and Anr.
India has witnessed a catena of cases and judgments that altered the tide of law in India, and here we enlist for you 24 top such decisions that played a major role in shaping the Indian Legal System.


What is T2 endotype of asthma?
A T2 endotype of asthma indicated the underlying mechanism of inflammation of T-helper type 2 (Th2) inflammation, which is mediated by Il-4, Il-5, Il-13 pathways.4 You may have heard about these related cytokines in relation to their emerging treatments that have recently come to the forefront. In particular, in relation to biologics which are targeting these pathways.
What is airway periostin and what is it's role in severe asthma?
Periostin is a systemic biomarker of eosinophilia in asthmatics.3 It is important in airway inflammation as it is involved in the recruitment of eosinophils in the airways. While not everything is in the know, its current claim to fame is that it is helping identify patients that will be treatment-responsive to targeted biologic agents. Periostin can be found in areas inside and outside of the lungs. However, the study in CHEST looked specifically at serum periostin which is found inside the airways as a biomarker. Serum periostin can be measured and it is thought that patients with higher levels of periostin have more severe asthma that is likely correlated with Th2 inflammation. It is important to note that the entire mechanics is not yet known about periostin trafficking into the airways however this is an area of active research.2 The subjects in the study underwent exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and sputum collection, eosinophil count in blood, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and IgE measurement. Periostin was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit on EBC and induced sputum (IS) supernatant to determine the correlations.1 Many of these tests are routinely available and will help identify hopefully in a more efficient way.
Can you imagine a time in the near future, where we asthmatics go around a dinner party asking each other, "Hey, what is your endotype?" This research points to steps forward helping to provide more targeted treatment to patients but also develop a better understanding of what factors are driving asthma. I used to sit in waiting rooms hoping that I could find some asthma peeps with the same or similar endotype, who were experiencing the same things that I was. We may indeed be one step closer.
Carpagnano GE, Scioscia G, Lacedonia D, et al. Looking for airways periostin in severe asthma. [Published online ahead of print October 15, 2018]. CHEST.
Li W, Gao P, Zhi Y, et al. Periostin: its role in asthma and its potential as a diagnostic or therapeutic target. Respir Res. 2015;16(1):57. Published 2015 May 17.
Jia G, Erickson RW, Choy DF, Mosesova S, Wu LC, Solberg OD, et al. Periostin is a systemic biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation in asthmatic patients. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012;130:647–54.
Woodruff PG, Modrek B, Choy DF, et al. T-helper type 2-driven inflammation defines major subphenotypes of asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009;180(5):388-95.


18 May 2018 The subsidiary in Thailand is the sixth sales company in the as well," says Dr Ralf Schelbach, Vice President Asia Pacific of Jowat SE.
Located in Ban Khu Bua (1), V.P. Resort Ratchaburi has a garden. The property provides free WiFi.
With offices in the US and Canada, Latin America, Australia, Asia, Europe, and Russia, we understand your concerns and are only a phone call away.


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Peace Corps Celebrates Global Volunteerism on International Volunteer Day
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 5, 2013 – On International Volunteer Day, Peace Corps recognizes and applauds volunteers' commitment to making a difference around the world. In addition to dedicating themselves to service, Peace Corps volunteers also promote the value of service in their host countries. By volunteering within their own communities, local community members help improve the world around them not only for themselves but also for their family and friends.
The more than 215,000 Americans who have volunteered with the Peace Corps know that their service changed lives – both their own and the lives of people in their host communities. Volunteers spend 27 months living and working alongside the people they serve, learning about leadership, ingenuity, self-reliance and relationship building. After service, Peace Corps volunteers return home as global citizens with new perspectives and skills that give them a competitive edge in today's global economy.
Below find three stories of Peace Corps volunteers who are increasing awareness of the importance of giving back and encouraging the people in their communities to volunteer.
Peace Corps volunteers Daniel Cherry of Science Hill, Ky., and Katie Bowen-Williams of Annapolis, Md., are working together in Mongolia to promote a partnership between two local non-governmental organizations focused on volunteerism and mentorship among Mongolian youth. Cherry has teamed up with an organization that prepares young Mongolian students to study abroad, and Bowen-Williams is collaborating with a community youth center. By bringing their individual projects together, they implemented a volunteering program that gives young adults the opportunity to mentor children and lead activities at the youth center.
"Mentors build leadership skills, confidence, and gain volunteer experience," Bowen-Williams said, "The young students are able to ask questions of peers and build positive relationships."
In Paraguay, Peace Corps volunteer Casey Cutler of Westwood, Mass., helped a local community center secure funding to remodel its soup kitchen after water damage, rodents and poor ventilation forced it to close. The kitchen served approximately 400 hungry children and was staffed by a group of 12 Paraguayan women who volunteered their time to prepare and serve lunch. Cutler received a USAID-Peace Corps Small Project Assistance (SPA) grant for the project, and community members held a bake sale to cover additional costs. A local non-governmental organization donated pots, pans, plates, cups and tables for the new kitchen.
"This small group of women are the driving force behind the community and are an inspiration to their neighbors, families, and the hundreds of children that are at the soup kitchen every day witnessing the kindness and selflessness that these women embody," Cutler said.
Peace Corps volunteer Eric Lacey of Yakima, Wash., challenged a group of 56 high school students in Burkina Faso to do 50 hours of community service by the end of the school year to learn firsthand the value of volunteering. By the end of the school year, 28 volunteers reached the goal, and the group totaled more than 2,765 hours of community service.
"We started with several motivated, impressive students and put them in charge of real development activities under the supervision of local experts," Lacey said. "For the first time, the students were tutoring, leading clubs with younger children, learning about HIV and meeting with HIV patients, doing radio shows, translating documents, planting trees, writing a school newspaper, organizing a career fair, teaching literacy to women's groups and more. Some students are even changing their career choice based on what they learned."
To learn more about volunteering with the Peace Corps, visit http://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/.
About the Peace Corps: As the preeminent international service organization of the United States, the Peace Corps sends Americans abroad to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world. Peace Corps volunteers work at the grassroots level with local governments, schools, communities, small businesses and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable solutions that address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. When they return home, volunteers bring their knowledge and experiences – and a global outlook – back to the United States that enriches the lives of those around them. President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 to foster a better understanding among Americans and people of other countries. Since then, more than 215,000 Americans of all ages have served in 139 countries worldwide. Visit www.peacecorps.gov to learn more.


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AC2017 EmpowHer gives women entrepreneurs a leg-up
On day one of the 2017 Iowa Annual Conference, attendees had the choice of attending nine workshops following the afternoon session. Attendees were given a glimpse into the United Methodist Organization EmpowHer.
EmpowHer was started in association with the Iowa Nigeria Partnership (INP). EmpowHer follows a microfinance model, where entrepreneurs, specifically women, are given small loans to start a business.
Microfinance has around for centuries, the modern model of microfinance is attributed to Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh. In the 1970s, Yunus began offering small loans to poor laborers, before eventually forming the Grameen Ban in 1983. The bank now has 2,500 branches with one in Omaha, Neb.
In Nigeria, 66 percent of total labor is done by women, but only 10 percent receive wages, said Judy Marnin, presenter for the workshop. Many of these women want to provide for their families, but have no access to capital. Those that do have a business often do not have control of the money they make.
"The goal of the program was to offer small business loans," she said. "So in 2012, we started a small microfinance program."
Women who apply for the program must fill out an application and form a 10-person group of women. They group internally picks officials. They present a proposal for their business plan. If they are approved, they are given around $60 US.
If their business is successful, they can pay for children's school fees, purchase food for their families, purchase health care for ailing parents or update their homes.
The women in Nigeria are creative in their business models. Women started: embroidery businesses, a roadside stand with a variety of items for sale, a fish stand, a lunch stand.
One woman was especially creative and saw a unique need in her town and started a business out of that. In Nigeria, some areas do not have steady access to electricity, if any. In a world of cell phones and tablets, the woman saw people needed a source to charge their devices. She purchased power strips and a generator with her small loan and created a charging station for all manner of mobile devices.
Marnin said it is estimated EmpowHer has helped 22,000 people, from the women, families and the people who use their services. Like any program, though, EmpowHer has its issues.
"It's hard to start a small business if everyone around you is also in poverty," she said. "If you are selling lunch to workers, but there are no workers, how can you make money?"
Women must also make their payments on their loan, even if they did not make any money. This often leads to women borrowing the money from an outside lender, doubling their debt.
"We are still looking for a solution to women's poverty," said Marnin.
Despite the core issues surrounding women's poverty, program like EmpowHer and Self Help International, which also help microfinance women-owned businesses in Nicaragua and Ghana, are leveling the playing field for women the world over.