Explore the power, direction and sound of a windy day using this exciting bumper collection of outdoor resources.
Packed in a sturdy folding box. Contents may vary.
Why stay inside on a windy day? With our fantastic Windy Day kit, you can just Grab and Go outside, making learning fun. Listen to wind as it rattles the bamboo chime or hold on tight to the sparkling fabrics as the wind blows. Can you make the Rainbow Fish come alive by running and letting the breeze catch it?


The 20th Congress of the CPI (M) salutes the centenary of the Ghadar Party that was founded on April 5, 1913 in San Francisco. The Ghadar Party played a glorious role in organizing struggles like the Komagata Maru voyage for the equal rights of immigrants of all countries and mobilizing powerful militant resistance to imperialism with a brave symbolic action of a voyage to liberate their motherland, India. This Party Congress recalls with pride and salutes the memory of the 200 martyrs who were killed and 35 who were sent to the Andaman Cellular jail for life. Their fearless example raised hopes of overcoming imperialism at its most savage. The movement extended from Vancouver in Canada to San Francisco, Tokyo and the villages of Punjab. As its name indicates, it was inspired by our First War of independence of 1857; and true to this tradition during World War-I the young Kartar Singh Sarabha was executed for rousing rebellion among troops. Later on, inspired by the Russian revolution, cadres of Ghadar Party went on to organize workers and peasants to win freedom and build socialism. Many joined the Communist Party and formed the first Communist group in north-west India.
They dared to storm the bastions of imperialism in their day and their memory should inspire us to carry forward that struggle to victory over imperialism in our time.
The 20th Congress calls upon its units to observe the centenary in a befitting manner.


text:
De Mare Ingenii (Latijn: zee van het vernuft) is een mare op de Maan. De Mare Ingenii is een van de weinige maria die zich op de vanaf Aarde onzichtbare kant van de Maan bevinden en is 318 kilometer in diameter.

De mare bevindt zich in het gelijknamige inslagbekken, dat gevormd werd in het tijdperk Prenectarium. Het vloedbasalt dat de mare en de inslagkraters in de omgeving opvulde komt uit het latere tijdperk Laat Imbrium. Bijna de helft van de mare ligt in de donkere krater Thomson, die 112 kilometer in diameter is. De lavastromen zijn op verschillende plekken over de rand van de krater gestroomd.

Op de zuidelijke helft van Mare Ingenii komt een uitgebreid systeem van wervelachtige strukturen met een hoog albedo voor. Deze wervelingen zijn van dezelfde aard als de formatie Reiner γ (Reiner Gamma) in Oceanus Procellarum op de naar de aarde toegekeerde kant van de maan.

Ten zuiden van de Mare Ingenii ligt de krater Obruchev.

Literatuur en maanatlassen
 Charles J. Byrne: The Far Side of the Moon, a photographic guide.
 Ben Bussey, Paul Spudis: The Clementine Atlas of the Moon, revised and updated edition.

Ingenii

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
New changes are being made to the bylaw. File photo
Rossland city council to revamp plastic bag bylaw
New fees for non-reusable bags, plastic straw ban some of new changes
Connor Trembley
Jul. 16, 2020 9:00 a.m.
Rossland city council has instructed staff to make amendments to its single-use plastic bag regulation, adopted last summer. In addition to a ban on plastic bags, the city is now looking to ban plastic straws and Styrofoam containers at local businesses.
A small fee is also being introduced for local residents who don't bring a reusable bag for shopping. Businesses will be able to keep the profit generated from the bag fees.
Mayor Kathy Moore said the bag fees will mimic those already imposed in other communities like Tofino and Victoria. Under Tofino's bylaw, customers are charged at least 25 cents for a paper bag and at least $2 for a reusable bag. Victoria's bylaw makes customers pay at least 15 cents for a paper bag and at least $1 for a reusable bag.
Similar to Tofino and Victoria's bylaw, Rossland's bylaw would allow small plastic bags to be used for packaging bulk items like fruit and vegetables, wrapped frozen foods and hardware items like nails.
After staff work on the amendments, it will be brought back to city council for a review. Council will then send the amended bylaw to the Minister of Environment for approval and will adopt it shortly after.
All B.C. communities that want to impose a plastic bag ban have to get approval from the B.C. Minister of Environment.
While Rossland city council adopted the original single-checkout bag regulation bylaw in July of 2019, it wasn't intended to be enforced until early 2020.
Enforcement of the bylaw has also been hampered by the COVID-19 crisis, which has forced many businesses to temporarily use plastic bags for health precautions.
READ MORE: Plastic bag ban gets thumbs up at public meeting
@connortrembley
connor.trembley@castlegarnews.com
Quebec becomes first province to make masks mandatory in indoor public spaces
Almost 1,500 masks made from Masks4All campaign in Rossland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This Sunday we continue our series with the beginning of Paul's 3rd missionary journey in Acts 18:24-19:20. This passage shows us a young upstart preacher who needed correction, a deficient understanding of repentance and baptism, and demons that whooped a group of brothers and sent them running down the street naked. In all of it, we see a distinction between ministry done from our own understanding and power, versus the Spirit-filled power of God brought to bear. This will be a fun one to explore together.


@MeetManila celebrating oneness in promoting #ThoughtfulTourism.
The launch of Meet Manila came with a catchy title..Tertulia Night "but what is Tertulia?" Well, the short meaning of a Tertulia is "an evening party, a soirée, especially in Spain". The Meet Manila's launch party is called a Tertulia Night because the travel community gathered together to celebrate oneness in promoting #ThoughtfulTourism. Ysobel Hamidjojo of Loudwhistle Inc. created Meet Manila not only to promote Philippine travel and culture but #thoughtfultourism as well.
A century ago, Tertulia was a social gathering where friends gather together for a night of dinner to celebrate their friendship and culture. The Spaniards love having tertulias especially at outdoor cafés. Adarna Food and Culture Restaurant is the perfect venue of the modern-day Tertulia.
The restaurant celebrates Filipino culinary heritage by serving historical, regional and heirloom recipes in a warm, elegant and homey setting. Walking around the restaurant feels like one is caught in a time-warped zone dating back to the Spanish days.
What many were not aware was that the MERALCO transformer outside Adarna Resto exploded causing a power failure. Vince Golangco, a co-presenter, and When in Manila founder, together with Ysobel Hamidjojo used the unfortunate technical difficulties to their advantage. Holding a candle, the night started out with fun and games at the al fresco.
Bugtungan is the playing of bugtong, a Tagalog riddle (palaisipan) that showcases the Pilipino wit, literary talent, and keen observation of surroundings. There was never a dull moment as the hosts rattled off riddles.
Even Elijah Murray, who recently arrived in the Philippines was not spared from the Bugtungan.
Ysobel introduced Meet Manila and the #ThoughtfulTourism campaign while Vince Golangco introduced the Meet-a-Hero initiative. Meet Manila celebrated the game-changers; and the empowering of travelers who may be a nomad, a group, a blogger, a photographer or any travel and tourism enthusiast who share Meet Manila's advocacy and passion for Philippine tourism.
With one hand-held light focused on the center of the veranda, the program proper started.
Ivan Henares the guest speaker for Tertulia is Travel junkie & writer, TV host, tourism consulant, heritage advocate and educator. Ivan is proud to have visited all 80 provinces of the Philippines and is on his way to visiting the world. As Vice President & Trustee of the Heritage Conservation Society and Philippine Representative to the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee (ICTC), he is passionate about the preservation of our heritage homes. He talked about his frustration about local officials and developers who are unable to appreciate heritage homes and its rich history.
Meet a Hero is Meet Manila's initiative that fuels their main orbit. The mission is to find and feature well-deserving Filipino citizens who lead for a good cause. These game-changers are self-driven by their knowledge, motivated by their passion, and are not afraid to fight for what they believe in. The initial list of 15 heroes is just a start and Meet Manila will continue to honor advocates who take part in #thoughtfultourism.
While promotion of tourism and travel destinations is a given for most travel enthusiasts, people should also be informed about #ThoughtfulTourism such as conserving our precious wildlife, uplifting small communities, promoting far-flung provinces, and instilling ethical use of our natural resources. It is this goal that the Meet the Heroes initiative was launched.
Meet Manila Tertulia honored the heroes present that night.
Melissa Villa , the co-founder of Project Pearls .
Meet Manila pooled the most deserving Travelers to be empowered by generous sponsors such as Lenovo, Rox, Peninsula Manila, The Farm at San Benito, Mandarin Oriental, Travel magazine. Both Travelers and Sponsors expressed the genuine desire to be part of Meet Manila's vision, in the hopes of providing continuity for the cause of promoting and preserving Philippines' places and culture. The following are Meet Manila's first batch of Empowered Travelers: Manyel Oyek , Mai Flores, Tim Libunao, Rogelio Gabiano, Jaypee David, Macy Anonuevo , Vera Venus, Reah Mocorro, Aleah Taboclaon.
Carlos Celdran one of the heroes came in late due to a last minute barter tour.
Blog Watch as the social media partner and co-presenter came in full force.
Meet Manila tertulia's night closed with four cultural dance numbers. Power from a generator brought lights and sounds during the latter part of the Tertulia . Music and dancers closed the program proper but the rest of the guests mingled around to appreciate the beauty of Adarna restaurant.
Originally, a Spanish tradition Meet Manila Tertulia Night is a truly unique event. I hope it will become a regular activity when new heroes or empowered travelers are recognized. I thank Meet Manila for letting us appreciate what Tertulia night is all about as we celebrated the oneness of our online travel community through this gathering .
Thank you to Meet Manila sponsors. Meet Manila's Party Launch: A Tertulia Night for #ThoughtfulTourism is co-presented by Loudwhistle Inc., When In Manila, Walk this Way and https://blogwatch.tv.s175152.gridserver.com, the official social media partner for the event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors: The Peninsula Manila, Greenlite Banner, Mandarin Oriental Manila, The Farm at San Benito, Lenovo mobile, R.O.X. Recreational Outdoor Exchange, and Don Papa Rum care of PinwheelPH. Special thanks to our media partners Rappler.com and Choose Philippines, and to our exclusive magazine partner Travel Magazine.


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kitty norville
Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S MIX-TAPE is a delightful mix of stories from the world of werewolf DJ Kitty Norville
Rick Klaw blog	books of my heart, carrie vsughn, elaine howlin, in my humble opinion, interview, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, mary robinette kowal, my favorite bit, paul semel, review
Elaine Howlin, on their eponymous site, enjoys Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S MIX-TAPE.
I love how this short story collection has tie in songs for each story. It adds another layer to the story especially with the author's notes included.
IN MY HUMBLE OPINION agrees.
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE is a delightful mix of vignettes featuring characters from the world of werewolf DJ Kitty Norville. I love this series and miss the characters so this was like a gift.
As does BOOKS OF MY HEART.
As a fan who has read every book in the Kitty Norville series, I enjoyed it.
Vaughn contributed to Mary Robinette Kowal's MY FAVORITE BIT.
How do I pick a favorite bit from a book that builds on a fourteen novel series, a previous short story collection, and something like twenty years of dealing with these characters and their world?
Let me think about this a minute.
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE collects the short stories I've written set in the world of my Kitty Norville urban fantasy series since about 2010. Kitty is a werewolf who hosts a talk radio advice show for supernatural creatures, and she manages to get into a lot of adventures and trouble. I used short stories to explore the backgrounds of supporting characters and ideas that just didn't fit in the novels.
The entire Kitty series riffs on tropes to one degree or another. Werewolf tropes, vampire tropes, talk radio tropes. Structural tropes, like a screwball comedy set in Las Vegas, or the cabin-in-the-woods horror story. If you want to know where I get my ideas, it's often from just asking the question: what can I do with that trope? What spin, what ironic twist, what bit of commentary can I add to it? I get a lot of material out of asking those questions.
Photo by Helen Sittig
Paul Semel interviews the author.
Let's start with some background. For people who haven't read any of the Kitty Norville stories, who is Kitty, what does she do, and where does she live?
Kitty is a werewolf who hosts a talk radio advice show for supernatural creatures. Her adventures, based in Denver, Colorado, run for fourteen novels and a whole bunch of spin-off stories.
And then for those who have read those books, what is KITTY'S MIX-TAPE and how does it connect, both narratively and chronologically, to the other books in this series?
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE is a collection of short stories, most of which were previously published in magazines and anthologies, but it does have a few new stories. This includes most of the stories written since about 2010, while Kitty's Greatest Hits [a previous collection of Kitty Norville short stories] includes stories written before then. They take place over a wide stretch of time, and are about many of the secondary characters in the series as well as Kitty herself.
The complete previews from KITTY'S MIX-TAPE by Carrie Vaughn
Rick Klaw blog	Carrie Vaughn, excerpts, Kitty and Cormac's Excellent Adventure, kitty learns the ropes, kitty norville, kitty walks on by calls your name, kitty's mix tape, previews, the arcane art of misdirection, the beaux wilde	0
In celebration of the release of Carrie Vaughn's final Kitty Norville book KITTY'S MIX-TAPE, Tachyon presents glimpses from the book that is "comfort food for the urban fantasy soul." (Seanan McGuire, author of Come Tumbling Down and Every Heart a Doorway)
Previews included:
The Arcane Art of Misdirection
The Beaux Wilde
Kitty and Cormac's Excellent Adventure
Kitty Learns the Ropes
Kitty Walks On By, Calls Your Name (aka Kitty's Class Reunion)
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE by Carrie Vaughn preview: "Kitty Learns the Ropes"
Rick Klaw blog	Carrie Vaughn, excerpt, kitty learns the ropes, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, preview	0
In celebration of the release of Carrie Vaughn's final Kitty Norville book KITTY'S MIX-TAPE, Tachyon presents glimpses from the book that "is a delightful read." (Booklist)
Carrie Vaughn
I hit play on the laptop DVD software and sat back to watch.
This was a recording of a boxing match in Las Vegas last year. The Heavyweight World Championships, the caption read. I was glad it did, because I knew nothing about boxing, nothing about who these guys were. Two beefy, sweaty men—one white, with a dark buzz cut and heavy brow, the other black, bald, snarling—were pounding on each other in rage. I winced as their blows sent sweat and spit flying. As sports went, this was more unappealing than most, in my opinion.
Then the white boxer, Ian Jacobson, the defending champion, laid one into his opponent, Jerome Macy. The punch came in like a pile driver, snapped Macy's head around, and sent the big man spinning. He crashed into the mat headfirst. The crack of bone carried over the roars and cheers of the crowd. I resisted an urge to look away, sure I was witnessing the boxer's death.
The arena fell silent, watching Macy lie still. Jacobson had retreated to an empty corner of the ring, looking agitated, while the referee counted down over Macy. Ringside officials leaned in, uncertain whether to rush in to help or wait for the count to end. Macy lay with his head twisted, his body crumpled, clearly badly injured. Blood leaked out his nose.
Then, he moved. First a hand, then an arm. He levered himself up, shaking his head, shaking it again, stretching his neck back into alignment. Slowly, he regained his feet.
He turned, looking for his opponent with fire blazing in his eyes. Jacobson stared back, eyes wide, fearful. Obviously, he hadn't wanted Macy to be seriously hurt. But this—rising from the dead almost—must have seemed worse.
The roar of the crowd at the apparent resurrection was visceral thunder.
They returned to the fight, and Macy knocked out Jacobson a minute later, winning the title.
A hand reached over me and hit the pause button on the laptop.
"That wasn't normal," said Jenna Larson, the woman who had brought me the recording of the match. She was a rarity, a female sports reporter with national standing, known for hunting down the big stories, breaking the big news, from drug scandals to criminal records. "Tell me that wasn't human. Jerome Macy isn't human."
Which was why Larson was here, showing me this video. She wanted to know if I could tell Macy was a werewolf or some other supernatural/superhuman creature with rapid healing, or the kind of invulnerability that would let him not only stand back up after a blow like that, but go on to beat up his opponent. I couldn't tell, not by just watching the clip. But it wouldn't be hard for me to find out, if I could get close enough to smell him. I'd know if he was a werewolf by his scent, because I was one.
She'd brought her laptop to my office. I sat at my desk, staring at the frozen image of Macy, shoulders slouched, looming over his fallen opponent. Larson stood over me—a position of dominance, my Wolf side noted testily—waiting for my reaction.
I pushed my chair away from the desk so I was out from under her, looking at her eye to eye without craning my neck. "I can't say one way or the other without meeting him."
"I can arrange that," she said. "His next bout is here in Denver this weekend. You come meet him, and if there is something going on, we share the scoop on the story."
This was making me nervous. "Jenna. Here's the thing: Even if he is a werewolf, he probably doesn't want to advertise the fact. He's kept it hidden for a reason."
"If he is a werewolf, do you think it's fair that he's competing against normal human beings in feats of strength and endurance?"
I shrugged, because she was right on some level. However talented a boxer he was, did Macy have an unfair advantage?
It also begged the question, in this modern age when werewolves, vampires, witches, and other things that went bump in the night were emerging from shadows and announcing themselves—like hosting talk radio shows that delved into this secret world—how many other people had hidden identities? How many actors, politicians, and athletes weren't entirely human?
Larson was in her thirties, her shoulder-length brown hair shining and perfectly arranged around her face, her makeup calculated to look stunning and natural, like she wasn't wearing any. She wore a pantsuit with high heels and never missed a step. She was a woman in a man's profession, driven to make a name for herself. I had to respect that. The territorial side of me couldn't help but see an alpha female on the prowl.
She was brusque, busy, and clearly didn't have time to hang around because she shut down the laptop and started packing it into her sleek black shoulder bag.
"I know you're interested in this," she said. "If you don't help me, I'll get someone else. One way or another, with or without your help, I'm going to break this story. How about it?"
There wasn't even a question. She called me pretty well: I wouldn't let a story like this get away from me.
"I'm in," I said.
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE by Carrie Vaughn preview: "Kitty and Cormac's Excellent Adventure"
Rick Klaw blog	Carrie Vaughn, excerpt, Kitty and Cormac's Excellent Adventure, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, preview	0
In celebration of the release of Carrie Vaughn's final Kitty Norville book KITTY'S MIX-TAPE, Tachyon presents glimpses from "one of the best collections I've read this year—and maybe for a good chunk of last year, too." (The Irresponsible Reader)
I leaned back in my office chair and stared at the phone for a moment. Cormac never asked for help. "Are you feeling all right?"
He blew out a breath of what sounded like frustration, as if he was just as surprised as I was by this conversation. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a favor." His tone was curt. He didn't want a discussion.
Each word sounded forced out against his will. "I need to see Rick."
Rick, the Master Vampire of Denver. My brow furrowed, confused. "Why do you need to see Rick?"
"Just a message. Not a big deal."
It was probably a big deal. "You could call him yourself—"
"But he'll actually talk to you."
"Come on, what's this about? You hate vampires."
"Just five minutes."
"He's going to want to know what this is about. He won't open the door to you just because I ask." Cormac was a bounty hunter specializing in supernatural creatures. Vampires, werewolves, a lot of other crazy stuff. At least, he used to be, before he went to prison for manslaughter. Now, he was more of a paranormal investigator, along with the ghost of a Victorian magician who lived in his mind. Long story there. He'd mellowed quite a bit under Amelia's influence, or so I liked to think. But yeah, Rick didn't exactly trust him. It sometimes seemed kind of weird that I did.
"That's why I need to you to ask. Convince him."
I was dying of curiosity. At this point I'd make the meeting happen just to see what it was about. And of course I would be there. "Am I going to regret this?"
The pause told me that yes, there was a good possibility that I would in fact regret this. "It'll be fine."
"Sure," I drawled. "I won't be able to talk to him until nightfall."
"The sooner the better."
"Seriously, Cormac, are you in trouble?"
"It'll be fine. Call me when it's set up." He hung up.
What the hell had he gotten into, and why was I just going to dive in after him? I'd better get a good story out of this.
Happy Book Birthday to Carrie Vaughn's delicious KITTY MIX-TAPE
Rick Klaw birthday, blog	book bar, book birthday, Carrie Vaughn, john scalzi, kevin hearne, kitty busts the feds, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, the big idea, tor.com, virtual event, whatever	0
TOR.COM celebrates the birthday with an excerpt from Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S MIX-TAPE.
"Kitty Busts the Feds"
"I'm just saying if anybody should know about this, it oughta be you, right?"
Putting my elbows on the desk, I rubbed my scalp and winced at the microphone. "Yes, you're right, of course. If anyone ought to know the effects of recreational marijuana on lycanthropes it should be me, even though I've never actually tried the stuff, even though I live in Colorado. I'm so sorry to disappoint you."
I wasn't sorry, and I seemed to be completely unable to steer the show off this topic.
"All right, checking the monitor . . . and all the calls are about pot. Okay. Fine. Matt, are we violating any FCC regulations by talking about pot on the air this much?" Pot might have been legal in Colorado, but the show was syndicated all over the country and I didn't want to get any affiliate stations in trouble. On the other side of the booth window, Matt, my engineer, gave me a big shrug. I figured if I was in trouble, Ozzie, the station manager, would have called by now to ax this whole line of discussion. "What the hell, NPR has done a million news stories on pot, right? It's not like we're telling people how to get the stuff. Next caller, you're on the air."
"I mean, if you don't live in Colorado how do you get the stuff—"
"I cannot help you with this. Next call, please. Linda, what's your question?"
"Hi, Kitty, thanks so much for taking my call. There really are so many medical applications for cannabis, especially in terms of reducing anxiety and alleviating chronic pain, it seems that if we wanted to look anywhere for a cure for lycanthropy it would be with CBD oil."
For John Scalzi's WHATEVER, Vaughn contributes THE BIG IDEA.
Sometimes a big idea is the culmination of a lot of other ideas. Sometimes, it happens toward the end of a process rather than at the start.
I wrapped up my series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty five years ago. . .but I had some loose ends. A handful of short stories connected to the series that hadn't yet been collected anywhere, some crazy rough drafts that needed finishing. . . I wanted to pull them all together and get them out in the world.
Collecting a decade's worth of material is a chance to reflect on characters and a world I've lived with for quite a long time now (the first Kitty short story appeared in Weird Tales in 2001). How did I do? What did I miss? Would I change anything? Is there anything left to mine?
Heck, there's always something left to mine! These are ideas, not molybdenum. They propagate. Short stories are the perfect form in which to explore maybe not big earth-shattering plots. But ideas. Weird ideas that don't fit in a novel outline, that might not work stretched out over three hundred pages but might pack a punch at 30 pages. For example: What happens when a werewolf goes to her 10 year high school reunion? I don't know, let's find out!
If you missed the October 9 Book Bar virtual event with Vaughn and Kevin Hearne, the full video of the conversation can be found on the event site.
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE by Carrie Vaughn preview: "The Arcane Art of Misdirection"
Rick Klaw blog	Carrie Vaughn, excerpt, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, preview, the arcane art of misdirection	0
In celebration of the release of Carrie Vaughn's final Kitty Norville book KITTY'S MIX-TAPE, Tachyon presents glimpses from the book that "is a guarantee of quality entertainment and a night of no sleep as I stay up late to devour it!" (Patricia Briggs, bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series)
The cards had rules, but they could be made to lie.
The rules said that a player with a pile of chips that big was probably cheating. Not definitely—luck, unlike cards, didn't follow any rules. The guy could just be lucky. But the prickling of the hairs on the back of Julie's neck made her think otherwise.
He was middle-aged, aggressively nondescript. When he sat down at her table, Julie pegged him as a middle-management type from flyover country—cheap gray suit, unimaginative tie, chubby face, greasy hair clumsily combed over a bald spot. Now that she thought about it, his look was so cliché it might have been a disguise designed to make sure people dismissed him out of hand. Underestimated him.
She'd seen card-counting rings in action—groups of people who prowled the casino, scouted tables, signaled when a deck was hot, and sent in a big bettor to clean up. They could win a ridiculous amount of money in a short amount of time. Security kept tabs on most of the well-known rings and barred them from the casino. This guy was alone. He wasn't signaling. No one else was lingering nearby.
He could still be counting cards. She'd dealt blackjack for five years now and could usually spot it. Players tapped a finger, or sometimes their lips moved. If they were that obvious, they probably weren't winning anyway. The good ones knew to cut out before the casino noticed and ejected them. Even the best card counters lost some of the time. Counting cards didn't beat the system, it was just an attempt to push the odds in your favor. This guy hadn't lost a single hand of blackjack in forty minutes of play.
For the last ten minutes, the pit boss had been watching over Julie's shoulder as she dealt. Her table was full, as others had drifted over, maybe hoping some of the guy's luck would rub off on them. She slipped cards out of the shoe for her players, then herself. Most of them only had a chip or two—minimum bid was twenty-five. Not exactly high rolling, but enough to make Vegas's middle-America audience sweat a little.
Two players stood. Three others hit; two of them busted. Dealer drew fifteen, then drew an eight—so she was out. Her chubby winner had a stack of chips on his square. Probably five hundred dollars. He hit on eighteen—and who in their right mind ever hit on eighteen? But he drew a three. Won, just like that. His expression never budged, like he expected to win. He merely glanced at the others when they offered him congratulations.
Julie slid over yet another stack of chips; the guy herded it together with his already impressive haul. Left the previous stack right where it was, and folded his hands to wait for the next deal. He seemed bored.
Blackjack wasn't supposed to be boring.
She looked at Ryan, her pit boss, a slim man in his fifties who'd worked Vegas casinos his whole life. He'd seen it all, and he was on his radio. Good. Security could review the video and spot whatever this guy was doing. Palming cards, probably—though she couldn't guess how he was managing it.
She was about to deal the next hand when the man in question looked at her, looked at Ryan, then scooped his chips up, putting stack after stack in his jacket pockets, then walked away from the table, wearing a small, satisfied grin.
He didn't leave a tip. Even the losers left tips.
"Right. He's gone, probably heading for the cashiers. Thanks." Ryan put his radio down.
"Well?" Julie asked.
"They can't find anything to nail him with, but they'll keep an eye on him," Ryan said. He was frowning, and seemed suddenly worn under the casino's lights.
"He's got to be doing something, if we could just spot it."
"Never mind, Julie. Get back to your game."
He was right. Not her problem.
Cards slipped under her fingers and across the felt like water. The remaining players won and lost at exactly the rate they should, and she collected more chips than she gave out. She could tell when her shift was close to ending by the ache that entered her lower back from standing. Just another half hour and Ryan would close out her table, and she could leave. Run to the store, drag herself home, cobble together a meal that wouldn't taste quite right because she was eating it at midnight, but that was dinnertime when she worked this shift. Take a shower, watch a half hour of bad TV and finally, finally fall asleep. Wake up late in the morning and do it all again.
That was her life. As predictable as house odds.
KITTY'S MIX-TAPE by Carrie Vaughn preview: "Kitty Walks On By, Calls Your Name"
Rick Klaw blog	Calls Your Name (aka Kitty's Class Reunion), Carrie Vaughn, excerpt, kitty norville, Kitty Walks On By, kitty's mix tape, preview	0
"So, Sadie, you have any embarrassing pictures of Kitty I should know about?" Ben asked.
I blanched. "We don't really need to go looking—"
She grinned. "They've got some old yearbooks at the front table if we want to go check."
The place filled up, and I recognized more and more people, and somehow we all looked completely different than we had, and we hadn't changed a bit, both at the same time.
"Hi, Kitty?" An upbeat woman with her dark hair in a ponytail, wearing a silky pantsuit, came up to me. "I don't know if you remember me—"
"Amanda, we worked on yearbook together," I said and accepted a quick hug. We did the one-minute update of the last ten years of our lives, and I repeated the same exchange with a dozen other people. Wolf slowly settled; these weren't strangers, we weren't in danger, even though this definitely didn't feel like our territory. It helped that Ben was looking out for us. He patiently let himself be introduced over and over. This is my husband, Ben. And what do you do, Ben? Lawyer, criminal defense. Yeah, that got a couple of stares. And a raised eyebrow when one of the old marching band crowd asked him for a business card.
"You were on yearbook?" Ben asked, incredulous.
"I had no idea. I'm learning all kinds of things about you. I suppose you were all over spirit week and went to all the football games?"
"I was practically normal, back in the day."
"Before," he said.
"Yeah, before."
He squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek.
"Sadie?" A tough-looking guy with an expensive-looking haircut and dark jacket came up to our table, and Sadie's eyes widened. "Trevor?"
Trevor Ames? He'd changed. He hadn't just put on that filling-out weight that everyone else had, he'd put on muscle, and moved with a practiced efficiency. He was a fighter. Back in school he'd been one of our crowd, Sadie and Jesse and me and the rest of us who weren't cool enough to be in the cool crowd but weren't goth or jocks or nerds enough to be in any other clique so we just made our own. He'd joined the army right after graduation, and was another one I'd completely lost track of when I lost track of everybody.
"He's got a gun under that jacket," Ben whispered in my ear.
I looked sharply at him. "Silver bullets?"
"Can't tell."
He smiled wryly as Sadie insisted on hugging him. They separated, then he looked right at me, a challenging stare, and his smile thinned.
"Kitty. You really are a werewolf."
"You saw the YouTube video, just like everyone else," I said drily.
He looked me up and down. "I could just tell." He looked Ben up and down the same way, meaning he'd spotted both of us. We usually didn't tell people about Ben being a werewolf too.
You could spot a werewolf just by looking, if you knew what to look for. This meant Trevor knew what to look for. And how, exactly?
"That a problem?" I asked.
"No," he said. "No, it isn't."
I wondered . . . what would make it a problem?
"This is making me so happy," Sadie said, beaming. "All of us together again—"
"Do you know if Jesse's coming?" Trevor asked me.
"I don't," I said. "I kind of lost touch with everybody."
"I figured if anyone knew . . ." He trailed off and shrugged.
Ben said brightly, "I really want to meet Jesse. I hope he shows up."
"He's not going to show up," I said.
The guy who'd been class president went to a podium at the front of the room and tapped on the microphone, which was indeed on and screeched in disapproval. I winced—what had that poor mic ever done to him? He gave a speech about how happy he was, how great it was to see everyone, and how happy he was again, and so on. Then he announced that there were prizes. Prizes? Shouldn't we all get a prize just for being here?
Former class president went down the list. Who had traveled the farthest to be here? Someone had come from Amsterdam, and why would anyone leave Amsterdam to come back to freaking Aurora, Colorado? Who had the most kids—four. Well, someone had been busy. The prizes were gift certificates to local restaurants for the most part, which was kind of ironic for the guy who'd come from Amsterdam. A few more categories followed, and I started to tune them out.
"And who has the most interesting job?" the guy asked. "The winner is . . . Kitty Norville!"
Win a copy of Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S MIX-TAPE, the final Kitty Norville book
Rick Klaw blog	Carrie Vaughn, giveaway, goodreads, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape	0
With the help of the fine folks at GOODREADS, we're giving away Carrie Vaughn's wise, kind, and always entertaining KITTY'S MIX-TAPE.
"Comfort food for the urban fantasy soul. Carrie Vaughn never disappoints. It was so nice to see my friends again! If you've loved Kitty's adventures, you have been waiting for this book!"
—Seanan McGuire, author of Come Tumbling Down and Every Heart a Doorway
The final installment of the bestselling Kitty Norville series showcases the paranormal escapades of Carrie Vaughn's fan-favorite werewolf talk-show host. This engaging short fiction collection—with its own soundtrack for each tale—is sure to delight both existing Kitty fans and anyone who enjoys urban fantasy at its grittiest and best.
"Like the rest of the Kitty Norville series, these stories are wise, kind, and always entertaining. I loved returning to Kitty's world and enjoying these new adventures."
—Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles
Kitty Norville still can't stay away from trouble—of the supernatural kind.
Everyone's favorite werewolf DJ is here to mix it up just one last time. Here you will find, or even newly discover, the irrepressible Kitty Norville with friends and enemies alike: Rick the vampire; Jessi Hardin, paranormal detective; Kitty's husband Ben; Cormac, the bounty hunter; and the villainous Dux Bellorum. These irresistible tales are full of unpredictable twists and turns: lupines experimenting with astronomy, a cheating boxer with preternatural strength, vampires arriving from the Philippines.
As a special treat, author Carrie Vaughn (Bannerless) has provided her own selections for a mix-tape: story notes and songs dedicated to each tale.
So whatever you do, don't miss Kitty before she is gone. . . .
"It's one of the best collections I've read this year—and maybe for a good chunk of last year, too."
—The Irresponsible Reader
Introduction by Emma Bull
Kitty Walks on By, Calls Your Name
It's Still the Same Old Story
The Island of Beasts
Unternehmen Werwolf
Kitty and the Full Super Bloodmoon Thing
What Happened to Ben in Vegas
Kitty and the Super Blue Blood or Whatever Moon Thing
Defining Shadows
Bellum Romanum
Story Notes
Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S MIX-TAPE will remind fans of the fun they have with Kitty Norville, while those new to Kitty, will find this a decent way to make their acquaintance
Rick Klaw blog	ashley sapp, Carrie Vaughn, essay, joe sherry, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, nerds of feather flock together, sam lubell, sfrevu, tachyon publications channel, the rustic reading gal, the world remains mysterious, unboxing, youtube	0
At SFREVU, Sam Lubell enjoys Carrie Vaughn's final Kitty Norville book KITTY'S MIX-TAPE.
This collection has seventeen stories with author notes and a music playlist for each. Fellow urban fantasy writer Emma Bull contributes a nice introduction. Four stories are original to this collection and two previously appeared on Vaughn's website. The others originally appeared in magazines and anthologies. Six stories feature Kitty.
Fans of Kitty will welcome her reappearance here especially since the author had said the series was finished. Readers new to Kitty and her adventures will find this book a decent way to start their acquaintance, although they will miss some aspects of the stories if they do not know who these characters are and what their connection is to Kitty. Still, some of the stories are about the early history of the characters, before they meet Kitty, and Vaughn successfully provides information about the major characters in Kitty's life.
Reading this book caused me to remember how much fun is in the Kitty books and I've started re-reading them, which considering the size of my to-be-read pile is a strong endorsement for this book.
Joe Sherry for NERDS OF A FEATHER, FLOCK TOGETHER is excited about the book.
One of my greatest discoveries was winning an online contest that I don't remember entering and receiving copies of Kitty and the Midnight Hour and Kitty Goes to Washington in the mail. After giving them the side eye for no good reason, I started to read and Kitty Norville quickly became one of my favorite characters and I could not get enough of the series – and then it ended and Carrie Vaughn moved on. But wait! Here's a story collection and even though I've likely read at least half of the stories in it, there are two brand new Kitty stories! I'm here for this!
As is Ashley Sapp, THE RUSTIC READING GAL.
This week I'm featuring KITTY'S MIX-TAPE by Carrie Vaughn releasing October 16. I love this series and am so happy to be getting some more stories set in this world!
On the Tachyon Publications Channel, Zeppo (with a little help from Jacob) unboxes the book.
Vaughn contributes a guest post for Cat Rambo's THE WORLD REMAINS MYSTERIOUS.
So, "voice" is the thing that makes us want to read the story. To spend time with the characters and their story. How, then, does one learn to write in a "voice" that makes readers want more?
Nobody's quite figured that out, near as I can tell. But I can share how I finally started getting a handle on the concept: I wrote fourteen novels about the same character.
Kitty is a werewolf who hosts a talk radio advice show for supernatural creatures. She first appeared in a short story in Weird Tales in 2001. The final novel in her series, Kitty Saves the World, was published in 2015, and this year a collection, Kitty's Mix-Tape, pulls together short stories set in the world, plus a few brand-new stories. So I've been writing this character for more than twenty years. "Voice" was key to getting her right.
Kitty's identity as a radio DJ was instrumental in her development. In a very early (abandoned) draft, Kitty was passive. Other characters argued while she stood there observing and thinking snarky thoughts. This wasn't going to work—as clever as her snark seemed at the time, she wasn't an active participant in what was happening, which is sort of a requirement for the protagonist, yes? (There's another lesson and blog post there, I think—you'd be surprised how often I tell people in critiques: your protagonist needs to do something.
Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S MIX-TAPE is one of the best collections of the year
Rick Klaw blog	booklist, Carrie Vaughn, Diana Tixier Herald, elaine howlin, h. c. newton, interview, kitty norville, kitty's mix tape, podcast, review, the irresponsible reader, words i write crazy, writers drinking coffee	0
Excitement builds for Carrie Vaughn's forthcoming KITTY'S MIX TAPE (not due until October but currently available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller or direct from Tachyon and for reviewers via EDELWEISS and NETGALLEY).
H. C. Newton of THE IRRESPONSIBLE READER praises the collection.
There wasn't a dud in the bunch, which is rare for a short story compilation—sure, I liked the ones about Kitty and her friends best, because that's what I came to the collection for. But I liked them all.
It's one of the best collections I've read this year—and maybe for a good chunk of last year, too. Give it a whirl.
For BOOKLIST, Diana Tixier Herald also enjoys the book.
For many, reading in the time of COVID-19 is a challenge, making comfort books a good fallback. This collection of paranormal stories of various lengths is a delightful read for those who have enjoyed Vaughn's novels featuring Kitty Norville, the late-night talk show DJ who was bitten by and turned into a werewolf, including Kitty Rocks the House (2013).
Ten previously published stories are joined by three original tales and the story notes and playlists add interest, though beware of ear worms.
Elaine Howlin, on their eponymous site, agrees.
This is the final instalment in the Kitty Norville series though not all of the stories follow her, some are even historical's. I thoroughly enjoyed reading other character's point of view and getting another look around the world.
WORDS I WRITE CRAZY can't wait for the release.
I've read this book, and I enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait for it to be out so everybody else can read it!
WRITERS DRINKING COFFEE interview Vaughn.
https://www.writersdrinkingcoffee.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WDC-Episode-58.mp3
We welcome a NY Times Bestselling author to the coffee house, as she takes a break from WorldCon. Come hear how Carrie found her way into writing, her thoughts on genres and trends, and how she measured her own success and KPIs as a writer of commercial fiction.


Discussion in 'Team Fortress 2 Talk' started by Kill_the_Bug, Jul 29, 2014.
Putting this hear because I'm not sure it's an actual mapping question.
Just installed Win 7 64 bit and have a monitor and a GeForce 560GTX Afterburner card.
Game LOOKS Fantastic! However, when I'm running around or moving the walls especially will shimmer in places (more near the outside) instead of the center - it looks like the 'you have 2 brushes with two different textures occupying the same place.
Any ideas on how I should try to fix it?


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Don Felder Recruits Rock VIPs On New Album
According to a new interview with RollingStone.com, legendary guitarist (and former member of the Eagles) Don Felder is set to release a new album on April 5th called American Rock 'n' Roll. Felder apparently went through his rock Rolodex and invited as many heavy hitters as he could. The album is said to feature Slash, Mick Fleetwood, Bob Weir, Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith, and Joe Satriani. Felder told Rolling Stone "I wanted to bring in as many people as possible to share the experience with me," he says. "I knew it should be bright, cheery and fun or it wouldn't be worth doing. It should be a labor of love, not a labor of work."
You can listen to the title track below


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West Coast Racers debuts
After significant delays, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, has debuted the latest addition to its coaster arsenal, West Coast Racers. It is the park's 20th roller coaster, which is more than any other theme park.
From Premier Rides, this quasi möbius layout is the world's first single track quadruple racing coaster. Unlike traditional coasters, this one-of-a-kind racing coaster features two side-by-side tracks with four individual high-speed LSM launches. The immersive journey on the unique terrain-hugging track has riders sitting two abreast while racing head to head with the other cars on the twin track. The ride experience includes two complete laps, multiple airtime hills, extreme high-banked turns and exhilarating over/under near misses.
"We are thrilled to add yet another unique, record-breaking coaster to our second-to-none collection of world-class attractions. West Coast Racers absolutely delivers, living up to Six Flags Magic Mountain's unprecedented thrill DNA," said Park President Neal Thurman. "With a broad appeal, this coaster is the center-piece of the newly themed area, The Underground, featuring new dining and retail opportunities."
West Coast Racers is located in the new LA centric urban-themed area, The Underground, where guests experience a high-energy street vibe along with new dining and retail locations, including Twin Charged Tacos, Chicken Coupe, Snack Trax, Speed Shop and Six Gear. The area also includes the park's popular wooden coaster, Apocalypse, and soon-to-open refurbished go karts, Pacific Speedway.
The three-minute ride is 4,000 feet (1,219 m) long, with a maximum height of only 67 feet (20 m). Features include a record-breaking four magnetic launches, including a side-by-side first and second race launch. There are four total inversions, including three zero G rolls and a zero G stall. Riders experience 14 track crossovers and a high-five, where riders can almost high-five guests riding the opposing train, for a total of 30 train interactions, or 15 per lap. There are side-by-side airtime hills and over banked turns, and speeds up to 55 mph (89 kph) as riders cross the finish line.
Posted in: News, Theme Parks


''I have been a customer of Monkey Barz for about 3 years. After my lastest vistit, I have come to the conclusion that, if they are going to have a band or karaoke, they need to hire a server for the floor. They want to have the person at the door to pick up table trash also, but not be able to serve drinks.
Wilmington Sports Bars & Grills. Includes daily specials, menus, discounts and reviews from locals and tourists.


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Meet the Expertsadmin2020-01-20T13:26:04-08:00
Addie Greco-Sanchez
President, AGS Rehab
Addie Greco-Sanchez is a recognized industry leader with over 25 years of experience and a contagious passion in the field of disability management and mental health. She founded AGS in 1999 and has led the company's growth; surrounding herself with like-minded professionals who share a passion for helping clients by providing solutions that maximize productivity with a focus on abilities. As President, she is responsible for overseeing corporate and strategic vision.
A visionary leader, she ranked on the 2015 PROFIT/Chatelaine's W100 Canada's Top Female Entrepreneurs. Addie is often called upon as a subject matter expert in the area of mental health and is an avid national speaker. She is co-author of the newly released book, The 5-Minute Recharge, 31 Proven Strategies to Refresh, Reset and Become the Boss of Your Day. She has authored many articles in the field of vocational rehabilitation and disability management and has qualified as an expert witness as a vocational evaluator. Addie holds a Registered Rehabilitation Professional (RRP) designation from the Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA) of Canada, as well as a Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Professional (CVRP) designation from the College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals. She is Past President of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA) of Canada. AGS Rehab has been an active participant in the recently concluded three-year Case Study Project created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. In 2017 AGS achieved Canada Awards for Excellence Gold recognition in the category of Mental Health at Work®
Amanda Nahanee (Shamantsut)
Senior Cultural Ambassador, Chinook SongCatchers
Amanda Nahanee offers cultural advising including: facilitating Aboriginal engagement; corporate Aboriginal training for tourism, education, relationship building and cross- cultural relationships; and acting as a liaison for Aboriginal business. Our services include: major event planning, coordination, marketing and social media marketing, presentations workshop, and event facilitation.
Amanda Nahanee works as a history educator, and engages in curriculum development, research, analysis, and reporting. As a Performing artist she is an actor, model, First Nations storyteller, First Nations singer, and dancer.
Prominent member of the Squamish Nation culturally, interpersonally and publicly • Extensive knowledge of Squamish lands history, and resources • Strong written and oral proficiency of Squamish language, mythology, geology, history, music, and ceremonies • First Nations Ambassador since 1992, locally/ nationally/ international, representing the connections between ideas and potential outcomes.
Angela Marshall Hofmann
President, World Strategies, LLC
Angela Marshall Hofmann is President of World Strategies, LLC, a certified, woman-owned government affairs and policy consulting firm that provides strategic, innovative solutions to accelerate global investment, manage risk, enhance reputation and drive significant cost savings by responsibly the leveraging chain.
For over 20 years, Angela has served as a trusted advisor to members of the U.S. Congress and Executive Branch as well as to CEOs and senior executives in complex, multi-national organizations for over two decades.
Previously, Angela was Vice President, International Corporate Affairs, at Walmart Stores, Inc. where she led the company's external engagement in 40+ retail, ecommerce and sourcing countries around the world. She also launched innovative public-private chain capacity building projects focused on transparency, building safety, agricultural development and women's economic empowerment in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Angela joined the company in 2002 as Director of International Corporate Affairs in the company's Federal Government Relations office in Washington, D.C. In 2005, she moved to company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas where she led corporate affairs engagement in the Americas as well as gained operational experience in the supply chain when she was promoted to Vice President, GNFR (indirect spend) and Sourcing Services in Walmart Global Sourcing.
Prior to Walmart, she served as International Trade Counsel on U.S. Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Max Baucus. Angela joined the Senator's staff in 1989 as a congressional liaison in the State of Montana and in 1997, after receiving her Juris Doctorate from the University of Montana, was his legislative counsel for agriculture and trade in Washington, D.C.
Angela is a staunch advocate for women's empowerment and continues to be active in the Organization of Women in International Trade ("OWIT") a voluntary, non-profit association of professionals interested in international trade. She joined the organization in 1997 and in 2005 served as President of the Washington, D.C. chapter. From 2010-2013 she served as President of the organization which included 25 chapters and 2000+ members around the globe.
Bill Erichson
Owner, William Erichson Business Solutions
William Erichson Business Solutions Ltd. helps small business owners all over British Columbia, across Canada and into the United States. From our 1992 beginnings as a training organization, the company quickly evolved into a complete resource for small business. We provide three primary services to our clientele: Business Training & Keynote Speaking, Business & Financial Planning, and On-going advisory services.
Bill Erichson is a noted business trainer, consultant and business planner. He has over thirty years of experience helping small and medium sized business owners grow and develop their businesses. Bill's approach blends the development of the Marketing, Operational, Financial, and Human Resource aspects of the business. Unlike the 'specialist' approach of many business advisors, Bill determines the next strategic direction required for the development of the business and plans around the Key Business Sector as developed through a detailed business diagnosis.
Bill is an author and instructor, having developed materials in business planning, finance, human resources, and marketing. Bill graduated from Simon Fraser University in Commerce and Mathematics, and has worked in retail, banking, and service industries.
Brandy Ferrer
President & CEO, Pathfinder Strategies
Brandy Ferrer has developed corporate training departments, organizational development initiatives, strategic planning, and national training programs. Her experience spans the public and private sectors; small local business and large national corporations in a variety of industries. Brandy has over a decade of experience in professional development including leadership and management coaching, team building, talent development and culture strengthening.
Brandy has a certificate in Adult Learning and a certificate from the Association of Talent Development for Managing the Learning Function. Brandy is certified as an Emotional Intelligence practitioner with Multi-Health Systems. She is also a certified practitioner and analyst for Behaviors and Motivators through Target Training International. Brandy is the only certified practitioner and coach of the BioCode System™ in the western United States.
Carla Rieger
CEO, Artistry of Change Training & Consulting Inc.
Carla Rieger helps people influence with power, integrity and purpose. Change leadership, selling ideas without having to sell, team building and Servant Leadership, storytelling. Carla is the CoFounder of MindStory Coaching Academy, an author of 6 books and 15 online learning programs, an internationally known motivational speaker, trainer, consultant, facilitator and executive performance coach for over 20 years. Her specialty is breaking leaders free of inner limitations so they can fulfill their leadership calling.
At the Artistry of Change Inc. we activate the change artists of the world such as experts, consultants, business owners and leaders to be their best so that they open people's minds to new possibilities. MindStory Academy is a membership program for experts who work in the area of mindset, wellness, performance enhancement, mindfulness, leadership and personal growth.
Carol Schulte
Founder, Living Big
As founder of The BRĀV Institute, Carol has been educating, empowering, and entertaining audiences globally for almost a decade. She is committed to getting you out of your comfort zone and into your B.R.A.V.E. Zone ~ where you show up more powerfully, and get into action long before you feel ready.
She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance, an MA in Communication, two postgraduate certificates in coaching and mentoring, and has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies, International Associations, and thousands of individuals to get their brave on. Whether it be asking for a raise or promotion, nailing a presentation, or climbing Africa's highest peak, her clients attribute her insights and inspiration to achieving what they never thought possible.
Carol is a published author, been featured in numerous magazines and podcasts, and is a returning guest expert on Rogers TV. Having lived and worked in 16 countries including Ashrams in India and vans in New Zealand, rocked dreadlocks in Thailand and shaved her head for breast cancer, she walks her talk and brings a global perspective to all she does. When she's not traveling or speaking, you can find her volunteering, training for her next triathlon, or practicing her serious carpool karaoke game.
Chala Dincoy
CEO and Founder of Coachtactics
Chala Dincoy is the CEO and Founder of The Repositioning Expert (division of Coachtactics). She's a Marketing Strategist who helps service providers to the F&B industry reposition their marketing message to successfully intercept more ideal F&B clients.
In her former life, Chala was an award winning marketer at companies such as Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Frito Lay, Diageo, Playtex and BIC Inc for 20 years. Now she's a successful entrepreneur, the author of Gentle Marketing: A Gentle Way to Attract Loads of Clients, a speaker featured on major television networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, as well as a writer in the National Post, and the Ottawa Citizen.
Frida Owinga
Founder, PassionProfit
Frida Owinga is the Founder of PassionProfit in Nairobi, Kenya, Frida is a leader in building thriving businesses to reduce poverty and create employment and economic growth. Through practical mentoring and coaching sessions, PassionProfit provides small and growing business the skills and tools to create, manage and grow successful world class organizations so that they can create jobs and reduce poverty. Featured in a candid book about women doing business in Kenya, Frida offers insight in differences between the USA and Africa.
Lorna McLaren
Founder, McLaren Formula Training
Lorna McLaren is an award winning Corporate Trainer and Bestselling Author. She specializes in communicating with diplomacy, impact and confidence – especially during conflict and stress. Lorna has 16 years helping individuals and organizations from non-profits to Fortune 500 corporations throughout 7 countries. She is the Author of #1 Bestseller "Before it Hits the Fan" Communication strategies to get control before it gets out of control, and the Producer of the 5-minute Podcast series "Quick Communication Tips: helping busy professionals master the moment. Lorna has also been quoted in various magazines such as, The Lawyer's Weekly Communicating with PowerPoint, The Glass Hammer Women in Business, First for Women & Hitched Building Better Relationships, and Cosmopolitan 'Why Some Men Prefer to Date a Bitch'.
Mafalda Arias
Founder & CEO, Mafalda Arias and Associates
Mafalda Arias is the founder and owner of Mafalda Arias and Associates. She was born, raised and educated in Peru; has worked for over 15 years in the mining and mineral exploration industries in Canada and Peru; and, has travelled extensively in the Americas and Europe. This diversity of experiences and contact with different people has fuelled a passion for the meaning of culture. Ms Arias has a Master's Degree in Intercultural Relations from the University of the Pacific, has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Universidad de Lima and a post graduate certificate in International Commerce from ESAN. She is fluent in Spanish, English and French.
Mafalda Arias and Associates work and collaborate with selected associates and professionals throughout the world in order to provide optimal global and diverse professional expertise.
Marty Britton
President & CEO, Britton Management Profile Inc.
Marty Britton is the President & CEO of Britton Management Profile Inc, the first ever reference checking company in Canada. Incorporated in 1974, Britton Management Profiles is celebrating 45 years in business this year. Marty truly is an ambassador to the industry. She took over the company from her father, the late David Britton 25 years ago, the only service the company offered at that time was reference checking, with their specialty being executive reference checking.
Marty has since added a wide range of pre-employment screening services to their list of products from criminal and credit checks, global sanctions, fingerprinting, education & employment verifications, and exit interviews. In addition to this, they are excited to now offer social media checks by using the power of artificial intelligence to complement and enhance the ability to spot employment risk in advance of a hire. Britton Management Profiles is a member of the Professional Background Screeners Association and Marty is currently the Chair for the Canadian Council. The company is also a diverse supplier and is certified members of WBE Canada and WEConnect International. She is also a proud member of Women's President Organization, a peer-to-peer advisory committee board in which Marty is actively involved in. Finally she is a recipient of the 2014 Enterprising Women of the Year award.
Michèle Soregaroli
Co-Founder, Master Certified Coach, Transformation Catalyst
Over 30 years of entrepreneurship, including door to door sales, professional cold calling, real estate (ownership, investment and residential sales), and financial advisory services with Canada's high-net-worth families. Extensive experience coaching primarily SME founders and entrepreneurs, C-suite Executives, and senior level managers in organizations of all sizes. Over the past 20 years, professional expertise focused on Differentiation Strategy, Value Propositions, Competitive Positioning, and Creating Market Advantage.
Dr. Maymunah Kadiri
CEO & Founder, Pinnacle Medical Services
Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri popularly referred to as "THE CELEBRITY SHRINK," is a multiple award winning Mental Health Physician & Advocate with over 15years experience. She is the Medical Director and Psychiatrist – In – Chief at Pinnacle Medical Services, Nigeria's leading and foremost Psychology and Mental health hospital prominent in the application of innovative clinical approaches in the management/treatment of a wide range of psychological, emotional, and behavioral related disorders.
"She is the only Nigerian with the 10Ps…..Physician, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Practitioner (NLP, BFB, NFB), Public Speaker, Publisher, Producer(movies), People oriented and Passionate about God and life."
The founder of Pinnacle Health Radio, African's #1 online health radio and a non for profit organization, "Pinnacle Medicals SPEAKOUT Initiative" which is geared towards creating Mental Health literacy in Nigeria and beyond.
The Executive producer of award winning movies, Pepper soup (focused on drug abuse) and Little Drops of Happy (focused on depression, postpartum depression and suicide) and creator of the most innovative mental health app in Africa, HOW BODI.
As a forerunner in the practice of Mental health and other novel therapy techniques in Nigeria, she continues to be the most sought after Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist in Nigeria and beyond.
A Goldman Sachs scholar, Vital Voices Fellow, an Ashoka change maker, a global thought leader and has been recognized locally and globally for her movement in the field of health and wellness, especially mental health.
She is a global affiliate of Work Place Options (United States and United Kingdom) and provides Critical Incidence Stress Management (CISM) and other forms of employee assistance programs to corporate organizations worldwide.
A graduate of Entrepreneurial Management with the Enterprise Development Center of Pan Atlantic University and China European International Business School. A trained and certified Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist from Albert Ellis Institute, New York, and Beck's Institute for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Philadelphia, USA.
Her driving force is to live, to learn and to impact generations positively. When not working as a Physician, she loves to tour the world, work on disruptive innovations and talk fashion.
She is a member of several professional and social organizations locally and internationally.
A life coach, an inventor and married with 3 lovely children.
Sajedeh Zaki
Sajedeh Zaki came to Canada as an unaccompanied minor at the age of 12 from Afghanistan. she will be graduating from high school this year and would be studying political science. Based on her life experiences in Afghanistan and here in Canada, she is a passionate advocate for marginalized immigrants and refugee youths. She is part of the Vancouver Foundation Fresh Voices Initiative Youth Advisory Team, and the winner of 2015 National Fresh Voices Artivism Award. She enjoys expressing herself through Art, poetry and dance. She has spoken at events for Former Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Margaret Trudeau, U.S ambassador Bruce Heymen, and many more. She would like to create change or spark a mind that does! The big dream is to one day, work in the United Nation for Women and Children's rights in war torn and third World countries.
Sharon Gilmour-Glover
Co-Founder, Light-Core & Burlington Chair, GroYourBiz
Sharon is Co-Founder of Light-Core, a company specializing in leadership, strategy and transformational change. She has unique skills as a business strategist leveraging research in human behaviour and organizational dynamics to help clients expand their capacity for success. With a Bachelor of Education and graduate work in both entrepreneurship and adult education, Sharon developed the content in the Mechanics of FLOW2 program. Sharon simplifies complex and seemingly impossible business problems with practical, easy-to-use tools that provide results.
Sharon is passionate about the work, and as an experienced consultant, speaker and adult educator has spoken about change, transformation and how to generate results. She is the Chair of the GroYourBiz peer advisory board in Burlington, Ontario. Before co-founding Light-Core, Sharon taught environmental education and leadership and was a working singer/songwriter.
Trish Tonaj
Founder, Owner of Phaze2inc. and shareyourstories.online
Trish Tonaj believes in the power of storytelling…
As a speaker on Mentorship, Trish knows that sharing stories creates an environment of business innovation and collaboration that supports effective leadership. As an published author, she has two books: Breaking Barriers 10 Entrepreneurial Women Share Their Stories and A Diary of Change 12 Personal Tools. Trish is the blog host for the Share Your Stories series and invites you to share your story!
With a love for writing, she has co-authored an e-magazine, W2 – Wealth and Wellbeing and is a regular contributor to theThrive Global network and canfitpro magazine.
Celebrate your passion, live with purpose and support your core values
by navigating the business of your business.
Mentorship…sharing stories to inspire great ideas.
Vania Sakelaris
Principal, VAS & Associates Inc. & Markham, Toronto Chair, GroYourBiz Ltd.
Vania Sakelaris is a seasoned executive with over 25+ years of experience in healthcare administration, governance and government relations. She is the founder of VAS & Associates (VAS) a management consulting firm which provides customized advisory, coaching and training services to corporate executives, their boards and their teams. As a solution catalyst, the firm supports systems, organizations and people in managing growth and impactful change using a values-based approach and building on decades of experience developing and implementing regional strategies.
Vania's lifelong passion for capacity building has been reflected throughout her career and inspired her coaching work and the launch of her business. Vania shares her extensive experience as a public speaker, as an adjunct university lecturer and as a case writer with a focus on strategy, leadership, operations and entrepreneurship.
Vania chairs two GYB Chapters (Toronto and Markham/ Richmond Hill). She also provides business coaching for University of Toronto student entrepreneurs.
Vania holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School and is a graduate of Rotman's Executive Leadership Program, and Not-For-Profit Governance Program. She studied at the Coaches Training Institute and is Certified through Ivey Academy's LIFT Advanced Coaching Program.
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Amazing event as always!!!
Imprint Plus
What captivated me the most was stories, stories of the speakers, the delegates, the businesses, the products….The journeys that have brought them to this point. The challenges, the trials, struggles, successes, along their way, made up who they are as much as their perseverance, their belief in themselves, their "just do it" –ism.
Self Care-Free
Christina Stewart Praxis Performance Group
I am feeling inspired, educated and frankly blown away by the many amazing women and men that we encountered over the three days. What a fantastic and first-class event! It so exceeded any expectations that I had and I have been passing the word around at BMO that we should be very proud to be the presenting sponsor at this event.
The speakers, panelists, food, and gala were all superb. I have learned so much and have so many ideas that I can implement today to help grow my business.
I thought it might be impossible to top EXCELerate 2015 – but BAM! you did it again!
Encore Catalyst
There is no question that this was once again one of the most captivating conferences that I have attended—with not only one good idea—but many. It is wonderful how the panels all have different points of view that foster challenging perhaps our previous opinions or at the very least give us more information to have an informed opinion. Our team thought it was time well spent indeed!
McCurdy Financial
Women Power!!!
Andrea OberdieckSauder School of Business
This expert group of panelists gave a wealth of advice to the audience—the clear and incisive responses made my job as moderator so much easier! Kudos to Barbara for arranging this, and to the panel for an excellent session!
Connections!!
Barbara WilliamsonTritex Fabrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMRW6Qevpr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDHwzvz1P3Y
May 27 – 29, 2020 Vancouver, BC, Canada
GroYourBiz with the Speed of Collaboration
Copyright © 2019 Excelerate


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Theo's Blog: (Reluctantly) in bed with Jeremy Corbyn…
(Reluctantly) In bed with Jeremy Corbyn… The last thing I want to be thinking about in bed is Jeremy Corbyn! But, I just couldn't help myself after his pay capping comments, and I felt a Paphitis blog coming on. Not only kept awake by Mrs P's snoring, but the Labour leader's primary school boy socialist economics comments on wage capping interrupted my slumber last night and certainly provided me with food for thought for a new blog. It's been a while, but I couldn't let this one pass without throwing my two-pence worth in, so the blog is back!
Corbyn's comments on capping a maximum wage as the "fairest thing to do" have been hailed as "absurd" and "totally idiotic" by two of his former economic advisors, Danny Blanchflower and Richard Murphy, and I can see their point! Even the shadow work and pensions secretary, Debbie Abrahams, wouldn't be drawn on whether she thought it was a good idea or not, and she's supposed to be on his side.
I fully applaud the political initiative to address inequality in the country, which previously the two posh boys (Cameron and Osborne) totally ignored to their cost, but Corbyn's ideas have made me question whether he is very bright, in terms of breadth of PR coverage, or very stupid in terms of the effect this would have on the economy. In fact, the more I think about this one, the more confused I am by what his purpose is. As a shadow leader he needs to show that he is for the good of the country and the economy, and although the equality issue certainly needs to be addressed, this isn't a good starting point.
To cap pay would destroy our economy, taking away the aspirations of the up-and-coming British workers on what's possible. No one has a dream to reach a capped salary; or, what would be the point of dreaming. Come on! This is a ridiculous idea and one that will never come to fruition. That lack of reward for workers would lose us that beautiful British aspirational streak and worst of all, our talent. What about those who grow up on a poor council estate, like me, who go self-employed and graft and graft, only to be told 'Actually, stop! You've hit your limit and you don't need to try any more'. Where's the plan to stoke that fire in the belly? Where's the determination, the grit, the work ethic? I'm not seeing it from Corbyn currently…not so much a plan for 'Money, Money, Money', more 'dummy, dummy, dummy'. Has Corbyn actually considered the novelty of bringing people's income and standard of living up…instead of taking others income and standard of living down with envy? There have been many failed socialist experiments around his concepts, and his advisors need to point them out to him.....fast.
The loss of tax on income alone would be a dark and unnecessary hit on the economy as we know it, and we can certainly do without that currently. Also, to top that, the lack of growth due to the fleeing talent would also be a tax void for the UK. This will invariably erode the economy.
If this was ever on the table as a policy proposal, which frankly I'd eat my own hat if it was, it is the equivalent in the footballing world of the UK being classed as a non-league side, as opposed to the Premier League, and all our top players would move abroad to Premier League countries. Does that sound like a team you'd like to play for? No, I thought not.
Surely we want to create more successful people, not fewer. Wealth is something that can boost the economy via taxes, spending on services, goods, and through creating new businesses that employ more people.
So, is Corbyn clever or stupid? Only time will tell, but I hope he doesn't come out with many more suggestions like this, as whilst Mrs P's snoring is definitely a passion killer, thinking about Jeremy Corbyn takes it to a completely new level! The less I think about Corbyn at night in my own bed, the better!
Blog, NewsIzzy Grainger January 12, 2017 Comment
Theo opens Solent University's 'The Spark'
Featured, NewsIzzy Grainger February 6, 2017
Theo Paphitis Retail Group Christmas & Year End Financial Statement
NewsIzzy Grainger January 6, 2017
ABOUT THEO
Theo was born in Cyprus in 1959. His business empire spans retail, property, finance and consumer goods. Having left school at the age of 16 with no qualifications due to his dyslexia, he began work as a filing clerk in a Lloyds of London brokerage.
THEO'S WEBSITES
Theo Paphitis Retail Group
London Graphic Centre
#SBS Small Business Sunday
teamtheo@ryman.co.uk
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Lately I've found myself jotting down and formatting notes in Grasshopper then exporting to a text file. (If this is strange to you, I understand completely.) So I've written a quick script making that workflow a bit easier. I know there are other codes out there, but I thought it might be interesting to share nonetheless.
Inspired by Andrew Heumann's post (and its comments).
This Python script allows for dynamically changing the Grasshopper document's wire display types.
Hope this helps tidy up your definitions!