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Pancake Run for Missions celebrates 25 years
For the Quinn family, the annual Pancake run involves khaki shorts, a kitten and a full athletic scholarship.
Pancake Run for Missions celebrates 25 years For the Quinn family, the annual Pancake run involves khaki shorts, a kitten and a full athletic scholarship. Check out this story on montgomeryadvertiser.com: http://on.mgmadv.com/27hiPRR
Kym Klass, Montgomery Advertiser Published 1:18 p.m. CT May 12, 2016 | Updated 12:03 a.m. CT May 13, 2016
Kaylee Quinn cross the finish line at the 2013 Pancake Run for Missions.(Photo: contributed)
Kaylee Quinn would not stop asking her father if she could run the Pancake Run for Missions 5K at First United Methodist Church.
She was 7 years old at the 2005 race and had run a mile a few times at school. But on that day, she wanted to join older friends in running the 3.1-mile distance at the annual race that on Saturday celebrates 25 years.
Her father, Patrick Quinn — who was an associate pastor of the church at the time — was at the race to give the opening prayer.
Wearing khaki shorts and a polo shirt, Quinn thought he wouldn't be able to run the 5K. But then, someone put out a box of free kittens at the race, and he had a thought: " ... what if I told her if she ran every step of the 5K, she could have a kitten. I figured she'd run the first mile on adrenaline, the second mile for the cat, and we'd walk the third mile."
Problem was, Kaylee Quinn, who just finished her first year on a full athletic scholarship at the University of North Alabama, ran every step.
And they named the kitten Pancake.
"From that point on, she was hooked on running," Patrick Quinn said. "I had no idea that kitten would pay for her college."
Money raised through the annual race helps fund both domestic and international mission trips. Those taking the trips pay three-fourths of their costs, and the church tries to pay the rest. Already this year, church members who work in the medical field took a medical trip to Quito, Ecuador. Later this year, the middle school youth group will travel to Sunflower, Mississippi, to work in home repair ministry through Delta Grace, a year-round mission hub in one of the most poverty-stricken areas in Mississippi. The senior high youth ministry will travel to Huff Creek, West Virginia, to work with Appalachian Service Project.
Patrick Quinn and daughter Kaylee Quinn (Photo: contributed)
And an adult team will return to Quito this year to work on construction projects.
For the past 25 years, between $3,000 and $8,000 has been raised at each Pancake race. And almost 10,000 pancakes have been flipped.
"It has become the signature event for us," said Claire Smith, the race director. "I think everybody comes for the pancakes. It's a way for our volunteers to support the church, and for us to support the domestic and international agencies that we support."
All participants are invited to a complimentary pancake breakfast following the race in the FUMC Fellowship Hall, which is sponsored by the United Methodist Men.
Since 2005, the race has become a tradition for the Quinn family.
Kaylee Quinn, a former Montgomery Academy student and runner who has been part of several cross country and track state championship teams, will run the race on Saturday with her 10-year-old brother, Patrick. He ran his first 5K about a year ago.
"I had never really run before," she said of the 2005 race. "Honestly, I remember they were giving away kittens. So he made the deal with me that if I ran the whole race I could get a cat ... without consulting my mom. I remember I did it.
"And I remember very clearly walking into his office at the church and him telling her what he had done."
The cat ran away two or three years after the Quinn family brought him home.
But ever since that day, Kaylee Quinn hasn't stopped running.
"The pancake run is where it all started," she said. "And now I'm in college, and I guess it has that spot in my heart."
The Pancake Run for Missions 5K at First United Methodist Church is Saturday at 8 a.m. The one-mile race is at 9 a.m. and the "Tot Trot" at 9:15 a.m. Same-day registration opens at 6:30 a.m. on the front lawn of the church, located at 2416 West Cloverdale Park. For more information, visit online at www.fumcmontgomery.org.
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Oil & Gas / North Sea
Scotland's oil revenues jump by £1billion
By Allister Thomas
23/08/2018, 6:00 am Updated: 21/08/2019, 10:22 am
The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon delivers her keynote address
Scotland's share of North Sea tax revenues jumped to £1.4billion in the last year, according to latest tax and spending figures.
The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report has been published for 2017-18.
It shows revenues from the oil and gas sector were up by more than £1bn from just £266million in 2016-17.
The report said it reflects an increase in total UK revenue from the sector.
Despite this, Scotland is still in deficit of £13.4bn which is 7.9% of GDP, and four times of that of the UK as a whole as a result of higher public spending per head.
Onshore revenues also increased by 3.6% – or £2bn – to £56.6bn.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled the report this morning.
She said: "Today's figures show that offshore revenue has increased by £1 billion.
"This comes on the back of recent analysis by the Oil and Gas Authority that production this year is expected to be 18% higher than in 2014.
"Separately, the latest Fraser of Allander Oil and Gas survey also shows that net confidence of oil and gas contractors is at the highest level since spring 2013.
"With the limited economic powers currently at our disposal, the actions we are taking to promote sustainable economic development are helping to ensure that the key economic indicators are moving in the right direction."
Industry body Oil and Gas UK said it reflects a "striking transformation" of the oil and gas industry since the downturn.
Upstream policy director Mike Tholen said: "This evidences the striking transformation of the UK's oil and gas industry since the downturn.
"Improvements to operational efficiency, careful management of costs and a stable fiscal regime have ensured it is better placed to weather volatility in international oil markets. This golden formula must now be maintained as we look to maximise economic recovery."
Energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said it reflected "better market conditions" for the sector.
This is good news, & reflects better market conditions for the sector, but delighted also that by 2017/18 revenues from onshore economy also grew by £2 Billion (up 3.6% on 2015/16), reflecting investment in incl growth, innovation, infrastructure & export growth by SG & agencies. https://t.co/5HEn3qmKHO
— Paul Wheelhouse MSP??????? (@PaulWheelhouse) August 22, 2018
GERS were a key battleground in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum, shortly before the oil price crash.
The Scottish Government's White Paper for independence described them as an "authoritative publication" on Scotland's finances.
Scotland's financial position has been impacted by the oil price drop, with its share of revenues being at a nearly £8billion in 2012-13, and dropping to just £50million in 2015-16.
The Westminster Government argued today's figures show Scotland is stronger as part of the United Kingdom, with Scotland receiving a higher share of UK spending than it contributes.
Graeme Roy, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at Strathclyde University, said today's figures set a "starting point" for discussion on changes to fiscal arrangements.
"Whilst revenues from Scotland's share of the North Sea have increased, they remain much lower than in previous years. The Office for Budget Responsibility predict that North Sea revenues for the UK as a whole will remain around £1 billion for the foreseeable future.
"GERS takes the current constitutional settlement as given.
"If the very purpose of independence is to take different choices about the type of economy and society that we live in, then a set of accounts based upon the world today will tell us little about the long-term finances of an independent Scotland. But GERS does provide a pretty accurate picture of where Scotland is in 2018.
"So in doing so, today's numbers set the starting point for a discussion about the immediate choices and challenges that need to be addressed by those advocating new fiscal arrangements."
Conservative MP for Gordon in Aberdeenshire, Colin Clark added: "These figures reflect the improving picture in the North Sea oil and gas industry after the most severe downturn in its history.
"Growth in the sector remains fragile, however. There is an urgent need for new investment in the UK Continental Shelf and the supply chain is still struggling.
"Thanks to this Conservative government, we have stability and certainty in the fiscal regime. New legislation on transferable tax history will help unlock £40bn in investment.
"However, the increase in offshore tax revenues cannot and should not be used to justify calls for a second referendum on independence.
"These GERS statistics once again make clear the benefit of remaining part of the UK, with an extra £1,576 in public spending per person in Scotland.
"Nicola Sturgeon must remove the threat of another vote immediately and focus on the things that matter to the people of Scotland."
North Sea windfall tax raises 25% less than expected in December
Matheson: Industry should rise to 'challenge' of climate checkpoints
NEO Energy names Nexen veteran as new CEO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fifteen bilge frames with one ¼" x 6" brass carriage bolt securing the keel to each frame, plus four buried ¼" x4" brass carriage bolts securing the overlap joint between the gripe to the stem!
Every one we removed is original. Nary a stainless bolt was to be found.
And you know just how easily those bolts "jumped" out of those ancient holes! Well, somehow the two I selected for this video did jump right out. There is nothing like a heavy ballpeen hammer and a drift to persuade the others to leave positions they have held since 1946.
Unlike the degraded stainless fasteners, which are from the early 1980s, all of the brass bolts appeared perfect. However, when placed in a vise and tapped slightly, they simply flopped over like wet noodles. Into the recycling bins they go.
But we have the keel out where we can clean it properly and begin working replacing the hogged final 12 inches or so.
However, in the process of separating the gripe from the keel, which forced us to take a hard look at the gripe, we concluded that it cannot be saved, as is waiting for you in the clip that follows this one.


The Long Dark has been a very stable game throughout its lifespan in early access. Hinterland has often released a test branch of the game for players to try out before pushing new content through to the stable version most have through Steam. That changed, however, with the release of The Long Dark's Story mode. The new content was only tested internally and, unfortunately, released with bugs on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
PC players can copy their save file to another folder on their PC to avoid a bug wiping their game. Because death is permanent in The Long Dark, the game immediately deletes your save file if you die and you must start from scratch. While that's a cool concept for a stable game, losing hours of your time to a bug isn't something most are okay with.
Replace username with your personal PC username.
You'll see several files and folders. Ignore the folders for now. Look at the listed files and you should be able to tell which are for Survival mode and which are related to Story mode. If you're looking to back up all your save files, copy every file to different location on your PC. If you only want to secure your Survival mode save file, copy only that one. It's self-explanatory from this point.
Let's assume you get your character stuck in your Survival mode playthrough and can't move. Close the game, then copy the save file that you stored away and paste it back into The Long Dark folder we gave you the path for above. Re-launch the game and your character will be back in action.
TL;DR Games covers The Long Dark extensively. Now that your save file is backed up, read our The Long Dark review of the game and see if you agree with our assessment.


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Hire Michael
Get Coaching
392: Why Your Brand is Your Most Important Asset, with Re Perez
by Michael O'Neal | Mar 6, 2016 | Podcast | 1 comment
http://traffic.libsyn.com/solohour/392.mp3
Click to Get Each Episode Hand Delivered! Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS | How To Subscribe!
When someone says branding, what do you think of? Do you immediately think logo, like the famous Nike swoosh? Or do you think of the way you feel when you're behind the wheel of your favorite car, or the way you feel when you step inside a Ralph Lauren store?
Branding goes beyond a logo; at its core, branding is about how you feel when you interact with a company. Joining us to talk about all this and more is my fellow San Diego resident and brand consulting expert, Re Perez. Re is the creator and brand strategist behind many incredible brands, including our friend Nick Unsworth's Life on Fire brand.
More About This Show
Re Perez has a long history of branding from his early days of graphic communications at NYU to his recent business, Branding for the People. He knows the ins and outs about what makes a brand an actual brand – and not just a company with a nice-looking logo.
And in episode 89, he shares his insights and vast knowledge on how to create that perfect brand for your business.
Re believes that if you look at branding solely as your logo, you diminish the full potential of what a brand can and is meant to do. We also talk at length about the necessity of a creative brief, what it is and why it is one of the most vital tools you can have in your back pocket when you're creating your brand and your visual identity.
The finer details of this show include:
How a simple word creates an entire picture: the library effect.
The location ninja lesson and why it's important for your brand.
Why it took me 3 months to get 8 words, and why it was worth the wait.
What's the first step in building your brand?
Why business cards are dead – unless they do this one thing.
Truly, when you pinpoint your brand, people get what you're up to instantly. And one of the fastest ways to create that strong brand is with a strong creative brief. Re breaks down the components of a creative brief and how to accurately convey your message in each section. He also stresses the same message David Roth did when he was on the show and that's to answer this one question: "What feeling do you want to give people with your business?"
When you find the answer to that question, you've taken an important step in discovering the who, what and why of your brand. To help you in your branding process, there's an example of a creative brief in the resources section below.
Find it, fill it out and share in the comments section what you discovered!
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Get Yourself 30% off your entire web hosting order by using the promo code "Solo30" at http://hostgator.com
Re's site
Re on Facebook
Re on Twitter
Creative Brief example
Life on Fire (Re's branding)
Fire and Adjust
SoloLab
Would You Help Spread the Word About the Podcast?
I'd be forever grateful if you helped share the podcast. Click here for a pre-populated tweet to help spread the word to your friends on Twitter. THANK YOU!
Feedback on the Podcast
If you have any suggestions for upcoming shows or a question for an upcoming episode, leave a comment below.
If you enjoyed this podcast, I'd be extremely grateful if you would take a second and leave me a review and rating over on iTunes. Your taking a minute to do this allows me to help more people with this podcast, so I really appreciate it (once on that page, simply click on the "View in iTunes" button to leave your review — thanks very much!)
Russ	on March 16, 2016 at 5:51 pm
Great episode – thanks for bringing it back from the archives. And you've given me a great idea for a business card.
Highlighted YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u3K0GyrXP4&t=1116s
Copyright® 2019 Proudly Unemployable, LLC


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Hiding One's Jewishness (or Muslimness) in a French World
Uber Black car driver
All last week in Nice, I was with my old time friend from New Orleans who has lived in Israel now for 29 years. She, like the rest of us growing up together in the Jewish community, was (and still is) a Zionist. She naturally ended up married to an Israeli. Her three children were born in New Orleans, but they are truly Israelis with the entrepreneurial and pioneer spirit. One is a farm animal specialist living on a "mochav" (a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms), another is a proprietor of NOLA, a popular American-style café/bakery in Tel Aviv and the youngest is studying law. It's like the picture-perfect made-for-TV Israeli family that American Jews dream of for their own children.
She never thought for one second about speaking openly and not-so-quietly on the streets and in public about Israel and her life there. A couple of times I found myself cringing a bit, wondering how many anti-semitic ears were listening to what she was saying, while she was uttering words like "Hebrew," "shekels," "Yiddish," "Netanyahu" or just translating words she heard in French to Hebrew words she understood. When we rode in an Uber, which more often than not is chauffeured by a young Muslim, she thought nothing of talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I wanted to kick her as a sign to zip it up, but thought better of making an issue of it at all.
Then, I thought about why I was paranoid and what that really meant. In an article in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, about the Paris neighborhood of Belleville, "From Yiddish-speaking butchers to caviar delis," Dov Alfon writes that "Maybe they [African and Arab immigrants] vanished [from Belleville] because they became Uber drivers. The great majority of employees in that revolutionary transportation service are of Arab origin – drivers who could not pass the licensing exams or meet the minimal requirements for getting a taxi permit in France. 'If we aren't allowed to work for Uber, what will we do in this country?' my driver of the cab asked me. We both know the answer, so we both say nothing."
It's true what he says, that since the terrorist attacks, the Arabs are hiding their Arab/Muslimness. They don't want to be associated by default with the fanatics and radicalized few who are destroying the 'good life' for everyone else. This is also true about Uber being one of the few ways a young Arab man (or woman) can earn a living in France thanks to unspoken racism on the part of the French.
This was true of the Jews who found themselves discriminated against in America (and elsewhere) and anglicized their names to disguise their ethnicity. "Leeds," my ex-husband's name, was his father's invention having been born with a recognizably Jewish name sounding somewhat similar. Those who are "M.O.T." (Members of the Tribe) know that when you see a name such as Leeds, or Loveman, or Greenberg that these are Jewish names in disguise.
Many years ago, a man named Sterling Austin called me for business reasons who commented that he expected to speak to a British man, but was surprised to find an American woman on the other end of the line. "Your name is so British," he said.
"Yes, well Leeds used to be Leibstein!" I responded, to which he said, "Yes, but Austin used to be Waxman!" We discovered at that moment that we were both products of anti-semitic sentiment and had a good laugh over it.
In France I haven't found the Jews to hide so much from their religious and cultural backgrounds, although their first names are usually very French while attached to their Jewish last names. France is the third largest Jewish population in the world after the U.S. and Israel with about 500,000 in the community. The history of Jews in France dates back to Roman times. In the Middle Ages, they were expelled by the French kings to Germany, but the French Revolution allowed a come-back. They contributed extensively to French culture.
You may recognize such illustrious Jewish French citizens (from Wikipedia.org), to name just a few:
* Alfred Dreyfus (1859–1935) military officer
* Anouk Aimée (1932–) actress
* Bernard-Henri Lévy (1948–) Algerian-born philosopher
* Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) Danish West Indies-born painter (half Jewish), widely considered the father of Impressionism
* Chaim Soutine (1893–1943) Belarusian-born painter
* Charlotte Gainsbourg (1971–) actress, singer (half Jewish), Daughter of Serge Gainsbourg
* Christian Boltanski (1944–) photographer, sculptor and installation artist (half Jewish)
* Claude Cahun (1894–1954) photographer
* Dominique Strauss-Kahn (1949–) Finance minister, 1997-9, President of the International Monetary Fund 2007-11
* Jack Lang (1939–) Tunisian-born Minister of Culture (1981–1986, 1988–1993) and Minister of Education (1992–1993, 2000–2002)
* Jean-François Copé, President of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Group in the French National Assembly
* Léon Blum (1872–1950) Prime Minister 1936-7, 1938, 1946-7
* Marcel Proust (1871–1922) writer (half Jewish)
* Max Jacob (1876–1944) poet
* Nissim de Camondo (1892–1917) pilot in World War I
* Roman Polanski (1933–) Film director, screenwriter, actor (three fourth Jewish
* Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923) world-famous stage actress (half Jewish)
* Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991) singer-songwriter, actor, film director, writer. Father of Charlotte Gainsbourg
* Simone Signoret (1921–1985) German-born actress (half Jewish)
* Simone Veil (1927–) Health minister, 1974-6; legalized abortion, President of the European Parliament 1979-82
* Willy Ronis (1910–2009) photographer
Hat Sternstein and Talya Rasner
According to a recent report on CNN by Oren Liebermann (coincidentally my mother's maiden name), "Au revoir and shalom: Jews leave France in record numbers," the number of Jews leaving France has "doubled — and doubled again — in the past five years." Britain is seeing an exodus, as well, but not near the numbers.
The violence against Jews in France is only a part of the reason. Like my own cringing when my friend was openly speaking about Jewish-related topics to potentially anti-semitic ears, a large majority of Jews in France feel the same way — that they avoid identifying themselves as Jewish "at least some of the time." When I see Jews wearing their "kippot" (skullcaps), I often think how brave they are. Recently there was a Twitter campaign calling on all of France to wear Kippot!
Personally I contend that the exodus of the Jews from France is largely economic and has more to do with free enterprise than the excuse of anti-semitism. You may remember the story of Hat Sternstein? She was the American-born proprietor of "Mon Bon Chien" here in Paris, a 'gourmet pet bakery,' before the French government wouldn't renew her license and French visa. She subsequently moved to Israel. In 2011 when attending my friend's son's wedding on his mochav, I introduced her to the daughter who was at the time opening the American-style café/bakery and looking for a baker.
Hat quickly became more than the baker at "NOLA" — she became part of their family and helped the café/bakery achieve a huge success. She sadly died suddenly just over a year ago — causes still unknown. Last week in Nice with my old friend, we spoke often of Hat and how she blossomed when she left France for Israel…in her professional life. She felt free to do what she did best and realize her true potential. I suspect this is true for many others who have left France, not just the Jews…to places where they can find jobs and do business and prosper easier than in France.
We who live here in France and enjoy the lifestyle in spite of the challenges, watch the U.S. elections with intense interest and wonder what will happen if the 'wrong' candidate gets elected. Will we see an exodus of all kinds of Americans to France and other points outside the U.S. as a result — Jews, Arabs, Gays and whomever?
(Adrian with Kathy Rasner in Nice)
P.S. Don't miss "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" Parler Paris Après Midi, next Tuesday, March 8. I
have never spoken at my own event in all the years of its existence! This is your chance to learn how I got here, how I survived and prospered and how what I learned can benefit you! Details at Parler Paris Après Midi
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