We all know that direct mail still works. And that the United States Postal Service is not going out of business. But in this multi-channel digital driven society; how do we ensure that we are eliciting the response we need to justify the investment in direct mail? The answer is campaign tracking!
In Craig Simpson’s article Tracking Your Direct Mail Campaigns he discusses the questions we need to ask, the strategies we need to implement for experimentation, and the response tactics we need to implore with every direct mail piece.
Questions to Ask
Simpson suggests that the three questions to answer with your campaign tracking are:
- Was the investment worth it?
- Which mail piece had more response? This could be comparing two different mail pieces you send simultaneously or contrasting your new mail piece to a standard design that consistently has the best response return.
- Which mailing list has a higher response rate? You might further this inquiry with; does a certain mailing list (audience) respond better to a certain type of mail piece, offer or call to action?
Strategies for Experimenting
Instead of sending one mail piece to one mailing list, try sending two different mail pieces to several unique mailing lists. If you are testing a new mail piece, make sure that the targeting of your mailing list is spot on. Use lists that have produced successful returns for you in the past. If you are testing a new mailing list or marketing segment, use a mail piece you have tracked exceptional engagement rates with consistently, your standard, go-to mail piece.
Tactics to Implore
Every single mail piece needs a tangible way to be tracked. With multiple channels in this digital world, every response medium available to the recipient also needs a unique way to be tracked.
It can be simplified into two forms of tracking tactics:
Campaign Tracking Codes
Put a tracking code on the mail piece somewhere, and include it also on order cards and coupons. The code might be different for each; mail piece, order card and coupon depending on how detailed you want to track your return. How many recipients used the coupon versus the order card, etc.? Make sure call takers are trained to ask for the tracking code when recipients call in to redeem your direct mail offer. (Check out ANS’ Campaign Trakker tool, here.)


Dedicated URLs/Landing Pages
Whether it’s an actual personalized URL the recipient is typing into a web browser, they are scanning a QR code or texting for opt-in the easiest way to track the response is for the link to take them to a dedicated landing page instead of directly to the homepage of your website. This allows you to know that every single hit to that landing page came from a specific direct mail campaign.
Without gathering data, you will not know if your direct mail campaigns are engaging the recipients in response. Instead you are blindly sending mail into the mailbox abysses and potentially throwing money away with no confirmation of whether the campaign created revenue or determined your loss.
By Emily White, Creative Specialist at American Name Services


It would simply speed up data entry. Not being able 'repeat row above' or 'calculate net' seems an obviouis ommission
batch entry is needed
We have been using the F9 key in our consumer business for 20 years where all prices are quoted to the customer inc vat so this is a retro step, please reinstate asap
You won't be notified about changes to this idea.


My name’s Claire. How old are you?
Okay, she didn’t ask it that abruptly, but the question was pretty upfront. She turned around from the stage, bare-faced with stiff dark hair and straight brows, in a pale pink bralette and denim culottes. Claire was giddy and smiley and had me fooled over her mere 14 years with her introductory handshake. Sixteen years old, tops. She and Maddie, 15, blond and tan, had met “on set” and were here to see George Ezra for the first time at the Wiltern in LA. My best friend Rachel was on my left, and sister-friends from school were to my right: Ashlyn, Danielle and Hayley.
Concerts are my favorite way to push myself out of my comfort zone. They’re loud and filled with people, usually with dodgy parking situations, but oh, the music—I never regret it. So I make it a point to go to roughly two per year, minimum goal: one a school year.
Claire complained from the get-go of light-headedness, asking each of my friends if we had ever felt it, and how long it should last. At 8:10pm, she hadn’t eaten since 11am at In-N-Out. She looked to me like a plain cheeseburger girl (as I know from experience…), and she confirmed she pulled out the veggies. The girls had spent the day at LACMA and gave further than exact change for the bus-fare for a few blocks.
On face-value, it seemed like they’d been ripped off. It didn’t immediately sink in with me that a bus driver has no time to count change back if you won’t do it for yourself.
The venue was a little foggy and rather humid inside; I think they do it to prime you for the onslaught of body heat. But Claire became increasingly frantic over willing the light-headedness to stop, sitting down and standing up, fanning herself with no improvement. Every time she had tried to eat in the last two hours just made her want to throw up. Maddie went to buy her a water, and Claire gulped it at every repetition of her status.
The last time I had been to the Wiltern, things were very different, and I was very different.


Last time, I was more attached to my spot, and felt a shell of value because I was someone’s. This time, nothing really mattered besides the need to be someone for these girls should they really be in trouble.
“I know you’re not supposed to accept food from strangers, but if it gets really bad, I have a protein bar that’s unopened. I saw you eating Pirates Booty, and that’s not gonna do much for you. Just drink your water slowly and concentrate on how cool and refreshing it is.” I hate Pirates Booty. It’s never a suitable snack.
Almost as soon as the lights went down and Dylan LeBlanc arrived to open the show, Claire dashed off, assumably to the bathroom. Song after song passed, and Maddie reached over to ask if I knew where her friend went. Then she told me Claire’s phone had died earlier. Lyrics were unintelligible, but calming, and I just prayed no one would think to take advantage of her.
Last time I came to the Wiltern, I was all too aware of myself, and nearly everything going wrong with me and who I was with, even buried beneath all my denial. Last night I was 5000x better at doing my hair and makeup than a year ago, but my best was losing all awareness of myself and adopting two mid-teen girls. I didn’t care about the couple making out by us or the overload of Axe from a few guys—these girls needed to be safe.
“Wow, I thought I was like a mom inside, but I’m not A MOM,” Rach said jokingly after we introduced. It was true; my body language was entirely different as soon as Claire said she wasn’t feeling all there. I ran down the list of questions beginning with if she had had enough food and water. We lost each other a few times throughout the night, including after Maddie’s phone died and she asked to later borrow mine to call her mom. Who’s filming Snapchat video when you’re at 6% battery?! If we had met once more before leaving, I would have given them the third degree (hey, yeah, for me) about keeping hydrated, having an extra battery pack and not putting Snapchat before safety.


For Rach and me, having little brothers on the cusp of driver’s seat freedom, due for SAT hazing and delaying being picked up to no end—it’s hard to remember when we sucked at answering our phones and didn’t prioritize water, a filling meal (we had eggs in a basket and a french toast grand slam at Denny’s…) and a charged phone. Ironically, I didn’t bring a charging cord because I figured I wouldn’t need it. (Dang it, Apple Maps.) We came in my car, so Rachel didn’t bring one because she figured I would have one! 😂
I honestly can’t tell you what happened after George’s last song. God answered my prayers during Dylan’s set that Claire would be safe while out of our reach, so I’m sure he provided those girls safe passage home. The peace He gave me tonight was a reminder of His strength, and just how much of an adventure He wants to make our lives with the people who enter and leave. The urgency to love without qualms is a higher gift than a good show, a good crowd, a good date.
He provides, and as much as I’ve fought growing up over the years, I’m proud to inch up as a woman. One who can hold her own on the freeways of LA, who loves deep and wide, and who takes chances alongside great friends who make me more than myself.
If you haven’t heard of George Ezra, well, he’s a babe, and I can’t tell you much more than that. If you don’t believe me, you’ll have to click this video. No spam, just cute old people dancing to his music. Btw, make no mistake: I have no children, nor will they be going to concerts independently until they’re 18. Z-snap.


RICHMOND, IN—Apparently heedless of the dismal fiscal climate, local dog Digby is wolfing down kibble as though the United States isn't limping its way through a goddamn economic crisis, the pet's owners confirmed Thursday.
According to reports, the 5-year-old labrador appears callously unswayed by the constant stream of gloomy market forecasts and instead demands greater and greater supplies of dog food, to the point where he must think the Dow Jones industrial average is soaring through the fucking roof or something.
"We buy a huge bag of food at the Safeway every week, and Digby just gobbles it up and comes back for more, as if we're still living in the boom years of the late '90s," said the dog's owner, Lewis Chambers, complaining of the household pet's ravenous, fiscally irresponsible eating. "How anyone could be so gluttonous while we're seeing some of the worst economic indicators in generations is beyond me, but Digby just doesn't seem to care. Hell, he won't even eat regular dry food now unless the canned stuff is mixed in with it."
"Did he not see the latest jobs report?" added Chambers, shaking his head in amazement. "People are really struggling out there."
In addition to pretending we're living in some fucking golden age of prosperity as he gorges on brand-name pet foods, the shockingly selfish Digby reportedly supplements his three large daily meals with regular feedings of Milk-Bones and table scraps, as well as one to two pig's ears per week from a specialty pet store.
Sources said the sum total of these items amounts to approximately his own freaking weight in food every week, as if the U.S. unemployment rate hasn't been above 8 percent for the past three goddamn years.
"Times have been hard for Lew's pipe-fitting business, so like everyone else we've been tightening our belts," said Chambers' wife, Beverly. "Essentially, everyone is cutting corners except Digby. I thought maybe he'd finally show a little austerity when the economy only expanded at a listless 1.5 percent annual pace, but instead he just eats bowl after bowl while barely coming up for air. What the hell is wrong with him?"
Attempts to understand the pet's colossal appetite and fiscal obliviousness have yielded few explanations. Small animal veterinarian Dr.


Janet Gardner told reporters Digby's metabolism and daily activities do not require him to eat such an inordinate amount of food, and one would think the shame of overeating in a time of great, great struggle for many families would, if anything, suppress his appetite.
"Quite frankly, his behavior is abhorrent," said Gardner, who emphasized that Digby does nothing to provide for the Chambers family, subsisting entirely on free handouts. "This asshole's chowing down like he's in a pie-eating contest. Meanwhile, the nation's credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in history, and everyone's fucking job is moving overseas. And he does know we're fighting a war, too, right? Unbelievable."
According to Forbes columnist Ken Fisher, Digby's pattern of reckless eating represents a shocking lack of compassion for those still affected by the credit crisis, and in many ways exemplifies the nation's troubling tendency toward greed and excess even in difficult times.
"I suppose it's possible to see hopeful signs in Digby's fiscally confident eating and suggest his behavior could stimulate recovery," said Fisher, who along with other experts has been watching Digby's eating habits closely in recent months. "But I think it's far more likely he's displaying the 'irrational exuberance' Alan Greenspan warned about. This fucking dog is eating his owners out of house and home right now, and he seems to have no shame about it. He just keep wagging his tail."
"And honestly, where does it stop?" Fisher added. "I for one do not see Digby adopting sober consumption habits anytime soon, especially if he keeps rooting through the trash while everyone's at work."
With long-term market forecasts suggesting continued hardship ahead, the Chambers household waits for a hopeful sign of recovery or, even better, for their goddamn dog to stop devouring everything in sight. Meanwhile, President Obama has called on Americans for patience and continued resolve.
"While our economy has made some encouraging strides in the past two years, we are very far from being out of the woods," President Obama said in a live televised address. "All of us have a responsibility to make sure everyone in our country is properly fed and cared for, and that requires sacrifices from all of us."
"And as a personal aside to Digby the dog: You need to stop eating, bud," the president continued. "It is wasteful, selfish, and unsustainable.


Source View and Line-by-Line Profiling
Depending on the chosen profiling mode, Source View may look different. With line-by-line profiling, performance analysis is available for some functions in Source View. Such functions are marked with icon in Call Tree, Threads Tree and Back Traces views. If a statement consists of several statements, each of them is displayed on a separate line and highlighted with a blue line. On the left side you can see numbers that indicate how many times a particular statement was invoked during line-by-line profiling.
If you make IL code visible, a grey block of IL code is displayed under each statement for the selected method.


What better way to educate and get the attention of your students than with a GIANT snowflake?! In this video Cassie walks through all the steps required to build a giant snowflake AND goes over the SCIENCE of how snowflakes form in the air!
Snowflakes form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky, creating an ice crystal. As it falls, water vapor freezes onto the crystal and creates new crystals. The shape is determined by the temperature of the air and the atmospheric path at which it falls. No two snowflakes will follow the same path down to earth, thus, no two snowflakes are alike!


We Love Brands! The power and meaning, the beauty, art and science, the wildly differing imagery from one brand to the next! Iconic brands, cult brands, “everyday" brands. What is it about a brand that people relate to and love - or hate? What is this seemingly magical essence of a brand that engenders loyalty, even advocacy? Or instills avoidance?
Look at the brands that a person surrounds themselves with: their car, clothes, computer, sunglasses, music (yes, musical artists are brands), stores they shop at...
Harley Davidson, Zippo, Coke, Apple, Wegmans. How about Jimmy Buffet (and his Parrotheads), Tommy Bahama, Patagonia? Walmart, Target, Subaru, Outback Steakhouse… all of these brands have a very special place in someone’s heart and in their life.
What do you think of a person when you learn they own a Harley, a BMW, or that they love to shop at Walmart? Or that they own a 1974 Dodge Challenger? Right or wrong, we begin to develop an opinion of these folks.
How does the work of marketers and advertisers impact a brand? How much can we impact the essence of a brand? As marketers, what are we doing with our lives?
How should your brand be positioned? What is optimal? We love brands. The strength, the meaning instilled in them through your marketing efforts, and people’s interpretation of that image.
C12 Symposium is a proprietary brand strategy development process that leverages the properties of a brand and maximizes its potential. It is an information-based approach that includes all key stakeholders in a collaborative, iterative planning process.
From front line employees and managers to C-Suite leaders, we share ownership of the process, the results and the success. We work together as a team, sharing buy-in at every step along the way. This degree of partnership virtually assures a successful outcome.
Have you evolved?
How can you be sure your advertising will have the effect you want? How will it impact your brand? How will your intended target audience respond?
For most, these questions will not be known until the advertising has been on air for a while and you are spending, perhaps, millions of dollars.
Aristotle’s Rhetoric was the first critical treatise to help scholars understand how to communicate to different audiences.


In that same vein, C12 Rhetoric provides strategic guidance to help you evaluate your marketing communications materials before they reach your target audience, giving you a gauge of effectiveness before you begin to spend your media budget.
Have you evolved?
Brand tracking is not for everyone or every business. But, for those who choose, Carbon-12 can provide you with virtually real time evaluation of the impact your marketing is having - whether or not it is creating the impact you want, and what kind of impact it is having on your brand and your target audience.
It’s not just your efforts, however, that matter. Competitors won’t sit still and let you win without a fight. Plus, there are other market dynamics in play that can affect your target audience.
C12 Tracking allows you to keep a pulse on your target audience, and monitor key brand-related variables in virtually real time.
Have you evolved?
Our teams develop insights-based strategies to determine or refine target audience definition, gauge product viability, establish brand positioning and track marketing impact and changes in audience perceptions and behaviors. Our strategy-led designs deliver experiences that address customer needs, instill loyalty and drive sales.
He who joyfully marches to the music in rank and file has already earned my contempt.
- Albert Einstein
As far as I know, I am the only creative genius to begin his career in research.
- David Ogilvy
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is then not an act, but a habit.
Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the axe.
- Abraham Lincoln
C-12 is an information-based strategic planning consultancy.
We are insights-driven strategy
Fearlessly challenge preconceptions by examining problems from different perspectives. Inspire each other to achieve great things
5175 Larkspur Lane
Hamburg, New York


Perhaps Wednesday night was the final straw in Charlotte, where the bloom of a decent start to the season is quickly fading. A 38-point home loss ahead of a six-game road trip will do that.
With starting center Cody Zeller out because of a hand injury, the Hornets were primed to test their depth in the frontcourt, which seemed to mean a bump up in playing time for Frank Kaminsky, the former lottery pick who has been all but scuttled from the rotation of new coach James Borrego.
TRADE RUMORS: 12 players to watch ahead of deadline
Instead, Kaminsky played just 16 minutes, scoring five points on 2-for-6 shooting. That's in line with the scant playing time Kaminsky has gotten this season. He logged DNPs in 11 of the Hornets' first 16 games and has averaged just 11.6 minutes in 22 games.
Now, league sources tell Sporting News, the Hornets may finally be ready to include Kaminsky in a trade ahead of his coming restricted free agency. Given the way things have gone for him in Charlotte this year, he would likely welcome a change of scenery.
Teams have expressed interest, including some contenders, but the Hornets would most prefer to put the money remaining on Kaminsky's $3.6 million deal with another big salary. Charlotte, according to league sources, is desperate to get out of the two years and $52 million remaining on Nicolas Batum's salary, and at least one team was told that Kaminsky could be had if Batum were included.
The Hornets would also like to move the $17 million owed in 2019-20 to center Bismack Biyombo. That's a tough sell, getting another team to take that money in order to acquire a guy who will be a restricted free agent in the summer and does not appear to fit into his coach's plans. Charlotte would need to lower its asking price.
Dealing Kaminsky would also be a tough thing to OK for Hornets owner Michael Jordan, who was such a fan of Kaminsky ahead of the 2015 draft that he insisted the team choose him at No. 9 and turned down a package of four first-round picks from Boston to do so.
That package would have included Nos. 15 and 16 in 2015 (Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier were chosen), and one of Boston's future Brooklyn picks.


The Celtics wound up using the 2016 Nets pick on Jaylen Brown and traded the 2018 pick to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. The Cavs chose Collin Sexton.
The Hornets also could have had Memphis' pick in the coming draft, which Boston still owns. It's protected for the top eight but currently slotted at No. 13.
Trading away Kaminsky will certainly bring back the sting of turning down the Celtics' offer, but there's more to it than that. Jordan has other reasons to want to see Kaminsky play - but it appears likely that neither Jordan nor Kaminsky will get the chance to see what Kaminsky might have done with the Hornets.
Former Charlotte coach Steve Clifford had worked closely to develop Kaminsky, on both ends of the floor. When he arrived in the NBA as college basketball's Player of the Year, there were concerns about Kaminsky's defense, and though those have remained, he improved under Clifford.
In a small sample size this year, Kaminsky has been very good defensively. According to Synergy Sports, opponents score an average of 0.743 points per possession against Kaminsky, which ranks in the 94th percentile. That would likely dip if given more minutes, but Kaminsky has handled himself well enough when given the chance. On a per-36-minute basis, Kaminsky has averaged 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, both career highs.
His strength remains his ability as a stretch-4, and that's what teams are seeking as they investigate trades for him. Kaminsky is a career 34.6 percent 3-point shooter but shot 38.0 percent from the arc last season and was outstanding in the season's second half.
After the All-Star break, Kaminsky shot 48.8 percent from the 3-point line, fourth among players who took at least 2.0 3-pointers per game. He averaged 12.6 points in 23.5 minutes.
That seemed to give Kaminsky momentum heading into what was a crucial season for his future with Charlotte. Instead, he's had his role cut drastically, even with Zeller out.
The Hornets have lost six of their last 10 with a brutal schedule remaining in January, so it's possible changes could be afoot. Kaminsky could be among them.


But the Government has created nine new quangos – quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations – since the general election. The figures also show that more than 150 of the 900 organisations that were in existence in May 2010 have been merged into fewer than 70.
The most significant new quango is the Office for Budget Responsibility, which produces independent economic forecasts. Others include the Independent Commission for Aid Impact and the National Employment Savings Trust.
Government claims that the quango “bonfire” will generate billions in savings have been questioned by MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee. But Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, announcing the new figures, insisted the cuts are on track to meet the predictions.
The total quangos workforce is being cut by 29 per cent
He said: “We acted swiftly to close down unnecessary public bodies and ensure that those that remain are fit to deliver public services efficiently and effectively. They are well on track to reduce the administrative cost of public bodies by at least £2.6billion by 2015. Today’s announcement shows we are more transparent about quangos than any Government before. But there is still a long way to go and our reviews will routinely test whether each public body is fit for purpose and providing the value for money that the taxpayer expects.”
The total quangos workforce is being cut by 29 per cent, he added.


The idea was floated to John Giannini more as a joke than an actual suggestion, but the La Salle coach, just one year removed from sweating out Selection Sunday, jumped at it anyway.
What if, instead of revealing the top seeds at the start of the selection show, the broadcasts began with the unveiling of the last teams invited to the NCAA tournament. In other words, start with the bubble teams that got in?
"Oh my God, what a great idea!" Giannini said. "That's a humanistic and merciful suggestion. Unfortunately, the rest of America wants to know the 1-seeds but the people who have invested years of work, we'd sure like to be put out of our misery."
Selection Sunday is both the best and cruelest day of the college basketball season -- Christmas morning with all the trimmings for some, a Charlie Brown Halloween bag full of rocks for others.
"The best reality TV show ever," Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli has called it, and he's probably not far off. It's got all of the unpredictability of "Jersey Shore" mixed with the big reveal of "The Bachelor," fortunately without Snooki, Seaside Heights and group dates in Bora Bora.
The stories and tales from the day sometimes are almost as unforgettable as the games that follow.
Last year, their bus stuck in traffic on the way out of Brooklyn, Saint Louis players heard their name called on a bank of TVs at a New Jersey Best Buy.
In 2011, VCU player Jamie Skeen, so sure his team would be passed over, didn't even bother to wipe the buffalo sauce off his fingers to answer his suddenly vibrating phone when the Rams were, in fact, added to the field.
At 6 p.m. ET, teams and fans across the country will take a deep breath and wait to see how a season's worth of work is rewarded or rejected.
But the drama doesn't begin with the show.
It begins with the sheer effort of just getting to the start of the show.
There are very few sure things in life. Wichita State, at 34-0, is a sure thing, a short-of-an-asteroid-hitting-the-Earth 1-seed lock when the bracket is finally revealed.
That doesn't mean the buildup to Sunday has been easy.


The Shockers stopped playing games a week ago, wrapping up the Missouri Valley tournament and an automatic bid days before some teams even started to play their conference tourneys.
In between there has been the same endless chatter and debate that has dogged Wichita State all season -- about the Shockers' schedule strength or perceived lack thereof, and whether or not it merits a coveted top seed.
It's never easy to ignore, but certainly a little less difficult when the busy work of playing games fills up the calendar. But with no games to play and time to kill, there was plenty of white noise if the Shockers chose to listen.
They did not.
"I saw a great quote on Twitter the other day from Chadrack Lufile: 'Wolves do not fret about the opinions of sheep,'" Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "You can't dwell on those types of things. We realize there are detractors and haters. That just fuels our fire."
Marshall is no stranger to this, not the detractors nor the waiting game. He has yet to walk the gold-paved road of the haves of college basketball. He came to Wichita by way of Winthrop.
At least his time there taught Marshall how to handle what essentially has become a bye week between conference tourney and NCAA tourney.
It's an awkward time, the intensity of games and pregame practices screeching to a halt, a team instead stuck in neutral.
Marshall has found the right mix for him and his teams, choosing to ease off the practice gas pedal in the early part of the week, allowing his players to rest and concentrate more on individual skills.
"I've always sold it as an advantage," he said. "There's time to rest, to sharpen a couple of things that have slipped. I love it. You can sit back and watch everyone else stress."
Not everyone sees the layoff quite like Marshall.
Rick Byrd has spent 38 years at Belmont, the last 13 in search of a Division I Big Dance ticket. Six times the Bruins have won their conference tournament, earning a viewing party on Selection Sunday, but even now Byrd struggles with the time off.
The first time Belmont won an automatic bid, as an Atlantic Sun member in 2006, Byrd figured he'd give his players a mini-vacation. It was spring break anyway, so he let them take it easy until Thursday.


"It didn't take long for us to get out of shape," said Byrd, whose Bruins lost to UCLA 78-44 that year.
Last year Belmont got back to work on Tuesday. The Bruins still lost, falling to Arizona 81-64.
"We're 0-for-6; I mean we're playing really good teams and we're not supposed to win those games individually," he said. "But I've often wondered if we'd be better off if we didn't have to wait 10 days to play."
No one, of course, has it as tough as bubble teams.
Last year, La Salle lost to Butler in the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals, offering up a 21-9 record to the selection committee.
That was on a Friday, an endless 48 hours away from Selection Sunday.
Giannini suddenly turned into the biggest fan in college basketball. Eschewing the advice of other previous bubble-dwelling coaches, he watched every game he thought might impact his Explorers' situation, rooting for chalk wins instead of upsets that would eat up at-large bids.
"The happiness when the right team won was like my own team winning a big game,'' he said. "I think my magical rooting powers worked.''
Whatever anxiety and worry he might have felt inwardly, Giannini offered a completely different persona to his team. Like a parent preparing his kids for the worst and hoping for the best, he told his Explorers that if the worst thing that happened was an NIT bid with a chance to go to New York, they'd have plenty to celebrate.
He knew it was a hard sell but he wanted to make sure that his players weren't, in his words, "crushed" if they didn't make it.
In the meantime, he did as much reconnaissance work as he could, asking people whose opinions he trusted about La Salle's bubble chances, checking out Joe Lunardi's Bracketology regularly (Lunardi always had the Explorers in).
The biggest decision, of course, was what to do about the show itself. Ultimately, Giannini decided to open it up -- to the student body, to fans and most of all, to TV crews -- hoping that his feedback was accurate and his good karma would work.
And then they started revealing the brackets, region by region, team by team and still no La Salle.


Suddenly the anxiety in the room was a little more palpable, the TV lights a little hotter.
"All that feedback, they aren't the official word and when there's 60 names called and you're down to the last eight, yeah at that point, I doubted everything," Giannini said.
Which is why he'd like to move that for a kinder, gentler Selection Sunday.
"Unveil the bubble teams first," he said. "Please."


- Creativity knows no limits. Showcase your best work in the office or on the go. With the new HP ZBook 17 workstation, take advantage of HP’s most powerful processing and graphics, consistent color throughout your workflow, simple scalability, and the blazing-fast connectivity your team needs to perform and collaborate at the speed of creativity.
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The Disney-actress and Hollywood Records artist performed her Saturday afternoon show at the Paul Paul Theater under direct sunlight. The temperature never broke 80 degrees and there was enough of a breeze to whip Holt’s hair around some – rather dramatically at points – but it was still hot.
It didn’t seem to bother Holt as she ran through more than a dozen electronic pop tunes, including her latest single “Phoenix” and a cover of DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean.”
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In between, Holt was met with random screaming from the small crowd. These were mostly preteens, mostly girls. They were eager to let Holt know they loved her.
Holt replied each time.
“I love you guys.”
These were big, bouncy dance tunes that could easily be pop hits. Expect to hear the single “I See Stars” a lot when the new album is released. Holt, leading a four-piece backing band, is obviously a seasoned performer who understands how to work a stage and a crowd. Her performance was worthy of a larger draw.
▪ Holt’s voice tends toward the breathy, as seems to be the style. It’s not quite as dynamite or emotive as Daya, the 17-year old pop singer played last weekend’s afternoon show.
▪ Best interaction of the show. Holt, to a fair vendor walking the center aisle: “Is someone selling popcorn? Because I would be into that,” she said.
▪ Again, the Paul Paul Theater should invest in shade awning. Like, now. It would make the venue 100 percent more appealing on days like this.
Check in on the Fresno Beeehive for all The Big Fresno Fair concert reviews.


This week, Nasdaq and broker Cantor Fitzgerald LP announced that they are looking to move into Bitcoin trading by launching their own futures in the first half of 2018.
According to WSJ insiders, Nasdaq plans to debut its Bitcoin contract on the Nasdaq Futures marketplace, which launched in 2015 and has mainly focused on energy trading so far. The exchange is allegedly looking to stand out from CME Group Inc. and CBOE Global Markets Inc., two of its competitors that are also launching Bitcoin futures.
Nasdaq aims to achieve this by designing a special futures contract with better tracking of the global Bitcoin price and, according to sources familiar with the matter, has already briefed market participants on its plans. This development isn’t Nasdaq’s first foray into cryptocurrencies, as it has a Bitcoin exchange-traded note on one of its European exchanges.
Cantor also has plans to launch Bitcoin derivatives on one of its exchanges. The firm, which dabbles in a wide variety of investment sectors, would add a Bitcoin swap to its Cantor Futures Exchange LP, allowing traders to bet on prices up to three months ahead while shielded by a protection system should Bitcoin prices go over $15,000 or below $5,000. Cantor said it’s targeting retail traders as the initial adopters of the contract, but that it aims to reach out to institutions as well.
The moves by Nasdaq and Cantor, which came after similar announcements by CME and CBOE, two major Chicago-based exchanges, should help legitimize the cryptocurrency in the eyes of financial institutions that have so far shown a lukewarm approach to it. Despite this, investor interest continues to grow and Bitcoin keeps reaching new heights, trading at $11,273.89 less than a day after it passed the $10,000 mark.
The explosion in price has made Bitcoin difficult to ignore by traders and institutions alike, and its conversion into futures contracts by major exchanges will give maturity to the digital currency and make trading easier for both banks and retail investors.
And while some still require convincing that Bitcoin can live up to its promises, others are swearing by it as the asset class and currency of the future. John D’Agostino, a former Nymex executive who now oversees several funds that are showing an interest in Bitcoin, believes the cryptocurrency is here to stay.
D’Agostino explained that the biggest challenge futures exchanges face is marketing their products to customers.


Bitcoin’s rising popularity has made this less of an issue, which is why, according to the fund manager, every exchange is looking into whether it can make Bitcoin trading a part of its offer.
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I am currently on sabbatical exploring possiblities for the future. I am also taking this opportunity to do some traveling. I hope my home can be your home away from home while visiting Boston!
Mara was a wonderful host. We were in Boston for the Marathon and was in a great spot, walking distance to beacon hill, the stadium, and everything we wanted to do. The apartment was more beautiful then the pictures. Her eclectic style made you feel at home. Arrangements for keys was easy, and we were welcomed with baked cookies. Mara was very helpful with assistance in leaving the city following the bombing. She offered any assistance with spending an extra night if flights got canceled. Mara and her apartment is the reason my wife and I love AirBnb. We could not have asked for a better host or apartment in Boston. Would definitely stay here a second time if we come back. Mike, Mariel and Matt
Mara was a wonderful host! She was so nice to work with before we even made the trip, and once we arrived met us with keys and information about the neighborhood and Boston as a whole. She had coffee for us and everything was very comfortable. We had a great time and were only 2 blocks from the T- very convenient to navigate our way around the city. Highly recommend staying with Mara when you visit Boston!
Everything was perfect and there were no glitches. Communication was excellent. Location excellent if you want to be close to the city action. Very pretty apartment. We appreciated the complimentary bottle of wine and other amenities left for us by our considerate hostess.
The apartment is great, close to the commons and the T - a great location and a great price!!! Mara is very nice and helpful and left us with a lot of information about Boston - where to shop, eat, everything.
Everything about Mara's place was perfect. My boyfriend and I traveled to Boston for a few days prior to attending a wedding at Martha's Vineyard. I felt right at home at her place and couldn't have been more satisfied. We will definitely stay here again on future trips to Boston!
My girlfriend and i took a weekend trip up to Boston to visit old friends, and check out the area. Mara's place was very nice, very clean, and had everything as described.


The apartment was very centrally located in Boston, 10 minutes walking from Chinatown, 20 minutes walking from the Back Bay area, close to South Station, etc.
We enjoyed our stay tremendously and would not hesitate to stay there again the next time we are in Boston.
When we arrived, our keys were ready for us. The apartment is located in a very nice neighborhood in a great location. It was a nice place and was very clean. The owner was very helpful and responsive to my questions and gave many tips on where to eat and shop in Boston. I would recommend staying at this apartment.
There really was nothing to complain about, even the sofa bed exceeded my expectations. The place was as it said it was going to be. we had a little problem with the toilet, but Mara solved that immediately. This is a highly recommended place. and we managed to find a place to leave our car over night on the street a couple of blocks away. If you know Boston, parking is not visitor friendly. Thanks for opening your home to us.
The apartment is cozy and very conveniently located. The backyard is a gem.
Mara accommodated all my check-in and check-out needs and was very responsive to all apartment-related questions


Originally Posted by BimmerBoys
Lol the seller is a jerk off! My buddy went down with a rented trailer and a borrowed truck. Took the day off work to get it. He called the guy every day for 3 days prior to make sure all was good and the seller repeatedly told him that teusday was good. He gets there the guy isn't answering the phone. Nowhere to ber found. My buddy left a dozen mesages and not even a reply... Until today. He said he was to busy, and that saturday is good. The guys a scamer jerk, and I bet there is something very wrong with this car!
I would guess that the seller has been fielding a lot of questions about the car, and assumes that it is going to sell itself. What the seller may not realize is that an M3 that needs a lot of work needs to be sold at a significant discount due to the price of parts to get one back into good shape.
Even good examples of these cars will drain wallets. Once rust and engine rebuilds come into the picture prices climb exponentially.


Feeling positive and in control is not very common for me, but I have been feeling like that lately. Not only am I capable of decreasing anxiety and feeling more okay in the world, but I have also been able to stop the negative thoughts from creeping in (like they would usually do…)!
Every time my mind wonders and I find myself thinking of an impossible and negative scenario that could happen (it wouldn’t), I just stop myself, breathe deeply and think about something positive instead. It’s the tiniest of things but it really does help.
Usually I’d feel weird actually admitting that I feel okay, but I was able to tell myself that simply talking about it is not a bad thing. Talking about it will, hopefully, both remind myself of how to feel better in the future, or help anyone else out there from feeling as bad as I was feeling.
Do you have any tips you use on a day to day basis that could help me/others from letting the negative thoughts in?


Would someone please CLARIFY for me re: the recent ZoneAlarm alert re: Gumblar. . .Does it ONLY apply if you are using Internet Explorer AND Google Search together? Or, any other browser PLUS Google Search?
I do NOT use IE for anything. . .I have been using Firefox as my browser for several years and my use of Google search is via Firefox. And, does the danger exist if I use Google from this launching?
Operating System:Windows XP Home Edition
Product Name:ZoneAlarm (Free)


MIRA aims to foster excellence in astrophysical research by catalyzing cutting-edge research projects in areas in which U-M offers particular expertise, such as star- and planet-formation, cosmology and galaxy clusters, high-energy astrophysics, instrumentation, or magnetohydrodynamics.
By choosing pressing topics within these areas for semester- or year-long research campaigns, we seek to focus a critical mass of thinkers here and at our peer institutions on these issues, and to exploit the synergies made possible by diverse perspectives and skill sets.
This year’s conferences and workshops, and the research themes they will launch, include:
Disks & Planet Formation | Unveiling the early stages of planet formation and evolution
Interdisciplinary Instrumentation | Promoting cross-fertilization of novel technologies for scientific inquiry
Bridging Observation and Simulation in the Local Group | Using astrostatistics and big data to understand the Milky Way and its surroundings


College Soccer Betting Tips: Auburn Vs. Lsu, Oregon Vs. Colorado And MoreMay 29, 2019
Football is among the many sports that offers thrills to its spectators. It’s the most thrilling video games that sports activities fanatics sooo want to watch. In a football match were both teams are equally great, it will be tough to forecast what are the outcomes of the general sport will likely be. As a result the general sport much more thrilling to look at. Re-decorating exactly why much more bettors are enticed to participate in soccer betting. In this kind of sports activities, identifying very best locations to location your bet is a fantastic problem.
As a beginner, you require to select an UFABET site and sign-up your self. Once you sign-up, you can be certain of their spherical-the-clock consumer service. Most NFL betting sites will offer 24 X seven consumer services via their toll-totally free figures. Apart from this, you can look up for information on their websites as well. Some websites also offer a joining reward when you sign-up on-line. Besides, they make fast payments if you get a wager. NFL soccer betting can be a pleasurable experience if you select the right betting company. As a beginner, you may have several questions on your mind. Here is a list of the often requested concerns that will probably settle your doubts.
Individual betting offers a totally different betting technique. This is where you bet how you think a certain participant will fare during the period. For the NBA, you can choose who you think will direct the league in factors, rebounds and helps. You can also attempt to predict who you think will be the league’s most beneficial participant and rookie of the yr.
Bonus is a multiple count of your cash where its claimed as risk free methods to place any bets. Nevertheless, it seems you by no means appreciate it if you lose. As you know, each betting must involve two sides in an opposite. You can contact it betting exchanges and bookmakers. Bookmakers like a buddy of you that will win if you win.
A great deal of individuals think that totally free picks are generally correct and so exposing the individual that will truly get within the competitors. There are many benefits an on-line wagering gives you. Tips on how to discover the appropriate choose is visible online.


Betting just isn’t as simple just as choosing the main 1 you would envision will get. You should discover the many areas of the sport you may be wagering on. This is very helpful for you in studying if you have to maintain to the wagering totally free picks or not. Some individuals offers you an wrong concept nevertheless, if you’re proficient within the game, then you can definitely evaluate regardless of whether he is becoming truthful or maybe not. It’s important to find out many issues rather than know nothing.
First, no on-line casino is foolproof. Whilst online casinos have a great offer of safety in place, this does not mean you will usually be secure. There are many methods that hackers can get into a method. They can hack the on-line casino, they can hack your computer, or they can be someone you know. Now that is a scary thought. Did you ever believe about handing a password out to a friend or allowing them to see where you may maintain them? It is not always the online on line casino that allows in the hazards. Sometimes it is what you do.
It is also important to conduct a small study before placing a bet. Investing as small as five minutes, you can learn a great deal about the teams and players involved in the game. This will give you more understanding and make the betting choice a more informed 1. The much more confidence you have in your choice, the more bets you will win. Putting bets primarily based on your gut feeling is not a smart betting strategy. Even if you win a couple of bets, you luck is certain to capture up to you in the long operate.


Rear End Plug Kit, Hex Head, O-Ring Seal, Aluminum, Black Anodized, DMI / Winter Rear End, Kit
King Racing Product’s Hex Rear End Plug Kit makes ring & pinion inspections and filling the rear end a breeze. Made from 6061 T-6 material with a 9/16” hex for easy installation and removal. Fully machined on the inside for added weight savings.
- Black anodized finish
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- Works on both DMI & Winter rear ends


April 27 2020
A special collector’s edition featuring exclusive endpapers designed by Kris Anka and a behind-the-scenes look with a chapter annotated by Rainbow Rowell! Simon Snow is back and he's coming to America! The story is supposed to be over. Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after… So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch? What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light… That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West. They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place… With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter. Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over – but your life has just begun.
Pdf downloads: Téléchargement gratuit de livres en fichier pdf La fille du train par Paula Hawkins pdf, Free pdf textbook downloads Methode de francais Tout va bien ! 1 : Livre de l'eleve English version by H Auge read pdf, Free ipad book downloads A Siri con amor: Una madre, su hijo autista, y la bondad de las maquinas FB2 iBook 9781418599263 in English by Judith Newman site, Free download bookworm for android God of War - The Official Novelization pdf, Books in pdb format free download The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott 9780593137949 here,


The Department of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota has two research laboratory facilities, the Evolutionary Anthropology Laboratories on the third floor of Blegen Hall and the Wilford Laboratory of North American Archaeology on the lower level of Heller Hall, both on the West Bank of the Minneapolis campus.
The Evolutionary Anthropology Laboratory (EAL) is a research and teaching facility established in 1999 with funding from the National Science Foundation and the College of Liberal Arts at the Univeristy of Minnesota. Evolutionary Anthropology is the Study of the Human Condition - past and present - from the perspective of modern evolutionary theory. It is a multidisciplinary endeavor bringing together data and theoretical perspecitves from archaeology, paleoanthropology, physical anthropology, and primatology.
The Wilford Laboratory of Nroth American Archaeology was established in 1932 by Alfred Jenks and Lloyd Wilford, Minnesota's first Univeristy of Minnesota-based professional archaeologists. It is a reserach and teaching facility dedicated to the investigation of the prehistoric and historical archaeology of North America.


So brave! Drinking red wine while crocheting with white yarn....living on the edge! :)
My thought exactly!
I never imagined Smooch lying around dozing on the couch like any other dog. It's weird to see her drop her guard!
I wish I could crochet. My stitches are never the same size and I just have a mess. I love those pretty donkey lips. They are so soft.
I love you guys!
Lucy's ears. Just beautiful. She's such a pretty girl.
I was thinking the same thing that chaserider wrote, but we know you are a wild woman!
That looks great. I'll be right over!
That will be one lucky baby. You are living my weather fantasy: real fire, crochet, wonderful dog, wine, TV. Aunt Jean
You are watching LONGMIRE! I know that music! Have you watched "Call the Midwife"? It's on Netflix. I'm on season 3 (there are 4 available)...it's on the BBC channel. I'm HOOKED! I watch it Sunday afternoons, or if I'm home sick...Love all the noses! And, your fire! VERY COZY! I want a wood-burning stove for our house as it is so darn drafty out in the living room...sigh...my wish...
That's me in the one comment, damn forgot to sign....Ethel
As is the case so often, Anne Boleyn expresses my feelings exactly--albeit in a nutshell, while it would take me several tomes to formulate the same message... Entering the danger zone: I actually *talked* to you while watching!! (Just asking you to speak more slowly so that this poor alien can follow and understand ;-) Do you always speak this fast? Do all of you "natives" speak this fast? I can't remember, it's been so long...)
Guilty. Sorry. I used to speak faster (when I lived back east), if that's any consolation. If I could figure out an easy way to add subtitles to these videos, I would.
Faster!?!! (gasp) But no, no subtitles necessary :) -- I watch all your videos between several and lots of times anyway, and after the third time at the latest I have understood every word.


Hope you don't spill any wine on that pretty blanket your are crocheting! Betsy
I envy you your comfy, warm space. Lovely evening. Cheers
beautiful family...I love the coziness of you home...that fire... I live in Austin, TX what my husband and would give to live in the solitude surrounded by my furry friends. alicia
I love your evenings. Seriously though, you need a bigger television. I couldnt see anything! Happy Friday!
Wonderful - love the tidbits of everyday life
OF COURSE you can crochet too! My favourite Renaissance woman out living the dream on the edge of civilization.
Wonderful! I would to have a camera like that...
Add me to the list of those who gasped at that lovely white baby blanket + red wine... I don't have many white things - they never stay that way. ;D
Loved the video....that baby blanket is beautiful!
Love your crocheting! can we order some blankets? the only one missing is Johnny by the fire too.
Now everyone I've shared this with wants the beautiful blanket!I just want your animals. OK, and that dreamy house of yours. (I do have wine.)
Oooo!~ I love these video leftovers!It looks like everyone likes trying to be a giraffe, including Smoochie-poo! ;)


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By Anna Maria Gillis
MARYLAND “I am not going to Kraśnik,” Esther Nisenthal told her parents one night in the fall of 1942. The Nisenthals lived in Mniszek, Poland. Like all Jews in this village, they had been ordered to leave their homes and go to the Kraśnik railroad station. From there they would be sent onward to what almost certainly would be their deaths.
Pleading, the fifteen-year-old insisted that her parents must know someone somewhere who would give them shelter. Finally, they named her father’s friend Stefan in the village of Dombrowa. The next morning, when her mother sent off Esther and her younger sister, Mania, she said, “Go, maybe you will live.”
The story of how Esther and Mania survived in Nazi-occupied Poland using their wits and false Catholic identities is revealed in the documentary Through the Eye of the Needle: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, which features Krinitz (who had been interviewed in 1997), her daughters, and the art that documents Krinitz’s life. Supported by the Maryland Humanities Council and produced by the nonprofit Art and Remembrance, the film aired earlier this year on Maryland Public Television and is now accompanying a traveling exhibit called “Fabric of Survival.” It was on view at Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum this summer before traveling to the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.
The exhibit, which includes thirty-six works that combine fabric collage and exquisite embroidery, tells in countless stitches and knots—and in saturated color—the story of a young Esther in happier times on her family’s farm. With her needle, Krinitz also chronicled the coming of the Nazis, fleeing from home, hiding in plain sight, the appearance of the Russians, and finally arriving and thriving in America.
Each collage is compelling in its own right. In Passover Matzos, Krinitz put her mother, making the holiday’s traditional dough, at the center. To the right, four women roll the dough. To the left, Mottel, the village shoemaker, scores the dough, and his son, Yankel, places it in the oven.


The sweet homeliness of the scene contrasts with the reportage in the stitched words beneath: “These were the last matzos we ever had in Mniszek.”
In one panel called Rosh Hashanah, Krinitz shows her venerable grandfather, wearing his prayer shawl and holding the shofar, or ram’s horn. In another, a Nazi officer grabs the patriarch’s beard and cuts it off with a bayonet. Digging Tank Trenches, with its beautiful green hills and autumn-clad trees, memorializes Itzhak, Mechel, Nachum, Golda, Elya, Hersh, and Ruben—seven village children who had been commandeered to do the hard work of making a way for tanks to get across the fields. “None of these boys and girls survived the war,” reads the embroidery.
Creating the pictures was her mother’s “way of connecting me and my sister with the family she had lost—her mother, her father, her sisters, her brother, nearly everyone that she loved in the world,” says Bernice Steinhardt in the documentary.
At the same time Krinitz captured people in thread, she often wove in the natural world—the river near her home, silvery birch trees, red-and-white mushrooms, knobbly pinecones, black-and-white cows. The contrast between sustaining beauty and atrocity is no more vivid than in Janiszew Prison Camp. To the right, the sisters are shown in June 1941 pasturing their cows on lush grass near the Vistula River, a vision of bucolic perfection. But only a line of trees separates the girls from a horrific scene of boys being whipped as they labor to build a dam. “I saw everything that was going on through the bushes,” Krinitz recalled in the film. “I saw them leading these boys into the forest and I heard shots, shots.”
For Steinhardt, Janiszew Prison Camp captures “the full reality of my mother’s life and of life in general in wartime.”
But it is to October 15, 1942, that Krinitz gave her greatest attention, creating five panels that begin with Esther and Mania saying their last goodbyes to their family, then following the girls in their paisley dresses to their ultimate destination.


The road shows a sea of people—women in bright head-scarves, children carrying baskets, and men with rucksacks—becoming tinier and tinier, until they disappear over the horizon. Above their heads fly crows, birds Krinitz associated with death. In the foreground, we see Esther and Mania parting again from loved ones. This time, it is their cousin, Dina, with her red-hooded baby in her arms.
Stefan’s House shows the girls embracing Stefan and hiding in his attic, and then departing. Stefan must send them off in the rain—marked in grayish stitches across their clothes—because “the whole of Mniszek knows you are here.” In the panel’s last scene, Krinitz has the sisters taking cover in the woods, fearful of being found and turned in. Five pounds of sugar was what the Germans were offering as a bounty on Jews.
Knowing they could no longer be their father’s daughters, Esther and Mania decided to be Catholic farm girls in search of work, says Steinhardt.
It was a ploy that had a chance of succeeding because Catholic Polish children did get separated from their families during the war. Esther went to church, went to confession, and carefully mimicked the Catholics around her. She was shielded by the old farmer from Grabowka who took her in. (He can be seen in a panel where Esther is on her knees tending strawberries while two German soldiers fend off the farmer’s bees.) The farmer told Esther to call him Dziadek, or grandfather, and he introduced her to strangers as his granddaughter. “He was very protective of her,” says Steinhardt, sending her off to hide whenever the Germans came to round up Polish children to be factory workers.
“It’s possible that he suspected she was Jewish, but if he did he never acknowledged it,” says Steinhardt. “He treated her as the girl she said she was.”
Luck, a “desperation to survive,” and deciding not to do as she was told all contributed to Krinitz living when others did not, says Steinhardt. She had “a trust in her own ability to stay alive.”


Food2Fork makes it easy to find great recipes.
Search by name or ingredients. View Top Socially Ranked Recipes.
Mushroom melts with spinach salad
- 4 large flat portobello mushrooms , stalks removed and discarded
- 1 shallot , finely sliced
- 1 small garlic clove , finely chopped
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices white bread - we used a bloomer loaf
- 140g gorgonzola cheese , sliced into 4 pieces
- 225g bag prepared young leaf spinach
Directions:View on BBC Good Food
Why don't we display directions?


ZCZC MIATWOEP ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
500 AM PDT MON JUL 25 2016
For the eastern North Pacific...east of 140 degrees west longitude:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical
Storm Frank, located a few hundred miles southwest of the southern
tip of the Baja California peninsula, and on Hurricane Georgette,
located about 1200 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the
Baja California peninsula.
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.


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Sitka & Spruce
Tucked in Capitol Hill’s bustling Melrose Market, Sitka & Spruce channels both the rustic and urban aesthetic, with its open-kitchen, communal tables, and small section of in-demand banquettes. Chef Matt Dillon is known for his global take on seasonal local ingredients. Anatolian stuffed-flatbread is paired with feta, rainbow chard, and sumac. Locally crafted morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), mingles flavors with caramelized apple and flageolet. The wine list skews heaviy to Italy and France, with nods here and there to Washington and Oregon states.


Samsung and LG Reportedly Exploring Sapphire Crystal Displays
May 23, 2014 § Leave a comment
Apple is leading the way in the adoption of sapphire, with the company producing the material in limited quantities in its new Arizona plant. A portion of this material is expected to land the iPhone 6 and possibly the iWatch as a scratch-resistant display material. According to Korean media reports (via GforGames), both Samsung and LG are showing renewed interest in sapphire following Apple’s early success in manufacturing the material.
Furnaces for sapphire glass production
LG and Samsung allegedly explored the feasibility of using sapphire in their phones last year, but rejected the material due to the high cost of production. Now that Apple is moving forward with the material, Samsung and LG are reevaluating their earlier decisions, reaching out to sapphire glass manufacturers and requesting product samples for examination.
This year however, the aforementioned Korean tech giants might be forced by the industry to reconsider their decision. With numerous other gadget manufacturers putting a lot of thought into making sapphire glass feasible, and with Apple already operating the sapphire glass processing plant in US, Arizona, LG and Samsung are supposedly going to jump on the sapphire display bandwagon sooner rather than later.
Sapphire may be a critical component of Apple’s rumored iWatch, providing an outer scratch-resistant layer to the wrist-worn device. Recent rumors also suggest Apple may incorporate a sapphire crystal display into its upcoming iPhone 6. A recent research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests the initial supply of sapphire displays could be limited, forcing Apple to use the material only in select high-end models of the upcoming handset.
from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – All Stories http://ift.tt/1vRSpDu


Did you know that your child's car seat has an expiration date?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are expirations on child safety seats, but there may be no laws that actually enforce the dates posted.
Car seat manufacturers typically follow the voluntary Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association guidelines, which suggest replacing a car seat after 6 years, or by the date provided by the manufacturer on the car seat.
Car seats can go through a lot of wear and tear from children as well as sitting in the sun and other outside factors like pieces deteriorating or breaking. They were created to keep children safe and secure in the event of a car accident, so it is important they are in optimal condition.
Along with being in good condition, it is imperative to secure the seat and your child properly. If you are unsure of the proper way to secure a child care seat in your vehicle, please contact a local fire or police station for help. They are able to advise guardians on the correct procedures.
Car accidents can be scary and dangerous, so we must take the necessary precautions to keep our families as safe as possible.
If you or a loved one become injured in an auto accident, you may need a car accident attorney to get you medical treatment and your medical bills paid.
Conway Car Accident Lawyer, Dirk Derrick, at The Derrick Law Firm has over 29 years of experience in personal injury including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and falls, workers' compensation, wrongful death, and insurance claims.
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Gold prices rose on Thursday as a rally in the U.S. dollar showed signs of fatigue after the currency hit its highest in nearly 14 years against a basket of currencies the day before.
Spot gold was up 0.3 percent at $1,228.47 an ounce at 0812 GMT, after dropping 0.25 percent in the previous session. U.S. gold futures rose 0.33 percent to $1,228.00 an ounce. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, slipped 0.23 percent to 100.180, as moderate U.S. inflation data drove a flattening of the U.S. Treasury yield curve.
The index climbed to 100.57 on Wednesday, which was its highest since April 2003, after a week-long rally mainly driven by the post-election surge in U.S. bond yields as traders bet President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will adopt inflationary policies. “The dollar was higher and gold was sold. Now, the dollar has given away gains and gold is steady,” said Yuichi Ikemizu, head of commodity trading at Standard Bank in Tokyo.
Source: Reuters UK


The ordinary bugle head screw will pull down flush in softwoods, but it will remain slightly above the surface in hardwood. Some bugle-head
screws have sharp nibs below their heads to cut away the wood below the
head as you drive the screw. This type will pull flush even in hardwood.
Roundhead screws have a flat bottom, so they don’t have to be countersunk. The
rounded top extends above the wood surface. Roundhead screws are usually used
for attaching hardware. Panhead screws are similar to roundhead screws, but the
head is flattened on top so it doesn’t extend as much above the surface.
Screws are commonly available with recesses in their heads to fit the following three types of screwdriver:
straight blade, Phillips, and square (Illus. 10-8). Screws that take a straight-blade screwdriver are often called slotted-head screws. This is the oldest type of screw. Slotted-head screws work fine when you are driving screws by hand, but they are hard to use with a power screwdriver.
The Phillips-head screw has a cross-shaped recess in its head. This type is much easier to drive with a power screwdriver because the bit doesn’t jump off the screw head as easily. Phillips-head screws have become increasingly popular as more and more people use power screwdrivers.
The square-head screw has a square recess in its head. Although it is not as
widely available as the Phillips-head screw, it is increasingly popular among
wood- workers because it offers an even better grip for the screwdriver bit.
There are several other types of screwdriver designs, but at present they are
mostly used in industrial applications.
The traditional wood screw thread pattern is an old design that was based mostly
on the limitations of thread-cutting machinery of a century ago. It has two disadvantages.
First, it requires a two-step pilot hole, one size for the threaded portion and
a slightly larger size hole for the shank. Second, the threads are fairly shallow,
so the screw’s holding power is limited.


Locksmiths have increased in number. You will now find lots of companies offering the locksmith services to match with any needs that you might be having with your locks. The services are quite helpful in securing an area and getting out of trouble, especially when you have lost your keys which in most cases would lead to breaking down the doors to gain access. The professionals are trained to handle any kind of issue and need and you will therefore easily find the best solutions to what you are faced with currently.
The trained pros can offer a variety of services and you can choose to suit your needs. Some of the most common services that you stand to enjoy when you choose professional locksmiths include the following:
The home has plenty of valuable and it is one of the areas that you treasure the most. The security of your home therefore cannot be ignored and you should get the very best. When you hire the professionals, you will enjoy locksmith services which include installation, repairs and replacements of pick resistant locks, entry gate locks, screen door locks, sliding door locks, gates and bars locks and high security locks. You can also enjoy re-keying of the entire house, fast lockout services and get decorative handle sets. The services are endless and will depend on what you want and what your selected company can offer you.
The office is just as important or the area from where you run your business. Fortunately the professional locksmiths also offer plenty of commercial services that you can choose to suit your needs. The services that you can enjoy include installation, repairs and replacements of new locks, file cabinets and safes, panic bars, lockout services, mortise systems and master key systems. You can also have any of your locks re-keyed just to enhance the security within your commercial area. Apart from security within your business indoors, the outdoors can also be taken care of by secured gates and entry points.
Your automotive does have locks and this means that you might at some point need locksmith services. The trained professionals can handle these kinds of troubles too. Among the services that you can enjoy for your automotive include emergency vehicle and trunk opening, lockout service, lost keys replacement, key cutting, removal or broken keys, laser key cutting, keyless remotes, replacements and repairs of ignition locks and replacements and repairs of auto locks of any kind. You can also have high security vehicle installation and computer chip keys.


The services are numerous that you will easily find a solution to any car need that you have.
When choosing the best locksmiths to handle your needs, always take the time to look at what they have to offer and at what rates and how convenient the services are for you. It also pays to choose locksmiths who are trained, certified and insured. The expertise and experience of your locksmith can determine his efficiency so be sure to consider this too. professional locksmith services


Florida Gators baseball knocks off Alabama to advance to SEC Tournament semifinals
HOOVER, Ala — Florida advanced to Saturday's semifinals of the SEC Baseball Tournament with a 7-2 win over Alabama in Thursday's third round at Hoover Met. Stadium.
No. 6 seed Florida (38-19) is rewarded with a day off Friday and will next play at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Gators have three tourney wins by outscoring opponents 24-4 to strengthen their bid to host an NCAA Tournament regional next weekend. They would most likely need to win the tournament to host a Super Regional.
10th-seeded Alabama (31-23) will play No. 2 seed Tennessee (43-15) in an 11 a.m. ET elimination game Friday. The game was moved up because of projected inclement weather conditions.
More baseball:Fabian, three others receive SEC honors
UF starter Franco Alemán (2-4) scattered five hits over a career-high seven shutout innings. He walked one, hit two by pitch and struck out four.
"I think the story for us today was Franco Aleman and the start that he gave us," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "I felt like he pitched really good last weekend at Arkansas, and he certainly built off that today.
"He's making the most of the four pitches of the ball game. He's figuring that out ... There's a reason we kept him in the rotation as long as we did, because we figured if we had a chance to do what this team ultimately wants to do, he was going to have to be one of our three starters."
Trey Van Der Weide pitched a scoreless eighth and closer Jack Leftwich came in the ninth inning and allowed two runs on a walk, hit by pitch and two singles before ending the game.
Nathan Hickey blasted his ninth home run of the season to put UF up in the sixth inning.
The Gators made it 4-0 in the seventh inning off Bama starter Dylan Smith (1-8). Sterlin Thompson started it with a double and scored on Cory Acton's double. Acton then stole third. Mac Guscette drove in Acton with a groundout to make it 3-0. Jacob Young followed with his fifth home run of the season.


The Gators extended the lead to 7-0 in the eighth, highlighted by Thompson's run-scoring single and Acton's two-run single.
Young and Thompson led Florida's 14-hit attack with three each, while Acton had two hits and three runs batted in.
Florida will play the Tennessee-Alabama winner at 1 p.m. Saturday when the tourney goes back to being single elimination. The championship game is set for 3 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
What: Semifinal of SEC Baseball Tournament
Who: Florida vs. Tennessee-Alabama winner
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Radio: AM-850, 98.1-FM


This page will assume you are coming as an immigrant. It's not the only option, you could come on a 3 year temporary resident visa or an extended tourist visa (both offer some subset of these benefits).
As a new immigrant you are eligible for immigration assistance from the Jewish Agency (Sochnut Yehudit in Hebrew), immigration benefits from the Ministry of Absorption (the Misrad HaKlita), and citizen benefits as all other Israeli citizens. Plus there are other sources of assistance as well (such as the AACI - Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel).
Some of these benefits are free, some have strings attached, and some are a rope you put around your neck and hope to get off before it chokes you to death. The trick, of course, is knowing which is which.
Warning note: This information is constantly changing (particularly the
specific monetary amounts), may differ depending on marital status and family
size, and may be subject to the "interpretation" of the office/clerk
with which you are dealing. Therefore accuracy for your particular
situation is definitely not guaranteed!
How Current Is This Information?
These pages were written about an aliyah experience in 1996. Much has changed since then and Israel has officially become part of the ranks of first world countries. Organizations such as Nefesh b'Nefesh have arisen to streamline and smooth the aliyah experience, providing English speaking helpers on both sides of the experience (before and in Israel), performing some of the previously complex government steps, and even providing some direct funding assistance in making the transition.
The Jewish Agency has a long history of helping immigrants come to Israel. They allocate resources and set rules depending on country of origin. So, they assume that an immigrant from Ethiopia needs much greater help than one from Canada (probably a safe assumption.) Over the past 15 years they have had a new problem of many immigrants coming, collecting benefits, and then leaving. Therefore they have placed many restrictions on their benefits (which may only be noted in the Hebrew fine print on the back page of contracts which you sign to receive the benefits). Buyer beware (actually, receiver beware), the restrictions can be severe.


Registration with the Jewish Agency
Anyone receiving any benefits from The Jewish Agency signs that they will register their current address with the Jewish Agency and keep them informed of any change of address for their first 3 years in the country (in writing, within a couple days of moving).
Anyone immigrating from the US (meaning, filling out immigration papers and getting approval while in the US) may receive a 1-way plane ticket to Israel (on El-Al airlines) free (well, almost free, you must pay a deductible per ticket, $100 in 1996.)
To receive this benefit contact an Aliyah Shaliach (immigration representative) in the US and request it.
The Catch: Repay if you Leave
The catch? If you permanently leave Israel within 3 years after receiving the ticket you're on the hook to repay the Jewish Agency for the cost of the ticket.
The Jewish Agency will give a no-interest loan no-payments for 2 years loan to assist in moving (in 1996 the maximum amount was $1,200). All that is required is filling out and signing a contract for it in the US (with the money to be picked up in Israel).
To receive this benefit, in theory you only need to contact the Aliyah Shaliach while in the US and sign a few papers (but read below).
The Catch: Israeli-based Guarantors Required
Although all US paperwork states that nothing more is required, it's
wrong. The Israeli financial branch of the Jewish Agency will not give you
this loan without having 2 co-signers in Israel. Oh, and catch #2, no
interest it may be but it is pegged to one of the Israeli cost-of-living
indexes, which increases 10-15% per year (a 15% no interest loan, neat huh?)
The Jewish Agency will place you in a temporary housing center (usually an apartment building of some sort) for new immigrants for up to 6 months free. However, this benefit can only be exercised if the reservation is made before arriving from the US and has age and marital status restrictions.
Another alternative is to be placed in temporary absorption housing (usually small mobile homes). The difference being that absorption housing is actually low-cost housing set aside for use by new immigrants whereas an absorption center is an institution run by the Jewish Agency.


To get placement in a Jewish Agency temporary housing center (a Mercaz Klita) you must contact an Aliyah Shaliach in the US before coming to Israel.
Absorption Center (Mercaz Klita) Catch #1: It's NOT Free, It's a Loan
The value of the rent is accrued as a loan which you must begin to repay after being in-country for 2 years. Again, is a no-interest loan pegged to the cost-of-living (up to 15% per year). Oh, and the conditions in absorption centers range from rather nice to welfare hotel level. Plus you have to pay utilities. Granted the cost is about 40% of market prices for rent.
A true story by an immigrant: "We arranged to be placed in an absorption center on arrival. The Jewish Agency representative said he found us a nice center in the area we wanted (Haifa as I had some job prospects there) that catered to Americans. On arrival (with our young children) we found a run-down building with worn out rusty metal frame furniture, a refrigerator the size of a 2 drawer filing cabinet, a hotplate with 2 burners (no oven or any other appliance), no bathtub (a shower-head in the side of a wall with a hole in the floor for showering), and 4 washing machines (2 of which were broken) for 300 families. And, everyone was speaking SPANISH. Seems that it was an absorption center for South Americans. If they want to send you to Mercaz Klita Sapir in Kiryat Yam, DON'T GO!"
Now I have also heard about some nice absorption centers for Americans (specifically in Kfar Saba and Rannana), but again immigrant beware!
Absorption Center (Mercaz Klita) Catch #2: Age and Marital Status Restrictions
"It's next to impossible for a 51 year old, single person to find place in an Absorption Center." So says a very recent US immigrant. "Understand that there is a distinction between Klita (absorption) and Mercaz Klita (Jewish Agency absorption centers). A Mercaz Klita does NOT take people who are single and in their 40s or 50's."


Absorption Housing (Klita)
"Here's the deal on Klita (absorption) which is not in a Mercaz Klita
(absorption center). You receive the Ulpan (Hebrew training)
subsidy. You go to a mortgage bank with your documents and sign up for the
rent subsidy (rent subsidy is not
available to those in an Absorption Center). These are both total
subsidies. You do however, pay rent and utilities monthly for your
apartment. My deal worked this way, I paid 420 shekel a month rent (in a
Caravan - mobile home - area for new immigrants). I receive a rent subsidy
every 6 months of 1500 shekel. I received an Ulpan subsidy of 1100 shekel
a month. That equates with unemployment for a new immigrant for someone
who has never worked in Israel -- in the first year."
The Jewish Agency offers free language classes for new immigrants (actually the classes are funded by the Ministry of Absorption, but most are offered by the Jewish Agency). The classes are offered at 3 levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Each class runs 5 months (5 days a week for ~4 hours per day) and classes start twice a year. Classes are available at various locations throughout Israel. Plus, if you (and your spouse if your married) are both not working while taking the classes (and if you complete the full level 1 program) they will pay you ~10,000 shekels for having completed the classes. (However, only a daytime program, if you take a nighttime program they will assume you were working and not pay.)
To receive this benefit speak with a Jewish Agency representative after arriving in Israel. They will direct you to the nearest Ulpan, where you can register for the next term.
The Catch: None.
No catch, and it's a very good idea to take at least level 1 (Uplan alef) if
you are not conversational in Hebrew. However, note that there are other
organizations that offer these classes as well. Ulpan-Akiva (in Netanya)
is the most famous and considered the best language school in the country (but
it's not free). Some yeshivot in Jerusalem also offer language classes
combined with Torah study (for free).


The Ministry of Absorption provides a number of benefits for new immigrants. Most expire after 3 years with a few lasting 5 years. No benefits from the Ministry of Absorption have any strings or catches.
During your first 3 years in Israel you may import household goods from your country of origin 3 times tax free. 3 times means 3 shipments, you may only import a "reasonable" amount of "household" goods. A reasonable amount means 1 of most appliances, 1 bed per family member, 1 house worth of furniture, you get the idea.
Alternatively you may purchase any Israeli manufactured or Israeli assembled product 1 time tax free (again during your first 3 years). So, you can buy an Israeli made refrigerator paying no local taxes or import one (you can't do both).
For advice on whether to import or purchase appliances, see the Appliances page.
If you exceed what's "reasonable" to import you will pay customs duty. The definition of "reasonable" is purely in the hands of the customs agent (as is the definition of what's "household", for example, maybe since you don't use a lawnmower in the house it's not a household item and therefore subject to import duty).
To receive this benefit on purchases you must mention your immigrant status during a purchase. The store will provide you with some papers that you must take to the nearest Ministry of Taxation office along with your immigration certificate (teudat oleh). After having the papers stamped and returning to the store you may receive your purchase (except for a refrigerator which, when purchased tax free, can only be received via delivery from the factory, which takes a minimum of 3 weeks).
To receive this benefit on imports you will take your immigration certificate and your US passport to the shipping company after the arrival of your shipment in Israel. Their agent will handle the processing for you (for an additional previously unmentioned fee, of course).
Pre-School is from 3 to 5 years old. The Ministry of Absorption will pay 90% of the cost of the pre-school of your choice (religious or secular) for your first 3 years in Israel.
To receive this benefit you must request it and present your immigration certificate to the school.
For up to 5 years the Ministry of Absorption will help you pay your rent (if
you rent).


The benefit is a decreasing monthly amount starting around $150
per month (for families with 3 children or more) and going down from there
To receive this benefit you must apply for it at a bank via their home mortgage division. You must present your certificate of immigration, US passport, Israeli ID card and a copy of your lease (in Hebrew and having been stamped as having paid the document tax). While it takes about a month, they will pre-pay you in 4 or 8 month increments.
As mentioned in the Taxes Page, technically all cities/towns are supposed to give a 90% reduction in property taxes for 1 year. Some cities/towns may offer some ongoing reduction for up to 3 years.
Why did I write "supposed to". Well, most cities in Israel have a very tight or deficit budget. They don't want to give this discount. One method of decreasing this benefit that I have personally encountered is only giving the discount on a portion of the tax on an apartment. Meaning, if the tax is NIS 1,000, they will give the 90% discount on only the first NIS 600 (after that no discount).
While a new immigrant is not working and not in an Absorption Center (Mercaz Klita), he may receive unemployment payments for up to 2 years.
I have no direct information on the amount or restrictions, but I have heard,
for an immigrant family (of 3 children) the amount was around NIS 2,500 per
month. (If anyone reading this has better information, please e-mail me
There is some significant home loan assistance/grant amount. It is dependent on family size and is available during your first 5 years in country only.
(I have no additional information on this area, if anyone reading this has
better information, please e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.org)
|An Israeli at least one child under the age of 18, living in Israel.|
|An Israeli who supported a child who is not his child for at least 12 months.|
The Benefit -
as of January 1999 (in NIS)
|One child||Two children||Three children||Four children||Five children||Six children|
More than 6? Each additional child gets an additional NIS 556.
No strings, no income restrictions, tax free. A nice deal for families with children.


Here's some brief info on additional benefits available as a citizen:
|Unemployment & Severance pay are by law.|
|Demobilized soldiers get a special subsidy.|
|Big families can get a reduction on their water bill.|
The AACI offers all new immigrants a 6 month free membership. Benefits of an AACI membership include:
|Access to an English language library (if they have one in your area).|
|Free counseling and advice on aliyah issues.|
|Real no-interest emergency loans (but co-signers required and, I think, a $1,000 limit).|
|Various classes and social functions.|
|Discounts at a variety of businesses around Israel.|
It's worth your while as a new immigrant to check out the AACI and see if they offer some benefits for you.


Is God Speaking or Giving "Signs" in the Here and Now?
PART 3 of the series on The Supernatural in the Church
by Terry L. Craig
copyright © 2008 & 2012
A spiritual “manifestation,” be it prophecy or a spiritual gift or or the account of of an angelic visit can cause division, anger, grief, fear, or even confusion. Should these negative reactions be considered proof that the manifestation isn't from the Lord?
Before you answer, be reminded of the upheaval that the appearance of Jesus Christ caused (and is still causing!) on this planet. Remember that many of the established religious teachers and authority figures felt so threatened by Jesus that they would do anything to keep their followers away from Him. They didn't see the things Jesus did as Scriptural! Be reminded that the final provocation for these leaders happened when Jesus called Lazarus, a man who'd been dead for four days, out of the grave. They didn't say, "OH look at that!!! Jesus raised someone from the dead! WOW! He MUST be the Messiah!" No. They said, "If He keeps doing things like this, we'll lose our congregations! We must kill Him!" Talk about division, anger, and fear. But the fact that people were angry and afraid didn't alter the reality that God came to them, called to them, and did many mighty works.
Even after Jesus' resurrection, an eye witness account of this could lead to the death of the one who gave it. Today, in a "free" country like America, saying you've accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior can cause those around you to be angry, grieved, and confused. In many other countries it can still earn you a prison sentence, the loss of all you own, the disgust of your family, torture, and maybe death. Following Jesus can bring division and strife -- even in your own household. So things like division, confusion, anger . . . cannot be how we determine what is of the Lord and what is not.
WEIGHING THE MESSENGER, THE MESSAGE, AND THE SOURCE
One means people use to discern if the Lord is at work is to look at the messenger.


It is wise to know those who labor among us, to know those we call to minister with us and to look at their fruit, but in our mobile, mega-church, YouTube, internet society how often is this really possible? How often can we honestly say we know another person? How many Christian leaders have shocked us when their secret behaviors are finally exposed? There will be more on the topic of messengers in the next article. For now, suffice to say it has become extremely difficult to truly KNOW those who claim to preach and teach in the name of the Lord.
Yet God's word says that even when we think we can trust the messenger, or even when someone works signs and wonders among us, we are still called to test the message—because in doing so, we get our biggest clues as to its source and this should be of utmost interest to us.
Always try to keep in mind that manifestations of power aren't given for our amusement, astonishment, or to merely assist us in some material way. Their purpose is to get us to accept a message and to trust the source of it. If the message doesn't point you to Jesus, if it speaks of a different gospel -- then all the signs and words are worthless.
A pickpocket will try to occupy your eyes and your thoughts with a distraction so you don't see what he is really doing. A con man will disarm your discernment so he can get what he wants from you -- often with your assistance! So it is with some of those who claim to work supernatural wonders.
The following is a quote from Paul's letter to the church at Galatia where some were being conned by men who claimed angelic visitations. Once the claim of angelic visitations got the attention of people in the church, these men started preaching a different Gospel (message) which would take people away from the simple grace offered by Jesus Christ and have them performing works in order to be holy and in right standing with God. Paul had some strong words about this. The following quote is from The Amplified Version of the Bible. (In this translation, key words and phrases are further clarified in brackets or defined in parentheses in order to clarify meaning.)


"I am surprised and astonished that you are so quickly turning renegade and deserting Him Who invited and called you by the grace (unmerited favor) of Christ (the Messiah) [and that you are transferring your allegiance] to a different [even an opposition] gospel. Not that there is [or could be] any other [genuine Gospel], but there are [obviously] some who are troubling and disturbing and bewildering you with a different kind of teaching which they offer as a gospel] and want to pervert and distort the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah) [into something which it absolutely is not]. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)!" [Galatians 1:6-9 TAB]
Paul told them that the problem (and the revealing factor in their case) was the message. The claim of angelic visitation was to get the people to accept a false message. Paul said that to accept the false message was to desert God and the gospel!
Even though we are called to test the message, many Christians are so distracted by the messenger or his signs they don't accurately weigh what they are hearing. Some race to embrace spiritual "fads" that eventually turn out to be false. When the trail dead ends, those who took it look foolish. Others will avoid fads but not because of discernment. They stay back because they fear looking foolish. To them I would say being a captive of fear is no better than being fooled by a fad.
Each of us must decide if we believe that Almighty God is capable of speaking to us and displaying His power in the here and now. If so, we must then decide if we want a life open to what He wants or a life controlled by human desires and fears (including those of leaders). The choices we make will influence our lives, the lives of our families, our fellowships, and even the world around us. We will each be called to give an account for those choices when we stand before the Lord. (As in the parable of the talents given in Matthew 25:14-30).
The essence of Christianity is that the believer has become the temple of the living God -- "Christ in you."