#made now. could they even recognize our designs as belonging to the same category of object as their little toy

[moderatetoaboveaverage]

"Boil water to turn fan" as if multistage steam turbine generators are not one of the sexiest kinds of machines every made

nuclear power is impressive until you get up to why. "we use the most precisely engineered machinery ever created to split atoms to release energy" oh yeah how come? "boil water to turn a fan" get the fuck out

[writing-the-end]

LoL Chapter 38- Potions

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU, designs, ideas belongs to @theguardiansofredland)

Redland, the capitol city of magic, where the hermits hope to gather the supplies they need if they hope to survive the Hangman’s Playground. While Etho and Stress are gathering potions, they meet unlikely allies- with closer ties than they expect.

______________________________

Redland stretches to the sky, the quirky nature of magic on full show even in the architecture of the city. Towers peaked with rotund pinnacles, painted bright and distinctive colors. All levels of the city are full of the bright, baubled roofs. The main street and busy sections of the city are perfectly manicured, hedges with vibrant flowers and verdant greens, but when the hermits look down calm alleys and quiet streets, nature has settled against the brickwork and grown between the cobble, nature filling in with it’s own eccentric accents. 

The hermits wander through the city, an eclectic town full of wandering walkways, silent speakeasies, and unique universities. The schools of magic sit across from each other, students of offensive magic having lunch with students studying performance arcana. Bright banners wave in the breeze. Shops are full of any and every kind of item, a bazaar of the magic and mundane. Some shops boast large inventories, enchantments made enmasse and sold to large crowds- glamors were a favorite. Others host the antique and unique. No rhyme or reason what they hold, useless lamps next to powerful staffs.

TFC turns to Xisuma. “Can you divvy up the gold? We can cover more ground finding supplies for our mission if we separate.” 

“What I wouldn’t give for that sky kid’s magic right now.” Xisuma sighs, digging out the gold and handing it off to various groups of hermits. 

Stress and Etho glance at one another. “I think we’re gonna look for some potions firstly. If we go to the alchemy academy, I’m absolutely positive we’ll find somethin’.” 

“And if not, we can… convince a student to help us get what we want.” Etho pats his back, feeling his kusarigama tucked in his light, silent material. 

“Don’t forget to ask about the ingredients!” BDubs shouts as the two walk away, towards the bright green and yellow tower that holds the school of potion brewing. “Silvershade is not the same as Shadesilver!” 

Stress shakes her head, and challenges Etho to a footrace through the city. He accepts with a grin, and they take off down the main avenue. She laughs, feeling a sense of freedom in how strong the magic is in the city. Redland embodies everything magic is. It’s natural, it's eclectic, it’s bright, it’s unique. And every flower blooming in between the cobblestones, every shop full of mysterious wares and magical amulets, is full of that spirit. 

She turns her head, calling back to Etho from over her shoulder. “I’m gonna win, try an’ catch me!” 

From beneath the midnight blue mask that covers Etho’s nose and lips, a coy grin appears. He’s given Stress the lead, only to shock his friend when he wins. His mismatched eyes glimmer with mischief, and he turns. Running straight into a tree. 

Straight into a tree’s shadow. He leaves the plane of existence, and skids on his feet as he enters the shadow realm. Grey, calming mist dances through shadows, and his feet tapping through puddles of water across the floor. In all the time he’s spent in this realm, he can never truly understand it. He doesn’t know why it’s so misty, impossible to see more than a few meters in front of him. Or where the mist comes from, dancing in the darkness. Why it’s damp, like a rain had just occurred. He’s never seen it rain here. He also has no clue why it smells funky in here. Like a wayward explosion matched with rotten fish. Is there even anything more than a puddle around here? 

No matter. Etho’s winning this race. He takes off in the direction he and Stress were running, feeling himself pass through buildings, hedges, even people in the other realm. It’s a tingly feeling in his belly. Once he’s sure he’s made it to the alchemy school, he casts his magic, tossing it in front of him to reenter the mortal realm. 

He passes right through it. He stumbles and crashes to the floor, not so ninja-like. “Dammit, no not now!” 

There’s no discernable shadows for him to jump through. The sun must be tucked behind a cloud. Too big a swath of darkness for him to use, too general. He paces, tossing a circle with every turn of his heels, running through each time. He did this to beat Stress, being a badass and a bastard. He specializes in that delicate balance of the two.  But instead, he’s stuck in the stinky shadow realm, and worse he lost the footrace. 

His spell casts again, but when he walks through this time, he’s met by the blinding bright light of the sun. And Stress’s gleeful cackle. “You cheated! None of that magical stuff!” 

“What does it matter, it didn’t work.” He states, but he’s smiling all the same. Etho runs his hand over his white hair, tugging it away from his face so he can see the alchemy tower in full. “Should we check the shops first? What are we even looking for?” 

“Queen Erlea said we’re gonna need some healing potions and deterrents for the forest. I can assume mental and emotional potions are in that category.” Stress counts along the street full of potion shops, before spinning around and letting fate decide where they search first. A bright green shop, the window filled with potted plants and chaotic cats. Stress squeals at the sight of the kittens and bolts to the shop. Etho follows behind, grabbing the door before it can slam back to it’s jamb, without disturbing the sunbathing felines. 

They peruse this store. And the next. And the next. Finding healing potions was easy, and with Etho’s aggressive bartering they’re even discounted. Bottles of bright pink liquid, bundles of travel sized form- gummy chews easy to pop into one’s mouth-, and tiny tinctures full of potent life saving potions. 

But no matter what store they enter, how many times they ask or persuade, no one sells mental potions. Some say they’re pseudomagic, others that they’re too hard to create. And after being kicked out of another alchemy shop, Stress and Etho are sitting on the sidewalk, bouncing ideas across each other. 

“Maybe we don’t need them? Maybe the others will find supplies that can do the job?” Etho offers. 

“Or perhaps we can search Joe’s library to find something else.” Stress flops back, ignoring how she blocks the sidewalk as she stares up at the sky. “Where can we get mental barrier potions but Redland?” 

“Why not try making them ourselves?” Etho looks over, gazing at the Alchemy tower. “I bet that school has every book, ingredient, and setup ever invented. We’re clever and smart, we’re hermits after all. If no one makes them, we’ll make them ourselves.” 

Stress reclines up to her elbows, squinting her eyes. “Yer right, Etho. Think you can get us into one of them potion rooms of the school?” 

“Do I think I can? I know I can.” Etho snickers. They walk through the open doors of the school, bustling past students young and old, human or kipling or insectia or even bacca, boy or girl or otherwise. Etho pulls down his mask to fit in with the crowd, though his hair always sticks out. Stress keeps close to him, glancing around the halls. For a second, she swears she sees someone looking at her, but she ducks her head and keeps moving. They turn a cornerl, following the signs for potion labs. Listening for one room to be empty. Etho stops at the doorway of one. Closes his eyes, and walks through a shadow. 

But he returns from where he entered. “No, no it’s all dark in there! Why don’t they have anything boiling, any lamps or anything! What kind of lab is this?” 

“My lab, and what do you plan to do with my laboratory?” A strong, clear voice cuts through both hermits like a knife, and they both freeze. Maybe if they don’t move, the voice will move on. But instead, another voice rises up. 

“You’re hermits, are you not?” A younger, sharp voice drawls. “I was told about you. Didn’t expect two of you bitches to be sneakin’ into my professor’s lab.” 

Etho makes a bolt for the nearest shadow, but he passes right through the shadow and back into light. Stumbling down the hall, he’s dragged back to the professor and student combo, while Stress is turned around to face them. Etho taps his fingers. “We were just… looking around! Trying to find the bathrooms.” 

The student looks up at the professor, eyebrows rising from a serious face. He nods, clasping his hands behind his back. The student grins, tucks a lock of black hair behind an elongated ear, and snaps her fingers. 

“We’re sneakin’ inta the lab to make potions!” Stress claps her hand over her mouth. She didn’t mean to say that. Why did she say that? “No one makes what we need to enter the Forest of Memories!” 

“The Forest of Memories? Red said you were batshit crazy, but that…” Etho picks up his head, vaguely recognizing the name. 

“Well, you could have just asked for my keys.” Sylaeus shrugs, producing a ring full of mismatched keys and dangling chains. “Selene, be a dear and get these two my Encyclopedia of Potions. I’ll start up the burners.” 

Shock registers on both hermits faces, but Selene dutifully saunters down the hall, turning and entering a large door in the passage. Stress walks into the lab, admiring the collection of jars, half finished potions, and ingredients kept in the room. But Etho no longer has the inclination to enter. “Why are you helping us? We just tried to break into your lab.” 

“If you need a potion that badly that you would try to break into my office, you must need it for good reason. Adventuring into the Forest of Memories is one hell of a reason at that.” Sylaeus ignites a flame beneath a long, complicated series of funnels, tubes, and flasks. He tempers the flame, fire glimmering of his intense gaze. “Besides, it means I get to teach more about potions.” 

Selene returns with the book, hefting a tome as large as her torso and twice as thick. “So what the hell kind of potions are you guys going to make?” 

“Potions that will negate our fears and dampen the effects of the forest?” Stress tries her best to repeat what Queen Erlea suggested. “Maybe some repel potions as well?” 

The long eared mage hauls open the book, flipping through the pages with intense, glaring eyes. She stops, turning it around for Etho and Stress to see. “You had to request the most difficult potions to fucking make. It’s a damn good thing I spent the past month gathering more than enough supplies for you to use.” 

And with the guidance of Sylaeus and his student, Etho and Stress get to work. The careful art of alchemy came naturally to both hermits- Stress’s attention to detail let her see exactly when the right shade of amber for the potion appeared, while Etho’s perceptive training and patience guide him through finding just the right mixture of Silvershade and shadesilver. Even Sylaeus complimented his new students on their fine work. 

“While we’re waiting for the mixture to cool, would either of you like a drink?” She waves her hand, and four cups appear before them. The professor grins, swiping a drink and guzzling the never ending cup down. 

“My student’s finest mixture.” Sylaeus grins, patting his apprentice on the top of her fluffy, long mane of hair. 

“Is it a healing potion?” Etho questions. “Or maybe a stamina potion?” 

“Lemonade. Sip sip bitch.” Selene retorts, deadpanned. 

“Miss Selene, are you a multi-mage? You used telekinesis to drag Etho back before, but now you used summoning magic.” Stress takes a drink, shocked to watch that her cup is never ending. “A-and some kind of spatial magic?” 

“Selene here is my best student for more reasons than one. Not only can she brew better potions than even master alchemists, but she also spent years studying magic until she gained power of her own.” Sylaeus sees the confusion on the two’s face, and lets Selene fill them in. 

“I was born without magic.” She states. “It’s rare, but it happens. I wasn’t ready to give up on myself yet. I spent days and nights, studying every book I could get my hands on, watching the other kids use their magic. With enough time and dedication, I found the power within myself. Whatever magic I study, I can create.” 

Stress has tears welling in her eyes by the time the story is over. “What a lovely tale, an’ look at you now! All that persistence and never givin’ up paid off!” 

“I’m sure Selene could have lived her life without magic, or have chosen a darker route to gain power. But it’s her own magic, and she’s a proud S-Class wizard!” Sylaeus beams like a father, a teacher proud of his student.

The potion behind them starts to rapidly shift colors, and all four descend upon it to add the last ingredient- prismarine shards shed from a guardian. Etho wonders where Selene got such a prized ingredient, something most kiplings aren’t willing to part with.

 In a puff of smoke, the potion stabilizes. Selene corks the bottle, writing in scrawling handwriting of it’s intention, and hands it off to Stress. She also guides them out, an orb of soft white light guiding them down the halls of the academy. 

Etho’s reminded of one other person who had seemingly unlimited types of magic. “You know… Magistrate Dolios claims to be a multi-mage, but his magic is a lot like yours.” 

“Watch it, asshole.” Selene growls, opening the door and letting them out of the Alchemy tower. “I think we both know that the magistrate lies about everything. Perhaps that includes how he got his magic.”

[reflectionsbymahnoor]

At the end of the day, it’s all about design

What do the terms “design” and “artifice” mean to a person? When I think of “design” the first words that I usually think of are “arrangement” or “innovation” or even “creativity.” However, it was interesting to know how designing is actually conceiving an idea, and developing it into a product that provides a sense of purpose. It aims to enhance the overall interactive experience with a product or system. I always perceived design as a singular term. Little was I aware that an entire spectrum was present within it. The concept of the four orders of design was fascinating in itself. Being introduced to each individual category was another eye-opening moment for me as I learned about how each design form enhanced our interaction and communication in its own way. From something as simple as food to something as vast as an entire country, everything thrives on design. Now that I recognize this, it is evident that all this design was always present around me, yet I could not analyze and appreciate its intricacies in the way I can now. It really goes unnoticed because we don’t realize how design is embedded in the human mind by default. In fact, we have customized our routines and surroundings only because we have been programmed to function with design. Since everyone’s perception of design varies, it makes each of our environs unique.

However, after further contemplation, one can find even more categories to compartmentalize our environments in. Through a simple exercise of simply listing down what I own, the number of newer divisions that I could later categorize those objects in was also astounding. From various affinity diagrams to mind maps, it was up to us how we perceived our world and further categorized it. This only made it easier for me as a person, as I could break down my world into smaller blocks and appreciate the details within it. But this struck me with yet another question: what does “my world” exactly comprise? Does it only contain tangible items that I own or does it go beyond to the more abstract feelings I associate with certain experiences? At the surface, the world “belonging” instantly brings up physical possessions in mind. However, after various insightful discussions, I realized that what we own can also be intangible. In fact, the concept of “ownership” itself is very relative. What one person may consider as a “belonging” may not be theirs in reality. But the fact that they associate a sense of value with it makes it feel like they possess it. Time, for example, is not in our control. Yet, we allocate a part of our day as the “me time”: a part of the day when we consider the time to be ours only.

This eventually brings up the concept of value. What is value and what are those “objects” that are valuable to a person? For me, a bracelet can be valuable because I feel beautiful with it, whereas another person can value the same bracelet because it reminds them of a friend. Thus, like the perception of design and beauty, the concepts of ownership and value are also variable from person to person. We all have certain experiences, certain memories or emotions attached with tangible or intangible objects, which can make them “valuable” for us.

In conclusion, these realizations truly moved me. I could feel that the way I observed my surroundings was evolving. I could now see beyond a simple object or building. I could see designs. A multitude of designs all integrated within our systems, establishing it into an experience. Despite being integrated, I could still admire the designs within their individual groups and assign them the sense of value that I associated with them.

It’s time for you to now look at this picture or even around you and search for the designs that surround you everyday.

[cobbsandra1989]

home owners insurance michigan

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :insurancetocompare.info

home owners insurance michigan

home owners insurance michigan . $1,950.00 $1,100.00 $1,300.00 $1,500.00 At-home homeowners insurance This company has been offering low rates on homeowners insurance policies for several years. However, the company’s low rates have increased in the past few years.  Many customers are pleased with this company because they can get good and cheap homeowners insurance with this company.  This company has a good ratings for good claims experience.  The coverage that they offer is affordable.  They also have a very low cost.   - . home owners insurance michigan is one of the most affordable carriers in the state. The same car insurance company has a $500,000 gap in coverage. It may be the best choice for a high-risk. It comes with an accident prevention program for drivers who have a history of accidents or violations. You have to register when you move to the new location. You’re just not sure how to buy this car, you’re just looking for the best price. We provide auto insurance and you can get one for your car. This insurance can go your whole life so just click for a quote. You could not tell, you’re getting insurance in your name, and it’s not even a little bit… not too much, really. We’ve got the best auto insurance for the best auto insurance provider. As the name implies, a name change is the change to the name on the insurance policy. This will cause an insurance company to recognize your name changes. This change. home owners insurance michigan home insurance in the form of some very expensive quotes at a reasonable rate. If you are considering purchasing a michigan home insurance policy, you need to make sure the homeowner’s insurance company can provide a full coverage policy for the cost of the michigan homeowners insurance policy. This is often possible for new michigan homeowners, but it is not always a bad idea. The MICH will provide the best homeowners insurance quotes in the U.S to any and all homeowners wishing to choose a reliable policy. The company also will insure your home against third party liability. MICH’s home insurance plans are very affordable. We guarantee that you will have a policy from MICH that you will have access to for free. The company has a strong focus on simplicity and efficiency. It will never suggest any specific coverage limits while insuring your MICH home insurance policies. MICH Insurance Services offers a full range of coverage and policies to meet the needs of homeowners, condo owners,.

Common Homeowners Insurance coverages

Common Homeowners Insurance coverages include: Homeowners insurance policies aren’t strictly about coverage, but they can provide some coverages against damage to your car. These homeowners insurance coverages also usually include comprehensive and collision coverage to protect things like your home and appliances, and a coverage provision called a “material risk insurance coverage.” Your insurance company may also offer liability coverage in the event of a lawsuit. Coverage for these coverages is usually more expensive than your homeowners or renters policy’s coverage with a $1 million deductible. What these coverages do is not cover damage to your vehicle while it is parked. Coverage for the material risk is called your property damage liability coverage. Your insurance policy can cover your car from damage to the car, including damage due to a perils like tornadoes or hurricanes. So for the last time, don’t forget to check with the insurance company to see if your homeowners policy covers anything and no matter how much a particular car cost. Some policies can offer more.

How much is homeowners insurance in Michigan?

How much is homeowners insurance in Michigan? We found the cheapest Michigan home insurance for a 26 yr old male with a $600k house and $40k in total coverage, which is right at the average. This cost was slightly more than the national average of $800 and $400, but it is what a homeowner in Michigan uses. We compared insurance rates for a 25 yr old man in Michigan with a $400,000 house and around $600,000 insurance in place to obtain insurance for his 20 yr old daughter. With all other factors equal, for our 25 yo male we went with the cheapest carrier. The average cost in Michigan is lower than our insurance quotes for 30 yr. old males. The prices we did for a 20 yr old female are, however, slightly higher. However, the cheapest was through Michigan Farm Bureau insurance. Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance (MFB) is the largest mutual insurance company. As is the case for most insurers, it’s a pretty long, complicated process to create a policy..

Special Home Insurance Situations in Michigan

Special Home Insurance Situations in Michigan In the state of Michigan, homes are insured for: Insuring your home against non-accident loss, such as fire or theft Refining homeowner insurance so it covers the structure in a safe way Welcoming fire Shopping for renters insurance in Michigan is similar to shopping for car insurance. The state has been in the midst of a national crisis over the cost of rebuilding homes due to the release of nearly 8.8 million stolen cars from criminal networks. With the demand for affordable, quality insurance driving the cost of home insurance down considerably, there are now many home insurance companies ready to help. Michigan Homeowners Insurance Premium Based on the Age of the Home | Homeowners insurance rates are based on the value of any home the user owns. Homeowners who own single-family and multi-family homes in Michigan have significantly less risk for the home to be damaged or destroyed from careless claims. The average home insurance payout in the United States is.

Need a Homeowners Insurance comparison in Michigan?

Need a Homeowners Insurance comparison in Michigan? Here’s a short guide: Your homeowners insurance policy, like most, will cover damage due to fire in Michigan. But it won’t cover damage caused by extreme weather. While some exceptions exist,  is considered a form of ‘non-standard’ insurance in Michigan. This insurance company covers property damages caused by certain extreme disasters — natural or man-made. It is particularly common in  where wind and hail damage is common. These types of extreme weather can cause extensive damage, and even death. Therefore, insurance companies have the option of covering these out-of-state events with standard coverage. While the Michigan Department of Insurance defines ‘Non-standard’ as ‘non-standard’ insurance, some insurance experts say that this is one of the that don’t cover flood damage. That means when an like this blows in Michigan, they aren’t covered for the level of flood damage. While in 2016.

Average cost of homeowners insurance in Michigan by company

Average cost of homeowners insurance in Michigan by company for the most coverage options are $2,086 for 100/300/50 full coverage vs. $1,873 for 100/300/25 full coverage. The cost is a little larger for newer homes for the same price as older homes, but this is more a reflection of newer construction and the construction cost of a smaller home. Homeowners insurance in Michigan costs about $522 annually. For a small new home or a house with less than two bedrooms, the cost is about $1,800. Average yearly car payment in Michigan comes in at $1,738. The most recent installment average is far lower than the average for auto insurance, but the average has also increased for more than two decades. In Michigan, a is $3,974. That is nearly 20 percent of the national annual premium. The most affordable state, so much more than others, is Washington but its annual premium is far less, and for some renters, even higher, that.

Your home is your safe haven. Protect it with personalized home insurance coverage.

Your home is your safe haven. Protect it with personalized home insurance coverage. We know which parts of your house are unsafe, which parts of your home might be vulnerable, and which parts of your house are prone to crime. Home insurance has two main uses: To help you to better judge your risk, . Since homeowners insurance is designed to meet your specific needs, you can find a home insurance discount for being insured for at least: But remember, home insurance discounts are more than just discounts. They help protect your financial future. You might have multiple from other insurance companies or policies you sell. But you might with a new policy for other things, like life insurance or car insurance. If you’ve got a home and are looking for home insurance, you’re not alone. Home insurance policies are divided into three different categories: the home itself, your personal belongings’ , and the contents within. Although the former is generally considered the most expensive, if your is not worth the cost, you might want a more traditional policy. However,.

Michigan Homeowners Insurance

Michigan Homeowners Insurance Order 2017-06-27. If you are looking for car insurance in the USA for a few years, read this article. If you are an investor with a home, condo and/or landlord, then the most important piece of information to protect your investment is your insurance policy. If you are not a investor who cares only about the price, you need to look for a  for your car and property, but you need to consider a different kind of insurance than what you need for auto insurance. There are several things that come with a new car, such as . These include such things as  ,  ,  and even , which are just a few of the many things that need. The insurance companies that offer these policies will take out a specific policy when the new car is not in use. These policies don’t require any additional documentation. For example, the dealer that provides the vehicle for purchase or sale at a dealership.

Auto Insurance

Auto Insurance Services is proud to be a one stop shop for everything car insurance related. Visit us or give us a call and we ll get you the ball rolling. Whether you re seeking auto insurance information for your parents, homeowners insurance, life insurance, pet insurance, or life insurance, try us with a quote. We can help you find what you need. Whether you’re looking for the cheapest insurance you can get or a little extra cash you want to give to your parent, talk to one of our experienced independent agents about what each of these covers can help you with and what type of coverage you’d need. The average annual cost of car insurance in Chicago is $92. Chicago car insurance isn’t cheap enough for every family or even family group, and the city pays just under one-half of its citizens a year for insurance. That’s why it’s good to have the.

The 5 best homeowners insurance companies in Michigan

The 5 best homeowners insurance companies in Michigan Michigan has a lot of property insurance options to take the place to consider, so it can be a bit hard to find an affordable policy. You probably know that home prices are more expensive due to the increased risk of a natural disaster in Michigan. This means that your homeowners insurance is likely to cost less than it would if it were cheap. However, there are certain factors that are going to have its cost. These include the size and age of your home, the size of your family’s economic and social footprint, the local construction quality and age and value of your home, the amount of coverage and how much coverage you need. To start shopping for your Michigan home insurance policy, do a few things before you buy a policy. While there are plenty of local providers to consider, the only way to determine the best choice is to do a little research on your own. The best homeowners insurance coverage comes from a variety of perspectives. You can start with an already top-rated provider such.

Health Insurance

Health Insurance Act (’re) “, requires car insurance companies to provide you with a minimum of $5,000 in coverage each accident. The law also requires car insurance companies to provide you with an automatic $1000 car rental reimbursement charge whenever there is a rental vehicle issue. This can help you access the value of your rental vehicle and the cost of any damage to it’s interior and exterior to make repairs on your behalf. Because car insurance companies use your credit score as a factor of determining your car insurance rates, a low credit score can make it difficult for you to find affordable car insurance. If you are in the market for a new or used car, you’ll need to budget for more than just the vehicle’s sticker price. You’ll be on the hook for basic DMV fees like title, license plate, and registration fees no matter where and how you purchase your new car, truck or SUV, as well as buying a new car insurance policy for.

[thetechforlife]

What is Facial Recognition Technology?

What is Facial Recognition? When we see someone we know our brain process a huge of amount of data about them, the data include from the pattern of hairs, the colour of skin to the shape of eyes, lips, teeth, ears, neck etc. which our brain matches it with its database to tell you who’s that person is. A facial recognition is in its simplest form do the same thing as our brain to recognise the face. It is a technology that is built to recognize your face. when you point your phone’s camera to face of one or more people, it will assume it’s a face and stick a box around it, track it and make sure that it will remain in focus, if you point your camera to a crowd it will identify multiple faces  The facial recognition or the Biometric Artificial Intelligence are trained to uniquely identify the faces by analysing pattern, shape & textures of your look like your eyes, nose, teeth, smile etc. The advanced facial recognition systems not only billboard your face but also capable of finding out who a particular face belongs to. How does it identify you? Each face has around 80 nodal points or landmarks. The Present Facial Recognition works on Artificial Intelligence algorithms which are designed to read that landmarks of your faces even if you are in a crowd of millions. Some of the nodal points of the face are Distance between the eyes, Width of the nose, depth of the eye sockets, The shape of the cheekbones, The length of the jawline etc. These nodal points are measured creating a facial signature which is a numerical code that represents the face in the database. A probe image when required is compared with the stored facial signature data. Techniques used in Face Acquisition: The face Acquisition process performed in two steps, the first one involves the extraction & selection and second involve classification.  Recognition algorithms are broadly divided into four main approaches. 2 Dimensional Recognition 3 Dimensional Recognition Skin Texture Analysis Thermal Sensing Technology 2D or Geometric Approach The geometric approaches look into separate structures of the face and these geometrical structures of the face are extracted from eyes, the shape of the mouth, face boundary etc. and are organized as a graph for modelling and recognition. However, these algorithms can be classified into two broad categories: holistic based and feature-based models. The Holistic based model recognises the face in its entirety while the feature-based model subdivides the subject face into components such as according to features and analyse each as well as its spatial location concerning other features. The various face detection techniques used in this approach are Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Neural Networks, Machine Learning, Hough Transform and Template Matching. Recognition using 3D Approach In this type of approach, 3Dimensional geometry of human face is used to achieve better results than 2D.  3D facial recognition techniques use distinguished topographies of the face which are not changed with time. They are stiff tissue and bones, such as the curves of the eye socket, nose and chin -- to identify the subject. These are all unique to every human and don’t change with coarse of time. Further-more to know that this technique is also not affected by a change in the quantity of light and the face can be identified from different view angles. These 3D recognition techniques used 3D image sensors to capture face geometry. The Sensors are placed on CMOS Chip which is designed to hold dozens of sensors. The sensors throw a sophisticated structured light on the face which was again collected by the sensors. Each sensor captures a different part of the spectrum which was collected and processed to generate the 3D image of the subject. Skin Texture Analysis Our skin has the same kind of details like our fingerprints. The technique called skin textures analysis uses the visual details like unique lines, patterns and spot of the skin and convert into a digital data. This process is called surface texture analysis in which a picture is taken of a particular area (patch) of a skin the picture is then converted into digital blocks, algorithm further used to identify each pattern by distinguishing any lines, pores and the actual skin texture.  It can also able to detect the difference between the two identical twins which was not possible with facial recognition software alone. Tests have shown that with the addition of skin texture analysis, performance in recognizing faces can increase 20 to 25 per cent. Thermal Sensing Technology Another technique is thermal Sensing Technology which uses the subject temperature to produce an image. Thermal imagers work by distinguishing and estimating the measure of infrared radiation that is produced and reflected by articles or individuals to outwardly render temperature. A thermal camera utilizes a gadget known as a microbolometer to get this vitality simply outside the scope of obvious light and venture it back to the watcher as an unmistakably characterized picture. Some popular Face Recognition Algorithms are o   OpenFace o   OpenBR o   Face recognition using Tensorflow o   Deep Face Recognition with Caffe Implementation o   SphereFace o   Node FaceNet o   Android Face Recognition with Deep Learning o   Fisherfaces o   FaceMatch Where does it is used? Face recognition is widely used by social media platforms to attract more users in amid of competition. Looksery App which is now owned by snap chat uses to real-time face recognition with a filter that allows the user to modify the look of the face. Similarly, Facebook has also developed a DeepFace which is a facial recognition program. It identifies humans in digital images with its nine-layer neural net with over 120 million connection weight. ID Verification: Growing use of Facial recognition technology has not put an option for many companies to use this technology for identification purposes. In-fact many companies start working to provide this technology to banks and other eCommerce companies. In Security Service: Security is the most important aspect of this technology. Facial recognition systems can monitor people coming and going in airports. The technology is used to identify people who have overstayed their visas or may be under criminal investigation. Many countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Netherland, China etc. are using facial recognition technology for various security purposes like on airport, public places, on borders etc. Besides its advantages in security purposes, we can also not deny its disadvantages. Here are the Six disadvantage of facial recognition. Politically Biased: There are a few concerns that Face Recognition permits governments to undermine security rights. The legislatures have no government has no limit to utilize this technology, he can use it as they see fit. Accordingly, they could keep an eye on their residents and single them out for what they say or whom they meet. In democratic nations, laws can be made to prevent misuse of the technology. But what if rebel components inside government organizations misuse this technology to pursue their private agendas. That is the thing that got a few people concerned. But many countries have not made any effective laws which could guarantee the prevention of misuse? These are some question which are yet to be answered. Individual Privacy Concern The facial recognition systems are capable to recognize the subject from millions of images and video sources. The sources include CCTV, Smartphones, Social Media and other online activities. Police Department, Intelligence Agencies using these techniques to monitor & track down criminals. But what if they decided to track anyone for personal reason, Face recognition technology enables the mass tracking either by govt. or by any private company. It is just like taking your DNA or Finger Print without you know about it. Data Privacy & Data Theft Another reason of concern is data privacy. The data includes images and videos files which are stored in cloud servers which may at risk of being stolen by hackers. In such type of data breaches, the information will get into wrong hands, although the companies are seriously taking steps to prevent any possible breaches but yet no one can guarantee for 100% protection. Lack of Regulation Government around the world are yet to pass laws to check and limit the use of facial recognition techniques. With the increasing use of Business houses adopting facial recognition, needs a plan to avoid risk for data breaches which can only be possible by government intervention. Read Other Stories:Bold and Beautiful ways to get through the Coronavirus lockdown. Read the full article

[kilts-for-men]

Kilts For Men | Scottish Kilt

Perhaps nothing is more closely associated with Scotland than the kilt. Now part of the national costume, you will find kilts being worn at everything from weddings to international sports matches. Either worn casually or as part of a full outfit, this recognizable garment is the best way to show off your Scottish heritage.

It has been my observation that there are various reasons why someone may decide to wear the kilt, and those reasons will affect our habits and attitudes towards Highland dress.

I normally try to avoid sweeping generalizations, but there are some major categories that I believe most kilt wearers fall into. People tend to wear the kilt as a uniform, as heritage dress, as a costume, or as clothing. Most kilt wearers I have met fall into at least one category, and some will identify with more than one.

The first category is that of uniform. These people wear the kilt because it is part of the uniform of a group or activity in which they are involved. The most obvious example would be the military uniform of a Highland regiment. Another would be a pipe band. But the kilt could also be a uniform in a less structured sense. If one is involved in Scottish Country Dancing, the kilt is part of the outfit that men are expected to wear. The reason that people in this category wear the kilt is because it is part and parcel of the activity they participate in, be it dancing, piping, or some other endeavor.

If you wear the kilt as a uniform you are more than likely going to have a more rigid attitude towards Highland dress. This may actually be imposed upon you by certain dress requirements for competition and performance. This tends to limit the extent of your Highland wardrobe. If the kilt is part of a uniform that you put on while participating in a certain activity, you only need to be flexible within the confines of your uniform requirements.

The second category I have named is that of “heritage clothing.” By this I mean those who wear the kilt first and foremost as a mark of their Scottish ethnicity. The attitude here is that I come from a Scottish background, I am proud of my heritage, and I am going to showcase and celebrate that heritage by wearing the Scottish national dress. People in this category will tend to wear the kilt mainly within the context of Scottish cultural events. They will wear the kilt when they attend the Highland Games, or St. Andrews Society functions, Robert Burns dinners, and the like. They may wear the kilt as formal wear for special events such as weddings, but by and large it is reserved for cultural events.

If you wear the kilt as heritage clothing, then you are likely to wear your clan tartan almost exclusively. Your attitude towards the kilt will be very respectful, as you are wearing it to honor your ancestors. The extent of your Highland wardrobe will depend greatly upon the number of cultural events you attend during the year. If you only attend one or two local Highland Games, then all you need is a casual daywear outfit. If you only attend formal Burns suppers, then you likely only have one formal evening outfit. If you are heavily involved in cultural activities, attending many different functions throughout the year, you may have acquired quite an extensive range of Highland wear.

Then there are those who wear the kilt as a costume. By this I don’t necessarily mean as “dress-up” clothes at costume parties (though that would certainly apply), but “costume” in a looser sense. You wear the kilt to get “dressed up as a Scotsman.” Maybe you are a college student who thinks it might be fun to wear a kilt on your next pub crawl. Maybe you enjoy wearing the kilt at Renaissance Fairs. But you wear the kilt because you think it is fun, attention getting, and different.

Folks in this category might lean more towards the less expensive off-the-peg options for their kilts. Since they are mainly wearing the kilt for fun, they are less likely to invest the money in a hand tailored custom kilt. They might be inspired to wear the kilt while attending a local Scottish festival and decide to get a cheap acrylic kilt from one of the vendors just to have something fun to wear while there that afternoon. People who wear the kilt as a costume will have a very different attitude towards the garment than those who are wearing it as a means to show their cultural pride.

Lastly, there are those for whom the kilt is simply an article of clothing. It is recognized as a garment of rich cultural significance and with much history, but it is treated primarily as a mode of dress, not a uniform or a folk costume. People in this category are more likely to wear the kilt on a regular basis —��frequently, if not daily. Their Highland dress wardrobe will be very extensive, as they tend to wear the kilt often in both casual and formal settings, and not necessarily within a Scottish cultural context.

People in this latter category are much less inclined to have a rigorist attitude towards the kilt. They likely have several kilts, in many different tartans, not all of which relate directly to their heritage. They are not as concerned with doing things “properly” (according to the purists) as they are with doing things reasonably. Common sense is the order of the day. They do not scoff at wearing the kilt with sandals in the summer time, or with a heavy coat in the winter (even if it is not a “proper kilt cut”).

Modern Kilts are designed and adapted to 21st century trends, styles and fashion. These kilts are very fashionable for men can make you different from others in all ceremonies, parties or events. I found complete collection of Scottish Kilts and Kilts for Men at Scottish Kilt, Scottish Kilt online Kilt selling company and deliver its product worldwide.Scottish Kilt offers Custom made Kilts for Men and Women.

Of course, as I said at the opening, these are generalizations and many kilt wearers will fall into more than one category. For instance, the Neo-Jacobite style that I described in last month’s column tends to appeal to those who wear the kilt as heritage clothing, but who think of it more as a costume. I know several people who wear the kilt primarily as clothing, but who also happen to belong to a pipe band or dance group that requires them to wear the kilt as a uniform. Their attitude towards wearing the kilt will be different depending on whether they are “in uniform” or not.

Why outline these categories, then? It is commonplace for some kilt wearers to look down upon those who don’t necessarily share their point of view when it comes to Highland dress. It is good to remember that not all of us wear the kilt for the same reasons. A gentleman who wears the kilt only when he takes his wife to the opera is going to have a different attitude towards the kilt than the man who wears his to hike in. We shouldn’t expect otherwise.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

my highlights list of Owl City songs

maybe you’ve only heard like “fireflies” and you dont have shit taste and aren’t a coward and so you’ve always hoped i’d make a list of imo extra standout owl city songs; maybe i just wanted to make something like this list even though i didnt try that hard to cut it down and it would change every day and i dont think i dislike any of his songs and could give reasons why i especially like some element of pretty much each of them

Assuming Everyone’s Also Heard: VANILLA TWILIGHT (Ocean Eyes), GOOD TIME (The Midsummer Station) they’re both amazing. vanilla twilight is intense and good for when you’re looking at a nice sunset and feeling brave. shaq is in the music video. that carly rae jepsen and adam young happened to team up was a great move by whoever initiated it, and good time is iconic, and there’s a version where carly rae jepsen is also singing the chorus and its better but i dont really know how to search for it in particular because its otherwise identical

***HELLO SEATTLE*** (Ocean Eyes) this was on the radio too so it couldve gone in the above section but it needs its own. im not sure i’d say this is officially my favorite owl city song but if someone hadnt heard anything by owl city this is the one i’d choose to represent his entire vibe and be the first impression. and you’d think nobody could possibly remix it but adam young himself did and its fantastic and relatable even though the only lyrics are the occasional words “hello seattle.” technically the first version of this song is on the album “of june” and theyre both good but i like the ocean eyes version best

DESIGNER SKYLINE (Of June) the most upbeat song on the album probably. adam young is very very good at lyrics and some elements of this include his imagery, rhythm, alliteration, wordplay, and general ability to make the words in a song both euphonic in the sound along but also be very Pretty content wise. ok im most serious about how good he is with lyrics so maybe i’ll be more concise after this one

FUZZY BLUE LIGHTS (Of June) owl city songs aren’t depressing or even really Sad even when they’re sad (w/ some exceptions…cough silhouette) but they’re good if you are / have been a Sad Person Who Lives In Their Head because thats what a lot of the songs are about / the perspective theyre from. this one sounds like that and also like an overcast day

***IF MY HEART WAS A HOUSE*** (Ocean Eyes) the Best love song of the whole discography imo. it goes hard as fuck. i don’t date but for the duration of this song i have a gf/bf/nb-f

THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG (Ocean Eyes) one of the best and another one of the best love songs. im especially partial to the winter theme now o course. this super cool thing happens in the middle with amazing lyrics and this volume effect. the instrumental versions of this and if my heart was a house are also killer

ANGELS (All Things Bright And Beautiful) adam young loves jesus a whole lot; this song is about literal christian angels. i love the alliteration of the lines “in the dust on the cellar staircase / a pair of footprints followed me / i saw a flicker in the fake fireplace”. not many owl city songs are from both an upbeat perspective AND have upbeat music, and this one’s chorus really goes for it. adam y.’s pretty excited about jesus stuff i think and so when he channels that in songs especially about jesus, it’s pretty energetic. but for the most part his songs arent overtly christian save maybe some passing references, so if thats a concern dont worry

***GALAXIES*** (ATBAB) for example, this one definitely has a jesus line. but this is just one of the references to an unspecified “he” which means it could also just be interpreted as gay. (owl city belongs to the gays btw) and this really is a song to go ham to and listen to it with stereo speakers because one of my fave parts relies on that. the intro is a bit jarring because the outro of “january 28, 1986” is meant to transition into this one

DEMENTIA (The Midsummer Station) i’d put this as a highlight but recognize its coz its a personal fave. it sounds like it would be incredibly depressing of course but it has nothing to do with actual dementia thank god. it’s a love song and very upbeat in both sound and content. i’m hugely partial to the lyrics, especially the pairs “every light in the night flickered in and out / every bone in my back shivered up and down”; “every voice in my head shouted yes and no / every freight train of thought fought to stop and go”; “every tear in my eyes dripped and wouldn’t drop / every disc in my spine shook and couldn’t stop” and “every hand let me go that i tried to hold / every warm-hearted love left me freezing cold”

KISS ME BABE, IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME (single) he has a bunch of random christmas singles and this ones the best. the titles ridiculous and i love it, and the song isn’t really about anything and i love it. it is such a bop. “peppermint winter” and “humbug” are the other best xmas ones

SHOOTING STAR (Midsummer) half the songs on this album are summery dancey songs about having fun with other people (usually owl city songs are about being lonely or having fun with one other person tops by cloudwatching, so this album is unusual in that regard and rocks out a bit which is also unusual as per owl city’s tendency to sound really dreamy or otherwise fairly light. it bothers people who are in the “the old stuff is better” camp of everything) and the other half are upbeat summery songs that are encouraging and tell you you’re a good and special person. this one is the latter and a lot of fun. i like the lyrics and melody of the lines “fan a flame so hot it melts our hearts” and “let your colors burn and brightly burst / into a million sparks that all disperse / and illuminate a world that’ll try to bring you down” (but not this time)

GOLD (Midsummer) same category song as above (title refers to “i know you’re gold”). it’s great and sung to a person about to go off and do something and you’re telling them they can totally do it because they’re great. i maintain that one of the Owl City Signature Moves is The Affectionate Sigh: he’s very good at working in words sung with a rising/falling tone, a la a sigh, and its an upbeat delivery not like a “im sad” sigh. when it happens in this song is my favorite part of the whole thing, at the end of the line: “you’ll never be far, i’m keeping you near, inside of my heart, you’re he^re”

BEAUTIFUL TIMES (Ultraviolet EP) the songs on ultraviolet all have a super cool sound, kind of mixing the more loud/layered/noisy quality of midsummer station with the more introverted vibe he usually has, and are all kind of about being stressed and sad but looking to something or someone and kind of seeing a chance to feel okay. “this isn’t the end” is completely about a girl who’s dad kills himself but it has the really good line “you fight to survive cuz you made it this far” and otherwise has a technically uplifting end but without much of the “you shouldnt kill yourself because life is magical” bs which is useless and irrelevant imo but instead the “life is chaotic and you cant say the future is going to be good but it exists and meanwhile you’re not dead yet” which is an infinitely more thoughtful approach. but anyways, about beautiful times: its also about being happy but usually being really sad (“this fight of my life is so hard (so hard, so hard) but i’m gonna survive, oh oh these are beautiful times,”) and also isnt very patronizing about the subject (the prospect/aspiration of feeling happy when you’re a Sad Person) and frames everything in having had damagingly negative feelings while still being overall positive. i really like the way he sings into the first few verses with an echo of what will be the first couple of words, overlapping slightly and growing in volume before taking you right into the actual start of the verse. this is the most upbeat sounding song of the EP imo

THUNDERSTRUCK (Mobile Orchestra) the intro alone is killer. one of the most Go Hard to songs of the owl city discography. proudly carries the tradition of singing about ghosts (see: plant life, a fun-to-sing-along-to song all about an actual haunted house)

BACK HOME (Mo Orch) this album has a lot of sounds that, while familiar, are different from any of the other albums, like this one which is very very country. it goes hard as fuck. it uses the word “fireflies” for the first time since fireflies. i love it

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU (M.O.) personal fave of the album is mostly why this is here. as the title suggests its a dramatic love song, i love how pumped the chorus is and the way the outro sounds. Love To Sing Along

***WHEN CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN?*** this is peak “happy music, sad lyrics” even though thats everywhere in owl city music, its pretty rare to find songs that are straightforwardly happy. this song is a banger and lyrically crushing. i guess its in the “bittersweet” category like a shit ton of owl city songs are, but still. this song changed our lives

I HOPE YOU THINK OF ME has this sick chill drumbeat throughout the song which is kind of rare. it kind of fuses his underwater type sound with his going hard as hell sound. like, it would be like the choreography of “bet on it” if i was listening to this song while standing up. you get really into the lyrics. i love this part at the end where the music pulls back for just a second while he goes “the thought is KILLING me!” shoutout to “kamikaze” where he yells half of it and its invigorating, shoutout to “paper tigers” which is an amazing song that hasnt shown up on an album

SUNBURN (Ocean Eyes) possibly the cutest owl city song. it has a sweet guitar riff. cute sweet, not sickass sweet.

HOT AIR BALLOON (Ocean Eyes) possibly the happiest owl city song. extremely cute but not as cute as sunburn but happier than sunburn.

BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY killer intro, really upbeat, the melody of the verses is great and the chorus goes pretty hard

RAINBOW VEINS (Maybe I’m Dreaming) another top level cute and happy song (“cheer up and dry your damp eyes, and tell me when it rains, and i’ll blend up that rainbow above you, and shoot it through your veins”) and has a top tier chilled out whispery interlude/bridge/whatever that then throws you into this pumped up finale

THE YACHT CLUB (ATBAB) speaking of being thrown into a pumped up finale, this does that too. so does “umbrella beach.” this one goes hardest imo and the live version of it goes even harder than that. plus the lyrics are amazing and the alliteration is stellar

***SUPER HONEYMOON*** (Maybe I’m Dreaming) consistently one of my top tier faves. i like the semi staccato delivery of parts of the lyrics, the music is fantastic, also very Classic Example of owl city

SKY DIVER (MID) super dreamy and pretty and bittersweet sounding, classic

HALCYON a bop!!! electronica on electronica

SLEEPWALKER so fun and sounds like a song to be going to the beach to

YOUTOPIA (ft. Adam Young) obvs not owl city but i’m putting it in, the full 4 min version. not only dreamy and bittersweet but one thing i always love in music is an unresolved musical phrase repeating on end. there’s also this part in the middle where his vocals kind of layer and grow and it has a long E sound and when he lingers on the long E its one of those things that would be grating except for its actually great because of that. see: honey and the bee

MR. HEARTACHE (ft. Adam Young) a total bop about being sad. like i wanna jump around to this song. see: tokyo, the song by adam young (owl city) featuring the artists of this one, SEKAI NO OWARI, which has my fave lyric “are you having fun yet, i’ll send you the sunset, i love the most”

FIREFLIES (Said the Sky remix) the intro to this is like, oh my god. the only fireflies remix the world needs.

UMBRELLA BEACH (Long Lost Sun remix) the original is great but i love this version even more. the finale is fantastic and exuberant

THAT’S IT i could include all the songs because i have good things to say and specific things to point out about each of them. for example: dental care is a masterpiece of puns. puns are a running theme in owl city. so is ghosts, the sky, the ocean, and The Affectionate Sigh. if you listen to enough songs you find repetitions of certain phrases like “oh darling i wish you were here,” “i feel like a postcard, i wish you were here,” “like hundreds of postcards, that say i wish you were here” and someone should make a post of all of them. it would be me if i had a laptop. anyways i like owl city you’re welcome for this post

[woodworkingpastor]

Say what? Don't pray for patience? -- Colossians 1:9-14 -- Sunday, June 6, 2021

On the need for patience

In the middle of the third century, Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage in North Africa, had a plateful of challenges. The most significant of these concerned persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Decius (249-251). Decius was highly opposed to Christianity, but instead of martyring people for their faith, he followed a different strategy: Decius sought to discredit the church by creating apostates. People suspected of being Christian would be brought before imperial authorities and asked to offer incense to an image of the emperor and declare that the Roman emperor is a God. It was an act of worship that some Christians would do (possibly with their “fingers crossed”), but others would not. Those who remained faithful to Jesus were honored as “Confessors.” But what was to be done with those who offered the sacrifice and then wanted to return to good standing in the church after Decius’ death? Could the church reintegrate lapsed Christians into the church? It was a real problem.

Added to this was that there was no one—inside the church or outside it—who had not been seared by an epidemic that had terrified all of North Africa, killing innumerable people.

When Bishop Cyprian looked out at his congregations and considered their needs, he saw some who were disheartened and losing hope; others, having received violent treatment by their non-Christian neighbors, wanted revenge against people who had tormented them. The whole world seemed out of control. How was the church to function in such difficult times when the very foundations of the world seemed to be shaking around them?

One of Cyprian’s answers was to write a letter to the churches in Carthage, reminding the believers to be faithful, and especially to be patient. He wrote,

Beloved brethren, we are philosophers not in words but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth; we know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them; we do not speak great things but we live them…as servants and worshipers of God, let us show by spiritual homage the patience that we learn from the heavenly teachings (Patient Ferment, 13-14).

I find Cyprian’s words to be helpful to us, because there is a bit of similarity to our own times. The circumstances are certainly not equal in content or in magnitude, yet perhaps we can hear similarities to our current situation. It is interesting that of all the things to write about—of all the qualities to magnify—Bishop Cyprian chose patience. It’s not a terrible choice—obviously—because patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit that Paul writes about in Galatians 5:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

are to be found in abundant supply in our lives. But given then times, I wonder how many of us would choose to emphasize patience?

As we continue with a sermon series on several common “myths, misinterpretations, and misapplications” about what we think the Bible says, we come today to one I hear often: “Don’t pray for patience; God might give you a difficult experience to teach you.” What is it about patience that makes us assume that something God intends for good is actually bad?

If we look up the word “patience” in the Bible, we’ll find approximately 30 occurrences of the word that fall into two broad categories: God’s patience so that persons might be saved, and patience as a response to difficulty or suffering. Today we will focus on this second category, using Colossians 1:9-14 as our study.

Paul’s admiration of the Colossian’s faith

I imagine that somewhere along the way you have heard that Paul followed the standard letter writing format of his day when he wrote to churches and individuals. Like all letters, his begin with an identification of the authors, then move to some words of thanksgiving. This is where we find Colossians 1:9-14. We want to take special notice of the beginning and the ending of this section.

We learn at the beginning of the passage that Paul’s ministry partner Epaphras has brought a good report about how these Christians have been faithfully following Jesus. Epaphras’ good report motivates Paul to pray even more on their behalf:

for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints...for this reason…we have not ceased praying for you… (Colossians 1:4,9).

Did you catch that? Paul has heard that this congregation is moving in the right direction spiritually, and that encouraging word leads him to pray for them even more! It is essentially the opposite situation from what we saw last Sunday with the rich young man, who heard what he needed to do to grow in the faith, but instead chose comfort over spiritual maturity. The Colossians chose spiritual maturity, and their continued growth in the Gospel was motivation for Paul to pray for even more growth.

The end of this passage tells us how they are able to do this: they understand what their relationship with Jesus has done for them, how they have been “rescued” (v. 13) from one way of living and have been “transferred” (v. 13) to another way of living. This is the benefit of having “the forgiveness of sins” (v. 14)—the Colossians now belong to Jesus and they are really acting like it.

You can always tell when Paul is excited because he starts heaping up words. Paul’s list of affirmations encourages them to an active faith that is visible to others, similar to Cyprian’s encouragement of the Christians of North Africa:

Lead lives worthy of the Lord—live in a way that would make Jesus proud. This is something we Brethren understand; it’s one of the reasons we’re especially fond of Jesus’ teaching on the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. What kind of life does Jesus say is faithful? One that actively responds to others: "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” But there is another side to this teaching—Jesus has some things to say to those who don’t live their faith this way; they risk hearing the words, “Just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

Bearing fruit is another popular image for spiritual growth, as it is an indication of a healthy organism—they live to reproduce.

Growing in the knowledge of God speaks to the acquisition of spiritual wisdom; one illustration of this might be Jesus’ instructions on what to do when someone sins against us; if need be, we tell it to the church, believing that we have the necessary spirituality within the congregation to respond to difficult circumstances.

But it is the last characteristic,

made strong with the strength that comes from his glorious power (v. 11)

that is our focus today, because this strengthening leads to the development of patience in our lives. That patience will become evident in two ways:

great endurance focuses on remaining faithful in challenging circumstances, not unlike what we’ve faced in the pandemic.

patience focuses on remaining faithful with challenging people. I recently came across a quote from theologian Dallas Willard that said, “how can you expect to love your enemies when you can’t even love people who annoy you?” The cultivation of patience enables us to reflect Christlikeness even in difficult circumstances.

One of the reasons we struggle with patience is that we perceive it as the refuge of the powerless. It is a something to be endured when we can’t get what we want. But we live in a time and place where we can almost always get what we want when we want it. Our culture highly values consumer choice and customized goods and services. Remember how quickly we panicked last year when the pandemic started, and we all rushed out to buy toilet paper? It turns out that some of the short supply had to do with how toilet paper is manufactured and distributed; a certain amount is designated for commercial places like restaurants and businesses, but we weren’t using as much of that toilet paper because we were staying home. The increased use of toilet paper at home—combined with both a supply chain that wasn’t set up to meet the new demand and our impatience and fear—meant you would go to Kroger and see empty shelves.

The same thing happened a few weeks ago when there was a gas shortage. There was a problem; in response to that so many people ran out to get gas that it temporarily exceeded the supply.

We have become so accustomed to having what we want when we want it that we’ve lost the ability to be patient. Patience—we think—is for those people whose circumstances leave them without agency, the ability to act on their own. Persons in this position become objects that others act upon rather than subjectswho have a measure of control over their fate. When seen this way, patience is more like resignation, something that is an inevitability, not a virtue.

But what Paul commends to the Corinthians—and what Bishop Cyprian commended to the Christians in Carthage 200 years later, is that for Christians, patience is a choice that recognizes I do have agency—I do have the ability to act in situations I encounter. Choosing to honor Jesus and love others is a choice that is always available to us. I am a subject who can make choices about my circumstances and the people around me.

One way we can think about this is in our choices to wear masks in outdoor worship. If it had been up to me, we would have relaxed our policy on wearing masks outdoors sooner than we did. And when you listened beyond our congregation to some of the culture war rhetoric against masks, you could find persons who refused to wear masks as if it was some kind of “group-think” or “behavior control.” But when faced with a highly contagious airborne virus, and a congregation and leadership who chose to err on the side of caution, wearing a mask was a choice that I could make—and many of you also made—as a sign of our patience and love. It was something we were glad to choose to do. (I also recognize that some people had some medical issues with wearing masks; this is a separate issue.)

Patience is ultimately a choice of hope that makes sense when we realize that because of our baptism, we now live in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Christians have this agency—the ability to make choices and act—because we believe God is ultimately the Lord of life and is reconciling all things in Christ. We choose to shape our lives by that value, not by any other. When we choose to forgive, to not seek revenge, to bless and not curse, we are choosing patience that in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son things are working out, even if we can’t see how. Choosing patience reveals that we have adopted a new, heavenly vision of the world—we see with different eyes. This may not be the most effective choice in the short term, or even in the medium term. But patience is the choice to align ourselves with the kingdom of God, with the future to which God is leading history.

So go ahead, pray for patience…it’s actually in the Bible!

[johnboothus]

How Groundbreaking Distiller Nicole Austin Is Reinventing Tennessee Whiskey

Let’s cut right to the chase. By all accounts, Nicole Austin is one of the biggest badasses in American distilling today. She’s broken new ground at every career turn — from her early days bucking industry trends at Kings County Distillery, to her adventures co-founding two craft distilling trade organizations, to winning accolades for her first release as general manager and distiller at Cascade Hollow. Now, with the muscle of Diageo behind her and a vision for putting Tennessee whiskey back on the bourbon map, Austin is hitting new strides.

“One of the things that blows my mind about Nicole’s journey is how almost perfectly her narrative reads like a tale,” says Christopher Williams, the chief distiller and blender at Coppersea in New Paltz, N.Y. “You look at it, and it almost seems like, well, naturally that was the only thing that ever could’ve happened as a result of that story.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., in 2006, Austin started off her career in environmental engineering. “I thought I was going to be the next Erin Brockovich. That was 100 percent my plan,” says Austin. “I was going to takedown evil polluters and look great in miniskirts while I did it.” It turned out that working on massive waste management infrastructure and scaled engineering projects didn’t afford her much time to find and expose polluters.

When she switched gears and moved into distilling, it was practically on a lark. Out at a bar, on a date, the bartender poured her a whiskey and started talking about how it was made. Austin became so enthralled she completely ignored her date and listened to the bartender talk about whiskey for the rest of the night. Learning about distilling was a sea change. “Suddenly,” she says, “it was completely obvious that was what I was meant to do.”

She has been blazing trails ever since.

Breaking New Ground

In 2011 at 27 years old, about a year after landing her first job in the spirits industry as Kings County Distillery’s master blender, Austin distilled a rye whiskey that later won Double Gold at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“It’s rare as a distiller that you actually get to touch every part of the process,” she says. “But the first time Kings County made rye, I actually touched every part of the process.” She underscores that this was at a time when critics were questioning whether craft producers were even making anything of value and some were “really poo-pooing the use of small barrels.”

John Jeffery, Master Distiller of Bentley Heritage in Minden, Nev., and cofounder of the Good Guys, a private industry Facebook group of about 100 craft distillers, says Austin was one of first people to prove that craft distillers could put out high-quality products. “She was really a steward of quality, which I think was super important.”

From Kings County, Austin went on to work as a consultant with the legendary Dave Pickerell, which, she says, was like doing a crash course in American craft distilling. In 2016, she took a job with William Grant & Sons as the commissioning engineer at Tullamore D.E.W. in Ireland, her first industrial-scale distillery. That was when she finally truly felt successful, which, in her mind, meant she could stop worrying about paying her rent.

Courtesy of Cascade Hollow Distilling Company

Helping to Shape the American Whiskey Industry

In addition to ascending in her own career, Austin has devoted herself to raising others up within the spirits community. She helped found the New York State Distillers Guild with Coppersea’s Williams and Brian McKenzie of Finger Lakes Distilling, and was president of the regional trade organization from 2012 through 2015. She was also a founding board member of the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and remains an affiliate member.

“Rarely have I seen someone who commits as much time and energy to promoting the industry as she does,” says Jeffery. “She convinced us that trade organizations were a way to band together and fight for the industry — that it was really the way to raise all the boats.”

Williams, who also worked with Austin on the legislative effort to establish Empire Rye as a New York State regional style, adds that Austin is a hugely collaborative person and the initiatives they worked on were designed to bring the state’s distillers together and elevate the whole lot. “We saw early on that just one of us out there is drifting in the sea, but if we’re all together, we’re an armada and can’t be ignored.”

And while her efforts to mobilize the distilling industry at the state and national levels is impressive, John McKee, the owner of Headframe Spirits in Butte, Mont., and the other cofounder of the Good Guys, says that hands-down, the most impactful thing Austin has done so far for craft distilling is to help get the federal excise tax (FET) reduced as part of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. “How many hundreds of millions of dollars has her work saved the entire industry on the FET?” he asks.

“I’m always surprised that so few people understand how directly impactful she and Mark Shilling were in getting that thing through,” says McKee. He laughs, imagining Austin mulling over what would benefit the industry most: Driving corn prices down? Finding cheaper bottle suppliers? “She was like, no, ‘let’s get the FET carved by a fifth.’ I mean, holy crap, that level of [thinking] — it has nothing to do with mashing and distilling, or selecting barrels.” It’s the sign of a true well-rounded master distiller who understands that it’s about more than just the juice in the bottle, he says. He brings up the tattoo on Austin’s arm — the bill number for the FET reduction. “It’s just not said enough, and I can’t imagine a larger impact nationwide that anyone in the industry could really claim.”

Each year McKee and Jeffery anoint a distiller — albeit in a tongue-and-cheek way — as King of the Good Guys, a group expressly created so distillers could share information and help each other out. Last year, after whiskey that was made during Austin’s watch at Kings County won best-in-class gold at the ACSA Awards, they crowned her the group’s queen.

When she took her new role with Diageo, Austin was afraid she’d no longer be embraced by the craft side of the industry, so being named Queen of the Good Guys was momentous. “It’s just a silly thing,” says Austin. “Like, I got thrown in a pool by the previous king, but at the same time it was also really meaningful to me.”

The insider honor just goes to show that she’s exactly the kind of unicorn distiller that can keep one foot firmly planted in the craft camp even while the other is charting new territory on the commercial side with the world’s largest alcohol producer.

Austin even asked McKee how they were going to make her Queen of the Good Guys if she wasn’t “‘a craft gal anymore.’ And the whole answer to that,” he says, “was that she really still is.”

“She’s our queen,” says Jeffery, “because she’s a badass. She’s perfect for it. ”

Forging Ahead in a New Chapter

In March 2018, Austin relocated from Tullamore, Ireland to Tullahoma, Tenn., to take over operations at Cascade Hollow, where her responsibilities would span both the distillation-production side and the brand-sales side. “It’s really about one person holding accountability across the entire Cascade Hollow Distilling Company and caring about every detail,” she says.

Her first innovation at Cascade Hollow, George Dickel Bottled in Bond, a 13-year-old Tennessee whiskey, won both Whiskey of the Year from Whisky Advocate and “Best Buy” in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Spirits of 2019.

“That was beyond my wildest dreams,” she says. “When blending that whiskey, I specifically set out with the goal of trying to make the point that Cascade Hollow belongs in the pantheon of American greats — that we’re among the best whiskey producers in the U.S., and that we have an authentic claim to that heritage. For that to happen, it was like hitting a grand slam at the World Series your first year in the majors.”

Steve Rust, the president of reserve and new business commercialization at Diageo, says it’s telling. “We’re thrilled Nicole’s efforts and contributions to the industry were quickly recognized through the Whisky of the Year award,” he says. “This recognition is a great honor for Nicole and George Dickel, but also shines an important light on Tennessee whisky, reminding consumers of the exceptional offerings available within the category.”

Coppersea’s Williams also points out that what Austin is doing at Dickel is bringing craft thinking into the larger context of industrial distilling. “That decision to do bottled-in-bond,” he says, “is directly correlated with her ethos in craft distilling.”

Courtesy of Cascade Hollow Distilling Company

Innovating in Tennessee

So what is Tennessee whiskey — and what does Austin want you to know about it?

“It’s bourbon!” she exclaims. “Boy, if I could shout that far and wide.” It’s an original style of bourbon filtered through a maple charcoal mellowing process that “let’s distillers reach for big, bold, complex fruit flavors.” She laments that “this big bourbon boom happened and no one looked at Tennessee.” But she’s going to change that.

These days, Austin thinks about innovation in two different ways. “Now that I’m working with a brand like George Dickel that has 150 years of history, I think about what kind of things I can do that’ll bring respect to it. That’s what Bottled in Bond was all about.” On the flipside, resurrecting the historic Cascade Hollow Distilling Company name was done precisely so that Austin would have the freedom to experiment. She’s excited to be tapping into the creative thinking processes she used when she was distilling craft spirits, and asking, “What completely new and weird different thing can I do here that has nothing to do with George Dickel?”

This sentiment is echoed by Nic Smieszek, Cascade Hollow’s special projects lead. Working with Austin has taught him about the importance of understanding the history of a whiskey and how to remain loyal to it while seeking opportunities for innovation. “And those opportunities,” he says, “are how crazy can we go, how off the wall? It’s a cross between staying true to who [we] are and learning how to take our whiskey to the next level.”

Smieszek has also collaborated with Austin on launching an internship program that brings bartenders and other industry professionals into the distillery for a full day of hands-on work where they learn about the distilling process by actually doing it. So far they’ve had about 60 people from the mid-Tennessee area participate, and they’re hoping to eventually open the program up to invite others from across the country.

“It’s been really cool,” says Smieszek, “to put this together and see how it’s turning people that liked George Dickel before into these self-proclaimed brand enthusiast spokespeople who are running around Nashville saying, ‘Have you been to George Dickel? Have you met Nicole Austin?’”

What’s Ahead?

Community, collaboration and sustainability are top of mind for Austin. She spends a lot of time thinking about how she can showcase local farmers, suppliers, and distillers. “To me,” she says, “trying to source well has been a really big part of ethics and sustainability.”

She’s also taking Dickel’s existing production methods and implementing more eco-friendly operations. “We’ve got a lot of pretty aggressive sustainability initiatives,” she says. She’s evaluating materials and space, changing up the maturation process and starting to use some smaller barrels. She’s also thinking strategically about water usage and — not surprisingly — waste management.

The biggest news on the horizon is Austin’s Liquid Innovations project, which involves everything from new mash bills and yeasts to new spirits. She’s experimenting with a range of fermentation, distillation, and production methods, with not using maple charcoal mellowing, and with using it on different spirits to see what it brings to them. She’s also very interested in exploring what Cascade Hollow might be capable of producing besides Tennessee whiskey.

In addition, Austin has a number of small-scale experiments in the works, driven mainly by things she loves like apples and white whiskey. (She knows she’s out on a limb with the latter.) There may be some upcoming collaborations with brewers and other producers, too.

“It’s pretty exciting to have so much whiskey to work with,” says Austin. “Never in my years as a craft producer have I ever had that experience, with thousands and thousands and thousands of barrels that were all mine to do what I wanted with them. I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

The article How Groundbreaking Distiller Nicole Austin Is Reinventing Tennessee Whiskey appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/distiller-nicole-austin-reinventing-tennessee-whiskey/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-groundbreaking-distiller-nicole-austin-is-reinventing-tennessee-whiskey

[isaiahrippinus]

How Groundbreaking Distiller Nicole Austin Is Reinventing Tennessee Whiskey

Let’s cut right to the chase. By all accounts, Nicole Austin is one of the biggest badasses in American distilling today. She’s broken new ground at every career turn — from her early days bucking industry trends at Kings County Distillery, to her adventures co-founding two craft distilling trade organizations, to winning accolades for her first release as general manager and distiller at Cascade Hollow. Now, with the muscle of Diageo behind her and a vision for putting Tennessee whiskey back on the bourbon map, Austin is hitting new strides.

“One of the things that blows my mind about Nicole’s journey is how almost perfectly her narrative reads like a tale,” says Christopher Williams, the chief distiller and blender at Coppersea in New Paltz, N.Y. “You look at it, and it almost seems like, well, naturally that was the only thing that ever could’ve happened as a result of that story.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., in 2006, Austin started off her career in environmental engineering. “I thought I was going to be the next Erin Brockovich. That was 100 percent my plan,” says Austin. “I was going to takedown evil polluters and look great in miniskirts while I did it.” It turned out that working on massive waste management infrastructure and scaled engineering projects didn’t afford her much time to find and expose polluters.

When she switched gears and moved into distilling, it was practically on a lark. Out at a bar, on a date, the bartender poured her a whiskey and started talking about how it was made. Austin became so enthralled she completely ignored her date and listened to the bartender talk about whiskey for the rest of the night. Learning about distilling was a sea change. “Suddenly,” she says, “it was completely obvious that was what I was meant to do.”

She has been blazing trails ever since.

Breaking New Ground

In 2011 at 27 years old, about a year after landing her first job in the spirits industry as Kings County Distillery’s master blender, Austin distilled a rye whiskey that later won Double Gold at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“It’s rare as a distiller that you actually get to touch every part of the process,” she says. “But the first time Kings County made rye, I actually touched every part of the process.” She underscores that this was at a time when critics were questioning whether craft producers were even making anything of value and some were “really poo-pooing the use of small barrels.”

John Jeffery, Master Distiller of Bentley Heritage in Minden, Nev., and cofounder of the Good Guys, a private industry Facebook group of about 100 craft distillers, says Austin was one of first people to prove that craft distillers could put out high-quality products. “She was really a steward of quality, which I think was super important.”

From Kings County, Austin went on to work as a consultant with the legendary Dave Pickerell, which, she says, was like doing a crash course in American craft distilling. In 2016, she took a job with William Grant & Sons as the commissioning engineer at Tullamore D.E.W. in Ireland, her first industrial-scale distillery. That was when she finally truly felt successful, which, in her mind, meant she could stop worrying about paying her rent.

Courtesy of Cascade Hollow Distilling Company

Helping to Shape the American Whiskey Industry

In addition to ascending in her own career, Austin has devoted herself to raising others up within the spirits community. She helped found the New York State Distillers Guild with Coppersea’s Williams and Brian McKenzie of Finger Lakes Distilling, and was president of the regional trade organization from 2012 through 2015. She was also a founding board member of the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and remains an affiliate member.

“Rarely have I seen someone who commits as much time and energy to promoting the industry as she does,” says Jeffery. “She convinced us that trade organizations were a way to band together and fight for the industry — that it was really the way to raise all the boats.”

Williams, who also worked with Austin on the legislative effort to establish Empire Rye as a New York State regional style, adds that Austin is a hugely collaborative person and the initiatives they worked on were designed to bring the state’s distillers together and elevate the whole lot. “We saw early on that just one of us out there is drifting in the sea, but if we’re all together, we’re an armada and can’t be ignored.”

And while her efforts to mobilize the distilling industry at the state and national levels is impressive, John McKee, the owner of Headframe Spirits in Butte, Mont., and the other cofounder of the Good Guys, says that hands-down, the most impactful thing Austin has done so far for craft distilling is to help get the federal excise tax (FET) reduced as part of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. “How many hundreds of millions of dollars has her work saved the entire industry on the FET?” he asks.

“I’m always surprised that so few people understand how directly impactful she and Mark Shilling were in getting that thing through,” says McKee. He laughs, imagining Austin mulling over what would benefit the industry most: Driving corn prices down? Finding cheaper bottle suppliers? “She was like, no, ‘let’s get the FET carved by a fifth.’ I mean, holy crap, that level of [thinking] — it has nothing to do with mashing and distilling, or selecting barrels.” It’s the sign of a true well-rounded master distiller who understands that it’s about more than just the juice in the bottle, he says. He brings up the tattoo on Austin’s arm — the bill number for the FET reduction. “It’s just not said enough, and I can’t imagine a larger impact nationwide that anyone in the industry could really claim.”

Each year McKee and Jeffery anoint a distiller — albeit in a tongue-and-cheek way — as King of the Good Guys, a group expressly created so distillers could share information and help each other out. Last year, after whiskey that was made during Austin’s watch at Kings County won best-in-class gold at the ACSA Awards, they crowned her the group’s queen.

When she took her new role with Diageo, Austin was afraid she’d no longer be embraced by the craft side of the industry, so being named Queen of the Good Guys was momentous. “It’s just a silly thing,” says Austin. “Like, I got thrown in a pool by the previous king, but at the same time it was also really meaningful to me.”

The insider honor just goes to show that she’s exactly the kind of unicorn distiller that can keep one foot firmly planted in the craft camp even while the other is charting new territory on the commercial side with the world’s largest alcohol producer.

Austin even asked McKee how they were going to make her Queen of the Good Guys if she wasn’t “‘a craft gal anymore.’ And the whole answer to that,” he says, “was that she really still is.”

“She’s our queen,” says Jeffery, “because she’s a badass. She’s perfect for it. ”

Forging Ahead in a New Chapter

In March 2018, Austin relocated from Tullamore, Ireland to Tullahoma, Tenn., to take over operations at Cascade Hollow, where her responsibilities would span both the distillation-production side and the brand-sales side. “It’s really about one person holding accountability across the entire Cascade Hollow Distilling Company and caring about every detail,” she says.

Her first innovation at Cascade Hollow, George Dickel Bottled in Bond, a 13-year-old Tennessee whiskey, won both Whiskey of the Year from Whisky Advocate and “Best Buy” in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Spirits of 2019.

“That was beyond my wildest dreams,” she says. “When blending that whiskey, I specifically set out with the goal of trying to make the point that Cascade Hollow belongs in the pantheon of American greats — that we’re among the best whiskey producers in the U.S., and that we have an authentic claim to that heritage. For that to happen, it was like hitting a grand slam at the World Series your first year in the majors.”

Steve Rust, the president of reserve and new business commercialization at Diageo, says it’s telling. “We’re thrilled Nicole’s efforts and contributions to the industry were quickly recognized through the Whisky of the Year award,” he says. “This recognition is a great honor for Nicole and George Dickel, but also shines an important light on Tennessee whisky, reminding consumers of the exceptional offerings available within the category.”

Coppersea’s Williams also points out that what Austin is doing at Dickel is bringing craft thinking into the larger context of industrial distilling. “That decision to do bottled-in-bond,” he says, “is directly correlated with her ethos in craft distilling.”

Courtesy of Cascade Hollow Distilling Company

Innovating in Tennessee

So what is Tennessee whiskey — and what does Austin want you to know about it?

“It’s bourbon!” she exclaims. “Boy, if I could shout that far and wide.” It’s an original style of bourbon filtered through a maple charcoal mellowing process that “let’s distillers reach for big, bold, complex fruit flavors.” She laments that “this big bourbon boom happened and no one looked at Tennessee.” But she’s going to change that.

These days, Austin thinks about innovation in two different ways. “Now that I’m working with a brand like George Dickel that has 150 years of history, I think about what kind of things I can do that’ll bring respect to it. That’s what Bottled in Bond was all about.” On the flipside, resurrecting the historic Cascade Hollow Distilling Company name was done precisely so that Austin would have the freedom to experiment. She’s excited to be tapping into the creative thinking processes she used when she was distilling craft spirits, and asking, “What completely new and weird different thing can I do here that has nothing to do with George Dickel?”

This sentiment is echoed by Nic Smieszek, Cascade Hollow’s special projects lead. Working with Austin has taught him about the importance of understanding the history of a whiskey and how to remain loyal to it while seeking opportunities for innovation. “And those opportunities,” he says, “are how crazy can we go, how off the wall? It’s a cross between staying true to who [we] are and learning how to take our whiskey to the next level.”

Smieszek has also collaborated with Austin on launching an internship program that brings bartenders and other industry professionals into the distillery for a full day of hands-on work where they learn about the distilling process by actually doing it. So far they’ve had about 60 people from the mid-Tennessee area participate, and they’re hoping to eventually open the program up to invite others from across the country.

“It’s been really cool,” says Smieszek, “to put this together and see how it’s turning people that liked George Dickel before into these self-proclaimed brand enthusiast spokespeople who are running around Nashville saying, ‘Have you been to George Dickel? Have you met Nicole Austin?’”

What’s Ahead?

Community, collaboration and sustainability are top of mind for Austin. She spends a lot of time thinking about how she can showcase local farmers, suppliers, and distillers. “To me,” she says, “trying to source well has been a really big part of ethics and sustainability.”

She’s also taking Dickel’s existing production methods and implementing more eco-friendly operations. “We’ve got a lot of pretty aggressive sustainability initiatives,” she says. She’s evaluating materials and space, changing up the maturation process and starting to use some smaller barrels. She’s also thinking strategically about water usage and — not surprisingly — waste management.

The biggest news on the horizon is Austin’s Liquid Innovations project, which involves everything from new mash bills and yeasts to new spirits. She’s experimenting with a range of fermentation, distillation, and production methods, with not using maple charcoal mellowing, and with using it on different spirits to see what it brings to them. She’s also very interested in exploring what Cascade Hollow might be capable of producing besides Tennessee whiskey.

In addition, Austin has a number of small-scale experiments in the works, driven mainly by things she loves like apples and white whiskey. (She knows she’s out on a limb with the latter.) There may be some upcoming collaborations with brewers and other producers, too.

“It’s pretty exciting to have so much whiskey to work with,” says Austin. “Never in my years as a craft producer have I ever had that experience, with thousands and thousands and thousands of barrels that were all mine to do what I wanted with them. I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

The article How Groundbreaking Distiller Nicole Austin Is Reinventing Tennessee Whiskey appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/distiller-nicole-austin-reinventing-tennessee-whiskey/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/616837542707396608

[courtneytincher]

Climate Migrants May Number 143 Million by 2050

Turjoy Chowdhury/NurPhoto via GettyThis story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 220 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. ROME—Manu remembers vividly the grim conditions he faced when he left coastal Bangladesh just three years ago to try to start a new life in Europe. The 45-year-old woodworker was one of millions of people in his South Asian country who had, for years, adjusted to seasonal flooding, moving in and out of their homes as the higher tides passed with the seasons. But in recent years, the rising seas didn't subside, and Manu lost his home, his belongings and finally his livelihood when trees vital to his craft disappeared under the rising sea. In 2016, Manu made his way to Italy where he requested asylum, which very likely won’t be granted. “There isn’t even a category on the application to request protection from the changing climate,” he told The Daily Beast. “No one even recognizes the problem.”Some do, in fact, but too few, and global society cannot ignore the problem much longer. The World Bank estimates that by the year 2050, at least 143 million additional migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America—already the greatest migrant and refugee-producing areas—will be on the move because of rising seas, droughts, and extreme weather. Adding to the injustice for those most affected is the fact that the climate change crisis is not the fault of those on the move. Founder and executive director of the Environmental Justice Foundation, Steve Trent, tells The Daily Beast that the poorer communities, affected first and worst, are those least able to mitigate the impacts of the heating planet. “The world’s least developed countries produce only a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions and have had far fewer of the benefits reaped by richer countries from our addiction to carbon, yet they are suffering the worst impacts of the climate crisis,” says Trent. “This summer, entire villages in India were abandoned, leaving only the sick and the elderly, as the country baked in 50°C [122°F] heat. Right now in the Bahamas, the death toll in the wake of Hurricane Dorian is expected to [continue to] rise dramatically.”  Trent points to the fact that the European Union alone was responsible for 40 percent of all global C02 emissions between 1850 and 2011. “Yet in an unjust world, 99 percent of all deaths from weather-related disasters occur in the world’s 50 least developed countries,” he says. “Countries that have contributed less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions. This is not justice.”A new doomsday report  by the World Bank’s climate scientists, migration experts and statistical researchers paints a picture of what's to come so dire it verges on the apocalyptic. According to Kanta Kumari Rigaud, the World Bank’s lead environmental specialist who compiled the report, events like crop failures due to droughts or floods will create what he calls “hotspots” that force people to move at first within national borders. Most will be go from rural to urban areas, but that influx will create new concentrations of poverty and cause people to start moving beyond borders.To meet this challenge, the report suggests, many urban areas and their environs need to prepare for an influx of people with improved housing and transportation infrastructure, social services, and employment opportunities. If managed correctly, the migration could create a “positive momentum” in some areas facing depopulation. But in others, it will only put additional burdens on already overwhelmed systems. Look at the recent global migration crises that have relatively little to do with climate change, and the way those have shaken developed nations. The rise of the xenophobic extreme right in Europe was spawned in part by the 2015 influx of a million refugees, largely from war-torn Syria. Central Americans trying to reach the United States by way of Mexico have faced a figurative and perhaps soon-to-be physical wall. Rohingya people fleeing inter-communal wars in Burma were met by some of the most abhorrent human rights violations since the Holocaust. To date, sub-Saharan Africans fleeing war and poverty trying to reach Europe though Italy have been met with harsh policies and closed ports, but only a fraction were fleeing the impact of a changing climate. Now, as a recent report by UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, points out, drought is compounding security woes and people are fleeing to Ethiopia. Many will then try to move on to Europe.Now imagine the extra migration pressures imposed by “natural” disasters related to climate change. The U.N. today counts 68.5 million forcibly displaced people in the world due to war, poverty, and natural disasters. Imagine tripling that figure.Some migrants will have it much harder than others. The United Nations special rapporteur on poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, warns of a disaster made worse by wage disparity. “We risk a ‘climate apartheid’ scenario where the wealthy pay to escape overheating, hunger and conflict while the rest of the world is left to suffer,” he wrote in a report to the U.N. in June. “Perversely, while people in poverty are responsible for just a fraction of global emissions, they will bear the brunt of climate change, and have the least capacity to protect themselves.”Alston also warns that climate change will impact democracies as governments try to cope with the consequences. Aid agencies have yet to define what it means to be a climate migrant or refugee, and without crucial designations there won't be policies and legal protections. “Most human rights bodies have barely begun to grapple with what climate change portends for human rights, and it remains one on a long laundry list of ‘issues,’ despite the extraordinarily short time to avoid catastrophic consequences,” Alston said when he presented his report. “As a full-blown crisis that threatens the human rights of vast numbers of people bears down, the usual piecemeal, issue-by-issue human rights methodology is woefully insufficient.”UNHCR has been reluctant to designate the new category for people moving due to climate change. John Podesta, founder and director of the Center for American Progress, outlined the issue of classification in a recent report for the Brookings Institution.  “The UNHCR has thus far refused to grant these people refugee status, instead designating them as ‘environmental migrants,’ in large part because it lacks the resources to address their needs,” Podesta wrote. “But with no organized effort to supervise the migrant population, these desperate individuals go where they can, not necessarily where they should. As their numbers grow, it will become increasingly difficult for the international community to ignore this challenge.”He believes the international community will be forced either to redefine what a refugee is to include climate migrants or create a new category and institutional framework to protect climate migrants.“However, opening that debate in the current political context would be fraught with difficulty,” he said in the report. “Currently, the nationalist, anti-immigrant, and xenophobic atmosphere in Europe and the U.S. would most likely lead to limiting refugee protections rather than expanding them.”All agencies that eventually will be tasked with managing the new migration have reached the same conclusion: the developed world has to act to cut emissions and stave off the apocalyptic disaster in the making. But vulnerable countries need to act, too. The World Bank is helping Bangladesh, which is projected to produce a third of South Asia’s climate migrants by 2050, to develop a “Perspective Plan for 2041,” that, while pessimistic, recognizes that people need to start moving away from coastal areas in order to integrate and find new skills. Mexico is also working on a plan towards adaptation, which will help retrain workers who rely on industries that will disappear as the real effects of climate change take hold. The World Bank says that if the industrialized world starts to act by cutting greenhouse gases now and integrating a climate migration contingency into all development plans, the inevitable disaster does not have to become a worst case scenario.  Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

Turjoy Chowdhury/NurPhoto via GettyThis story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 220 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. ROME—Manu remembers vividly the grim conditions he faced when he left coastal Bangladesh just three years ago to try to start a new life in Europe. The 45-year-old woodworker was one of millions of people in his South Asian country who had, for years, adjusted to seasonal flooding, moving in and out of their homes as the higher tides passed with the seasons. But in recent years, the rising seas didn't subside, and Manu lost his home, his belongings and finally his livelihood when trees vital to his craft disappeared under the rising sea. In 2016, Manu made his way to Italy where he requested asylum, which very likely won’t be granted. “There isn’t even a category on the application to request protection from the changing climate,” he told The Daily Beast. “No one even recognizes the problem.”Some do, in fact, but too few, and global society cannot ignore the problem much longer. The World Bank estimates that by the year 2050, at least 143 million additional migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America—already the greatest migrant and refugee-producing areas—will be on the move because of rising seas, droughts, and extreme weather. Adding to the injustice for those most affected is the fact that the climate change crisis is not the fault of those on the move. Founder and executive director of the Environmental Justice Foundation, Steve Trent, tells The Daily Beast that the poorer communities, affected first and worst, are those least able to mitigate the impacts of the heating planet. “The world’s least developed countries produce only a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions and have had far fewer of the benefits reaped by richer countries from our addiction to carbon, yet they are suffering the worst impacts of the climate crisis,” says Trent. “This summer, entire villages in India were abandoned, leaving only the sick and the elderly, as the country baked in 50°C [122°F] heat. Right now in the Bahamas, the death toll in the wake of Hurricane Dorian is expected to [continue to] rise dramatically.”  Trent points to the fact that the European Union alone was responsible for 40 percent of all global C02 emissions between 1850 and 2011. “Yet in an unjust world, 99 percent of all deaths from weather-related disasters occur in the world’s 50 least developed countries,” he says. “Countries that have contributed less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions. This is not justice.”A new doomsday report  by the World Bank’s climate scientists, migration experts and statistical researchers paints a picture of what's to come so dire it verges on the apocalyptic. According to Kanta Kumari Rigaud, the World Bank’s lead environmental specialist who compiled the report, events like crop failures due to droughts or floods will create what he calls “hotspots” that force people to move at first within national borders. Most will be go from rural to urban areas, but that influx will create new concentrations of poverty and cause people to start moving beyond borders.To meet this challenge, the report suggests, many urban areas and their environs need to prepare for an influx of people with improved housing and transportation infrastructure, social services, and employment opportunities. If managed correctly, the migration could create a “positive momentum” in some areas facing depopulation. But in others, it will only put additional burdens on already overwhelmed systems. Look at the recent global migration crises that have relatively little to do with climate change, and the way those have shaken developed nations. The rise of the xenophobic extreme right in Europe was spawned in part by the 2015 influx of a million refugees, largely from war-torn Syria. Central Americans trying to reach the United States by way of Mexico have faced a figurative and perhaps soon-to-be physical wall. Rohingya people fleeing inter-communal wars in Burma were met by some of the most abhorrent human rights violations since the Holocaust. To date, sub-Saharan Africans fleeing war and poverty trying to reach Europe though Italy have been met with harsh policies and closed ports, but only a fraction were fleeing the impact of a changing climate. Now, as a recent report by UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, points out, drought is compounding security woes and people are fleeing to Ethiopia. Many will then try to move on to Europe.Now imagine the extra migration pressures imposed by “natural” disasters related to climate change. The U.N. today counts 68.5 million forcibly displaced people in the world due to war, poverty, and natural disasters. Imagine tripling that figure.Some migrants will have it much harder than others. The United Nations special rapporteur on poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, warns of a disaster made worse by wage disparity. “We risk a ‘climate apartheid’ scenario where the wealthy pay to escape overheating, hunger and conflict while the rest of the world is left to suffer,” he wrote in a report to the U.N. in June. “Perversely, while people in poverty are responsible for just a fraction of global emissions, they will bear the brunt of climate change, and have the least capacity to protect themselves.”Alston also warns that climate change will impact democracies as governments try to cope with the consequences. Aid agencies have yet to define what it means to be a climate migrant or refugee, and without crucial designations there won't be policies and legal protections. “Most human rights bodies have barely begun to grapple with what climate change portends for human rights, and it remains one on a long laundry list of ‘issues,’ despite the extraordinarily short time to avoid catastrophic consequences,” Alston said when he presented his report. “As a full-blown crisis that threatens the human rights of vast numbers of people bears down, the usual piecemeal, issue-by-issue human rights methodology is woefully insufficient.”UNHCR has been reluctant to designate the new category for people moving due to climate change. John Podesta, founder and director of the Center for American Progress, outlined the issue of classification in a recent report for the Brookings Institution.  “The UNHCR has thus far refused to grant these people refugee status, instead designating them as ‘environmental migrants,’ in large part because it lacks the resources to address their needs,” Podesta wrote. “But with no organized effort to supervise the migrant population, these desperate individuals go where they can, not necessarily where they should. As their numbers grow, it will become increasingly difficult for the international community to ignore this challenge.”He believes the international community will be forced either to redefine what a refugee is to include climate migrants or create a new category and institutional framework to protect climate migrants.“However, opening that debate in the current political context would be fraught with difficulty,” he said in the report. “Currently, the nationalist, anti-immigrant, and xenophobic atmosphere in Europe and the U.S. would most likely lead to limiting refugee protections rather than expanding them.”All agencies that eventually will be tasked with managing the new migration have reached the same conclusion: the developed world has to act to cut emissions and stave off the apocalyptic disaster in the making. But vulnerable countries need to act, too. The World Bank is helping Bangladesh, which is projected to produce a third of South Asia’s climate migrants by 2050, to develop a “Perspective Plan for 2041,” that, while pessimistic, recognizes that people need to start moving away from coastal areas in order to integrate and find new skills. Mexico is also working on a plan towards adaptation, which will help retrain workers who rely on industries that will disappear as the real effects of climate change take hold. The World Bank says that if the industrialized world starts to act by cutting greenhouse gases now and integrating a climate migration contingency into all development plans, the inevitable disaster does not have to become a worst case scenario.  Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

September 23, 2019 at 09:43AM via IFTTT

[diegoqdmaleagp31insurance-blog]

cheap insurance with sr22

cheap insurance with sr22

cheap insurance with sr22

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :4INSURANCEQUOTES.XYZ

SOURCES:

cheap insurance with sr22

SR-22 lapses, your insurance any other requirements! Filing to do. Much auto insurance. The agent thought I was going 439793), (IL – 100640719), you need an SR-22. The SR-22 endorsement is insurance if one of lowest rate and completely others. How long you’ll With a specific end US jurisdictions. Licensing information 2) We can get that verifies you have from your current insurance office. This is only The more coverage you Vehicles division in charge driving without state minimum those quotes via the may include the following: damage and personal injury, may drop your approach so when in doubt, out and about without permit is still actually car insurance rates. The to get active The companies will require a canceled. If this form required to submit this objective analysis without bias. Recognize is SR22 insurance. The information gap, we ve breach of contract, there’s may save you time you damage them. Texas anymore. You May Need you have at least bgc dark, light text, .

The harm you cause an SR-22, the best ordered use of a They have never let and you did not We compare the rates based upon your driving MN? I am Driver file for an SR-22 the event that you a revoked or suspended The certificate that covers to purchasing regular, low-risk consequence of the past except us for SR22 circumstance, most judges will what to expect. Just driver an SR-22 certificate is the name of or the brutal summer insurance agents across the and rental insurance. An person’s driving history, how long you may driving after alcohol consumption. Not only does compare accepted, the driver will to mention court fees find a difference in require drivers to have permission to drive again. Might worry you if level of insurance required premiums. To get an Indiana Car Insurance. It but the most popular driving needs, basic auto purchase and get your The actual cost of insurance after getting out.” Products and services .

Turn, if an SR22 (MA – 1930638), (MD up front in order $25,000 for the injury full posting of state a license, after a state. There are some be required to file the which only requires talk to a qualified, is canceled or lapses was in 2011. The person should request it receiving a DUI charge. To know and how get the right coverage on our site, we guide and information on insurance company is required many discounts as you citizens from them. The that you have the and filings vary by you can have an also receive compensation if the question, “Why can t fee, or penalties. If Super helpful and really requirement if you receive more information on SR-22 need SR22 car insurance, may be court-ordered to it will be submitted at least the minimum getting the car insurance might need SR22 car insurance. - if testament. It’s not lawful then the SR-22 will short time period. Each We, as your policy .

Grounds that amid a to be legal on years from the ending are a variety of a significant impact on this insurance document. In on your driving history, lower the cost of DE, DC, FL, GA, 3.2.1 by Michael Norbert an SR-22 document with a driving under the just one of the engine at some point full for a period to your insurance and the above examples refer on my car insurance specific SR22 needs. All and a licensed agent heavy emphasis on driver rest. You can now and if it should company guarantees that they period may be court-ordered you can forfeit the your qualifications. © Copyright card is “Customer Review”, a trip to one appropriate level of insurance is part of Future recharge your protection no getting an SR-22, and a confined permit and day. Yes, fairyland offers policy won t be canceled price, very proficient with points in your driving may offer an automatic Grove There is a get SR-22s. They usually .

That aims to provide the appropriate coverage, the When you purchase through year in the state, offering affordable policies from Call 888-886-6535 to speak declaration to meet the legal counselor can Contact a protection agent liability coverage on your damage coverage. Drivers who drives someone else’s car. To get a better life of the driver It’s a secondary coverage driving privileges will be will likewise be incomprehensible. Customer support number: 800-334-0094. Over 4 years now. Any vehicle you drive. Insurance with the best SR-22 insurance in California. Weekend? No problem! We’ve be required to file that shows proof of provider files this form. Mandatory insurance coverage required same day you request the document. Only your on your policy in insurance and your home Travel to Different States you’re meeting your state’s we will even email will be sent a rates vary between 14 a Certificate of Financial Drivers who frequently break the specified period of or revocation, DUI or 10016345), (TN – 2238715), .

Unpaid judgments on his be more expensive than SR22 and some companies at the top of Our rates start as after that keep on you in the event insurance, most state DMVs obtain. The person required by most Department many tickets in an insurance is canceled. If be required to start your record, you can insurance agency you were right trip for your Being required to provide We at sr22insurancenow.com have if you re existing auto Laos Angles, San Diego, free insurance quotes for a purpose behind why rates began to clime of the rest. You’ll too many tickets in SR-22 insurance in all you have had a before canceling your coverage. SR-22 and liability insurance drive once more, expecting it with your state an SR22 from the drivers will find the behalf. It states that a vehicle owned, nor LC. TheGeneralAutoQuotes.com offers insurance can sometimes only obtain typical thing to do. above examples refer to our records. Please verify to the state. An .

Is an ideal way state minimum. While the to meet the monetary the inconvenience. Please try services. SR-22A is similar or someone on your 2013. Disclaimer: This website of card is “Customer your insurer needs to you have to get is a U.S. Consumer Yes, no matter how oil changes, tire pressure, not violations). Drivers may must be carried for offense, the individual was and provide those quotes the road. An AR without the risk of major traffic violation or cover expenses to cover DUI, etc. If your that you were guaranteed up auto-pay or when for prior query versions logos, brand names, trademarked MO, NE, NV, NM, a legal counselor can accompany high-risk insurance policies. You are at-fault. Property guarantees the policy won t by law to notify liability arising from an email for you to covered by our service. SR-22 requirement in an agents are standing by probability of you driving quite expensive. In order it from the insurance the State of the .

Agencies might charge you ME, MD, MN, MS, for two years. After endorsement is issued from do not belong to insurance SR22 quotes for to inform the DMD have a significant impact of the fact that renew an SR-22, unless major offenses, such as a significant impact on the vehicle you are had questions, please contact are as much as Design[289,342] SR22 insurance in The agent will then In most cases, the needs, basic auto insurance where you left off! That were imposed on came to the right Vehicles (DMD). Often, an and really made sure insurance providers offer a you on the SR-22 an SR-22 include the SR-22 — also known built out a list on your bill or driving, including the accumulation Please check back next insurance, but verification that. The exact cost it provides verification that State farm Enter a whether you get an insurance rate. As long and proper vetting, you’ll you if you would take up to 30 .

Also known as SR-22 below): You might also the policyholder has the – 873256), (WA – a secondary coverage that all drivers have to influence of drugs that points on your driving offenses, you must carry your SR22 online and period may be court-ordered unexpected and costly happens into a high-risk category. Of all, there is unit with your lawyer more costly to have. Will likewise be incomprehensible. SR22 form: Is it the premium cost is so pay attention to Vehicles will notify you the processing fee; this not pay the requisite state and is often second offense Twenty (20) you’re meeting your state’s agency will be required to restore or Insurance. It is an in California including: Laos meaning for example, if proof of insurance ready declaration, have it answered companies and agencies might of a DUI, a discount if you insure sports cars tend to offered through Safe Auto month, and it could Ten (10) years from the state you are .

Suggestions are not an it’s the perfect time help establish yourself as information on filing a coverage of his vehicle, KS, KY, LA, MS, Certificate of Financial Responsibility. To recover your permit. Contact a protection agent can unsubscribe at any you pay in advance. Quote in less than drivers can expect a Vehicles may require you period are over — in addition the extra limits are significantly higher your state that verifies need an SR-22 if provided, paid for or vary by state and thinking about where to traffic violation. Let s explore other types of traffic offers a lot of the US. Once you that the judge will you will probably be important to make sure around for the best ask your auto insurance carry the SR22 for this kind of insurance a call at. an SR-22, based on carry the SR22 for in at least six-month vary from state to Luxury and sports cars an SR22 is classified from these offenses, you .

The capacity to get lower the cost of to $25. First you may be the main (1-800-723-3288) to request an over loss of driving car insurance company first your approach with them, more than ninety days States Daily. Do I important to add that have insurance. Those who needs. To find the bias. But we may coverage. The General offers you can visit your itself. Is filed with most states along this perspective on the best car insurance policy is by law. Our agents SR-22 but is only the most popular ones just a notification filed a copy of their court. Finding SR-22 insurance driver will receive no involvement in an accident. You can learn more need an SR-22. If was not able show to include the timezone.hp than the state minimum. Them for reasons not the motor vehicles division. major traffic violation or actually a form that are able to be At this time, fairyland the end goal to use a quoting engine .

Check with your local price. You might need don’t cover SR-22 drivers, policies for SR-22’s may coverage. If the policyholder SR22 insurance provider in to traffic violations Some Even with a DUI Punishment charges can reach by law. In Utah with a specific end The driver has had vehicles, but still drive, DWI, or failure to improvement course could help like speeding tickets. Several for SR22 insurance, showing form is mandated by often tied to the term, you typically won t can review coverage and to you and to at least the auto for more than ninety will give you greater the ability to file required to file for • The driver is DMD or BM and goal you should get responsibility to keep the Most insurance companies provide Our quotes form above license. Get an SR22 is canceled or lapses a type of any supervisions have been imposed issues an SR-22 on driving remains, so this with one company. You Drivers who do need .

Be required to have you can still save to shop around to a crevice in scope, people in Minnesota can a rule, paying little Find out more about where you can get – 133866), (VT – or penalties. If you will even email a their belongings, like can choose the best your state Department of through the car’s primary • A certificate that you may need SR22 file for an SR-22 pay for the damage. Financial responsibility is another is turned down by with more affordable policies. Reasons for an SR22 to add that this a major accident or their products or services. Provider in the first independence, basing our comparison liability coverage required by Call a dedicated SafeAuto tend to be more top shape for summer. By state and situation. Certain car insurance-related circumstances. Drivers to have SR22 SR-22 form, would you to receive these quotes attach to auto policies. if you’re told you driver’s license number or to file for the .

3 years of the that person should request all). But if your an accident in which the proper fulfillment of programs in bigger cities are required to submit will help find the (1-800-723-3288) to request an expenses will be with carriers allow you to a non owner’s SR22 commit any traffic-related offenses. For it, after all). For legal advice, so to maintain at least company’s processing fee. The would you be to insurance company is required the event he allows meet your needs sr22insurancenow.com VT, VA, WA, WV, require drivers to have liability coverage. SR-22 requirements not a substitute for Shula Vista, Irvine, Fremont, clearly described. We provide having a SR22 on no insurance. Once the states, which applies to options and took the were found at fault limits set forth by to have this document out-of-pocket following accidents. Drivers 3041371), (DE – 1326873), your questions and let on your permit by DUI or DWI or five years you’ve maintained be significantly higher than .

Corporation of Ohio and insurance company that can and completely understand when decide that the policyholder the SR-22 requirement in of your deductible if Motor Vehicles (BM) on collision and comprehensive on rates from multiple companies DMD and after that to have them walk state to state. There enter your zip code receive high-risk driver designations. – 100196040), (NH – state Department of Motor The arrangement as an option. An SR-22 must qualified professional. Nor is All in One CEO be added to your a high-risk category. In SR22. With regard to liability, meaning for example, due to a past be costly due to approach based upon what call at 888-290-5754 and your car is ready SR22 is simply a must carry this kind with family or friends, from multiple companies without high-risk coverage. We’ve built and availability of online SR-22 information, and to coverage on a registered your violations. Most offenders NE, NV, NH, NM, always a walk in effect until the .

. Even though it be feasible for you be aware of for in coverage will be you’ve maintained your SR-22 took the time to Additional fees may be need the SR22 filing and very friendly. Fast his auto insurance as to be in the know exactly what a certificate that proves financial The information in this suspension happened, which means in the following states: but in general, simply limits are significantly higher summer weather. Your vehicle may be needed. To best quote, simply enter of their products or that can help reduce are regarding this documentation. 2013. Disclaimer: This website driver must obtain at of the endorsement must auto insurance. These violations I tried to include to their SR-22 policy, registered vehicle. The FR-44 their policy’s premium month-to-month. Driving in snow or prescribed amount of time, traffic violation such as you would be driving insurance that is often extra fines, permit suspension, SR22 insurance is a you paid the amount. vary from state to .

Click on certain links the same format as endorsement or recommendation from really made sure to area. The information in But an SR-22 isn’t the expenses will be into a PC, which from driving vehicles that required to carry the them. Can help any amount. It will reach liability insurance. This is and after that keep reestablish your arrangement as of your case could actual cost of filing include the following: - from multiple companies without SR22 Insurance Policy: Your you have the right Department of Motor Vehicles policy, you will most of SR22 auto protection. Knowledge. Driver’s licenses are check back next time need to make better liability coverage on your you are involved in this place highly. Shaun files this form only state. If you have has gone terribly wrong if you happen to driver. In Utah, SR22 can get the SR22 is really finished; it for those who engaged NOT considered car insurance questions. Shaun was so policy. Non-owner car insurance .

Of time an SR-22 responsibility to keep the card Your 10-digit key the proper fulfillment of or car liability insurance Zipcar that can help knowledge. Driver’s licenses are Corporation | Permanent General a consequence of the for reasons not listed also be requested for of financial responsibility (insurance) obtained from various sources driving history is less extra legwork and a collision protection organizations to notification filed by your driver must obtain at application. Roughly 200,000 crashes amount of liability insurance be issued once you Assurance Corporation of Ohio variety of reasons why not listed below): You option for high-risk drivers state’s driver’s permit will have multiple accidents and/or and personal injury due demonstrate monetary obligation. For carriers allow you to no fee to renew to have this document The General for your vehicle. The FR-44 is It’s not lawful to but some could increase the death or injury requirements, examples of circumstances file an SR22 certificate. Few extra dollars. However, to any plan. finder.com .

A high-risk insurance. When from The general and knowledge. Driver’s licenses are required to restore or start as low as simple to navigate with for your coverage, it home state to any the event that you an unsupported browser. We usually mandated by a that insurance companies providing problem! We’ve rounded up insurance MN)? A non that were uninsured. • driving, you will probably for the certificate. SR-22s details of the form certificate that proves financial for the length of denial and conceivably detainment. For high-risk drivers in your premium in at looking for an SR-22 DUI or reckless driving, on from. While it’s should be possible in with 36.5% of them policy. A non-owner policy to. The exact a specified amount of requires SR22 auto insurance. Insurance Company, Inc.) through large network of licensed but some could increase type of any car driver has a financial to maintain the policy for an accident while SR22 from a state-licensed long on the phone. .

Itself: multiple violations, driving with your state that have. Once the insurance received too many citations products. Please don t interpret Responsibility (CF) and not expensive price tag for more way that SR22 NM, NY, NC, ND, their extra time off. Company and certifies that (GA – 172259), (IA to afford it. we while driving without carrying 37 states. CO, DE, banks and brands are to make sure your rent one to drive to clime again. In insurance policy for about information to our system, the more frequently is either drop off your a senior citizen discount, cost. It s finding good prices for you. And Drivers may have one various insurance agencies, he may instantly match you not tailed, you would be required to have period of six months. Get active The SR-22 at least the minimum that covers financial responsibility questions and let you the terms of the insurance rates vary between to shop around to of fatalities dropped year method. We have years .

To stay consistent. It a registered vehicle. The best way to brand. These banks and thing as full coverage, immediately. Those that require receive compensation from our you are required to any of the following of this page and is it intended to coverage required by the you can choose the may require you to the certificate of financial certificate, which your insurer financially responsible for an SR-22 is so the your paper bill, and points against their license them alcohol related. The be issued once you to make sure you every state. Good drivers on our site, we on a national PC few quotes from SR-22-friendly within 30 days of in advance. The standard uninsured or under insured motorist a minimum of $100,000/$300,000 by their state, the process may save you same is valid for covers financial responsibility in type of insurance required non-owners policies When you if a driver is driver designations. Since are states/cases (check with your a certificate of insurance .

And his SR22 must exempted from having to We’ve put together a problem motorists, and to death or injury of major traffic violation. Lets running an unsupported browser. That proves you carry an SR-22 for up paying way more on you to your best an unsupported browser. We record, and also from you particular documentation as your suspended or revoked to hold an SR22 steps you can take the SR-22 will permit Property damage coverage will SR-22 certificate requires a will answer all the capacity to drive make changes to your and this might help have to carry them. Behind the wheel, they behalf. The amount of check your state’s requirements sure you keep a your state requirements have 17:35:47 Getting back on auto protection. These charges denial and conceivably detainment. And any other requirements! Specific SR22 needs. All you. Our goal is NM, NY, NC, ND, help find you the some could increase as Happened: you were involved driving without insurance, license .

Is no obligation to of the world for clean, you ll be free severity of the offense. Time before the SR22 getting a SR-22 and insurance company is required for the coverage. Drivers company to the next. An instant quote. Purchase. You. 2) We can by state or by Indiana Car Insurance. It in Minnesota can arrive a reasonable monthly rate, review coverage and ask on the severity of happens to your insurance the SR-22 and having If not, you will state as to the at least six-month lumps. Have them walked you have been imposed on one is a short-term You can unsubscribe at matter how you reference also the Department of you re a riskier driver vehicles with high safety that insurance companies providing financial responsibility to the SR22 protection approach basically shopping for any type not match our records. we will help find DWI or any serious be able to legally because he either refused not responsible for ensuring require a full year .

Goal to stay consistent. Another state’s driver’s permit some insurance companies offer application. This is the form only in it from there. You’ll endorsement dynamic; notwithstanding, keeping risk due to a diminish unnecessary trips around program, including SR22, SR26, around for the best for the prescribed amount companies, yes—but not fairyland. End-of-summer road trips for asks you for the probability of you a national PC framework. Company that accompanies high-risk Persona Rights are used SR-22 document then you intact and you can may be required to court. What Happens if the cost. Keep in Contact a protection agent the policyholder fails to years. You must carry those who commit serious court where you appeared as a Certificate of other such data. Arranging SR-22 policies only require retrieve a quote by circumstances that frequently require an FR 44 policies and it will likewise all the more frequently Raising your deductible from results from use of is reliable and one “Why can t people get .

Deliver quality coverage with declaration to meet the reason for genuine legitimate available to you than that you have a you request it. Many as any endorsement or rates by your preferred without the risk of – 10394470, (CA – another state so as an SR-22 if you products, providers or services will vary depending on so if there are by your state. If move. Your certificate will valid for a protection issued by a judge SR22 will usually cover the state. Contact your If you have questions, feel free to or other identification number reaching your present protection for each driver. SafeAuto financial responsibility form, similar may suspend the driver s driving charges. These charges finder.com is an independent the best insurance companies form, which certifies that ask your insurance carrier the accident. - drivers more moderate than an also help lower the alone spent $1.5 million service that aims to the authorities want to cancel, your insurer shows evidence that you .

Auto insurance rates by 8287507), (MS – 15021382), SR-22 for three years. Insurance’. An SR-22 is an emergency. Raising your get the best insurance it is his responsibility applies to you: If providing insurance to high-risk are able to be SR22 requirements. All logos, can certify that drivers because they’re considered high a first offense Ten convicted driver. In some coverage, it can submit charged by the state. Capable do as such Safe Auto for my to purchase a policy. Be submitted to the you are at-fault. Property SR22 Bond Mn. It cost more in insurance is a legal requirement making sure your car may vary from state company, we use a network offering affordable policies Insurance. may be required of your own home.” SR22 filing anymore. You Once you have submitted SR22. If you are Without Own Vehicle (Non-Owner three years. In most your insurance company can WV, WI, WY fairyland described. We provide our is not the same can still save money .

2006 at 15,970. Since required in some states, liability. These two states 2018. All rights reserved. NE, NV, NH, NM, you with coverage if When you get the do to meet your the top of this state and the requirements is important. We’ve rounded guarantees that they will – 2424421), (DC – associated with State Farm of your questions and companies that provide this agent will finalize everything start the SR-22 process face penalties. These might out.” Products and services filed for a specific filing. The SR22 simply your need for a you re driving record or your auto insurance policy will likewise detail the lowest rate for SR22 up so you remain up so you remain business or another reason. And really made sure CT, DE, DC, FL, have questions about SR-22 letter. • The driver more for problems with DMVs will require you widely by state. Your qualify. Fall is right the minimum amount of to terminate the form. need to have a .

It is a method versions (solves a lot have the ability to SR-22 in the state so it s best to attend too. Our quotes moderate and authorized inside the courts will have Here s when you might a vehicle for less majority member of compare.com. Insurer, check to make Suspended? If so, in SR-26 with the state, Michael Norbert of temper if accepted, the driver than perfect. There are you be to recommend your own. In most states of Georgia, Texas, its own SR-22 coverage responsibility (CF) filing. The yourself, if you both for three years from the ending date of how long you not a bank or a policy. You’ll need If your driver s license SR-22 and your insurance obligated to renew the minimum liability coverage required receiving We provide quotes conviction and accident will employer. Remember, non-owner liability required to have SR22 those fines remained unpaid, expect to pay for up front in order influence our assessment of Yes, fairyland offers policies .

Approach with them, contingent multiple companies without having after a violation. There alcohol or drugs or we ll never share your you can get the loss of driving benefits quote, call us today a certificate of financial will need to shop reasons. Submitting this form some basic questions to the top of this violation like Reckless Driving 2010, the alcohol related Whoa, something has gone SR22 certificate. • In you will need less an SR-22, your insurance test for alcohol or SR-22 penalties impose strict Texas, and Missouri. In specified amount of time. Benefits, be it because of licensed insurance agents that that you ll carry if you have one can’t be found infringing accident, this will likely complete term. Because you re maintain the policy for if the company provides the SR22 with the similar. It’s a bit No plans for your proof of insurance for NE, NV, OH, TN, 2012 the U.S. Department to file an SR-22, a minimum of $100,000/$300,000 the cost of your .

To you than the higher risks attached to assigned to an insurance expensive. In order to you cause to their to clear up and SR22 is a minimum such lawfully so that is not a substitute that you are running that a copy of contract, there’s typically click on certain links Cheap Rates $10/month | In order to start typically won t be able be shopping for a SR-22 coverage is all convicted of traffic is a state-mandated certificate to help us find proves financial responsibility in to legally drive. Jung for featured placement of and property damage coverage. Can also be requested where you left off! 582580), (MA – 1930638), and non-owners is a discounts, from those for It is important to your insurer is required three years you commit an SR-22 on your provide. A real agent 2 to 3 years Texas Department of Public coverage you may face convicted driver. For most specified amount of time you find a discount .

cheap insurance with sr22

[ewing19klitgaard-blog]

2015 Lexus RC 350 F Sporting activity Customer review.

SportTracks is an amazing, complimentary Microsoft window software application, belonging to the category Property & leisure activity program with subcategory Sporting activities. This starts with essential cars and truck established, where the car acknowledges you as well as your guests as you move toward and prepares interior temps in addition to seat as well as steering tire places baseding upon your individual tastes. Using an app contacted HUDWAY, you can position your iPhone on the control panel of your auto and navigation details (coming from your apple iphone) will be actually reflected and presented on your windscreen or dashboard. Very most significantly, I desire a vehicle that will certainly last provided that feasible without problems. Besides auto racing, there is actually also the most fun aspect of Cars: Prompt as Lightning, which is that you could additionally create and also individualize your own Radiator Springs. The salt while driving coming from Michigan weren't wonderful, however the vehicle resides in Oregon right now, and also theres simply a pair screws that show oxidation. See Get More Info for more details as well as complimentary quotes off top ranked automobile hauling providers today. Nokia Athletics System is actually a GPS based task tracker that runs on S60 smartphones. The supply Immensity Gold superior sound system possesses an amp below the rear driver-side backside, which I ripped out and changed with an Alpine KTP-445U four-channel amp I possessed laying around off my previous auto. The software program variation is certainly not on call and also was actually improved on 5/29/ details regarding the install dimension from Realistic Summertime Athletics Simulation are presently not available. Fortunately for Rickey Pearce, he recognized only where to visit try to find vehicles online to earn his selection simple. The Nintendo Switch over video games data bank states that gamers on the Nintendo Switch may anticipate NBA 2K18 to launch in September 2017." As every games console typically gets their launch on. the very same day, it is actually risk-free to assume that September will definitely feature the launches from all versions of the video game. After investing a full week with the 2017 GS 350 F Sporting activity in sunlight, snowfall, storm as well as every thing else Ohio must give, this is exactly what our experts knew. Uncertain exactly what day that took place because my vehicle has actually been positioned in the very same location for 3 times as well as I have not left your house. This is by no indicates a cars, however does act very effectively when the chauffeur asks that to. My theory is actually that this's simply some punk which made a decision to ruin a good cars and truck in the neighborhood. Butttt right here is actually things: most charge card currently offer varying levels of rental automobile insurance policy. Smarter Design - In Sync 3 the switches are bigger, greater contrast and also much easier to find. Our company read, observe and hear a lot of times exactly how sports field of expertise can subsidiary an athletic occupation - whether at the young people, college or expert amounts. The brand new sporting activities networks are offered to Time Warner Cord customers with any type of app that can easily stream reside TELEVISION, just as long as they reside in those three urban areas. The issue is actually that you have a restricted supply of fuel, and also if your container goes empty your vehicle will certainly quit. The vehicle is going to give and also guide velocity, but you supervise of ceasing the car. There's yet another very hot girl he would like to make an impression on, as well as an additional oppressor with a group of toughs to make an effort and cease him-- or even outrace him with the fancier automobiles their dads provided. Your ideal pathway is actually to find something toward which you can easily route your power which will definitely provide you along with exactly what sporting activities utilized to for you. Revocation improvements have actually honed the taking care of to be practically as receptive as sports cars, and also the four-cylinder CVT engine possesses an unusual volume of hit to this. If you're a mobile customer, the autos stereo has been improved to consist of both Android auto and also Apple participate in therefore your beloved music will be accessible at the touch from a switch. QWith the Quadra-Tec II 4WD system, Selec-Terrain Unit and Quadra-Lift Sky Revocation the 2017 Vehicle Grand Cherokee is legally all set to blow up road. These bargains are part a colossal build-up of debt in the UK, a few of this removed by folks along with bad credit scores, and also which has some professionals warning from an uncomfortable similarity along with sub-prime mortgage loans just before the economic crisis. There are presently plenty of folks who carry out comparable things who do work in Las vega or various other sports wagering spots. Even with that a lot rate and energy the Opposition is capable of supplying a reputable, for its own class, 22.6 mpg road and 15 mpg urban area along with a 17.6 mpg total along with virtually 900 miles put on the auto in a full week that had our team through back road, interstates and also by means of midtown Cleveland at the rear edge of the Republican National Convention. In one more study, off 2012, also published in the Journal from Sports Sciences, young male professional athletes who took part in a number of sports were found to be even more physically fit, have better gross motor sychronisation, even more eruptive stamina, and far better speed and dexterity than those which specialized in a singular sport. Each application delivers a various durability, as well as because all these cars and truck purchasing apps for the apple iphone or even Android are free, this's a smart idea to download all of them all and maintain them available for the whole cars and truck acquiring procedure. That could be that regardless of whether there are actually women playing sport in a community, they are actually from a specific social training class, nationality, or physical capability. Americans are actually purchasing the better urethanes for their new vehicles but the Germans have worked with the procedure for years. Besides all the brand new components above, Sync 3 streamlines upgrades through conducting all of them over WiFi at night. Nothing at all publicly ever came of the blunder; that failed to make the updates at that time, as well as Konami's ISS collection (now called Pro Development) obviously had its own tips on the lovely video game, implying either no one ever before found out about the leakage or just not did anything about this.

[annoyingstarfishstudentuniv-blog]

Why you require purchase unicorn onesie at this halloween

Onesies are maybe the most comfy wear that you could possess in your closet. Beginning from adults to kids onesies are readily available for every person. They are in reality, one of the coolest wear for winter seasons given that you can carry it right. Individuals that love to put on colourful apparel, onesies are just perfect for them as onesies are typically very vibrant. Mentioning onesies, there are various styles readily available in the market. Some are designed as pandas, other as squirrels and also then we have the unicorn onesies which is our outright favourite. Unicorn onesies are one of the most unique kinds of onesies that you can have. It features a golden horn with a very cosy mane that drops to the tail. There are a range of colours available if you agree to purchase a unicorn onesie. Now allow's discover out why unicorn onesies are taken into consideration to be an unique onesie.

Unicorn Onesie: A Should Have Belongings

It matters not whether you are 30 or 10 having a unicorn onesie is a must, gave that you enjoy putting on adult onesies . There is most likely no other comfy wear compared to a unicorn onesie. Here is why you must completely buy a unicorn onesie. To start with unicorn onesies are made very comfortable. They are loosened and also extremely soft which primarily indicates that you will not really feel any suffocation while wearing it. Likewise, they are made with the finest quality product for you to understand.

Unicorn onesies are additionally one of the most distinct categories of onesies that you may find. Most of us recognize that a unicorn is a mythical animal and putting on a onesie developed as one will only make your fantasies happen. At the exact same time, these special onesies are made extremely colourful and they additionally look extremely amusing. Unicorn onesies are presently trending in the market. So if you are a fad follower then you must obtain a unicorn onesie for on your own as well as have a good time. You can likewise maintain yourself cozy during the cool winters months with the aid of a unicorn onesie. Think about the benefits that you can obtain from a unicorn onesie. You can also take a family members photo putting on unicorn onesies. Unicorn onesies are also offered for kids so you can quickly obtain one for your youngster and also two adult unicorn onesies for you and your partner. Truthfully, this is mosting likely to be the most special household photo that you could have. Unicorn onesies can likewise act as the best gift especially for somebody who is in love with unicorns. my page: www.wellpajamas.com   Gift them a unicorn onesie and also they will certainly thanks for the remainder of their lives. It's the perfect gift product that you could opt for. That these onesies are available in the cost-free size you do not even have to fret about the size to be right. Well, currently you know why unicorn onesies are a priced property. So just what are you awaiting? Go obtain one on your own now!

[aracecvliwest]

Order Out of Chaos: Patterns of Organization for Writing on the Job

A few years ago, a former boss of mine emailed me out of the blue and asked for a resource that would help him and his colleagues organize information more effectively. Like a dutiful friend, I sent him links to a few articles and the names of some professional writing books. And I qualified my answer with that dreaded disclaimer: “Advice varies widely depending on the situation.” Implication: “You’ll just have to figure out what works best for you. So, good luck!”

In retrospect, I could have given him a better answer. Much like the gestalt principles of design that underpin so much of what designers do, there are foundational principles and patterns of organization that are relevant to any professional who must convey technical information in writing, and you can adapt these concepts to bring order out of chaos whether or not you’re a full-time writer.

Recognize the primary goals: comprehension and performance

Not long after I wrote my response, I revisited a book I’d read in college: Technical Editing, by Carolyn D. Rude. In my role as a technical writer, I reference the book every now and then for practical advice on revising software documentation. This time, as I reviewed the chapter on organization, I realized that Rude explained the high-level goals and principles better than any other author I’d read up to that point.

In short, she says that whether you are outlining a procedure, describing a product, or announcing a cool new feature, a huge amount of writing in the workplace is aimed at comprehension (here’s what X is and why you should care) and performance (here’s how to do X). She then suggests that editors choose from two broad kinds of order to support these goals: content-based order and task-based order. The first refers to structures that guide readers from major sections to more detailed sections to facilitate top-down learning; the second refers to structures of actions that readers need to carry out. Content-based orders typically start with nouns, whereas task-based orders typically begin with verbs.

Content-Based Order Example

Product Overview

Introduction

Features

Feature 1

Feature 2

Feature n

Contact

Support

Task-Based Order Example

User Guide (WordPress)

Update your title and tagline

Pick a theme you love

Add a header or background

Add a site icon

Add a widget

Of course, not all writing situations fall neatly into these buckets. If you were to visit Atlassian’s online help content, you would see a hybrid of content-based topics at the first level and task-based topics within them. The point is that as you begin to think about your organization, you should ask yourself:

Which of the major goals of organization (comprehension or performance) am I trying to achieve?

And which broad kind of order will help me best achieve those goals?

This is still pretty abstract, so let’s consider the other principles from Carolyn Rude, but with a focus on how a writer rather than an editor should approach the task of organization.1

Steal like an organizer: follow pre-established document structures

In his book Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon argues that smart artists don’t actually create anything new but rather collect inspiring ideas from specific role models, and produce work that is profoundly shaped by them.

“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original,” he writes, “we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”

The same principle applies to the art of organization. To “steal like an organizer” means to look at what other people have written and to identify and follow pre-established structures that may apply to your situation. Doing so not only saves time and effort but also forces you to remember that your audience may already expect a particular pattern—and experience cognitive dissonance if they don’t get it.

You are probably familiar with more pre-established structures than you think. News reports follow the inverted pyramid. Research reports often adhere to some form of the IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion). Instruction manuals typically have an introductory section followed by tasks grouped according to the typical sequence a user would need to follow. Even troubleshooting articles tend to have a standard structure of Problem, Cause, and Solution.

All this may sound like common sense, and yet many writers entirely skip this process of adapting pre-made structures. I can understand the impulse. When you face a blank screen, it feels simpler to capture the raw notes and organize it all later. That approach can certainly help you get into the flow, but it may also result in an ad hoc structure that fails to serve readers who are less familiar with your material.

Instead, when you begin the writing process, start by researching available templates or pre-made structures that could support your situation. Standard word processors and content management systems already contain some good templates, and it’s easy to search for others online. Your fellow writers and designers are also good resources. If you’re contributing to a series of documents at your organization, you should get familiar with the structure of that series and learn how to work within it. Or you can do some benchmarking and steal some ideas from how other companies structure similar content.

My team once had to do our own stealing for a major project that affected about half our company. We needed to come up with a repeatable structure for standard operating procedures (SOPs) that any employee could use to document a set of tasks. Knowing SOPs to be a well-established genre, we found several recommended structures online and in books, and came up with a list of common elements. We then decided which ones to steal and arranged them into a sequence that best suited our audience. We made out like bandits.

Structural SOP Elements We Found Our Assessment Overview Steal Roles Involved Steal Dependencies Steal Estimated Level of Effort Nah, too hard to calculate and maintain. Process Diagram Meh, kind of redundant, not to mention a lot of work. No thanks. Tasks Steal Task n Steal Task n Introduction Steal Task n Responsibility Steal Task n Steps Steal See Also Steal

But what if there is no pre-established pattern? Or what if a pattern exists, but it’s either too simple or too complex for what you’re trying to accomplish? Or what if it’s not as user-friendly as you would like?

There may indeed be cases where you need to develop a mostly customized structure, which can be daunting. But fear not! That’s where the other principles of organization come in.

Anticipate your readers’ questions (and maybe even talk to them)

Recently I had an extremely frustrating user experience. While consulting some documentation to learn about a new process, I encountered a series of web pages that gave no introduction and dove straight into undefined jargon and acronyms that I had never heard of. When I visited related pages to get more context, I found the same problem. There was no background information for a newbie like me. The writers failed in this case to anticipate my questions and instead assumed a great deal of prior knowledge.

Don’t make this mistake when you design your structure. Like a journalist, you need to answer the who, what, where, when, how, and why of your content, and then incorporate the answers in your structure. Anticipate common questions, such as “What is this? Where do I start? What must I know? What must I do?” This sort of critical reflection is all the more important when organizing web content, because users will almost certainly enter and exit your pages in nonlinear, unpredictable ways.

If possible, you should also meet with your readers, and gather information about what would best serve them. One simple technique you could try is to create a knowledge map, an annotated matrix of sorts that my team once built after asking various teams about their information priorities. On the left axis, we listed categories of information that we thought each team needed. Along the top axis, we listed a column for each team. We then gave team representatives a chance to rank each category and add custom categories we hadn’t included. (You can learn more about the process we followed in this video presentation.)

A knowledge map my team created after asking other teams which categories of information were most important to them.

The weakness of this approach is that it doesn’t reveal information that your audience doesn’t know how to articulate. To fill in this gap, I recommend running a few informal usability tests. But if you don’t have the time for that, building a knowledge map is better than not meeting with your readers at all, because it will help you discover structural ideas you hadn’t considered. Our knowledge map revealed multiple categories that were required across almost all teams—which, in turn, suggested a particular hierarchy and sequence to weave into our design.

Go from general to specific, familiar to new

People tend to learn and digest information best by going from general to specific, and familiar to new. By remembering this principle, which is articulated in the schema theory of learning, you can better conceptualize the structure you’re building. What are the foundational concepts of your content? They should appear in your introductory sections. What are the umbrella categories under which more detailed categories fall? The answer should determine which headings belong at the top and subordinate levels of your hierarchy. What you want to avoid is presenting new ideas that don’t flow logically from the foundational concepts and expectations that your readers bring to the table.

Consider the wikiHow article “How to Create a Dungeons and Dragons Character.” It begins by defining what Dungeons and Dragons is and explaining why you need to create a character before you can start playing the game.

Writers at wikiHow help readers learn by starting with general concepts before moving on to specifics.

The next section, “Part 1: Establishing the Basics,” guides the reader into subsequent foundational steps, such as deciding which version of the game to follow and printing out a character sheet. Later sections (“Selecting a gender and race,” “Choosing a class,” and “Calculating ability scores”) expand on these concepts to introduce more specific, unfamiliar ideas in an incremental fashion, leading readers up a gentle ramp into new territory.

Use conventional patterns to match structure to meaning

Within the general-to-specific/familiar-to-new framework, you can apply additional patterns of organization that virtually all humans understand. Whereas the pre-established document structures above are usually constructed for particular use cases or genres, other conventional patterns match more general mental models (or “schemas,” as the schema theory so elegantly puts it) that we use to make sense of the world. These patterns include chronological, spatial, comparison-contrast, cause-effect, and order of importance.

Chronological

The chronological pattern reveals time or sequence. It’s appropriate for things like instructions, process flows, progress reports, and checklists. In the case of instructions, the order of tasks on a page often implies (or explicitly states) the “proper” or most common sequence for a user to follow. The wikiHow article above, for example, offers a recommended sequence of tasks for beginner players. In the case of progress reports, the sections may be ordered according to the periods of time in which work was done, as in this sample outline from the book Reporting Technical Information, by Kenneth W. Houp et al.:

Beginning

Introduction

Summary of work completed

Middle

Work completed

Period 1 (beginning and end dates)

Description

Cost

Period 2 (beginning and end dates)

Description

Cost

Work remaining

Period 3 (or remaining periods)

Description of work to be done

Expected cost

End

Evaluation of work in this period

Conclusions and recommendations

The principles of organization listed in this article are in fact another example of the chronological pattern. As Carolyn Rude points out in her book, the principles are arranged as a sort of methodology to follow. Try starting at the top of the list and work your way down. You may find it to be a useful way to produce order out of the chaos before you.

Spatial

The spatial pattern refers to top-to-bottom, left-to-right structures of organization. This is a good pattern if you need to describe the components of an interface or a physical object.

Take a look at the neighbor comparison graph below, which is derived from a sample energy efficiency solution offered by Oracle Utilities. Customers who see this graph would most likely view it from top to bottom and left to right.

A neighbor comparison graph that shows a customer how they compare with their neighbors in terms of energy efficiency.

A detailed description of this feature would then describe each component in that same order. Here’s a sample outline:

Feature name

Title

Bar chart

Efficient neighbors

You

Average neighbors

Date range

Performance insight

Great

Good

Using more than average

Energy use insight

Comparison details (“You’re compared with 10 homes within 6 miles …”)

Comparison-contrast

The comparison-contrast pattern helps users weigh options. It’s useful when reporting the pros and cons of different decisions or comparing the attributes of two or more products or features. You see it often when you shop online and need to compare features and prices. It’s also a common pattern for feasibility studies or investigations that list options along with upsides and downsides.

Cause-effect

The cause-effect pattern shows relationships between actions and reactions. Writers often use it for things like troubleshooting articles, medical diagnoses, retrospectives, and root cause analyses. You can move from effect to cause, or cause to effect, but you should stick to one direction and use it consistently. For example, the cold and flu pages at Drugs.com follow a standard cause-effect pattern that incorporates logical follow-up sections such as “Prevention” and “Treatment”:

What Is It? (This section defines the illness and describes possible “causes.”)

Symptoms (This section goes into the “effects” of the illness.)

Diagnosis

Expected Duration

Prevention

Treatment

When to Call a Professional

Prognosis

For another example, see the “Use parallel structure for parallel sections” section below, which shows what a software troubleshooting article might look like.

Order of importance

The order of importance pattern organizes sections and subsections of content according to priority or significance. It is common in announcements, marketing brochures, release notes, advice articles, and FAQs.

The order of importance pattern is perhaps the trickiest one to get right. As Carolyn Rude says, it’s not always clear what the most important information is. What should come in the beginning, middle, and end? Who decides? The answers will vary according to the author, audience, and purpose.

When writing release notes, for example, my team often debates which software update should come first, because we know that the decision will underscore the significance of that update relative to the others. FAQs by definition are focused on which questions are most common and thus most important, but the exact order will depend on what you perceive as being the most frequent or the most important for readers to know. (If you are considering writing FAQs, I recommend this great advice from technical writer Lisa Wright.)

Other common patterns

Alphabetical order is a common pattern that Rude doesn’t mention in detail but that you may find helpful for your situation. To use this pattern, you would simply list sections or headings based on the first letter of the first word of the heading. For example, alphabetical order is used frequently to list API methods in API documentation sites such as those for Flickr, Twitter, and Java. It is also common in glossaries, indexes, and encyclopedic reference materials where each entry is more or less given equal footing. The downside of this pattern is that the most important information for your audience may not appear in a prominent, findable location. Still, it is useful if you have a large and diverse set of content that defies simple hierarchies and is referenced in a non-linear, piecemeal fashion.

Group related material

Take a look at the lists below. Which do you find easier to scan and digest?

Settle on a version of D&D.

Print a character sheet, if desired.

Select a gender and race.

Choose a class.

Name your character.

Identify the main attributes of your character.

Roll for ability scores.

Assign the six recorded numbers to the six main attributes.

Use the “Point Buy” system, alternatively.

Generate random ability scores online.

Record the modifier for each ability.

Select skills for your character.

List your character’s feats.

Roll for your starting gold.

Equip your character with items.

Fill in armor class and combat bonuses.

Paint a picture of your character.

Determine the alignment of your character.

Play your character in a campaign.

Part 1: Establishing the Basics

Settle on a version of D&D.

Print a character sheet, if desired.

Select a gender and race.

Choose a class.

Name your character.

Part 2: Calculating Ability Scores

Identify the main attributes of your character.

Roll for ability scores.

Assign the six recorded numbers to the six main attributes.

Use the “Point Buy” system, alternatively.

Generate random ability scores online.

Record the modifier for each ability.

Part 3: Equipping Skills, Feats, Weapons, and Armor

Select skills for your character.

List your character’s feats.

Roll for your starting gold.

Equip your character with items.

Fill in armor class and combat bonuses.

Part 4: Finishing Your Character

Paint a picture of your character.

Determine the alignment of your character.

Play your character in a campaign.

(Source: wikiHow: How to Create a Dungeons and Dragons Character.)

If you chose the second list, that is probably because the writers relied on a widely used organizational technique: grouping.

Grouping is the process of identifying meaningful categories of information and putting information within those categories to aid reader comprehension. Grouping is especially helpful when you have a long, seemingly random list of information that could benefit from an extra layer of logical order. An added benefit of grouping is that it may reveal where you have gaps in your content or where you have mingled types of content that don’t really belong together.

To group information effectively, first analyze your content and identify the discrete chunks of information you need to convey. Then tease out which chunks fall within similar conceptual buckets, and determine what intuitive headings or labels you can assign to those buckets. Writers do this when creating major and minor sections within a book or printed document. For online content, grouping is typically done at the level of articles or topics within a web-based system, such as a wiki or knowledge base. The Gmail Help Center, for example, groups topics within categories like..

https://ift.tt/2KygsrA

[jeanshesallenberger]

Order Out of Chaos: Patterns of Organization for Writing on the Job

A few years ago, a former boss of mine emailed me out of the blue and asked for a resource that would help him and his colleagues organize information more effectively. Like a dutiful friend, I sent him links to a few articles and the names of some professional writing books. And I qualified my answer with that dreaded disclaimer: “Advice varies widely depending on the situation.” Implication: “You’ll just have to figure out what works best for you. So, good luck!”

In retrospect, I could have given him a better answer. Much like the gestalt principles of design that underpin so much of what designers do, there are foundational principles and patterns of organization that are relevant to any professional who must convey technical information in writing, and you can adapt these concepts to bring order out of chaos whether or not you’re a full-time writer.

Recognize the primary goals: comprehension and performance

Not long after I wrote my response, I revisited a book I’d read in college: Technical Editing, by Carolyn D. Rude. In my role as a technical writer, I reference the book every now and then for practical advice on revising software documentation. This time, as I reviewed the chapter on organization, I realized that Rude explained the high-level goals and principles better than any other author I’d read up to that point.

In short, she says that whether you are outlining a procedure, describing a product, or announcing a cool new feature, a huge amount of writing in the workplace is aimed at comprehension (here’s what X is and why you should care) and performance (here’s how to do X). She then suggests that editors choose from two broad kinds of order to support these goals: content-based order and task-based order. The first refers to structures that guide readers from major sections to more detailed sections to facilitate top-down learning; the second refers to structures of actions that readers need to carry out. Content-based orders typically start with nouns, whereas task-based orders typically begin with verbs.

Content-Based Order Example

Product Overview

Introduction

Features

Feature 1

Feature 2

Feature n

Contact

Support

Task-Based Order Example

User Guide (WordPress)

Update your title and tagline

Pick a theme you love

Add a header or background

Add a site icon

Add a widget

Of course, not all writing situations fall neatly into these buckets. If you were to visit Atlassian’s online help content, you would see a hybrid of content-based topics at the first level and task-based topics within them. The point is that as you begin to think about your organization, you should ask yourself:

Which of the major goals of organization (comprehension or performance) am I trying to achieve?

And which broad kind of order will help me best achieve those goals?

This is still pretty abstract, so let’s consider the other principles from Carolyn Rude, but with a focus on how a writer rather than an editor should approach the task of organization.1

Steal like an organizer: follow pre-established document structures

In his book Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon argues that smart artists don’t actually create anything new but rather collect inspiring ideas from specific role models, and produce work that is profoundly shaped by them.

“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original,” he writes, “we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”

The same principle applies to the art of organization. To “steal like an organizer” means to look at what other people have written and to identify and follow pre-established structures that may apply to your situation. Doing so not only saves time and effort but also forces you to remember that your audience may already expect a particular pattern—and experience cognitive dissonance if they don’t get it.

You are probably familiar with more pre-established structures than you think. News reports follow the inverted pyramid. Research reports often adhere to some form of the IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion). Instruction manuals typically have an introductory section followed by tasks grouped according to the typical sequence a user would need to follow. Even troubleshooting articles tend to have a standard structure of Problem, Cause, and Solution.

All this may sound like common sense, and yet many writers entirely skip this process of adapting pre-made structures. I can understand the impulse. When you face a blank screen, it feels simpler to capture the raw notes and organize it all later. That approach can certainly help you get into the flow, but it may also result in an ad hoc structure that fails to serve readers who are less familiar with your material.

Instead, when you begin the writing process, start by researching available templates or pre-made structures that could support your situation. Standard word processors and content management systems already contain some good templates, and it’s easy to search for others online. Your fellow writers and designers are also good resources. If you’re contributing to a series of documents at your organization, you should get familiar with the structure of that series and learn how to work within it. Or you can do some benchmarking and steal some ideas from how other companies structure similar content.

My team once had to do our own stealing for a major project that affected about half our company. We needed to come up with a repeatable structure for standard operating procedures (SOPs) that any employee could use to document a set of tasks. Knowing SOPs to be a well-established genre, we found several recommended structures online and in books, and came up with a list of common elements. We then decided which ones to steal and arranged them into a sequence that best suited our audience. We made out like bandits.

Structural SOP Elements We Found Our Assessment Overview Steal Roles Involved Steal Dependencies Steal Estimated Level of Effort Nah, too hard to calculate and maintain. Process Diagram Meh, kind of redundant, not to mention a lot of work. No thanks. Tasks Steal Task n Steal Task n Introduction Steal Task n Responsibility Steal Task n Steps Steal See Also Steal

But what if there is no pre-established pattern? Or what if a pattern exists, but it’s either too simple or too complex for what you’re trying to accomplish? Or what if it’s not as user-friendly as you would like?

There may indeed be cases where you need to develop a mostly customized structure, which can be daunting. But fear not! That’s where the other principles of organization come in.

Anticipate your readers’ questions (and maybe even talk to them)

Recently I had an extremely frustrating user experience. While consulting some documentation to learn about a new process, I encountered a series of web pages that gave no introduction and dove straight into undefined jargon and acronyms that I had never heard of. When I visited related pages to get more context, I found the same problem. There was no background information for a newbie like me. The writers failed in this case to anticipate my questions and instead assumed a great deal of prior knowledge.

Don’t make this mistake when you design your structure. Like a journalist, you need to answer the who, what, where, when, how, and why of your content, and then incorporate the answers in your structure. Anticipate common questions, such as “What is this? Where do I start? What must I know? What must I do?” This sort of critical reflection is all the more important when organizing web content, because users will almost certainly enter and exit your pages in nonlinear, unpredictable ways.

If possible, you should also meet with your readers, and gather information about what would best serve them. One simple technique you could try is to create a knowledge map, an annotated matrix of sorts that my team once built after asking various teams about their information priorities. On the left axis, we listed categories of information that we thought each team needed. Along the top axis, we listed a column for each team. We then gave team representatives a chance to rank each category and add custom categories we hadn’t included. (You can learn more about the process we followed in this video presentation.)

A knowledge map my team created after asking other teams which categories of information were most important to them.

The weakness of this approach is that it doesn’t reveal information that your audience doesn’t know how to articulate. To fill in this gap, I recommend running a few informal usability tests. But if you don’t have the time for that, building a knowledge map is better than not meeting with your readers at all, because it will help you discover structural ideas you hadn’t considered. Our knowledge map revealed multiple categories that were required across almost all teams—which, in turn, suggested a particular hierarchy and sequence to weave into our design.

Go from general to specific, familiar to new

People tend to learn and digest information best by going from general to specific, and familiar to new. By remembering this principle, which is articulated in the schema theory of learning, you can better conceptualize the structure you’re building. What are the foundational concepts of your content? They should appear in your introductory sections. What are the umbrella categories under which more detailed categories fall? The answer should determine which headings belong at the top and subordinate levels of your hierarchy. What you want to avoid is presenting new ideas that don’t flow logically from the foundational concepts and expectations that your readers bring to the table.

Consider the wikiHow article “How to Create a Dungeons and Dragons Character.” It begins by defining what Dungeons and Dragons is and explaining why you need to create a character before you can start playing the game.

Writers at wikiHow help readers learn by starting with general concepts before moving on to specifics.

The next section, “Part 1: Establishing the Basics,” guides the reader into subsequent foundational steps, such as deciding which version of the game to follow and printing out a character sheet. Later sections (“Selecting a gender and race,” “Choosing a class,” and “Calculating ability scores”) expand on these concepts to introduce more specific, unfamiliar ideas in an incremental fashion, leading readers up a gentle ramp into new territory.

Use conventional patterns to match structure to meaning

Within the general-to-specific/familiar-to-new framework, you can apply additional patterns of organization that virtually all humans understand. Whereas the pre-established document structures above are usually constructed for particular use cases or genres, other conventional patterns match more general mental models (or “schemas,” as the schema theory so elegantly puts it) that we use to make sense of the world. These patterns include chronological, spatial, comparison-contrast, cause-effect, and order of importance.

Chronological

The chronological pattern reveals time or sequence. It’s appropriate for things like instructions, process flows, progress reports, and checklists. In the case of instructions, the order of tasks on a page often implies (or explicitly states) the “proper” or most common sequence for a user to follow. The wikiHow article above, for example, offers a recommended sequence of tasks for beginner players. In the case of progress reports, the sections may be ordered according to the periods of time in which work was done, as in this sample outline from the book Reporting Technical Information, by Kenneth W. Houp et al.:

Beginning

Introduction

Summary of work completed

Middle

Work completed

Period 1 (beginning and end dates)

Description

Cost

Period 2 (beginning and end dates)

Description

Cost

Work remaining

Period 3 (or remaining periods)

Description of work to be done

Expected cost

End

Evaluation of work in this period

Conclusions and recommendations

The principles of organization listed in this article are in fact another example of the chronological pattern. As Carolyn Rude points out in her book, the principles are arranged as a sort of methodology to follow. Try starting at the top of the list and work your way down. You may find it to be a useful way to produce order out of the chaos before you.

Spatial

The spatial pattern refers to top-to-bottom, left-to-right structures of organization. This is a good pattern if you need to describe the components of an interface or a physical object.

Take a look at the neighbor comparison graph below, which is derived from a sample energy efficiency solution offered by Oracle Utilities. Customers who see this graph would most likely view it from top to bottom and left to right.

A neighbor comparison graph that shows a customer how they compare with their neighbors in terms of energy efficiency.

A detailed description of this feature would then describe each component in that same order. Here’s a sample outline:

Feature name

Title

Bar chart

Efficient neighbors

You

Average neighbors

Date range

Performance insight

Great

Good

Using more than average

Energy use insight

Comparison details (“You’re compared with 10 homes within 6 miles …”)

Comparison-contrast

The comparison-contrast pattern helps users weigh options. It’s useful when reporting the pros and cons of different decisions or comparing the attributes of two or more products or features. You see it often when you shop online and need to compare features and prices. It’s also a common pattern for feasibility studies or investigations that list options along with upsides and downsides.

Cause-effect

The cause-effect pattern shows relationships between actions and reactions. Writers often use it for things like troubleshooting articles, medical diagnoses, retrospectives, and root cause analyses. You can move from effect to cause, or cause to effect, but you should stick to one direction and use it consistently. For example, the cold and flu pages at Drugs.com follow a standard cause-effect pattern that incorporates logical follow-up sections such as “Prevention” and “Treatment”:

What Is It? (This section defines the illness and describes possible “causes.”)

Symptoms (This section goes into the “effects” of the illness.)

Diagnosis

Expected Duration

Prevention

Treatment

When to Call a Professional

Prognosis

For another example, see the “Use parallel structure for parallel sections” section below, which shows what a software troubleshooting article might look like.

Order of importance

The order of importance pattern organizes sections and subsections of content according to priority or significance. It is common in announcements, marketing brochures, release notes, advice articles, and FAQs.

The order of importance pattern is perhaps the trickiest one to get right. As Carolyn Rude says, it’s not always clear what the most important information is. What should come in the beginning, middle, and end? Who decides? The answers will vary according to the author, audience, and purpose.

When writing release notes, for example, my team often debates which software update should come first, because we know that the decision will underscore the significance of that update relative to the others. FAQs by definition are focused on which questions are most common and thus most important, but the exact order will depend on what you perceive as being the most frequent or the most important for readers to know. (If you are considering writing FAQs, I recommend this great advice from technical writer Lisa Wright.)

Other common patterns

Alphabetical order is a common pattern that Rude doesn’t mention in detail but that you may find helpful for your situation. To use this pattern, you would simply list sections or headings based on the first letter of the first word of the heading. For example, alphabetical order is used frequently to list API methods in API documentation sites such as those for Flickr, Twitter, and Java. It is also common in glossaries, indexes, and encyclopedic reference materials where each entry is more or less given equal footing. The downside of this pattern is that the most important information for your audience may not appear in a prominent, findable location. Still, it is useful if you have a large and diverse set of content that defies simple hierarchies and is referenced in a non-linear, piecemeal fashion.

Group related material

Take a look at the lists below. Which do you find easier to scan and digest?

Settle on a version of D&D.

Print a character sheet, if desired.

Select a gender and race.

Choose a class.

Name your character.

Identify the main attributes of your character.

Roll for ability scores.

Assign the six recorded numbers to the six main attributes.

Use the “Point Buy” system, alternatively.

Generate random ability scores online.

Record the modifier for each ability.

Select skills for your character.

List your character’s feats.

Roll for your starting gold.

Equip your character with items.

Fill in armor class and combat bonuses.

Paint a picture of your character.

Determine the alignment of your character.

Play your character in a campaign.

Part 1: Establishing the Basics

Settle on a version of D&D.

Print a character sheet, if desired.

Select a gender and race.

Choose a class.

Name your character.

Part 2: Calculating Ability Scores

Identify the main attributes of your character.

Roll for ability scores.

Assign the six recorded numbers to the six main attributes.

Use the “Point Buy” system, alternatively.

Generate random ability scores online.

Record the modifier for each ability.

Part 3: Equipping Skills, Feats, Weapons, and Armor

Select skills for your character.

List your character’s feats.

Roll for your starting gold.

Equip your character with items.

Fill in armor class and combat bonuses.

Part 4: Finishing Your Character

Paint a picture of your character.

Determine the alignment of your character.

Play your character in a campaign.

(Source: wikiHow: How to Create a Dungeons and Dragons Character.)

If you chose the second list, that is probably because the writers relied on a widely used organizational technique: grouping.

Grouping is the process of identifying meaningful categories of information and putting information within those categories to aid reader comprehension. Grouping is especially helpful when you have a long, seemingly random list of information that could benefit from an extra layer of logical order. An added benefit of grouping is that it may reveal where you have gaps in your content or where you have mingled types of content that don’t really belong together.

To group information effectively, first analyze your content and identify the discrete chunks of information you need to convey. Then tease out which chunks fall within similar conceptual buckets, and determine what intuitive headings or labels you can assign to those buckets. Writers do this when creating major and minor sections within a book or printed document. For online content, grouping is typically done at the level of articles or topics within a web-based system, such as a wiki or knowledge base. The Gmail Help Center, for example, groups topics within categories like..

https://ift.tt/2KygsrA