Ah spring. One moment it is warm and sunny, and the next minute the sky is opening up and leaving you completely drenched. My children don't seem to mind getting wet, but I just feel better when they're warm and dry. This week, Dubz got a new rubber rain coat, just in time for the insane amount of rain we have had in the past few days.
If you follow me on Instagram, you will notice that I also have a yellow raincoat that I wear quite often. Dubz has been dying to get one like mine for ages. So he was thrilled when his new coat arrived from Lighthouse Clothing. Dubz is barely five, so is still very excited about twinning with his 'honey best friend' (that's what he calls me).
The jacket is made from a rubberised fabric, which means that is is showerproof and windproof. The inside is lined in a soft, and very cute, stripey jersey fabric. And it's machine washable which is amazing when your child happens to be fond of mud kitchens and getting dirty. If you're not familiar with Lighthouse Clothing, they specialise in making outerwear that is waterproof and durable yet stylish. They also offer a two year guarantee on all their clothing. Dubz doesn't care about those things. He just likes being comfortable and looking cool. And he is and he does.
We were sent this raincoat for the purpose of a review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Very cool coat! I need to get such one as well, for my kids love being outside too much, whatever weather is there. Thanks for an interesting review!
Thank you for reading. It really is a cool coat!
Honey best friend, that is just the sweetest! Yellow raincoats are true classics.


The "Startup Visa" is making the news rounds again, this time due to the introduction in Congress of the Startup Act 3.0, a bill designed to create a visa for foreign-born entrepreneurs. There currently exists no visa designed for a person to come to the US and start a small, high-growth business. As a result, foreign entrepreneurs like myself have to contort our businesses and visa applications to fit into visa categories that date from a time when starting a business required far more capital than today's startup formula of: laptop, garage, and grit.
The experience was and is quite painful: my first-time visa application was 70 pages long; one year later, my renewal application had ballooned to over 150 pages. Combined legal fees for both years ran north of $5,000, and I had to spend about two months out of the country each year, waiting for my visa to be renewed.
All of this required significant amounts of time, money, and effort. Worst of all, however, is the uncertainty of the process: visa approvals depend on the judgment of one or a few consular officers. It goes without saying that a denied visa is tantamount to a dead startup. My company, LendSquare, lost investors, customers, and great hires because people weren't willing to bet on a company whose founder might have to leave the country for immigration reasons.
Make the visa requirements crystal clear. Reduce the role of individual judgment on application decisions. Set clear minimums of investment, traction, and documentation. Provide outlines for required documents. Startups are risky enough endeavors without the added element of consular whim.
Allow entrepreneurs to apply for the visa while in the US. Visa applications can take months, so being able to wait while in the US is critical.
Allow foreign investment. Foreigners have substantial social networks to tap for angel-type investment out of the country.
Allow applicants to leave the US and come back while their application is pending. There are a few immigration processes that prohibit an applicant from leaving the US while the process is pending. Separating entrepreneurs from a likely source of investment will be counterproductive, the inherent cruelty of not being able to visit your spouse/family/dying uncle notwithstanding.
Allow universities to solicit visas on behalf of their students. Universities are in a unique position to help prospective entrepreneurs: students can work on their startup while in school, and they can avoid paying for immigration attorneys, who can be expensive or inexperienced with this kind of law.
Allow undergraduates to apply for the visa. As is, most bills fast-track only US graduates with advanced degrees.
Avoid catch-22's. Don't make it necessary to apply for a visa out of the country while requiring a bunch of work that can only be done inside the US, like getting customers, or securing a lease. Don't ask for hundreds of thousands in investment before a visa to start a business can be granted.
In case you were wondering, the Startup Visa 3.0 bill currently under consideration would solve exactly zero of my immigration problems, as I'm no longer on a student (F1) visa—but for those in the same boat as me, we'll take what we can get.


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Cover Art from Dragon Age: Inquisition BioWare
Recently at the 2018 Game Awards they revealed a trailer for a new Dragon Age- along with the hashtag #TheDreadWolfRises [1]- which re-sparked my interest in the series. I had basically dropped BioWare games entirely after 2017's abysmal entry to a different BioWare series, Mass Effect Andromeda. When I did play through the Original Mass Effect last year, it only rubbed salt into the wounds left by that awful game. But due to the recent announcement, I decided I would retry BioWare's Dragon Age: Inquisition. A game I had not picked up in four years.
I had fun with my experience, getting to experience the parts I enjoyed again, but, as I progressed through the first act of the game, all of the terrible bits also became increasingly clear to me. After playing for several hours and enjoying several play sessions I tried to take a look at my old review. I had written of Dragon Age: Inquisition right after it came out. I could not find it, but I do recall some of what I said. And currently I do not agree with everything I said. The six main points I will be focusing on include Setting, Plot, and Quests; Characters; Graphics; Soundtrack and Score; Gameplay and Mechanics; and Controls. Oh and a fair warning - Spoilers Ahead.
I. Setting, Plot, and Quests
The Dragon Age Setting, or Thedas, as the writers call it (Yes it an acronym) can be briefly summed up as a Dark Fantasy World. In Thedas there are Demons and all sorts of foul creatures. Magic is dangerous, and Mages are treated as second-class citizens. The Chantry (Church) is overbearing and often corrupt. I like this setting; I have played the first and second entries into the series a few times each. This is an interesting setting. The plot on the other hand is where this category is going to lose out on some points.
The Mage-Templar War is set up during the climax of Dragon Age II, and has come to a head during the opening of Inquisition. The game opens with a massive explosion, making you the sole survivor of a tragic event. The Prologue is actually fairly paced and offers much In terms of story value. The first act sets up everything it should, your motivation, the big bad, taking a side in the war, fighting the war. This offers great progression in terms of Characters and Story. The Quests here feel big, you are trying to acquire materials to essentially assist one side in a war. The "fetch" quests here serve a purpose which is not typical of the Open-World RPG. Each mission you take on helps move the plot as all the companion characters are gathered together by the end of the first act. The characters you interact with grow as you help them with their personal journey and take time to get to know them and their motivations.
Then act one finishes, and the game immediately takes a nose dive in coherency and overall is a big letdown. The Mage-Templar war, which has been hyped up the entirety of two games ends at the first act's climax. The "big bad" they set up was really not that big of a deal, as there is a bigger badder baddie to deal with that comes out of nowhere during the second act. The second act is inherently worse than the first act. The story becomes disjointed, wandering from large open world area to the next, to the next, with no real reason to do any of it, no satisfying motivation for your protagonist, (none of it). The Quests become nothing more than chores that are a slog and a grind to get through. I find myself having to force myself to play the game so I could get further in it, even if I didn't want to.
Although the real icing on the cake is that there was an entire section, an entire questline that was gutted from the game. A section Bioware was all too eager to show off during E3 and other conventions. In this quest line, you would have to choose to either save an entire village, allowing your stronghold to get captured, ultimately sacrificing your soldiers, or protecting the stronghold and sacrificing the village. The village would have side quests, merchants and a whole bunch of content for you to experience, should you choose to save it. The village is gone. That whole section was reduced to securing your hold on the region and investigating the fate of the village. This was a total let down. This is an adept description for the entirety of the second act.
The bigger badder baddie at the end of the game was revealed to be a character that you had already dealt with in the previous game, Corypheus. Honestly, the reveal is major letdown and the fight against him was as well (according to watching gameplay videos, as I never finished the game). Another reveal is then made that one of your companions, Solas, is actually an Elvhen (ancient Elvish) Deity by the name of Fen'Harel the Dread Wolf, a god of Trickery. He was the one who caused all the mess of the game's intro to happen in the first place. I actually found this revelation about Solas to be pretty awesome; but it is a bummer that so much "meh" surrounds the reveal that it gets lost.
Dragon Age: Inquisition earns high marks for its stellar opening, excellent first act, and tremendous setting. Its second act drops it down to only average marks with a -1 penalty for inconsistent storytelling, and a -1 penalty for cut content shown at a convention. It does earn a +1 Bonus for setting and World Development.
II. Characters
The characters in this game are (with a few exceptions) pretty memorable, many of them have depth and are well written. Varric makes a return from Dragon Age II and along with his crossbow Bianca to join your crew. Varric's witty banter and exaggerated stories make him a personal favorite for me. Iron Bull is probably the best written of the crew. Each of the party members (with 3 exceptions) is a compelling character. They have their own motivations, thoughts, and quirks and their personality makes you want to help them along with their own goals.
Take Cassandra for example, she has a deep hidden love for the stories written by Varric, even though she and Varric butt heads all the time. Her favorite series of his is an erotic novel series, featuring a character from a previous Dragon Age game. She asks you to secretly convince Varric to finish the final entry in the series. Varric takes the opportunity to really tease her about her reading habits. It is an extremely awesome scene and I loved every second of it. I died with laughter and marveled at the chemistry the crew has because of these interludes.
The Character line-up is probably the strongest part of Inquisition. There are So many relate-able Characters and because of the depth of each one you wouldn't mind taking a whole side mission just to help one of them find something or other whether it be equipment, artifacts, secrets, etc. This earns Dragon Age: Inquisition high marks with a +1 Bonus for Character Interaction.
III. Graphics
Dragon Age: Inquisition has a highly stylized art style that I personally find very enjoyable and pleasant. It has aged reasonably well the past four years. However, there is an abundance of animation glitches and several of the characters (Josephine and Cassandra in particular) have weird facial animations. Overall, the facial animations are fairly lackluster at best and below par at worst. The environment is probably where most of the attention went to, as it is beautiful and colorful. This is a stark contrast to the tone of the series, but it complements the game instead of detracting from it. This is a commendable achievement.
Performance-wise, it does make my computer run pretty hot, but seeing as my Computer is over 5 years old that is not a surprise. However, at the time of release, many people did complain about performance optimization as it came to playing the game on PC. Its performance was rough on my computer at release, even if I ran at medium graphics settings (I have a laptop, and not a gaming rig). By contrast it did run Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3 on High to Ultra settings with little effort. With all this taken into account, Dragon Age: Inquisition earns above average marks. It also earns a +1 for stylization. Dragon Age: Inquisition takes a -1 penalty for its lackluster facial animation and for its performance.
IV. Soundtrack and Score
The Soundtrack of Dragon Age: Inquisition is amazing. Trevor Morris is a Genius. Honestly, it is probably the most enjoyable portion of the game. I could not help but hum along or dance with my feet as I was playing the game concentrating on boss fights, crafting loot and doing various other things. Inon Zur is the composer that had worked with Dragon Age in the past, and as much as I loved his work, Inquisition probably has the best soundtrack as a whole with very few notable exceptions from the previous titles. Even the ambiance noises and other environmental features are beautiful to listen to. This is real reason to buy the Digital Deluxe Edition; the other content is kind of irrelevant. I love the Soundtrack and commonly play it as music to listen to around the house. Trevor Morris brings home extremely high marks to the Dragon Age team for his musical genius.
V. Gameplay and Mechanics
Dragon Age: Inquisition feels light on the actual RPG mechanics that put the series on the map to begin with. Gone are skill points and several of the specializations that the Series is known for including the Blood Mage, Bard, Assassin, and even the Spirit Healer. Instead of the four specialization choices for each class that Origins and II had, Inquisition only has three (The Awakening Expansion had 6). The Spirit Healer was my jam in the first game. It really sucks that the Mages in Inquisition have been relegated to a DPS role exclusively. In fact there is no way to heal your party outside of using Health potions- which have been mapped to the "9" slot on your hotbar. Slots 1-8 are the only slots you have for abilities which feels very limiting. "0,-, and =" have all been assigned other uses as well. There are also less Armor slots (only Armor and Helmet) as opposed to Chest, Legs, Arms, and Helmet from the previous games. Skill Points have been removed and skills are now boosted through equipment and passive abilities you take when leveling up.
The Tactical Camera makes a comeback in this installment. It is useless indoors (literally unusable) and basically useless outdoors (clunky, but usable). Even interacting with objects has been made more difficult by a combination of the controls and mechanics of the game. You have to be facing the exact proper angle in order to loot, something that should be a breeze in an RPG. To top it all off there is no area loot mechanic like in the two previous games/installments
There is a nice addition to the newly revamped crafting system. It allows essentially full customization of your party's equipment. Everything can be adjusted to your preference: from the color, to extra abilities, the type of damage, stats and more. The crafting system is pretty extensive. It is easily the best of the mechanics that have been changed from previous installments.
Combat is pretty mediocre to be honest. Most of the encounters are uninspired and somewhat dull. The limited options for character progression and abilities make many encounters feel same-y. Really the only saving grace keeping the combat from being just like the rest is the tactical approach that essentially every boss fight has. The Dragon Fights are super cool and really well done. Being able to target the different parts of a Dragon is a neat change. You can focus of the wings or a leg to weaken the Dragon before bringing it down, Each Dragon Fight utilizes different tactics so that is nice.
Nearly everything in Dragon Age: Inquisition has been "streamlined" which is another way of saying removed and striped out of a previously excellent RPG experience. The Limiting of Character Progression choices and combat bums me out. With the removal and simplification of mechanics Inquisition earns below average marks from me. The Crafting system is once again a nice touch, and does snag a +1 bonus.
VI. Controls
The PC controls of Dragon Age: Inquisition are resoundingly mediocre. It is extremely obvious that it is port from consoles to PC, which is highly unfortunate. There are several mechanics that suffer from the poor controls., The most notable being the Tactical Camera. As previously mentioned, it is useless indoors as it is next to impossible to control properly. The camera gets stuck on everything from tiny rocks, to enemies, to even your own characters. The camera controls in this mode makes the Tactical Camera essentially useless as a mechanic. Some other mechanics that suffer are the Explorations, Combat and Quick Slots, and numerous other "RPG staples."
When I returned to the game I had hoped that the issues with the terrible controls would be addressed. They were not. The same awful control system present at launch was still in the game and was still just as atrocious. Dragon Age: Inquisition earns a below average mark with a -2 penalty for sheer dreadfulness in controls.
VII. Conclusion
With the #TheDreadWolfRises Trailer and a new Dragon Age announced, it is time to discuss how to improve upon the Dragon Age Formula and how to not make the same mistakes that were made with Inquisition (and DA2) again. First up: Focus on the strong points of Dragon Age. Spend more time writing characters, interactions, and enthralling story threads instead of trying to haphazardly implement multiplayer and "open world" content. If I wanted to play an Open World Game, I would play Witcher 3 or Final Fantasy XV instead of Dragon Age. Simply Focus on Characters and Stories. Second: Open up Character Progression and Hotbars (especially for PC). Limiting Character Progression in the way that Inquisition did felt like they were taking a step backwards. Open it up, put the Role-Playing back in the Role-Playing Game. Allowing players to have quick access to their abilities on a Hotbar (not limited to 8 Slots) would allow players to enjoy their experience in their own way - without artificially being forced to play a certain way. And Lastly: Make sure to make the Controls at least decent on every system the game is released. This should be a no-brainer.
And now for the Scoring:
Setting, Plot, and Quests. C+(2.9) Dragon Age: Inquisition takes a -1 penalty for the poor payoff plot wise, and a second one for cut story content. It does earn a +1 Bonus for its theme and setting.
Characters. A(3.7). DA:I brings home a +1 Bonus for its stellar Character Arcs.
Graphics. B(3.3). Inquisition earns a +1 bonus for stylization, but takes a -1 penalty for its technical issues.
Soundtrack and Score. A+(4.0). No bonuses or penalties awarded.
Gameplay and Mechanics. C-(2.6). With a +1 bonus for a neat Crafting System.
Controls. D(2.2). Dragon Age: Inquisition is penalized with a -2 for Tear Inducing Controls.
Totals. C(3.0). In the end Dragon Age: Inquisition is nothing more than an Average experience, in a Stellar series, from once excellent developers. As much as I struggled to enjoy my play through of this installment, I hope BioWare can turn things around before the Release of Dragon Age #TheDreadWolfRises.
Link to DreadWolf Trailer:
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Executive Insight
Frank Vorrath, Executive Partner of Supply Chain at Gartner, explores the concept of transforming organisational structures
by Dale Benton – August 24, 2019 | 1:34pm
Part four of a six-part supply chain masterclass with Frank Vorrath, Executive Partner of supply chain at Gartner. Frank explains how to build a supply chain excellence operating system, enabled by a centre of excellence.
Prefer this in an audio format? Listen to the Digital Insight podcast!
Frank Vorrath, Executive Partner of Supply Chain at Gartner
One of the key things identified within your concept of a supply chain excellence operating system is two-directional thinking, where you've got people working in the business and people working on the business – could you elaborate on that, please?
Transformations are really driven by future growth ambitions of those organisations, or if they are looking and expanding into new areas and new business models. Lots of things are changing very fast and exponentially. If you look at that, that sets limitations for organisations to actually do the same things as they did in the past. From a structural point of view, your current capabilities won't allow you to compete in the future. You have to think about how you are going to approach that.
There's also a limitation in terms of resources. The concept of perform and transform is simple to understand, which means you still have to focus on your core business and create results and good performance, while at the same time transforming. The concept is almost like running a sprint and a marathon at the same time. If you think about what you can do with the same setup and structure you have without investing, and potentially a different set of excellences, then it's probably stretching your current resources to a limit.
If you think about the transform activity you have to do as an organisation, you think more about what you need to do to be successful in the future. If you think about the sprints, you still have to focus on your core business and on day-to-day good performance, and you also need to think about what enables you to perform day to day, running these sprints, making sure you keep and stay focused on delivering performance end results to your business and to your customers as well meeting their objectives and needs, but also transforming the organisation at the same time and building the new muscles you need in the future related to the capabilities.
What sort of challenge does this balancing act, between the two areas, present?
If you do that with your current resources you have available in your business you may find yourself in a position that is too much a stretch for your resources: to be able to deliver on your expectations. Somewhere, you need to balance it. The question is can you balance that with your existing resources and the existing structure you have, or perhaps you have to set up a different structure – where you have people working in the business and people working on the transformation. Both are equally important to you as a business because one is really keeping the lights on and delivering the performance you need today, which is finding the capabilities you have to build for the future. That needs to be balanced. Is it easy? Probably not. But is it required? Absolutely.
Where does change management come into the equation?
With change management and transformations, it's really shifting the mindset and the behaviour and actions towards generating more an improved and sustainable business performance and results. It's about having clarity of the destination, and a clear understanding of why are you doing this, and what you want and need in order to transform.
The next important part of change management is role modelling. Your leadership plays such an important role here in championing the transformation with clear and defined specific communication and milestones. Taking people along with you on this journey and having an understanding of 'walk the talk', and being visible and aligned on a leadership level creates the pull in an organisation.
There's also organisational capabilities, the resources I need, the financial commitment that an organisation has to make to transform, because it can be dependent on the maturity of that organisation. Sometimes you have to be able to invest first to generate the benefits later on. You have to be able to have governance in that model, which is strictly focused on priorities for the business as an outcome and is steering the organisation through that transformation. The culture and the mindset of the people, the knowledge and skills have to be in place, and it has to be somewhere measured and sustained.
Also, you have to be able to reinforce. How do you align your goals and objectives and your incentives structures on the two important activities, perform and transform, in a balanced way? Not just incentivising generating results today, but also incentivising transforming the organisation to be able to compete in the future. It's not just continuous improvement. It's building an operating system, considering what drives change, creating push and pull in an organisation, and really with the mindset of the future to improve, as well as building muscle, creating sustainable business performance and end results, and meeting the never-ending customer expectations in future.
How does a role model approach help overcome the challenges in change?
It has to start at the top of an organisation, which means you have to be very clear, very concise and compelling. People need to understand why you are doing this, and be very clear about the outcome, when you want to do certain things, and what it's actually going to do for the organisation. Take people along the journey and bring them in a way in that they have a stake in the game, so they are able to participate and provide their input into the transformation. That's really important when you start your change management and transformation.
You also have to somewhere create an excitement factor for your people to believe that the future you're going to create for them is a future where they want to be part of, where they want to be proud of, so they are excited to actually take you as an organization forward into that future.
How do you bring the customer into the conversation?
It's key to incorporate customers into it. Don't be shy in asking your customer how can you serve them better. How can you create more a collaborative joint partnership together? It's no longer about vendor and supply and customer relationship, it's about a partnership on a more strategic level. As a business, if you're able to figure that out and bring your key customers in, listen to them and make them part of it, or even make them a joint development in terms of building an operating system, even better. You may want to consider joint investments into building the capabilities you need in future, especially in areas when it comes to looking into talent related to emerging technologies, data, data scientists, etc.
You really have a scarcity and you have to build and think about how you want to build these kinds of talents in your organisation from a different perspective and different ways. You may want to do this jointly together with your customers, because they probably have the same needs like you have in their own business, and the same kind of limitation and challenges to find the right talents. Instead of just doing it on your own and being completely internally focused, combine the inside out with the outside in. The key in that is your customer or your customers.
How important is it to develop an end to end supply chain IT strategy and technology roadmap so that the technology and the procurement transformation are aligned?
You have to have an end-to-end view of your technology. Technology can't be seen in isolation with what you are trying to accomplish with the strategic objectives of your business related to the value proposition you have. Technology and digitalisation, you can be taken from two angles and that's what I'm seeing currently happening in the marketplace. On the one side, you see companies focusing and creating new business models through digitalisation related to their products and services, selling outcomes and solutions instead of selling products and devices.
On the other side, you see a lot of activity in terms of digitalisation in the supply chain. These two things are connected, but we also know that 70% of the initiatives currently in the marketplace are disconnected. Technology is creating new business models, using data to access and provide insights to your business for better and informed decision making. Data could also mean monetising that data and creating new business models. Technology, from your business process optimisation point of view, can create a new level of maturity in terms of efficiency.
That's where a lot of companies are focusing on and deploying new technologies because they want to figure out if there are business benefits they can introduce to the business and to harness new capabilities and with automated processes that reduce time, errors, cost, and also increase the efficiencies they have in their business. To be able to do that, you need to have a blueprint and an understanding of where you are at currently with your technology landscape and your applications, and also where you want to grow in the future.
What is the overall journey of this centre of excellence system, where it starts with developing infrastructure, building supply chain excellence capabilities, and then reaching a stage where that supply chain excellence is woven within the organisation's DNA?
The ideas of transform and perform, and the resource constraints that organisations are having by using the same resources has been recognised in the market widely and you have seen over the last couple of years more and more organisations actually building a centre of excellence. With a centre of excellence, you have to consider that there are different centres of excellence. Now you have to have a functional centre of excellence where you just focus on building the maturity in certain areas of your supply chain.
You could also have a logistics centre of excellence. You could have other centres of excellence, like a manufacturing centre of excellence. The goal is to design your centre of excellence and be aligned with the main activity across your whole value chain, which means if you are a manufacturing organisation and a supply chain organisation or procurement, you would organise your centre of excellence in a way that would incorporate the strategy element into that. There are different ways of structuring a supply chain centre of excellence.
My recommendation, if a business can afford it, would be to focus on end to end, rather than just functional, because if you just focus on functional excellence, again, your integration and collaboration across the different functions might be a bit of a challenge.
Is excellence an ever-moving target?
You always have to work on that. You're never done. If you really think about your plan of a transformation, does it stop after three years? No, it's not going to stop.
What you're hoping for when you had enough momentum, excitement and generated the results, is the building of a culture and a DNA. That is probably the longest part of a transformation which is never-ending, because if you think about it from a leadership point of view, when you build it with your team and operating system, you want to build something which is sustainable and not dependent on you as a leader or your team. It should be there, even if you move on. It should be part of the culture so that people and generations after can still build from what was built, to make it better.
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Tinton Falls, N.J. – Sept. 27, 2018 - Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT), a recognized global leader in backup, recovery, the cloud and data management across any hybrid environment, today announced that its third annual Commvault GO event, to be held on Oct. 9-11, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn., will play host to more customer, partner and analyst speakers than ever before.
With a main stage agenda including participation from Bill Nye "The Science Guy," entertainer, Steve Connell, and globally recognized brands such as: Maersk, Tivo, American Pacific Mortgage, AudienceView and Alectra Utilities; plus a one hour "rapid-fire" session around the theme "Data Done Differently," Commvault GO 2018 is set to be more engaging and interactive than ever before.
Is "as-a-service data protection" the right option for you?
Commvault GO 2018 in Nashville, Tenn.: A must 'GO' destination!
Commvault GO will be held at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville. Known as "Music City," Nashville offers attendees a night-life like no other city in the world. In fact, this year's GO closing-night party will take place in the heart of all of Nashville's music scene – at the city's newest, in-demand clubs: Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, and the interconnected club by Luke Bryan known as Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink.


The stock electronic control shock absorber makes FK8 all-rounder for a various driving conditions; however, for the sporty driving, especially in a circuit, excessive vehicle body roll and/or pitch and rear side's instable vehicle body movement while braking may be a matter of concern. This products lowers the vehicle height to with this product to lower its gravity center and reduce the instable vehicle body movement and body roll; circuit driving will be enjoyed with higher reliability. HKS original camber adjustable pillow upper is installed to the front side. The camber can be adjusted according to the tire size and/or driving conditions. High rigidity single tube inverted type is utilized for the front side to support sufficiently its weight and large bending load that is caused during acceleration, deceleration, and/or turning. It delivers outstanding durability that was achieved through our continued efforts for improvement. The rear damping force adjustment cable allows simple adjustment that is not required lifting the vehicle or removing the dampers. The straight springs also allow a better flexibility of setup. With the stock wheel, the tire may come in contact with the damper around the handle lock point if the tread length is shorter than 42mm, or they may come in contact depending on the wheel rim width and/or offset setting.
※The error message comes on when the stock suspension is removed. It can be canceled by installing an error canceller.
The product tests were conducted using YOKOHAMA ADVAN A052 tires. Recommended dial positions for circuit driving is 12 for the front and 10 for the rear side. It is recommended to use the engine oil cooler.
※ CEL comes on if the stock suspension is removed. CEL can be canceled by an error canceller that is available separately.


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Ildibad, of Hildebad (gestorven 541) was korte tijd koning van de Ostrogoten in Italië.

Hij was een neef van de West-Gotische koning Theudis van Spanje en volgde Witiges op, toen deze gedwongen werd Ravenna, de koningszetel van de Goten in Italië, te verlaten. Ildibad regeerde amper een jaar en werd toen op een banket door een Gepidische slaaf vermoord.

Zijn opvolger was Erarik, die echter nog korter aan het bewind was dan Ildibad. Totila, neef van Ildibad, werd de nieuwe heerser over de Goten in Italië na Erarik.

Koning der Ostrogoten
Vermoord heerser
Persoon in de 6e eeuw

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Door knobs sound like a straightforward item to purchase, but there are some pitfalls and things you need to know and consider before buying. Read on!
Door knobs that are designed to turn are sold in pairs with a connecting spindle, normally with the screw fixings required to attach them to the face of the door.
For your knobs to turn they will need a lock or latch mechanism. These should be purchased separately to suit the door knobs, or you may already have these in your doors. There are two types of mechanism. Most common is a mortise lock or latch, which is set into the edge of the door. The other traditional option is a rim lock or latch, which is a surface mounted box, these are often decorative.
If you have a mortise type latch/lock, then all our door knobs will fit. If you have a rim latch/lock, only selected rim knobs will suit. The functionality is indicated in the product description on our website. Rim knobs require loose backplates, as normally only one backplate is used on the non rim lock side of the door. Mortise only door knobs have backplates which are fixed to the door knob part and are generally attached to the door face using fixing screws.
Door knobs require a deeper setback than door handles. The setback is the distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the hole in the latch/lock which the interconnecting spindle passes through. You must ensure you have enough space to fit 50% of the knob diameter plus finger room, when the door is closed into the rebate. Tight spacing is a problem which must be avoided (apart from damaged fingers) it is a sign of shoddy building work. If you are buying a new lock/latch this should be easy to get right. If you have existing spindle holes, you can cut a paper template of the door knob diameter, stick it on your door and check the spacing. Door handles require less setback and so it is normally not possible to replace door handles with door knobs without a change to the mechanism and all that this entails.
The spindle bar goes into the back of one door knob, through the mechanism and into the back of the other one. Spindles can vary in their design, especially for rim knobs. Modern (post metric) spindles are a standard 8mm square section bar and this is what fits through standard locks and latches. Old latches/locks may have an imperial spindle size. This can be a problem as the metric standard is very slightly larger and the spindle is too fat to fit through the hole. The simple way around this (which saves replacing all the old mechanisms) is to file around the spindle hole in the latch/lock until it fits. We often meet this problem and this is the easiest and best solution. Imperial/ metric sizing is an issue if you are buying reclaimed door knobs, as spindles and holes in the back of knobs will not fit modern metric fittings.
Inside the latch mechanism is a spring which door knobs rely on to return them after turning. Some modern door knobs have a spring in the backplate of the knob itself, these are called sprung door knobs. Ours all rely on the spring in the latch doing the work and are unsprung. The spring in latch must therefore be heavy duty. Cheap latches from DIY sheds will not be man enough for the job unless they are labelled Heavy Duty.
We have styles in the range from all periods in time. You need to think about whether you are trying to keep your house in period, or perhaps you want to go for the ones you like best. If you have a Georgian property, consider Bloxwich and Octagonal styles. For Victorian, the beehive would be the most traditional. Edwardian, look to the Classic Oval and Classic round and any wooden door knobs. We also have a wonderful collection of Art Deco door furniture. You may want to consider the same door knobs throughout your house, but do not be afraid to have one style downstairs and another up. This would have been very common, as downstairs doors would often be larger and would be where visitors would see and use the door knobs.
Door knobs have been made over the years in lots of different materials. The choice you have is wide, brass, nickel, chrome, wood, glass, iron etc. Your decision may be determined by the period of your property, your interior scheme or your personal preference. If you want to add colour consider glass or porcelain. If you want to go with the period, brass and porcelain were most popular in Victorian times, wooden door knobs were popular in Edwardian houses and when we hit Art Deco look to polished nickel or chrome. By far the most popular material is brass and all our brassware is sold unlacquered – the way it always was.
If you do not want a turning door knob and want it as a pull there are a few options. There are large door pulls for external doors which are sold singly and fixed with a bolt from the rear. For cupboard doors you can use cupboard knobs, again these are fixed with a bolt from the rear. Another option is that you can use a 1/2 pair of mortise door knobs (ones with backplates fixed to the door knobs) and just screw to the door face, discarding the spindle. This is useful if you want the same look on cupboard doors as on your main doors. There may be a little bit of play in these as they are really made to turn, with a few tricks these can normally be fixed firmly.
Please see a selection of our wood, brass, nickel, porcelain and glass knobs below. We are here at the end of the phone to discuss any problems or questions you may have and to help you make the right choice. Just call 01746 712450.
I have replied by e-mail.
Please call me to discuss this.
we are restoring a victorian house. The door on the under stair cupboard has a single knob which has Metal V shaped insert inside the door which turns the catch, The Handle had totally seized and we had to have it cut off. Do you supply these, or know what it is called?
I am in California and we are building a home and need white door knobs/handles, something you cannot get here! Will a U.K. door knob/handle/latch/lock work on a U.S. door? Thank you.
Our door knobs and latches probably would not work. Our standard is an 8mm bar.
I have an original door lock with old bakelite handles that have broken and previously had a bakelite circular trim. The spindle itself has screw holes and the handles were affixed with grub screws through the neck of the handle. One side of the door is fine and wood, however the other attaches to the metal lock. I have been unable to find any like this and wonder if you have any brass/brass effect in stock – it is for an original outside door that has now become an internal door after an extension added. Can you help?
It sounds to me like you need rim door knobs and we have a selection which can be seen on our brass door knobs page. Look at the cottage knobs, beehive and bloxwich. There are others too and the items state clearly for rim locks. Hope this helps.
Hello Alan, I'm sorry but we don't have brass plates on our porcelain door knobs and can't help with this. New ones I think!
I am looking to know more about how to select a door handle. It is good to know that for knobs to turn, they will need a latch or lock mechanism. I did not know that these features could be purchased separately. Something to consider would be to have a professional install the door knobs to ensure that the task is done correctly and in a reasonable amount of time.
I require 9 pairs of door knobs preferably the glass looking ones in clear or black or the brown colour in your photo above. Firstly please confirm if you do these with chrome and can you let me have a deal for the 9 pairs or 18 singles. I do not want a motice lock but just the knobs, which ever ways it works out better.
Please can you call me on 01746712450 and I will help you.
I want to replace Knobs that we have on each side of sliding doors.. The existing knobs have a screw threaded rod into which both knobs screw each side of the door. Are this type still available and what are they called?
Thank for the comment Mike. Would you mind contacting me at vicki@priorsrec.co.uk and perhaps sending an image.


When I started The Galaxy Express, I did so with the understanding that I would need to be proactive in unearthing as many science fiction romance books as possible. I made a commitment to spending time every week seeking out new life and new civilizations the latest news and events in the subgenre. The challenge and thrill of discovery is a tremendously fun part of the process.
I love to hear about forthcoming science fiction romance books even before the ink on the contract is dry. I've been learning how beneficial it is to unearth this news as soon as possible. With a subgenre as niche as SFR, such information is crucial to its survival. I envision this blog as a way of connecting readers with the flavors of stories they enjoy the most. The more books readers know about, the more they can support the artists who create them.
To obtain the necessary information, I visit numerous sites on a regular basis. However, I can't reach them all every week. Scandalous, I know. So what's a blogger to do?
We all know that blatant promotion in the comment section is a drag, but here at TGE I'm actively seeking new books in the science fiction romance genre, so I appreciate authors who are proactive about providing the information where appropriate. If you're conducting a promotion for your SFR, I'm all ears. Have a new cover to share, or you've just revamped your Web site? Bring it on!
The Galaxy Express is a niche blog for a niche subgenre. But it's also a part of a larger science fiction romance community of readers, authors, editors, and publishers. The more we know—and the earlier we know—the more we can spread the buzz buzz buzz.
I'll admit to being perplexed at times when authors don't take advantage of promotional opportunities whose only costs are time and imagination. Authors are busy people—absolutely understood. And there are life circumstances that prohibit promotion at times. But in an age of publishing industry upheaval, fierce competition, and little publicity support from publishers, online communities will play an increasingly important role in connecting authors directly with readers.
All I'm trying to say is, if you have any news related to your SFR books, contact me at any stage in the process at sfrgalaxy "at" gmail.com. If you bring the news directly to me, I can act on it faster than if you depend on me to make the rounds. To the authors, readers, bloggers, and editors who have been doing this already, I thank you.
Remember, during my monthly "SFR Linkfest," anyone is welcome to post SFR news, links, and current events in the comment section. I will do my best to get the information out there. I can't promise the moon, but when possible it may show up in venues in addition to The Galaxy Express (Hello, Loveletter! Hello, Tor.com!).
Why, feel free to hit me up right now!


text:
2018 San Jose Worldcon Write-up
Con Reports, Conventions, Frontpage, Global RAH, Updates
by Keith Kato
The 76th World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon") was held in San Jose, California, 16-20 August 2018. The Heinlein Society was well-represented by Board members (Herb Gilliland, Joe Haldeman, Keith Kato, Geo Rule, John Seltzer, John Tilden, Betsey Wilcox), Committee chairs and contributors (Carlin Black, Marie Guthrie, Will Hamilton, Mike Sheffield, Sharon Sheffield, Ken Walters), and other Society members (Ty Arnold, Brad Lyau, G. David Nordley, Juliet Vogel) all lending their time to help. The Heinlein contingent helped run or participate in:
The (pre-Worldcon) field trip to the University of California, Santa Cruz's Special Collections Library, to see some of the Heinlein Archives on display.
The Society's "Mission & Vision" meeting.
The Society's Fan Table with information about THS, ribbons, literature, and displays.
The Heinlein Blood Drive.
The Retro[spective] Hugos "from" the 1943 Worldcon, for works published in 1942.
The Heinlein Society's Party.
A panel on the post-mortem organizations on behalf of Ray Bradbury (The Center For Ray Bradbury Studies), Arthur C. Clarke (The Arthur C. Clarke Center For Human Imagination), and Robert A. Heinlein (The Heinlein Society).
A Worldcon-long assessment of academic papers to award a $250 cash prize for "Best Academic Track Paper" delivered at the Worldcon.
UC Santa Cruz Trip
On Wednesday 15 August (the day before Worldcon officially opened), about 30 Heinleiners made their way to the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), to see an Exhibit of items from the physical Heinlein Archives. After several months of planning, the group gathered at 10:30 AM in the lobby of the San Jose Hilton Hotel. Kevin Ellingwood drove part of the contingent in a rented 15-seat passenger van, while Keith Kato and John Seltzer also volunteered to drive passengers. As things worked out, Worldcon Guest of Honor Spider Robinson's schedule allowed him to come with us, and John Seltzer (at his first WorldCon! What luck!) drove him—-basically three hours of round trip conversation, with the Guest of Honor and well-known Heinlein advocate! Mike Sheffield volunteered for special assignment—airport pickup duty. The balance of the group drove joined the caravan en route.
The original itinerary would have taken the caravan on a pilgrimage past the old Heinlein home on Bonny Doon Road in Santa Cruz for photos and genuflection. One of our party provided "boots on the ground" intel that there was Nothing To See from Boony Doon Road itself, and no shoulder on either side of the road to park without blocking traffic. This part of the trip was abandoned; there really was Nothing To See. With the early departure, surprisingly little traffic, and no Bonny Doon side trip, most vehicles arrived earlier than planned and were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch at the McHenry Library's cafeteria.
Bellies full, the intrepid participants trekked next to the Special Collections Library and Gallery. The Heinlein Society's group was the first official visitors on Opening Day of the Exhibit, which will run until 16 December 2018. Jessica Pigza, the Outreach and Exhibits Librarian of Special Collections and Archives, had arranged to meet us after lunch, with coffee, tea, cookies (some very thoughtfully gluten free), and brownies. She also brought a special commissioned free comic book, Rocketship Lunatic, a riff on the Heinlein juvenile Rocketship Galileo with Heinlein as a character.
Jessica and other staff members engaged in vigorous conversation about the use of the term "sci fi" in the Exhibit. As the two very prominent SF authors in the group, Gregory Benford and Spider Robinson (both past or present Worldcon Guests of Honor), could testify, the term has had detrimental effects on authors' sales, many SF authors do not like the term. Swayed by their eloquent testimony, Jessica said they would change the wording in the Exhibit!
The Library staff gave us two boxes of Rocketship Lunatic to hand out at Worldcon, and as per follow-up letters from both John Tilden and Keith Kato, they agreed to send THS all their remainder copies when the Exhibit run was over.
In the evening of 15 August, after our return from UCSC, the Society held a members-only "Mission & Vision" meeting beginning 6:30 PM. Ever flexible in the face of changing plans, we brought salads, pizzas, and drinks to Keith's room in the Fairmont and had the meeting there. A good time was had by all, and we were able to Pay It Forward by sharing the extra food with some hungry (and grateful!) fans.
Worldcon Opens! We set up the Blood Registration and THS Fan Tables in time for a noon start. Our tables were about 25 feet apart, and Carlin Black staffed the Blood Drive Registration table, solo, for almost the entire Con.
At our Fan Table, we tried an experiment: A continuously looping PowerPoint briefing on THS and our activities, viewed on a fairly large 32 inch 1080p monitor. We'd hoped it would decrease table clutter, and it was at least partly successful.
Heinlein Blood Drive
The Blood Drive registration table set up on Thursday to allow donation appointments Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Unique bureaucratic requirements necessitated using the Bloodmobile. Carlin Black and Mike Sheffield estimated that having to use the bloodmobile, instead of the space we'd planned on, unfortunately resulted in half of the donations we could have collected. Still, 98 units isn't too shabby!
Retro-Hugos. The Retro[spective] Hugo Awards ceremony was the evening of 16 August, for work published in 1942 that would have been Hugo-eligible at the 1943 Worldcon (which neither existed nor gave out Hugos). Robert Heinlein had four stories nominated in three categories, and in one category (Novella) he had himself to compete with! Heinlein nevertheless won for Best Novella ("Waldo") and Best Novel (Beyond This Horizon), bringing his total Hugo count to 11. The Retro-Hugo vote tally is attached. Vice President-Secretary Geo Rule was asked by Art Dula of the Heinlein Prize Trust to accept on Heinlein's behalf. For the Novella, Geo had the line of the night: "I answer for him," and asked Spider Robinson to come up and "help" as the second acceptor, to much cheering. After the Ceremony, we all took photos with the award hardware, and Spider beamed as if they were his own. The THS gang was invited up to Spider's suite for a celebration, where there were some really weird potato chip flavors passed around. Spider was lucky enough to keep both trophies in his room for two whole nights!
THS Party
The Heinlein Society's party was held on Friday 17 August, 18:00—Midnight, primarily a semi-closed reception for our members and invited guests, but anyone who managed to find their way in got to stay (except for one inconsiderate person on a skateboard scooter. One must have standards!). We opened on time, even with some set-up left to do.
I hope you're reading this after a hearty meal, because if not, you're about to get very hungry. The party feast included four different Keith Kato chili recipes (beef mild, beef hot, bison mild, portabella mushroom vegetarian) with the usual rice, cheese, onions, olives, saltine crackers, oyster crackers, crushed avocado, and scallions condiments; vegetable, cheese, and fruit platters; a do-it-yourself canape bar with bagels, butter/cream cheese/soft cheese/avocado schmear, and smoked salmon; a Have Spacesuit—Will Travel cake (courtesy of Kenn Bates) to honor the upcoming graphic novel release ; and several platters of sushi from nearby Nijiya Market, which carries the Keith Kato's Mother's Seal of Approval. We also served a compliment of non-alcoholic (water, fruit juices, soft drinks) and alcoholic (wine, beer, sherry) beverages. (Don't say I didn't warn you).
The earliest arrivals were Drs. David and Cheryl Brin, followed shortly by the twin brothers Drs. Greg and Jim Benford. Game of Thrones Superstar George R.R. Martin also made an early appearance. It took about 30 minutes for people to realize he was there and slowly accrete around him, to which he graciously acquiesced.
Authors G. David Nordley, SFWA Grandmaster/THS Director Joe Haldeman, and Steve Barnes also showed up. Joe and Gay Haldeman brought with them a surprise guest, Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren, who gave us a certificate from the International Space Station stating the cover of Starship Troopers had flown on the ISS. Much to our surprise, SFWA Grandmaster Robert Silverberg and his entourage appeared at about 9:30 PM, much earlier than usual.
The sushi platters were quickly vacuumed up. We tried to close as planned at midnight, but chasing out hangers-on (who wouldn't take the hint) and moving everything back to my room for later cleaning took until about 1:30 AM.
Harlan Ellison Memorial
A Harlan Ellison memorial was scheduled for Saturday, 20 August, 2:00 PM. I first met Harlan in 1973, and he actually came to my Ph.D. party at my parents' home on Christmas 1982. Unfortunately, the dubious planning skills of the ConCom (lamented about obliquely elsewhere) struck once more and the numerous attendees spilled out of the room reserved and in to the hallway.
THS Panel
A Sunday 20 August, 10:00 AM panel was scheduled with the title "Science Fiction Authors Live On Through Organizations: Heinlein, Clarke, and Bradbury." This panel was originally pitched for the Academic Track, with the working title "New Kids On The Block," but the Programming people appear to have been momentarily supplanted by humorless trolls. Unfortunately, conflicts and poor planning were again our enemy! The other Heinlein-focused panel was scheduled for the same time-slot, and attendance at our panel was not what we'd hoped. Those who DID attend found a lot of interesting material—three contiguous talks by Dr. Erik Viire (The Arthur C. Clarke Center For Human Imagination), Jason Aukerman (Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University, and Coordinator for Development and Programming for The Center For Ray Bradbury Studies), and me for THS. In the Q&A, David Brin commented on how different the three organizations were, in charter, mission, structure, and probably funding. This is the first meeting, and possible prelude to a cooperative venture involving "BACH"—Bradbury, Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein organization.
Best Academic Track Paper Prize
THS's evaluators, Dr. Herb Gilliland and Dr. Marie Guthrie, attended the live deliveries of the Academic Track programming – quite a feat, as the deliveries were sprinkled throughout the Con rather than condensed into one day. As of this Newsletter's publication, Marie and Herb are going through a post-Worldcon evaluation, and hope to make their decision within one month.
Future THS Activities
With the 2019 Worldcon awarded to Dublin, the 2019 NASFiC site was voted on this year. The 2019 Westercon in Layton, Utah chosen to add-on NASFiC AND Minicon duties. The 2020 Worldcon had only one bidder, so to no one's surprise, Wellington, New Zealand was awarded the 2020 Worldcon. This means at the 2019 Worldcon in Dublin, the 2020 NASFiC site will be chosen. For the first time in Worldcon history, in two successive years the Worldcon will be off the North American continent, and two successive NASFiCs will be chosen. At the moment, the only bid for the 2021 Worldcon is Washington, DC. The 2021 Worldcon site will be selected next year in Dublin. The major convention activities appear to be:
2019: Westercon/NASFiC/1632 Minicon aka Spikecon, 4-7 July 2019, Layton UT, (www.spikecon.org ).
2019: Worldcon 77, Dublin Ireland, 15-19 August (www.dublin2019.com ).
2019: Eurocon, Belfast Northern Ireland, 22-25 Aug (www.titancon.com/2019/ ).
2019: Dragon Con 2019, Atlanta GA, 29 Aug-2 Sep (www.dragoncon.org ). Note the Heinlein Blood Drive at Dragon Con has historically gathered over 3,000 donors every year for a number of years. THS is making a concerted effort to have a strong presence at the 2019 Dragon Con.
2020: NASFiC, location and dates TBD at the 2019 Dublin Worldcon.
2020: CoNZealand Worldcon, Wellington NZ, 29 July—2 August 2020 (www.nzin2020.nz ).
2021: Washington DC is the ONLY Worldcon bid, to be voted in 2019.
Spider Robinson WorldCon
by Lisbet
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The Resume: It's your first impression – the document that stands between you and the hiring manager. Question is - How do you make your resume stand out in a crowd of hundreds. Employers spend approximately 20-30 seconds looking at each resume. In that short amount of time, they make a quick decision. This decision is normally based on the overall appearance of your resume, the format, and the information you've highlighted. Below we will outline what a successful Supply Chain resume should look like, from things as simple as contact information to the important stuff- like achievements and responsibilities, and how to segregate that information so the hiring manager's eyes are drawn to it.
Be Found. Learn to use key terms. Your resume needs to work FOR you, not against you. There are two ways to get your resume out there - submitting it yourself to a company/recruiting agency, or putting it online. Once your resume is online or entered into a company's database, it is up to the words you use to get you found. Now, this isn't an invitation to stuff your resume with unnecessary adjectives, these "keywords" need to be specific to your experience and relevant to the supply chain world. The catch is you need to think outside of the box. There are many ways to say or write certain terms. If a term (i.e. Sales & Operations Planning, Certified Production & Inventory Manager, purchasing) can be referenced another way (i.e. S&OP, CPIM, procurement / sourcing), make sure all references are included so that in an on-line search, your resume will be found. Also, if a company is looking for a Demand Planning Manager, but throughout your resume you only use the term "forecasting", you may not come up in an initial screen. Remember – most HR professionals may not be familiar with the nuances of supply chain like a recruiting agency specializing in this area would be, so most of the time when searching, HR may only use the information they see on a job description.
Now let's get into building your resume.
First things First - Length. Short and sweet. Do not turn your resume into your own personal biography. We recommend no more than 2 pages. Remember you only have 20-30 seconds to make an impression.
Contact Information. ALL of your contact info. Name, physical address, email address and phone numbers should all be included at the top of your resume. We are constantly coming across resumes that do not include either a phone number or an email address, it is important to include both. It is impossible to know the preference of the hiring manager when it comes to contacting folks. If all you leave is an email and everyone else leaves a phone number, you could immediately be putting yourself behind the eight ball. Also, if a company is looking for individuals in a certain geographic area and you choose not to include your physical address, you WILL NOT show up on ANY of their searches.
Professional Experience. Scope and Quantifiable Accomplishments. Now, here's an important tip: DO NOT write a thesis about all your responsibilities for each role. You want the hiring manager to be intrigued by the information you've given them, intrigued enough that they want to reach out to you. Also, for each company list all titles you held there as well as the coinciding dates.
Brief Summary. This should include: who you report to, how many people you may manage today, a brief description of your main duties and responsibilities, including the dollar amount, spend amount and/or SKU amount that you are responsible for. Also, include any software you are currently using or involved in the implementation of.
Education. School, date and degree. List all degrees you have along with the subject matter. You can also include degrees you are currently working on. There are schools out there that are known for having great supply chain programs; if you were part of one, or supply chain was your focus, then it is important to include that information.
Certification(s). Industry Knowledge. In the supply chain world, there are many certifications that are important to some hiring managers, and show your eagerness to grow. For instance those through CSCMP, ISM, APICS or IBF (Institute of Business Forecasting). If you have attained any one of these certifications add them to this section of your resume.
Software. Experience Related. List software that you have used or implemented during your roles. For example: SAP, Excel, Demantra, Logility, i2, Retail Link, Oracle, Red Prairie, Epicor, Cognos, John Galt, etc.
Spell check and Proofread! It's always a good idea to have a different set of eyes go over your resume.
Your resume should not have personal information that discloses ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, living situations, or any other personal information that is not directly related to your career.
Stick to well-known fonts, like Arial and Times New Roman. Keep the font size and color standard; do not use large fonts or more than one color in your resume.
Keep the format consistent and make sure that the resume looks great when viewed online as well as when printed out.
According to a Harvard Business Review study, 90% of hires are based solely upon the interview. In fact, 63% of hiring decisions are made within the first 4.3 minutes of the interview (courtesy SHRM). So, the interview is probably the most important part of the hiring process. And that's why you need to spend time with your personal recruiter to better understand whom you are interviewing with and the issues that you will be talking about during the interview.
None of this is rocket science, and you've probably heard it all before, but most candidates agree it is a good refresher on basic skills, since most of us don't interview often enough to keep our skills sharp.
Get a fresh, crisp original résumé.
Do your homework - Review the company's website and make a list of 10 questions (five regarding the position, five regarding the company).
Appearance: 1) Wear a dark, professional suit; men, have your shoes shined and wear solid socks. Get a fresh haircut, and remember, a beard is a high-risk factor. 2) If flying to the interview: Pack an extra shirt, tie, and blouse. Bring an energy bar.
During the Interview - You Must Market Yourself!
Education, including Continuing Education and Certifications.
Attitude is everything! Smile a lot, but don't be phony. Be enthusiastic.
Behavior: Mention his/her name often.
Compensation question: I am currently making ____. I have done my homework; I understand what others are paying for this role and trust that you will put together a fair and equitable offer commensurate with my experience.
"I really like the scope of responsibility (or area, warm climate, new technologies, customer base, etc.)"
Expected challenges in the hired person coming up to speed?
Sing the praises of good chemistry between you and Hiring Authority (why it's good for you, for them).
Ask whether they have any concerns moving forward in the process. Let them tell you what their concerns are, and then address them. Often the concerns are unfounded, and can be addressed and resolved immediately, using a real life example of a time you didn't have all of the skills, but you learned them and still delivered on time, under budget, etc. If you do not ask about their concerns, you may not move to the next step in the process because the employer does not understand all of your capabilities. Plus, they will appreciate the fact that you are proactively handling their concerns.
ALWAYS SEND A FOLLOW-UP LETTER A.S.A.P.
Touch on company hot buttons and how you can solve their problems or help achieve their goals.
Situation or Task leading to an action.
A description of the tasks involved in the situation.
Actions or behaviors demonstrated, specifics and 'how.' This is where behavioral traits are uncovered.
Descriptions of specific actions taken and not taken.
Result, or the specific, tangible conclusion.
The outcome that followed from the actions taken.
Stated in specific, measurable terms.
Employers predetermine the skills necessary for the job and then ask focused questions to assess whether or not the candidate possesses those skills. Make it a point to read company literature carefully (websites) and listen closely during the company's information session to determine which skills an employer is seeking.
In the interview, your responses need to be specific and detailed. Frame them with the STAR process: situation/task, action, result.
Always listen carefully to each question, ask for clarification if necessary and make sure you answer the question completely.
Prepare to give examples of situations in which you have demonstrated the behaviors you have determined to be important to the employer. Do not ramble.
Use your resume as a guide when answering questions. Use examples from past internships, classes, activities, work experience, team participation, etc. to further illustrate your achievements.
Identify six to eight examples from your past experience in which you demonstrated top behaviors and skills that employers typically seek. Think in terms that will showcase your top selling points.
Half of your examples should be positive, such as accomplishments or obtaining goals.
The other half should be situations that started out negatively but ended either positively or in which you were able to minimize the negative outcome.
Vary your examples. Don't take them all from one area of your past experience. Use fairly recent examples – experiences from the last one to two years.
If you worked in a team setting, describe not only the team's situation/actions/results, but also your specific role in that team effort.
Display enthusiasm for the company, its mission and its people.
Believe that they can do the job and have well-matched skills.
Are coachable and strive to make an immediate contribution.
Clients also factor in chemistry, personality match, experience, relocation, salary expectations, good references, etc., which may make you wonder, 'What more could anyone want?' The 'what' consists of 13 predictive skills and behaviors that employers evaluate through behavioral-based interviewing techniques in order to make solid hiring decisions. The 13 skills and behaviors and sample behavioral-based questions for each follow.
Does the candidate's resume reflect enough experience, knowledge and growth in a chosen field?
Tell me about a time when someone questioned your credibility in the industry. What was your reaction?
Describe a time when you had a conversation with a senior person in the industry and you realized you had more knowledge and insight than they had. How did you deal with it?
Think about when you first started working in this industry. What did you do to shorten the learning curve?
Discuss a situation in your career when you were given additional responsibilities. How did you handle it?
What are your three most important work-related values? Please provide an example of a situation in which you demonstrated each value at work.
Describe a situation where your professional expertise made a significant difference.
Give me an example of a situation where you had to display enthusiasm for the industry and the company.
Give me an example of how you've continued to gain knowledge about the industry over the years.
Tell me about a time in your career when you considered getting out of the industry altogether. What were you thinking at that point?
Explain to me how you keep abreast of the current changes in the industry and give me an example of how this has given you an edge over your competitors.
Does the candidate have an appropriate level of understanding of technical skills and professional knowledge and the ability to apply both?
During your career thus far, what has been the most challenging aspect of applying your knowledge?
How have you kept your skills sharpened?
Does the candidate work effectively with others in the organization and outside the formal lines of authority (e.g., peers, other departments, senior management) to accomplish organizational goals and to identify and resolve problems? Does he or she consider the impact of his or her decisions on others?
Describe a project in which others you were working with disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you worked on a team when a known leader was not appointed. How did decisions get made?
Describe a recent situation that best illustrates your style in taking charge and leading others to accomplish a task. What was the situation? How did you motivate your team members? Who was the hardest to get on your side? How did you do it?
Tell me about the last meeting you conducted. What was its purpose? What obstacles did you encounter? What were your objectives? Did you meet them? If yes, how? If not, why not?
What is the biggest contribution you have made to the profitability of a business? What problems did you encounter? What was your contribution? Did it work? Why or why not? What was the result?
Tell me about a recent situation in which it was important for you to bring about extra effort on the part of your subordinates. What did you do to motivate them? How did they respond?
Tell me about a particular person who has become successful as a result of your actions. Who was the person? What role did you play in their development? What is this person doing today?
Tell me about a recent time when you had to rely on the cooperation of your peers to get a job done. What was the task? How did you go about gaining their cooperation? What difficulties did you run into? How did you handle the difficulties? How did it turn out?
Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the result?
What was the most competitive situation you and another team member have been faced with and how did you handle it?
Is the candidate able to relate and compare data from different sources, identify issues, secure relevant information and determine relationships?
Describe for me a situation when you had to determine the most pertinent content for a training program.
Tell me about a time when you made a poor decision. How did you arrive at the decision? What did you learn from it? Tell me how you implemented what you learned and what the results were.
Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision that involved a major problem. What steps did you take in making the decision? What problem(s) did it solve?
Describe a time when you helped overcome an obstacle. What was it? How did you overcome it? What was the end result?
Give me an example of a time when you had to decide between two possible solutions. Describe your decision-making process.
Describe the most prominent mistake you have made during your career. What did you do? What were the results? What did you learn from it?
What was the most difficult ethical business decision you have had to make? What did you do? What were the results?
Tell me about the most perplexing problem you have faced over the last two years. How did the problem arise? How did you go about analyzing the situation? What alternatives did you consider? What solution did you decide to try? How did you implement the solution? What was the result?
Tell me about the last time that you made a decision when the procedures or instructions you were given were unclear, ambiguous or contradictory. How did you decide what to do? What alternatives did you consider? How did the decision work out?
Tell me about the toughest decision you have had to make in the past six months. What made this decision so tough? What factors did you consider when deciding? How did you reach your decision? How did it turn out? How would you handle this type of decision differently in the future?
Does the candidate maintain effectiveness in varying environments, tasks and responsibilities, and with various types of people?
Tell me about a situation when you had to work with other departments to solve a common problem.
Tell me about a time when you were in a situation when the rules kept changing.
Tell me about a client that initially rebuffed your calling efforts and what you did to turn that into a positive result.
Walk me through the last time you didn't have the resources in front of you to complete a project. What did you do to be successful?
Tell me about a time when you failed but did not let it stop you. Walk me through what you did to turn it around.
Tell me about a project that suddenly developed unexpected roadblocks. How did you see it through?
Tell me about a problem that you've solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome?
Give me an example of when someone brought you a new idea that was odd or unusual. What did you do?
Tell me about a situation in which you have had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you handle it?
What has been your most uncomfortable professional moment, and how did you move on from it?
Has the candidate set high goals or performance standards for him or herself, subordinates, others and the organization? Is he or she dissatisfied with average performance?
Tell me how you set goals and measure performance in your current role.
How have you differed from your manager in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?
Describe for me an example of a time when you were persistent in achieving an objective. What was the objective? What specific efforts did you employ to achieve the objective? What was the result?
Describe a situation in which you had rules dictated to you by management that was 'out of touch' with what was really happening. How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time when your work standard differed from that of your boss or your peers. How did you resolve the discrepancy?
Tell me about the most difficult project you ever worked on.
Tell me about the most long-term, extra-hour effort you have undertaken in the last year. What was the project or assignment? What extra effort did you put in? Were you successful? Why or why not?
Tell me about a particularly boring or distasteful task you have faced in the last 12 months. What was the situation? What made the task so boring or distasteful? What did you do to ensure that the task was accomplished? How did it turn out?
Describe a time when you had to implement upgraded work standards for the team. How did you go about it?
To what extent do activities and responsibilities available in the job overlap with activities and responsibilities that result in personal satisfaction?
Tell me about a time when you were ranked #2 in the organization and wanted to be #1. What was the situation? What did you do? How did it turn out?
Tell me about a time when you were passed over for a promotion that you thought you deserved. What was the situation? What did you do? How did it turn out?
Tell me about a time when you were up against a competitor to win an account. What steps did you take to put yourself ahead?
Tell me about a time when you achieved a major goal in your career. What was the goal? What specific steps did you take to achieve it? What was the result?
Walk me through the last time you faced a major obstacle regarding a sale. What was the obstacle? What did you do to overcome the obstacle? What was the result?
Tell me about a time in your business career when you could not organize your thoughts around how to approach an assignment. What did you do to overcome your ability to become motivated?
Tell me about your most recent interview. With whom was it? What was the outcome?
Tell me about the last time you had to motivate a team member or subordinate. What was your strategy?
Think about a time when your motivation level was waning. What steps did you take to re-energize yourself?
Give me an example of a time when your motivation was particularly high. What was the situation? How did you stay motivated?
Does the candidate make active attempts to influence events and achieve goals? Is he or she self-starting rather than passively accepting? Does he or she go beyond what is necessary?
Walk me through the last time you had to deliver on a deadline. What did you do? What happened?
Tell me how you plan your average workweek. What do you do? When do you start? When do you wrap up? What do you do to get ready for the next day?
Describe a project that required extra work and how you approached it.
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal for yourself. How did you achieve it?
Tell me about a time when you had to make decisions without prior approval.
Tell me about a time when you were recognized for something outside your day-to-day job.
Describe a situation in which you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity. How did others react?
Tell me about a time when your initiative caused a change to occur. What did you learn from that?
Describe a time when you have 'stepped up to the plate' when others have not.
Does the candidate assimilate and apply new job-related information promptly?
What techniques have you learned to make your job easier or more effective? How did you learn them?
Tell me about a time when you had to quickly assimilate new information to solve a problem or perform well in your current role.
Walk me through the last time you lost a sale you thought you had. What did you learn from it? How did you implement what you learned?
Tell me about the last time you missed a quota. What action did you take?
Tell me about a time when you failed to achieve a goal. What was the situation? How did you handle it? What was the result? How did that result impact your organization?
Tell me about a time when you failed, then succeeded.
Describe a time when you experienced a setback in your career. What effect did it have on you and your family? What did you do about the setback? What was the end result?
Take a moment and visualize where you were working ten years ago. Describe a situation where you had to manage people or a project. What did you do? What were the results? How have you handled a similar situation in the recent past? How does your management style of today differ?
Tell me about the most recent technical or analytical skill you have acquired. What led you to acquire this skill? How did you approach it? What would you do differently the next time? Tell me about your most recent application of this skill.
Does the candidate establish a course of action to accomplish specific goals? Do they plan proper assignments for personnel and allocate resources appropriately?
Walk me through your thought process for your last project – from concept to completion. What did you do? Who else did you ask for help? What obstacles did you encounter? Were you able to deliver on time?
Give me an example of a time when you had to prioritize because you were juggling too many tasks.
Tell me about a time when your organizational skills proved to be a significant factor on a recent project.
Give me an example of a time when your organizational strategy contributed to the success of the team or organization.
Describe how your organizational skills enabled you to reach a goal.
Managers like you are always juggling multiple projects at the same time. Tell me about a typical situation in which you have had to prioritize your efforts and maintain control.
Walk me through the last time a supervisor gave you a list of objectives to complete. What steps did you follow to meet those objectives successfully?
Walk me through a time when you had competing demands on your time. How did you address those demands?
Tell me about a recent time when your work was very hectic. What did you do to keep it under control? How many extra hours did you work? For how long?
Which of your past jobs has been most demanding in terms of having to handle a variety of tasks at once? What competing demands did you have to deal with? How did you decide what to do first? How did it turn out?
Does the candidate clearly express ideas in speaking and writing, via his or her grammar, organization and structure?
Tell me about a time when your listening skills really paid off.
Tell me about a time when communication was an obstacle to success. What did you do?
When was the last time you coached or gave advice to a subordinate? Describe the situation. What was the issue? What did you advise? How did it turn out?
Describe the last time you disagreed with one of your bosses or coworkers. What was the reason? How did you express your disagreement? What was the person's reaction? What was the outcome?
Tell me about the last time that someone criticized your work. What was the situation? What did they do or say? How did you respond? How well did they justify their criticism? How would you handle the situation next time?
Tell me about a time when you had to communicate a difficult message at work. What were the reactions of others?
Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation?
Tell me about a time when you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point across.
Describe a time when you had to smooth over a miscommunication.
Does the candidate make efforts to listen to and understand the customer (both internal and external), anticipate customer needs and give high priority to customer satisfaction?
Tell me about the most difficult customer service experience you have handled, perhaps with an angry or irate customer. What did you do and what was the outcome?
Describe a time in your career when you had to solve a two-sided customer service issue.
Tell me about a time when your target audience was unhappy. What did you do to address their concerns?
Think of a customer relationship that you have maintained for multiple years. Please tell me how you have approached maintaining that relationship.
Your manufacturing facility shipped the wrong order to one of your important customers. Describe how you solved this problem both internally and externally.
Tell me about a time when a customer was extremely satisfied due to your efforts. What was your approach to the situation?
Describe an incident when your client/customer request was not in line with your employer's goal. How did you handle that?
Tell me about an incident with a customer where after you walked away you realized you could have handled it differently.
When was the last time you had to deliver bad news to a customer and how did you do it?
Give me an example of a time when your customer has been unjustly angry over the service they received. How did you deal with that? What was the outcome?
Does the candidate act out of consideration for the feelings and needs of others?
Tell me about a time when you and a peer were being considered for the same promotion. How did you handle that situation?
Tell me about a time when you had to compete against a member of your own team. What steps did you take to come out ahead while still maintaining the relationship?
Tell me of an instance when a colleague achieved the prize you were seeking.
Describe for me a time when one of your reports or teammates was feeling a great deal of stress. How did you interact with that person?
Tell me about a work situation in which the majority of people wanted to do something one way and you felt differently. What did you do to express your views?
Do you conduct formal performance appraisals of your subordinates? Tell me about the last performance appraisal you conducted. Was the appraisal positive or negative? Did the subordinate agree or disagree with your assessment? How did you handle it? What were the results?
Tell me about a time when you put a co-worker's needs ahead of your own. What was their reaction?
Describe a time when your sensitivity to a work situation was questioned by a colleague. How did you deal with it?
Do you make hiring and firing decisions? Tell me about the last time you had to let a subordinate go. What was the situation? How did you handle the termination?
Tell me about the last time a new person was added to your department. What was your role in onboarding that individual? What did you do to help him/her feel a part of the group?
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Happy ninth birthday to walking with a stick.
Happy ninth birthday to having pain all day, everyday.
Happy ninth birthday to waking in pain (sometimes earlier than I wish), and going to sleep in pain (often later than I wish).
But life is good. There are a lot of people in a far worse condition than I am. A bit of pain, even chronic pain I can deal with. It wasn't always so, I have found coming to terms with my moderate lack of mobility testing at times, and as a consequence I have been very testing to others. Sorry about that.
So what sort of God will allow us to suffer? Either as a result of an accident, or of a natural disaster like the cyclone which has recently hit Vanuatu. My answer, inadequate as it is, is a God who walks beside us in suffering. A God who identifies with humans so much that he took on a human form, suffered, was assassinated in a totally painful and humiliating way. And a God who motivates people to get alongside those who are suffering.
To some this will mean giving money to those suffering in Vanuatu. To some it will mean going out there long or short term to help with medical help or building. Others will not go or give, but will be dealing with things close to home. Comforting the suffering, bringing God's word of encouragement to those who are about to give up.
In my case there were just one or two people who said the right thing at the right time. What they said came to me as a word direct from God.
To the rest I say this: I have been very testing, I still am to some degree. I am sorry, forgive me.
I know this post is from a while back, but it is encouraging in its frankness and honesty. Thank you for sharing.
It's coming up to ten now.


Scott competed in the Birmingham semi-final at University College Birmingham.
This is his fourth consecutive final.
Judging in Birmingham were Michel Roux Jr, Brian Turner, Sat Bains, André Garrett.
To find out if Scott wins tune in at 7pm on 10th April to watch The Roux Scholarship Award ceremony LIVE via www.rouxscholarship.co.uk, YouTube and twitter.


Wear your stoke on your sleeve.
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