Author: pc

Book Review: Ghost from the Past: A Romantic Thriller by Sorcha Macmurrough

5.0 out of 5 stars Vulnerable and Betrayed

I really loved the dark, scarred, brooding hero in this gripping book. The hero’s major issues with the heroine make him oscillate between him being made to believe, by the agents pulling his strings, that his former fiancee had betrayed him and tried to murder him, versus trusting to love amid the most dire situation they have suddenly found themselves in.
Surrounded by double agents, and convinced she isn’t telling him the whole story, he is constantly being forced to choose between love of country and duty, and the woman he has never forgotten, or never stopped loving, even after all those years, and all the things she’s been accused of.

In the end, the bad guys are exposed for who they really are, but it is certainly a game of cat and mouse.

As for the writing, the characters are strong enough to keep the pages turning, and the plot, based on chemical weapons, is a topical one, though it was written long before 9/11.

This is far better than the absurd puerile Plum novels, which are wooden and one note, or some of the top names on the bestseller’s lists-that one about the killer dolphins a couple of years ago was so bad, Fatal Tide, it was laughable were it not for the hefty price tag attached to any of these books.

The setting, the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Oregon, in fact, is depicted so clearly I feel like I am right in the middle of the action.

For an author who specializes in British historical fiction, (which I have read, and LOVED!!!) this is an excellent effort at the popular US romantic suspense genre. Enjoy!

297 words

This book is available in PDF from HerStoryBooks: http://www.herstorybooks.com

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Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder

With dimensions of 4.17 x 2.16 x 1.25 inches, the Flip Video Ultra Series

Camcorder is perhaps the most compact video recorder ever conceived.  With the

ability to record one hour of footage by simply using the on/off button, this

new gadget has become a rave among consumers.

The Flip Video features include:

* Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital

zoom

* Holds 60 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 2GB of built-in memory; no

tapes or additional memory cards required

* Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy viewing and

sharing

* Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL,

and capture still photos from video

* Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable

* Screen size: 1.5 inches (diagonal)

* Screen resolution: 528 x 132 pixels

* Screen type: Transflective TFT (for bright daylight)

* Resolution: 640 x 480

* Low-light sensitivity: Very high sensitivity (>2.0V/lux-sec)

* Video compression: Pure Digital Video Engine 2.0

* Frame rate: 30 frames per second (constant)

* Video format: Advanced Profile MPEG4 AVI

* Auto White Balance and autoexposure: Auto-adaptive white/black balance and

exposure (Next generation–improving color fidelity, exposure control, and

dynamic range)

* Lens type: Fixed focus (0.8 meters to infinity)

* Zoom: Smooth multi-step 2x digital

* Interface: 8 buttons (Power, Play, Delete, Record, and 4-way navigation)

* Time from power-up to record: Less than 3 seconds

* Clip length: Minimum of 1 second, maximum of 60

minutes

* Power Saver (auto shut-down): Yes

* Delete All function: Yes

* Play All function: Yes

* Set date/time function: Yes

* Dimensions (H x W x D): 4.17 x 2.16 x 1.25 inches

* PC connection: Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to USB 2.0 speed)

* Speaker: Built-in speaker

* Microphone: Built-in wide range microphone (improved sensitivity and

accuracy)

* TV out: NTSC (cable included)

* DVD processing: Pure Digital DVD processing (nationwide retail service)

* Supported battery types: 2 x AA batteries (1.5-volt AA alkaline, Energizer e2

Lithium, 1.2-volt NiMH rechargeable)

* Battery life: Improved battery life: up to 2.5 hours with 2 x AA Alkaline

batteries; up to 6.5 hours with 2 x AA Energizer e2 batteries; battery life may

vary between batteries and use pattern

* Tripod mount: Yes

* Supported operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OSX

* Minimum system requirements (Windows): Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz computer with

at least 512MB of RAM, Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, SVGA display monitor

(1024 x 768) and video card, Windows Media Player 9.0, Microsoft DirectX 9.0

* Minimum system requirements (Mac OSX): PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz, Intel Core with at

least 512 MB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.3.9, SVGA display (1024 x 768) monitor and

video card, QuickTime 7 or later

* Auto start: Windows: yes; Mac OSX: no

* Online sharing (may require download of latest version of Flip Video

software): Unlimited private sharing; video greeting cards; upload to YouTube

(public and private); upload to AOL Video (public and private); prepare for web

publishing (any other site)

* Video editing: Video truncation (set start/end points); compose a new Movie

Mix (including 6 movie styles)

* Snap still photo from video: Yes (VGA still photo)

* File management: Play, Copy/Move, Delete, Rename, Archive on PC

* Software update: Check for updates online (automatic and on demand)

* What’s in the box: Flip Video Ultra 30-minute camcorder, carrying pouch,

wrist strap, video out cable

Easy to use, the Flip Video Camcorder has a start/stop red button for easy

filming; let’s you know how much time you have to record; has a zoom in/zoom

out below the red button, and has a built-in microphone for commentary.   The

playback feature only requires one button as well.

The best feature of the Flip Video is that you can connect the Flip to your PC

via a USB port, which is available on the camcorder, and upload videos for

future viewing.  The Flip Video Software is included and is easy to install.

While you may think this camcorder is expensive due to its many features, it

currently sells at approximately $139.00.  Consumers who have purchased this

video camcorder have touted the Flip as one that is easy it is to

use, offers quality video, and is so compact it can fit in one’s pocket.  Available in

black and white, the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder has become the most

popular video camera to date.

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Most Common Problems with Asset Management

Asset management is replete with issues or problems that arise, regardless of the generation under which you are operating it. The good thing is that many people have already been open to sharing their experiences on asset management, which saves newbies to asset management time and energy from learning things the hard way. Here is a short list of the most common problems pertaining to asset management that every asset manager must know of.

Lack of updates in the evaluation

When there is a bigger team asked to deal with the asset management of the company, sometimes the updates are much more difficult to attribute to individuals. This is because, while there is rotation among the members, some parts may not be covered thoroughly. On the other hand, if too many people are assigning tasks to individuals without the updates specifically communicated among the different members, the updates will be much more difficult to establish.

Miscommunication among departments

This is the most common problem of asset management that involves human factors. The miscommunication can go from as short as missing one decimal place to having questionable discrepancies on file. The miscommunication is a great disadvantage because it involves lack of proper use for the different instruments made available for asset management.

Incompetence to Manage Assets

The technical competence to mange assets is also equally important. If one of the team members has not taken the time to train for the use of the equipment and the dynamics needed by the job of managing assets, the incompetence will result in disasters in the managing of assets. Inventory problems and management issues may arise, and in essence, it is still better to manage with a few high quality people than with many below average ones.

Lack of Technology Demanded by the Company

For example, you have all the competent people you need. But if you do not have the technology that matches their qualifications for doing to job, success will be much more difficult to achieve. You may get an above average performance from the people, but it will still be much much better if the technology matches the good skills of the asset management team.

Lack of support

When there is lack of support in any given endeavor, it is bound to fail. The same goes with asset management. The lack of support among departments may not be conducive for positive change and objective or honest inventory of assets. Where there are ulterior motives being satisfied among the ranks, the management of assets may not be as pure or clean as one would like. This lack of support may be remedied by strengthening the ties of the team members via enriching activities.

No balance in asset elements

The balance is the key to perfect asset management. A balance in the different categories and the figures that represent them in the charts are the core outputs of a good management of assets in an organization. A lack of balance means that there are some things that need to be modified, or that some people are out of shape for this activity.

Too little risks taken for growth

When one’s asset is much managed, there is also a tendency to eliminate all risks, even when in fact these risks are contributory to the company’s growth and yield good returns. Asset management must also involve taking calculated risks.

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Exercise and Fitness for Busy Women

Regular exercise helps to prevent back pain by increasing muscle strength in your abdominal or ‘core’ area. A solid core means a strong back, and this kind of lean strength helps with all your daily tasks that involve lifting and climbing.

 

In addition, it helps ward off the kind of frailty that one sees in the elderly.

 

And the best news is, in a lot of cases, you don’t even have to break a sweat to get the benefits.

 

Great exercise options for women include:

 

— yoga

— pilates

— walking

— swimming

— water aerobics

 

For those who don’t mind breaking a sweat, there is:

— jazzercise

— jogging or running

— volleyball

— rollerblading

— dancing of all kinds

 

Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or even planned. For instance, you can:

 

– do housework quickly and to music

– take the stairs instead of the elevator, both up, and down, to use different muscle groups

– do yardwork, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn

 

Even the busiest business person has time to exercise, though, so now you have no excuse.   Get off one stop before or after your usual stop on the way to work or on the way home, and walk the rest of the way.  Then make it 2 stops and so on.  Walk to the corner store instead of taking the car, and save gas at the same time.

 

The biggest enemy of exercise is supposedly not having time, but if you are spontaneous and creative in your exercise choices, you should be able to work these and other fitness activities you enjoy into your daily life.

 

Exercise, fitness

 

Learn about more of the best strategies for women who want to exercise and keep fit.

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