text:
Full-Stack Web Development
We have Full-Stack Web Development courses in:
Become a part of Atlanta's burgeoning tech scene. With our web development courses, you'll gain a solid foundation in programming and expand your career opportunities. Learn to build real websites, APIs, data-driven apps, and more with our coding bootcamp in Atlanta.
Full-Time Immersive Courses
Challenge yourself and change your career with a 10- to 13-week immersive learning experience.
Part-Time Courses
Enhance your professional potential. Learn in-demand skills in evening, weekend, or 1-week accelerated courses.
Meet Our Expert: Danny Kirschner, Web Development Immersive Instructor, GA Boston
What do you love about web development?
GA instructor Danny Kirschner says, "Writing code is a craft as well as a creative outlet, and it's not limited by industry. Being able to craft software is useful to anyone, anywhere in the world. The discipline of creating software is also useful to other disciplines, as it's a way to think about problems as well as know how to solve those problems from a technical standpoint."
Learn In-Demand Skills in Our Full-Stack Web Development Courses and Bootcamps in Atlanta
A cross-platform front-end framework, AngularJS expands HTML's capabilities to help power dynamic web applications.
Saimon Sharif, a JavaScript Development instructor at General Assembly New York City, says, "An API is a platform that allows different pieces of software, or applications, to communicate with one another. The term is used broadly in the context of programming languages, the web, operating systems, etc. For example, Apple publicly shares a number of APIs powered by iOS — its operating system for iPhones and iPads — for app developers to use. These APIs allow applications like Instagram and Snapchat to use a device's camera, microphone, and much more.
"In GA's career-changing Web Development Immersive — offered on campus and online — as well as our part-time JavaScript Development course, students learn the theory behind using web APIs and get hands-on practice incorporating them into their own projects. Our part-time Front-End Web Development course covers API essentials as well."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to APIs in Web Development" by Saimon Sharif.
Calvin Tan, a Front-End Web Development instructor at GA Singapore, says, "CSS, which stands for Cascading Style Sheets, is the language that sets the appearance of a website, including its fonts, color, and layout. It is a companion to the HTML language: HTML provides the content of a website, and CSS enhances the styling of the HTML content. Besides being used to create visually engaging websites, CSS is often used to enhance the aesthetics of user interfaces for web and mobile applications.
"In General Assembly's part-time Front-End Web Development (FEWD) course, our full-time Web Development Immersive course, and our online HTML, CSS & Web Design course, students learn how to write CSS syntax and link it effectively with HTML files. We also break down the most commonly used CSS properties, such as styling of text and background images. Students learn how to style multiple elements or a smaller group of elements through the use of classes, IDs, advanced selectors, and pseudo-selectors, and delve into creating layouts by using margins and paddings, floats, and positioning using flexbox. By the end of these courses, students are equipped with a firm understanding of CSS and the ability to create a visually appealing, interactive website that responds to various mobile or tablet devices."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to CSS" by Calvin Tan.
DOM Manipulation
"In General Assembly's full-time Web Development Immersive and part-time Front-End Web Development courses, students learn DOM by visiting jQuery-enabled websites like CSS-Tricks and using the console to alter the pages in front of them. Changing all of the titles to some goofy text gives students a sample of the power of this tool. Students also dive into and read the jQuery documentation to find out about the most useful DOM manipulation methods."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to DOM Manipulation" by Cory Fauver.
Helpful for building web APIs, web apps, and more, the open-source Express framework was designed for use in the Node.js development environment.
A go-to tool for collaboration, Git is an open-source version control program. By tracking changes and preserving file histories, it helps developers collaborate on coding projects without overwriting one another's progress.
Adrienne Dreyfus, Front-End Web Development instructor at General Assembly San Francisco, says, "Built on top of the popular open-source version control system Git, GitHub allows developers to share their code and receive feedback and contributions from the public. Because of this transparency, GitHub has become an integral part of the open-source software revolution, as many companies, including Google and Apple, choose to release portions of their software for free via the platform."
"At General Assembly, our coding students learn the ins and outs of GitHub through practice, whether they are building a foundation in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in our part-time Front-End Web Development course, diving into our dedicated JavaScript Development course, or embarking on a coding career in our Web Development Immersive, on campus or remotely."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to GitHub" by Adrienne Dreyfus.
Danny Kirschner, a Web Development Immersive instructor at GA Providence, says, "Heroku is a platform as a service (PaaS) that enables developers to deploy, scale, and manage their applications without the need to set up and administer their own servers. It's used at small startups and large-scale companies alike to get applications running on a server. Heroku manages many aspects of server administration, infrastructure, and development operations (DevOps), so that application developers can focus on what matters most to them: building their apps. Heroku handles many of the difficult parts of building and running your own web server, such as patching and upgrading systems, 24/7 operations and security, deploying applications, and scaling to meet demand.
"General Assembly takes advantage of the Heroku platform to host Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and Node.js applications so that our Web Development Immersive and Web Development Immersive Remote developers can quickly build and deploy their work to the web. Throughout the course, developers learn how to deploy their applications to Heroku by setting up the Heroku toolbelt on their computers, integrating Heroku commands into their workflow, and managing deployed applications in the Heroku dashboard."
Sasha Vodnik, Front-End Web Development instructor at GA San Francisco, says, "Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, is a programming language used to describe the structure of information on a web page. Together, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript make up the essential building blocks of websites, with CSS controlling a page's appearance, and JavaScript programming its functionality. You can think of HTML as providing the bones of a web page, while CSS provides the skin, and JavaScript provides the brains.
"In GA's part-time courses in Front-End Web Development and HTML, CSS & Web Design, and our career-changing, full-time Web Development Immersive program, you'll get hands-on practice coding your own projects, from static personal and business websites to single-page applications like games and interactive photo galleries. These projects give you practice using basic HTML tags and structuring pages with different components, including headers, footers, sidebars, and navigation. You'll also code CSS and JavaScript, and learn how to put all three together to build websites that implement modern standards and use best practices for front-end development."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to HTML in Web Development" by Sasha Vodnik.
The latest version of Hypertext Markup Language expands its capabilities, offering cleaner code, mobile browser considerations, and support for video and audio content that previously required third-party APIs.
A bedrock of digital communication, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol — commonly known as HTTP — allows web pages (and other text data) to be transferred over the internet, forming the foundation of the World Wide Web.
Sasha Vodnik, JavaScript Development Instructor at GA San Francisco, says, "JavaScript is essential to nearly every action you take online, whether it's entering credit card information, streaming videos and music, or interacting on social networks, just for starters. It's the programming language used to make web pages interactive — and it's perhaps the most widely used language because of it. It can be used on both a website's front and back ends.
"At General Assembly, JavaScript is a core part of all of our web development courses. It's one of the central technologies covered in our full-time Web Development Immersive and Web Development Immersive Remote programs, in which students prepare for a career in full-stack web development. You can focus exclusively on the language in our part-time JavaScript Development course (also available online), or get a basic introduction to how JavaScript fits with HTML and CSS in our part-time Front-End Web Development course."
Brandi Butler, a Web Development Immersive instructor at General Assembly Seattle, says, "jQuery was created to make the language much more accessible for developers to write. On one hand, it's simply a library built on top of JavaScript to make programming JavaScript easier and more enjoyable for web developers. On the other hand, it's used so ubiquitously in web programming that you can hardly have a conversation about JavaScript without mentioning it. jQuery simplifies front-end web development to such a degree that we've coined a separate term — "vanilla JavaScript" — to talk about JavaScript without jQuery.
"In General Assembly's part-time Front-End Web Development course, students learn the basics of JavaScript and jQuery, along with HTML and CSS, to build interactive custom websites. For a deeper dive into coding, our full-time Web Development Immersive course, on campus and remotely, trains students to be job-ready full-stack web developers, equipped with both front- and back-end skills."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to jQuery" by Brandi Butler.
Danny Kirschner, Web Development Immersive instructor at General Assembly Providence, says, "JavaScript Object Notation, or JSON, is a style of text notation that's used to format and interchange structured data. JSON describes how to represent and arrange data sets so they can easily be written, transferred, and parsed by the receiver. JSON is easy for humans to read and write. It's also easy for machines to programmatically dissect and generate.
"At General Assembly, students learn various skills that rely on the JSON format. Within the full-time Web Development Immersive course, aspiring developers create web APIs that use JSON to communicate back and forth between a client and a server. In our part-time JavaScript Development course and self-paced online JavaScript offering, students learn how to work with JSON within the object-oriented programming language."
MEAN Stack
A "MEAN stack" app is a full-stack app that was built using MongoDB (for storing data), Express.js (for handling web requests), AngularJS (to be the front end), and Node.js (the platform on which Express is run). Each of these tools is free and open source, and all of them use JavaScript.
MongoDB is a document-oriented NoSQL database program. Its advantages include scalability, dynamic querying, and the ability to handle a variety of data structures. Developers often pair it with Express to create efficient server-side applications.
Model-View-Controller, or MVC, is a framework for structuring logical, scalable applications. This framework separates application responsibilities into one of three categories: managing data (model), creating responses for the user (view), and handling top-level application logic (controller).
NoSQL (Not Only SQL) refers to the category of databases that use some other kind of architecture than tables and rows for storing and manipulating data. Generally they are less structured than relational (SQL) databases, trading off some rigor and reliability for greater flexibility and speed.
Object-Oriented Programming
A programming paradigm in which models ("objects") are given data ("properties") and functionality ("methods") that allow them to perform various actions. Languages including JavaScript and Ruby are built off object-oriented programming (OOP) logic.
Danny Kirschner, a Web Development Immersive instructor at General Assembly's Providence and Boston campuses, says, "Ruby on Rails, commonly known as Rails, is a server-side framework that helps developers build modern web applications. It is written in the Ruby programming language and makes programming web applications easier by making certain assumptions about what every developer needs in order to get their application up and running. As an open-source software, anyone can view, edit, and contribute to the source code. Rails is an opinionated software designed for developer happiness and to help small and large companies launch fast, affordable, production-ready applications.
"In General Assembly's Web Development Immersive and Web Development Immersive Remote, we introduce Rails as a modern web application framework. Developers utilize Rails to act as the back-end server for their full-stack applications. This means students learn to use Rails as the application programming interface, or API, with the ability to handle incoming requests, model and validate data, communicate with the database, and send data back in a response. By learning how to build web applications using Ruby on Rails, new developers gain experience creating and consuming APIs."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to Ruby on Rails" by Danny Kirschner.
A popular resource for developers, the ReactJS library — developed by Facebook — helps developers to easily build nimble, flexible user interfaces through its modular component-based architecture. React has helped usher in a paradigm shift in front-end web development thanks to its speed and use of declarative programming.
Responsive Design
Phil Bolles, User Experience Design instructor at GA Washington, D.C., says, "Responsive web design — the design of layouts and hierarchies that preserve visual emphasis and change as a screen changes size — has reshaped the modern web. We now think of the web as a spectrum, a range of screen widths corresponding to a wide range of devices. A website shouldn't care whether the user is viewing it on a phone, laptop, or flat-screen TV via a Playstation 4. Instead, a website should respond to its viewer's screen width, preserve content structure even as the layout changes, and maintain readability at any size — all of which leads to a positive user experience.
"In GA's full-time User Experience Design Immersive and part-time User Experience Design course, instructors frequently challenge students to think about how their digital products will look at different screen sizes and give them tips on maintaining visual priority. Recognizing that they can't guarantee which device their audience uses, students learn to think of the web as fluid. When it comes to bringing responsive designs to life, you can learn the fundamentals in our part-time Front-End Web Development course or online HTML, CSS & Web Design course, or launch a career building seamless, responsive websites in GA's full-time Web Development Immersive or Web Development Immersive Remote program."
Read "A Beginner's Guide to Responsive Design" by Phil Bolles.
Developers turn to Ruby to tackle a variety of programming tasks, favoring this object-oriented programming language for its easy-to-read syntax and usability. It's typically paired with the Rails web application framework.
Michael Larner, a Data Analytics instructor at General Assembly Los Angeles, says, "Put simply, SQL is the language of data — it's a programming language that enables us to efficiently create, alter, request, and aggregate data from those mysterious things called databases. It gives us the ability to make connections between different pieces of information, even when we're dealing with huge data sets. Modern applications are able to use SQL to deliver really valuable pieces of information that would otherwise be difficult for humans to keep track of independently. In fact, pretty much every app that stores any sort of information uses a database. This ubiquity means that developers use SQL to log, record, alter, and present data within the application, while analysts use SQL to interrogate that same data set in order to find deeper insights.
"At General Assembly, we know businesses are striving to transform their data from raw facts into actionable insights. To accomplish this, we give students the opportunity to use SQL to explore real-world data such as Firefox usage statistics, Iowa liquor sales, or Zillow's real estate prices. Our full-time Data Science Immersive and part-time Data Analytics courses help students build the analytical skills needed to turn the results of those queries into clear and effective business recommendations. On a more introductory level, after just a couple of hours of in one of our SQL workshops, students are able to query multiple data sets with millions of rows."
Break into Atlanta's full-stack web development industry.
Build a new career with a suite of front- and back-end development skills. Learn full-time in our industry-leading Immersive.
Meet Jerome Hardaway, Web Development Immersive Graduate
Helping Vets Through Code
Jerome Hardaway, like many other veterans returning to civilian society, struggled to find his path after serving in the Air Force in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He craved a more creative career and knew the tech industry was growing rapidly, so he decided to pursue web development through General Assembly's Web Development Immersive course in New York. He used his new skills to create his own nonprofit to empower other veterans and servicemembers through coding. "I tell people I've gone from no job to having one," he says. "I can't understate the importance of General Assembly."
Learn more about Hardaway's story here.


text:
- About
- Details
- Postage & Returns
- Reviews
Amiel Medium Handbag with Removable Shoulder Strap by Kipling. Playful and practical, the Amiel has special pockets for the daily essentials with a versatile shoulder strap for on-the-go ease.
- Adjustable & removable shoulder strap (65cm - 128cm)
- Dual carry handles
- Main zipped compartment containing:
- Zipped inner pocket
- Clipped key cord
- Pen drop pocket
- 2 drop pockets for mobile phone & MP3 player
- Rear zipped compartment
- Kipling monkey key ring
- Size: 27 L x 24.5 H x 14.5 W cm
- Volume: 10 Litres
Want help with ordering or need more information? Can't see what you want? Call us! If Kipling have it, we can get it cheaper than anywhere else on-line!! Please contact us on 01637 876698 & we'll be happy to help!
How your item will be sent
Order before 3pm and your item will be dispatched the same working day. All orders will be posted FREE via Royal Mail 2nd Class (48 Hours) delivery. Fancy it quicker? Then select the 1st Class (24 Hour) option for only £2.99!
For shipping large items of luggage outside mainland UK, please contact us as an additional charge will be required.
Returns Policy
If you want to return your order within 14 days of having received your goods. A full refund will be issued if it is clear the products haven't been used or damaged in any way & in their original packaging. When returning items you will be responsible for them until they reach us. Postal costs incurred by yourselves will not be reimbursed.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
918 Concession 6 Rd S (Hwy 6 & Hwy 3)
Price: $749,000
Status: For Sale
- Tax: $3,495 (2019)
- Community:Haldimand
- City:Haldimand
- Type:Residential
- Style:Farm (Bungalow)
- Beds:3+3
- Bath:2
- Size:1100-1500 Sq Ft
- Basement:Finished (Sep Entrance)
- Garage:Other
- Age:51-99 Years Old
- InteriorFireplace
- ExteriorAlum Siding, Brick
- HeatingForced Air, Propane
- Sewer/Water SystemsSeptic, Other
Listing Contracted With: INTERCITY REALTY INC., BROKERAGE
This Picturesque 25.06 Acre Farm Is Located Near The Famous Ginseng Product Area Town Of Simcoe, Closed By Hwy 6 & 3, 10 Minutes Away To Port Dover, Hickory Beach And Sandy Cove. The Frontage Of The Farm On Main Road Concession 6 Is Almost 1000 Ft, Sandusk Creek Goes Along The Farm As Part Of The Natural Nature Boundary, Ideal For Irrigation Of The Crop, Raise Fish And Ducks. This Is Such A Pretty Parcel And Offers The Endless Opportunities.
The Bungalow Has 3+3 Brms,2 Kitchens And 2 Full Pc Baths,Ideal For A Family Or Farm Workers.Lots Of Renovations: Newer Shingles, Newer Air-Condition, Brand New Hardwood Floors, Walls, Two Bathrooms, Two Kitchens Upgraded.
Want to learn more about 918 Concession 6 Rd S (Hwy 6 & Hwy 3)?
Theresa Hoffman
Sales Representative
RE/MAX First Realty Ltd., Brokerage


text:
The "Kids Are All Right" had another prosperous weekend, nearing $5 million in box office as it continues to roll out across the country.
We can thank a chance meeting at a Los Angeles coffee-shop between writer/director Lisa Cholodenko and writer Stuart Blumberg for this wonderful creation -- it was a meeting in which Cholodenko talked about a project she had in mind about a sperm-donor created family.
"And then (Stuart) opened up about how he had been a sperm donor in college," Cholodenko recalled.
The most unlikely of beginnings, but for this unusual project it was just perfect. The ensuing project has become the indie-darling of the summer -- a small miracle during the inception of the idea. Even with the great idea and partnership, funding the film was pretty difficult, Blumberg admits.
"There are so many people dying to make a movie with 50-year-old lesbians," says Blumberg wryly. "We just had to keep fending them off."
"And it gets harder and harder to make movies about people where things don't blow up."
While the movie centers around Mark Ruffalo's willingness to take part in his creations' lives, this was not autobiographical. Blumberg admits he is "terrified" about the prospect of finding out what became of his paid deposits.
He can call the fertility clinic that he used in college and say that he is amenable to having any created children contact him. But he's held back.
In fact, during the writing process, Cholodenko even egged him on, encouraging to take such a step. But he froze every time.
"I'd be terrified that I would have -- not zero kids but eight kids," he said.
Stuart Blumberg's Real-Life Donations Leads To a Great Creation In "Kids"
The "Kids Are All Right" had another prosperous weekend, nearing $5 million in box office as it continues to roll out across the country.


text:
Healing Hugs
The Angels remind you to never underestimate the healing powers of a hug.
Being held and comforted by someone who cares can calm emotions and restore a happier balance.
If you feel the need for a hug don't be too shy to ask someone you know to cuddle you. The chances are they will have been wanting to give you comfort but were unsure of how to help you until you asked.
Likewise, if you see a friend or loved one who is in distress, open your arms and comfort them today.
Featured web page of the day:
The Christmas Lovescopes


text:
Baltimore is known as many names—Charm City, The City That Reads, The Greatest City in the World, That Place from The Wire—but when I lived there for a few years, I sure never remembered the awesome WiFi. -SB
Stingray Tank at the Baltimore Aquarium
Aquarium volunteers have discerned that organisms accessing WiFi from within the tank to 10 feet from its perimeter (the "Hot Zone") assume markedly grayer complexions as they semi-consciously pick their scabs, eventually ceasing all motion except to faintly urge the mouse onward in destructive internet behaviors such as Googling ex-lovers, comparing oneself to Facebook photos of ex-lover's new-lovers, compiling clips from 3-5 porn sites into a master playlist only to watch them and feel un-aroused, and conduct hour-long searches for "This one flash game I played in high school where cute-looking chickens caught umbrellas" – once finding it, trying for 5 minutes to unsuccessfully complete level 1 before realizing a nearly paralyzing, language-halting sense of purposelessness seems to be the only answer to the question "What am I going to do now?"
This Tree
In a 2011 study conducted by the Sub-Arboreal Depression Awareness Study Services for Tree-Rallying Ecological Enterprises (S.A.D.A.S.S.T.R.E.E.) those who sat within a 3-foot radius of this tree, which receives exceptionally clear WiFi, all sensed within 10 minutes that they were being used as platforms to endure unsolicited complaints about unsolvable existential issues, though no one could discern the source of this feeling. A more thorough, unbiased investigation from the Greater Baltimore Botanical Association found that this tree has an advanced neurological communication center that essentially mimics the structure of America's 4G network. During photosynthesis, the tree's complaints (which are believed to be products of a chlorophyll mutation) are released as waste products, along with oxygen, into the atmosphere.
Hovering 12" x 12" Area
This perpetually in-motion, cubic, invisible mass has been hovering at random intervals over patches of Baltimore city streets since, reportedly, the creation of WiFi-though it's been suggested that like the Northern Lights, its patterns and onset more closely follow solar wind storms than wireless networks. Areas affected by the hovering area comprised the entire "Other" demographic in the 2010 Census, exceeding every socio-economic grouping for highest suicide rates. This means whoever is unlucky enough to stumble upon this 12" x 12" area will almost certainly commit suicide (though will be privy, some say, to unreasonably clear WiFi reception before dying). Recently doomed WiFi recipient and Johns Hopkins student, Josh Hosskins, describes his experience: "I was on the way to meet my study group, like, walking the same way I always do, when it just came over me: I needed to die. I've never really felt that before, with that kind of clarity. When I got to the lab I was the only one getting WiFi. I'm actually still going at 804.12g's, woooo! [laughs] Anyways, I'm drowning myself tonight."
My Bathtub
Navigating the internet from a steamy bathtub on a Friday night sounds blissfully domestic, and might be in perhaps any other bathtub in Baltimore. Acclaimed bathroom archaeologist Stan Metts has been researching the "Claw-footed Depression Demons" of the 6 East Read Street apartment building for, he said, "I don't even know how long." Although answering questions about the incidentals of one's life with "I don't know" usually solely indicates a polite desire for the conversation to focus elsewhere, something about the way Metts' gaze became sharply glassy, and the surreal, almost David Lynchian tone our conversation assumed following his answer made me believe he honestly wasn't sure when he became a bathroom archaeologist. I took it upon myself to investigate Metts' career (often from my bathtub, because it receives outstanding WiFi) and it appears that his bathtub research not only pre-dates the construction of the 6 East Read Street apartment building–carbon dating suggests his papers are at least 6.3 billion years older than the planet Earth.
Steps outside Panera Bread, Inner Harbor
Though Panera Bread's Wikipedia page boasts it to be the "largest free wireless network in the United States," actually attaining WiFi inside Baltimore's Inner Harbor location has proven nearly impossible, forcing dejected, bagel-wielding customers onto the steps for years. In 2004, particle physicist Clark Faviolla theorized the step's impeccable WiFi could be attributed to light wave-interference from the high-density carbohydrates lurking inside Panera. Sadly, his studies, often conducted from the steps where he once famously camped out for 3 weeks to monitor WiFi conditions, were widely regarded as "pseudo-science bullshit" from his peers. Faviolla's life then took on the familiar tragic narrative of the eccentric, obsessed genius–after losing his home and family, he began living on the steps and surviving on day-old pastries from the dumpster, where he was able to mentally hijack Panera's WiFi to write a scathing Yelp.com review before vanishing, one employee said, "into thin air."
This article by Megan Boyle originally appeared at Thought Catalog. You should follow Thought Catalog on Twitter here.
Photo by twbuckner


text:
- Description
As popular now as it has been for several decades, MIDI is a great way of controlling and sending information between tons of equipment including synthesisers, computers, drum machines and much more. Stagg MIDI Cables are high quality and available in a variety of sizes for any application.
Complying with all required standards including MIDI protocol and RoHS, Stagg MIDI Cables are great value for money, especially considering the high quality construction. Fitted with metal plugs as opposed to moulded ones, which are usually seen as lower quality and less reliable, these cables will last for years in your studio set up, live or wherever else you want to use them.
- Reviews
Write Your Own Review


text:
Ron Kearns is a performer, clinician, educator, producer and author. Ron received a BS in Music Education from Knoxville College (TN), and his MM from Catholic University (Washington, DC). As a performer Ron has performed throughout the United States with his quintet and big band. Ron received training as a big band leader from Rick Henderson who was mentored by Duke Ellington. He was also mentored by Stanley Turrentine and Buck Hill. He has recorded six CDs as a leader. His most recent CD Quiet Nights is a tribute to the seminal recording Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.
As a producer Ron has produced over 40 recordings by artists such as Terell Stafford, Ronnie Wells, Buck Hill, Ruby Hayes, Paul Carr, Eric Byrd, Howard Burns, Herman Burney, Buster Williams and several others. For 15 years Ron was the official record producer for the East Coast Jazz Festival producing videos and recordings for Houston Person, Keter Betts and all of the headline acts of the festival.
As an educator, Ron's bands and orchestras were nationally recognized and during his last ten years teaching, he received three Grammy Signature School Awards awarded to the 50 top music programs in the United States and three years in succession his groups were selected as one of the top ten music programs in the Washington, DC area (one year three of the top ten instrumental groups were Ron's groups). Ron's bands, orchestras and jazz ensembles never received less than a Superior rating in sight reading in 28 years of festival participation. Ron was also selected as one of School Band and Orchestra Magazine's 50 Directors Who Make a Difference in 2004 and received an Excellence in Teaching Jazz Award from Down Beat magazine in 2005.
Ron Kearns has written articles on jazz, music production and music education and is the author of the book Quick Reference for Band Directors which is being used as a text book for band directors at colleges and universities across the US. Ron endorses Selmer Paris 72 and Selmer Paris Reference 54 saxophones exclusively. He is a Vandoren of Paris Performing Artist and writes several articles for their website.


text:
My name is not Lilith. As many of you know, dear readers and customers of my Apothecary, my name is Sarah. Though many people name their businesses after themselves, the reason for using the name Lilith is a bit convoluted, and I often get questions about it, so I will try to be articulate about my reasoning here.
Lilith first appeared in ancient Hebrew texts as a demon or a monster, but I am not concerned about those earliest references which are controversial in their authenticity at best. More interestingly, Lilith appears in the 8th–10th centuries in Jewish folklore as Adam's first wife, created at the same time as Adam, and considered his equal, unlike Eve who was created from Adam's rib. In the 13th Century mythology, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with the archangel, Samuel. Though Lilith is a name often used in reference to a feminine stance, I wanted to think deeper about this mythological figure and what she represents. The fact that she was Adam's equal from the start rather than made to serve him, that she was fiercely independent, and strong in character certainly stand apart from the story of Eve. She took control of her own sexuality and copulated with an archangel, thereafter refusing to return to the Garden, which despite it's earthly delights, was not quite up to par with sex with an archangel, I'm guessing. Call it a hunch.
This is an Babylonian image that is often associated with Lilith and in my earliest labeling, I used this image on all of my products. Called the Burney Relief, Babylon (1800-1750 BCE), this figure is apparently based on a misreading of an outdated translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and modern research has identified the figure as either Ishtar or Ereshkigal. How perfect! The pairing of those two goddesses lends even more interest to the Lilith story, though the linkages may be only the red threads between them that exist in my mind. While they may not be related to Lilith, the Assyrian Ishtar (or Sumerian, Inanna) is the goddess of fertility, war, love, and sex. Even as the goddess of fertility, she was not as kind and benevolent as you might think, and she was above all the goddess of sexuality and could be brutal to her consorts and lovers. That said, she had many faces, just as we humans do, and in a famous legend about her decent to the Underworld. There, Ereshkigal, the goddess of the Underworld, allows her to enter but only according to the rules. She must shed her clothing as she passes through each of the seven gates. When she finally arrives, she is naked and in a rage! Ereshkigal puts her in prison and sends 60 diseases upon her, but eventually Ereshkigal is commanded by the gods to revive her by sprinkling her with the waters of life.
And why am I telling you all of this? Because this descent and revival is so intrinsic to our life on earth as human beings. First of all, we need to nurture the many sides of our characters, and those may include facets we are not encouraged to present to the world, at least as dictated by our modern societies. We are not 'encouraged', for women especially, to present our anger, frustration, our deepest sexuality, our moods if they are not sunny and bright. We are told to be Superhuman in our ability to stay bright and lively and committed to everything, even when we are burdened with difficulties, with family troubles, with work, or even with the fatigue of our intense, modern lifestyles. Ishtar's story reminds us of the need to feel our rage, to allow that descent to the Underworld and our darkest places, even if that means a temporary, quiet withdrawal from social obligations. We need to be able to confront our own demons, to even be assaulted by the emotions we feel, and then to have the space to seek respite, to nurture ourselves back to life again, thus the 'sprinkling of the waters of life' for revival. But it is important to note that these darker aspects of our nature are not necessarily needing to be expunged — they are part of who we are, and these dark places also need to be accepted as part of our whole being. There is a fantastic Jungian analysis of this mythology that was quite formative in my thoughts about this mythology, and also in my own journey, allowing myself to feel and be respectful of the complexities of my inner world and deepest nature.
Bravery accompanies Her:
Ishtar the bold
Her festivals are the Warriors´ festivals,
The stimulation of the warriors at combat,
The rousing of officers
The liberation of armies
Her rage at combat,
Her enthusiasm in battle
Reveal Her true Nature
And demonstrate what Ishtar knows how to do!
So how does this all connect to me naming my business Lilith's Apothecary? Well, quite simply it is a reminder to us all that we have every right to a firm footing in the world, that we have the ability to not only be equals with our peers, lovers, and mates, but that we can also allow the many parts of ourselves (those deep, hidden, or even dark places included) to exist in harmony and balance. Using herbs, our plant allies, to nurture our deeper selves is just one piece of this need to attend to ourselves more fully. In my small way, and despite more limited means than the large corporations we have come to know so well, I want to help provide men and women with the ability fulfill this important function with natural, raw ingredients — minerals such as clay and mica; gifts from the animal kingdom like milk, yoghurt and honey; and oils, essential oils, and raw herb matter to nourish ourselves both inside and out. With these materials from the earth, we are able to nudge our bodies into balance, hopefully. Above all, the herbalist is concerned with helping a person achieve holistic balance, and thus it is also my primary motivation. By looking at the full person, we can help try to ascertain what needs should be met, and hopefully what we can suggest as helpful assistance, ideas, and suggestions for achieving that equilibrium that we all seek.
I do hope all of that makes sense. You'll be happy to know that my new website, complete with herb consulting details, is only now waiting for me to tweak a few things and then it will be live very soon. If you have any comments, stories, or feedback, I would love to hear from you. xo ~ Sarah
Incidentally, you may be interested in my Ishtar blend, named for this very story and with the achievement of hormonal and emotional balance in mind. I just ordered some organic shatavari root so I can make you a custom blend if you would like to try it.


text:
Taylor Swift's new music video featuring the country music sensation in barely there black bikini has taken YouTube by storm.
The family-friendly video, which shows the 19-year-old country music sensation hitting the beach with friends, hanging out in the kitchen, in the car and in the great outdoors, has garnered more that 7.5 million views since it was posted on Sunday.
As the nearly four-minute montage of amateur footage unfolds, "I'm Only Me When I'm With You," the bonus track from Swift's album plays in the background
U.S. & World
Former "American Idol" hopeful Kellie Pickler is shown as part of Swift's crew of girlfriends, The New York Daily News points out.
Extended footage of the typically conservatively dressed Swift showing off her sizzling bikini body on the beach, jet-skiing and getting soaked by a waterfall has also hit the web.
On Wednesday, Swift set the stage for a Grammy showdown with singer Beyonce after earning eight Grammy nominations to Beyonce's 10.
Click here to see Swift's new music video.


text:
Jason Mraz, who popped the question to his dream girl in December, is adding a political twist to his marriage plans.
The Grammy-nominated crooner vowed to hold the wedding bells until same-sex marriage is recognized in America, he announced at Elton John's Concert to Benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights in Beverly Hills on Wednesday.
"We can't get married until [gay] marriage is legal and equal," the "I'm Yours" singer said at the concert, Us Magazine reported.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"We both feel that in our engagement, we have a union that's really special and can't be broken. It's a sacred bond,"Mraz explained. "The wedding would be nice for our family, our friends, our community -- our moms especially -- and so it puts us in the fight," Mraz explained.
The 33-year-old music proposed to 28-year-old Tristan Prettyman in December, excitedly Tweeting to his fans, "SHE SAID YES."
Supporting same-sex marriage was the big theme of the night. At the same private fundraiser, music legend Elton John blasted gay-marriage critics.
"It seems ridiculous I could be with my partner [David Furnish] for 17 years and we have a son, and my partner and I can't get married," the new father said.
Selected Reading: PopEater, Us Magazine, AOL Music


text:
I've been offering you some Herbal Remedies quick tips, but I'd like to start a new series of Home Spa tips focusing on different treatments you can do at home for your own private spa experience. Let's start with those alluring eyes of ours that communicate so very much.
We all know by now why there are eye serums & creams on the market. First, we live insane lives here in the United States, where the response "Busy" has replaced "Fine" when we are asked how we are doing. Second, we don't get enough sleep. Third, sun damage. Finally, despite our greatest efforts, we are aging, and here in America, we don't tend to like that. Despite the truth that many skin care product claims might be a bunch of B.S., there is actually some truth to ingredients that attest to reduce puffiness, smooth out wrinkles, and brighten our peepers (or at least the skin around them).
These ingredients, when present in your eye care product, can do a lot to remedy your eye area issues: Retinol (increases collagen production), forms of zinc (may increase elastin production), cucumber extract (anti-inflammatory), chamomile extract (anti-inflammatory), caffeine (diuretic – so it reduces puffiness & seems to "lift" eye tissue), Vit C (decreases melanin production, treating dark circles), and Vit K (helps break down pigment particles in blood, decreasing dark circles). Extra-emollient oils can also help keep that fragile skin elastic and supple, reducing wrinkles in the long-term and helping repair sun damage. That sun damage part can also be mitigated by anti-oxidants by reducing the ravage caused by free radicals.
Weren't you wondering why I include green tea (antioxidant, vt C, and caffeine), Vit C, and chamomile in my popular Eye Potion? Don't worry – I'm making a fresh batch next week. But I'm here to tell you about home remedies you can do yourself! Fortunately, there is a lot you can do yourself at home to do something for your poor tired eyes.
Tea Bag eye packs
— seriously! That concentrated tea contains caffeine that is proven to reduce puffiness. Leave teabags on eyes for 10 minutes and make sure to use cool water as hot water may burn and can help dry out eyes. Use a caffeinated tea with rosehips and you have a good amount of Vit C in there too. One with green tea, chamomile, and rosehips and you have an eye tea powerhouse! Hey…maybe I should make these.
Cucumber eye packs. Yeah cucumber! We all know that Cool as a Cucumber says it all. And cucumber truly does reduce puffiness and inflammation, calming the eye area (and the rest of the skin too!). You can use cucumber distillates, mists, or slices of the vegetable placed over your eyes for 5-10 minutes.
Eye Serum. You can create a special oil of emollient oils such as avocado, coconut, shea, meadowfoam seed, hemp seed , evening primrose, and rosehip seed oil. Extra powerhouse ingredients include carrot oil, blueberry seed oil, seabuckthorne berry oil, and essential oils or CO2 extracts of Calendula, blue chamomile, and helicrysium.
Eye Potion. This is a simple Cocoa Butter & Coconut Oil recipe from Herb Companion. You need only two ingredients and you don't need to use preservatives because there is no hydrous, or water, component. Super rich and long-lasting.
Cooling Cucumber Eye Gel. I love this recipe from Herb Companion and remember when I first noted it when it appeared in print last year. This is a once & done spa treatment, meaning that it won't preserve longer than a few days if kept in the fridge. But considering the ingredients, including fresh cucumber juice and aloe vera, it sounds like a great treatment!


text: The Chinese calendar might have it pegged as the year of the black snake, but investors are already calling 2013 the year of the enterprise IPO. Not nearly as catchy as something reptilian, but hopefully a lot more profitable than the newly public consumer companies, Facebook chief among them, that took a beating in the public markets in 2012. Consistent with the enterprise theme, we already know that data-center networking company Gigamon and solid-state storage business Violin Memory have filed their S-1 forms. Other enterprise plays will follow. And just because the smart money is betting on companies that get paid selling to other companies, doesn't mean some well-known consumer outfits, including Twitter, Square, and Evernote couldn't try their luck with an IPO in 2013. We picked nine private companies with public market potential to watch in 2013. For each we weigh the odds of whether, market conditions permitting, of course, they have a shot or not. Above: Airbnb Odds of an IPO: Looking good, but only if it can close its next round This startup is the darling of the collaborative consumption movement, allowing anyone to put up their house or apartment for travelers to rent. While it's been close to 18 months since its taken venture capital, Airbnb is already up to $230 million. Rumor has it that the company is vying for a $100 million third round of funding at a $2 billion valuation, and has plans to go public once it closes a new round. Above: Airbnb co-founder Nate Blecharczyk. Photo: JD Lasica/FlickrBox Odds of an IPO: 50/50 For most of 2012, Box CEO Aaron Levie talked about plans to take his business-minded storage company public. Box is in a very good position to do so: As of October 2012, it has 140,000 active businesses, including more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies, signed up. Levie has said that his company has 14 million customers, though it's unclear how many are paying for Box's storage and document collaboration services. (Up to 5GB of storage is free.) Box is flush, with $284 million in the bank, not including an undisclosed amount of cash that Intel gave the company in October 2012. Box's enterprise focus will certainly make it appealing to investors in 2013, but unless it gets some public market chops in its finance department it might not be quite ready to pull the trigger. Unless it makes a few more big, public company hires, it will wait until 2014. Above: Aaron Levie. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WiredDropbox Odds of an IPO: Good Box's consumer-focused peer grew to 100 million users in 2012, and that's just the beginning according to CEO Drew Houston. However, that number doesn't tell us how many people are paying at least $10 per month for Dropbox's premium offerings, though the company says it is bringing in significant revenue. In 2012 the company recruited Google Python developer Guido van Rossum, and several sales executives from Apple and Salesforce, which could signal the company is gearing up for a public debut. Dropbox has raised $257 million in total funding. Given its high-profile hires and two acquisitions in 2012, as well as a massive valuation, it's likely that Dropbox is heading down the IPO path in 2013. Photo: ilamont.com/FlickrEvernote Odds of an IPO: Very small CEO Phil Libin has repeatedly said that he's not itching to take his company public, even though 2012 was a banner year for the note-saving service. Evernote grew to 41 million users last year, including 1.5 million people who pay $5 per month for more storage. In May, it expanded into China with a new data center and a completely Chinese version of its notetaking desktop and web app. In August, the company added a business suite to woo entire companies into signing up. Evernote attracted $155 million last year, bringing its total VC cash to $251 million. Despite explosive growth for the company, it's speculated that its revenue and margins are low — not an attractive deal for investors. Unless Libin is is trying to throw everyone off his trail, odds are low Evernote will go public before 2015. Above: Evernote CEO Phil Libin. Photo: LeWEB12/FlickrGilt Odds of an IPO: High The designer-focused flash-sales site is definitely ready for a public offering, president Andy Page has said. In September 2012, he told Reuters that his company will be profitable by the fourth quarter. Gilt Groupe also began shutting down several of its spin-off sites, like Park & Bond, hoping to trim the fat and give the entire company a better chance of turning a profit going forward. With $221 million in venture capital, the company is said to be valued north of $1 billion. There seems to be a real commitment by Page and his investors to get this deal done. Above: Gilt Groupe chairwoman and former CEO Susan Lyne. Photo: Fortune Live Media/FlickrKabam Odds of an IPO: High After Zynga's dismal performance in the stock market, it might be foolish to think another gaming company could go public. Gaming company Kabam is hoping that its focus on mobile will save it from a fate similar to Zynga's. One of its iOS games, called Kingdoms of Camelot, has already earned the company more than $100 million in revenue. CEO Kevin Chou says the company's revenue has grown 50 percent in 2012, and projected to close the year at $150 million. (The company has not revealed final numbers for 2012.). When the company raised $85 million in 2011, sources valued Kabam at $500 million. Considering that Chou is already talking about a 2013 IPO, it looks like this is the gaming company's year. Above: A shot of Kabam's game Kingdom of Camelot. Image: KabamLivingSocial Odds: Don't count on it at all After Groupon's miserable IPO in 2011, there's very little reason to believe that LivingSocial could go public anytime soon. For investors and consumers, the novelty of daily deals has worn off, leaving next to no hope for LivingSocial unless it can find a business model that beats Groupon's. Amazon, one of the company's biggest investors, has already lost $169 million on its investment and the site has been hemorrhaging employees. Photo:Danny_Eugene/FlickrPinterest Odds of an IPO: Not a snowball's chance in hell Pinterest going public in 2013 is a pipe dream. Sure, it holds the title for fastest-growing site in history, and has 25.3 million monthly unique visitors, but for investors, that's completely meaningless without revenue. Pinterest famously has kept its lips sealed about its revenue model, leaving most to believe it doesn't have one. Until it demonstrates one, it won't be a company any public market investor is going to take a chance on. But once it does, and if it doesn't get acquired first (a more likely scenario), watch the investing hordes descend. Above: Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann. Photo: Anya_/FlickrSquare Odds of an IPO: Very good Twitter might not have a shot at an IPO in 2013, but it's the opposite for Jack Dorsey's other company, Square. In September 2012, the company raised $200 million from Starbucks and signed a deal with the coffee retailer to make paying for a Frappuccino as easy as whipping out your smartphone. In June, Square brought on Sarah Friar, an ex Salesforce VP, as CFO, a move that tends to hint at an public offering. If Square continues to uproot the traditional point-of-sale industry (rumors suggest it might be working on new products), it will be well positioned for an IPO either later this year or in early 2014. CB Insights co-founder Anand Sanwal believes that Square will go public before Twitter, but points out that there's less chatter about the company among investors. Photo: Square