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Although not openly discussed, a lot of women are displeased with the appearance of their genital region. Because of this, not many women know that labiaplasty can correct their cosmetic concerns. Labiaplasty is a procedure performed for women who wish to reshape their external genitalia and enhance the aesthetic appearance of their vagina. Women of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds can benefit from this vaginal rejuvenation procedure. It can improve the look of the labia minora after childbirth or for those women who have a naturally large labia minora. In order to find out more about labiaplasty, feel free to contact our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Joseph Michaels, Maryland and Virginia's top board certified plastic surgeon.
About Labiaplasty
The labia minora and labia majora are the external genitalia of women. The labia majora are the larger folds on the outside of the vagina and the labia minora are the pinkish inner folds that lead directly into the vaginal canal.
While there is no "standard" or "perfect" vagina, it is a common belief in society that the labia minora should lay neatly hidden within the labia majora. When the labia minora is large, it can not only be physically problematic, but it can also be a source of embarrassment. A labia minora that is enlarged and stretched may create an unattractive bulge when wearing tight clothing (e.g., bathing suits or workout apparel), become easily irritated while exercising, or cause pain or embarrassment during sexual intercourse, ultimately leading to low self-esteem or loss of libido (sex drive). Some women may even have trouble with hygiene as a result of an enlarged or stretched labia.
Women that are self-conscious about the appearance of their labia may be good candidates for a labiaplasty. Dr. Joseph Michaels has helped many women who share the same concerns. This procedure has a very high patient satisfaction rate because it can help many women feel more self-confident and improve the symptoms related to an enlarged labia.
Quick Facts
Length: 1-2 hours
Anesthesia: Local anesthesia or general
In/Outpatient: Outpatient
Side Effects: Temporary swelling, bruising, and some pain
Risks: Pain, bleeding, infection, asymmetry, incomplete improvement, incision separation, painful intercourse
Recovery: Less than 1 week back to work. 2 weeks light exercise. 3 weeks more strenuous activity. 6-8 weeks for swelling to resolve. 6 weeks resume sexual intercourse.
Duration of Results: Individual results may vary.
If you would like to learn more about labiaplasty, click here or call (301) 468-5991 in Rockville, Maryland or (703) 957-8610 in Fairfax, Virginia to schedule a consultation with Dr. Joseph Michaels today.
Before and After Photos
Labiaplasty Candidates
Labiaplasty candidates typically feel that their labia minora or majora are disproportionately large, asymmetrical, droopy, stretched, or look "deflated." Dr. Michaels performs correction of both the labia majora and minora.
The majority of patients presenting for this procedure do not like the fact that they have an elongated labia minora that extend past the borders of the labia majora. Others complain that the size of their labia cause a bulge when they wear certain clothing. The largest group of patients that Dr. Michaels treat is athletic women who complain of irritation and friction when running, cycling (including spin classes) or horseback riding. Dr. Michaels also treats women that have congenital asymmetry of their labia that makes them feel self-conscious. Lastly, some patients are referred for labiaplasty by their gynecologists for the medical treatment of benign conditions, such as polyps or leukoplakia on the labia.
In general, patients looking into this vaginal rejuvenation procedure should be in good health and free of any chronic, uncontrolled medical conditions. You should have realistic expectations of the procedure, seeking improvement, not necessarily perfection. Certain labiaplasty candidates may also require labia majora reduction and/or mons rejuvenation to contour and lift the entire pubic region. These procedures can be safely combined may be something that Dr. Michaels recommends. Combining procedures shortens your overall downtime and is a more cost-effective option.
Some patients are concerned that labiaplasty may decrease their sensation during sexual intercourse. Since this procedure does not directly alter the clitoris, the female structure most commonly associated with sensory pleasure, this should not be the case. As Dr. Michaels removes labial tissue from the areas around the clitoris, you may actually experience increased sexual stimulation following their procedure.
About Labial Hypertrophy
When you are considering labiaplasty, we do want to remind you that there is no "perfect" vagina. Women come in all different shapes and sizes, so why would the female genitalia be any different? For some women, their labia minora hides within the labia majora while for other women, the labia minora extends past it. Enlarged inner lips is a cosmetic condition referred to as labia minora hypertrophy. It is a very common occurrence for women to naturally have different sized or disproportionate labia minora and/or majora.
Labial hypertrophy can be caused by different factors, some of the most common include:
- Genetics
- Estrogen or other hormone imbalances after puberty
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Infection or trauma
Labial hypertrophy can be mild or extremely visible, however, neither conditions are physically harmful to a woman. Women who have enlarged labia may experience pain or discomfort, irritation, and/or hygiene problems, leading them to consider this vaginal rejuvenation procedure. Regardless of why you are seeking out this procedure, the aesthetics can be significantly improved by Dr. Michaels. There are several techniques to perform this procedure and Dr. Michaels will discuss with you the best technique suited to achieve your desired results.
Dr. Michaels understands that discussing the concerns about a woman's labia may be a sensitive issue. When coming in for a consultation, you and the doctor will first meet to privately discuss your aesthetic concerns and what you are looking to achieve through the labiaplasty procedure. Dr. Michaels will then review your medical history, going over any routine medications, health conditions, and previous gynecologic procedures. With a female chaperone in the examination room, he will then perform a physical examination to identify your aesthetic concerns. Following your consult, Dr. Michaels will determine whether you are a suitable candidate for labiaplasty and he will then create a customized treatment plan. Depending on your particular concerns, the doctor may recommend additional treatments to be performed in conjunction with their labiaplasty. In cases where there is a benign condition involving the labia that has been documented by your gynecologist, labiaplasty may be covered by your insurance plan. Dr. Michaels will be happy to get you pre-authorized with your insurance carrier if this is indicated.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Michaels to learn more about your surgical options, we ask that you contact our office and speak with one of our helpful staff members.
Before Surgery
In the weeks leading up to the labiaplasty procedure, Dr. Michaels will provide you with a list of preparatory instructions to follow. You will be required to make prior arrangements for a ride home following your surgery, as you will be unable to drive. He also advises you to avoid taking any anti-inflammatory medications two weeks before surgery. Patients that smoke will be asked to quit three weeks before their procedure because it can negatively impact your ability to heal and the final results. During this time, our knowledgeable staff is here to answer any questions or assist in any way possible.
Labiaplasty typically takes 90 minutes to two hours and is performed under general anesthesia to ensure that you feel no discomfort during the surgery. Once you are comfortably asleep, the doctor will make the necessary incisions for the procedure. Dr. Michaels prefers to use a "wedge" technique when performing this procedure. This procedure removes a "V" shaped segment of tissue from the middle of the labia minora and allows the natural borders of the labia to be brought together. The two ends will be joined using sutures, providing a neater and more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Additional tissue is also removed from the lateral and superior aspects of the clitoral hood as necessary.
This particular incision technique leaves the smallest possible scar on the visible portion of the labia. Another benefit of this procedure is that it preserves the normal anatomic border of the labia minora as well as the natural shape and color of the labia. Dr. Michaels uses dissolvable sutures that do not need to be removed. Dr. Michaels also performs the trim technique in select patients when their anatomy favors this approach.
Once the procedure is finished, you will be taken to the recovery area where you will be monitored for a couple hours by the nursing staff before being released to go home. Patients generally have a quick recovery from their labiaplasty surgery. After the procedure, you may experience slight discomfort in the genital area, which can be treated with over the counter medication, such as Tylenol. However, Dr. Michaels will provide you with a prescription for an oral medication to reduce any pain, as well as antibiotics to prevent infection. He will also instruct you to purchase an anesthetic spray to help with further post-operative discomfort.
Women may have bruising and swelling in their labia right after surgery but this will subside after several weeks. Dr. Michaels suggests that you wear boxer briefs or loose boy shorts following their procedure. The use of cold compresses can be very comforting and can help reduce swelling and bruising. You will also need to wear a pad for several days after surgery.
Every patient recovers at a different pace; however, most patients are able to return to work within one week after surgery. Dr. Michaels will advise you when it is safe to start exercising and having sex again during their postoperative appointment.
The cost of a labiaplasty procedure will vary from patient to patient depending on the extent of treatment that is needed and if additional procedures are necessary to achieve the aesthetic goals. Upon evaluation, Dr. Michaels will assess your particular case and work with you to construct an individualized treatment plan tailored to your exact needs. Through this, he will be able to provide you with an accurate labiaplasty quote. To obtain a custom quote, please contact our office and schedule a consultation with Dr. Michaels.


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A Metatronic Field that Is Sweeping the Earth in Rebirth
Metatron Channel
The Equinox Portal & The Initiation of the Renaissance
Lord Metatron via James Tyberonn
Greetings Masters !
We encircle each and every one of you with a nurturing energy and with the field of self-empowerment, for each of you are truly Masters on your path of Ascension. It is our purpose to offer you inspiration and clarity, but indeed it is once and always requisite that YOU, as a sacred and sovereign BEING, practice discernment with this and any such 'channeled' message.
Masters, the Portal of Renaissance is now opening in the aperture of the September Equinox. This magnificent opening is a coded portal that initiates in the 7 day aperture of the September Equinox, and competes on the Solar Eclipse of November 2nd.
It is a time to renew, a time to adjust to the expansive attributes of the Ascended Earth. Not just in terms of aligning to the 5th - 12th dimensions, but also to anchor and align to 3 prior epochs of 'enlightenment'. Masters, in the New Earth, you are in essence beginning a re-newed life with vitally re-newed purpose through expansive sensories. A key part of this is to rediscover passion and joy, and incorporate that requisite creative bliss into your experience and indeed the purposed co creation of the coming 'Ascension of Humanity' in and via the expanded planetary matrix. Do you understand?
The 7 day Aperture
Dear Ones, the aperture of the September Equinox is 7 days. This then includes 3 days prior to the actual to the Equinox, the day of the equinox and for 3 days following. The timing is Sept 19-25. In this 7 day phase we ask you to mediate on receiving essential codes.
Accordingly through meditative intent humanity can receive these codes as they complete the Equinox Portal downloads of the Renaissance awakening. These codes are synergized into the 33 chakric Fields of the expanded Crysto-Lite body.
Masters, as you become more settled into the higher frequencies of the New Earth, it is incumbent upon you to calibrate to the expanded Chakra Alignments of the Crystalline Lite Body, the Mer-Ka-Na. Naturally the Earth is adjusting her resonance to refashion the chakric centers of the planet to receive and distribute the energies for humanity. There are planned timings, aligned to astrological junctures that enable this. These junctures are listed below, (and we will add future channels of information on this topic in the next weeks).
In 2013 you are reformatting to the New Earth. The frequencies that poured in continually last year, now must be fined tuned. The Renaissance Portal is such a time, for you are receiving the codes that allow the calibration to your rebirth.
So we re-emphasize that 2013 is a year of rebirth of 'Renaissance'. take a moment to consider this. We tell you that you are beginning new lives, new expansions in Year One of the New Earth. It is a very significant year in which you will learn how to navigate in dimensions 5-12. It is a year in which you will receive codes for the new dimensions. By achieving dimensional coherency you will expand into greater resonance with the expanded fields of 12 physio chakras and 20 etheric chakras forming in coherent unification, the 33rd. This was not entirely possible before the Ascension. This integration logically could not be fully achieved until the Crystalline Grid completed in December of 2012. Accordingly 2013 is the year for such formatting.
The remaining key phases are coded & multifaceted. Each of the below dates in 2013 play key roles in your expansion and adjustment to the multidimensionality of the New Earth. offer the following:
September 19- 25 - Equinox 'Time-Gate' Portal of Renaissance
October 18 - Lunar Eclipse - Codes of Expansive Internal Bliss
November 3 - Solar Eclipse - Codes of Expansive External projection
December 21, 2013 - Solstice of Total Chakric Integration
The 'Time-Gate Renaissance Portal'
The 'Renaissance' Portal initiates 7 indeed occurs from the September Equinox & completes on the November Solar Eclipse. This aperture will align the New Earth to 3 phases of 'enlightenment. Do not doubt that just as there are star gates and worm holes that connect the planet (and humanity) to higher dimensions, there are also 'Time Gate Portals' that connect to other epochs.
Just as similar frequencies attract through the 'Law of Harmonic Oscillation' so do the vibratory fields of planetary 'eras' naturally align. There are 3 'Golden Ages' in which many of you were present that achieved very high levels of consciousness.
These are:
1) The Golden Age of Atlantis ( Poseidon Law of One)
2) The Golden Age of LeMuria
3) The Golden Age of Greece (Hologramic Insert of Avatars)
Through the Aquarian Shift, 144-Crystalline Grid and the expansion into 12 dimensions, you are able to draw the attributes & codes of these higher time periods into a more direct harmonic relationship with the ongoing up-shift of humanity in the current time. The codes of these eras will allow for a much closer interface with the 3 Golden eras mentioned.
This will assist humanity by allowing the simultaneous time aspect of those phases to integrate more completely with the evolving phase you are entering. The two phases the era of the Golden Age of Greece and of Poseidon.
The Golden Codes of Greece & Poseidon will be brought in through the planetary 'Naval' (umbilical ) Portal of Delphi and the Codes of Golden LeMuria will enter the earth plane at Rapa Nui. This will initiate as stated on the equinox. This will occur through the 10th, 11th and 12th dimensions and be received via the 10th, 11th and 12th physio chakras in the Mer-Ka Na field, and through the 20th and 33rd chakras of the etheric levels of the Mer-Ka-Na field.
It should not surprise you that all 3 of these (prior) Golden Ages were phases in which many of you were and are , in simultaneous time), present. We tell you that these aspects of your multidimensional selves are playing a major role in coordinating the harmonic interfacing that will occur in the 'Renaissance Portal'.
Rediscover Passion in 2013 !!
Dear Ones, it is time to rediscover passion and joy, as did the Masters of the Golden Age. It is time to regain the balance. Life is not meant to be only work, rather the equity of well-being and contained within the raptures of bliss. Joy has a geometric code and pattern, and you can discover joy & indeed groom it !
Happiness is acquired, and we tell you that the energy of passion is the driving engine of manifestation. Passion is the fabric of your life- fervor & is an essential part of heart-courage and will. You are not meant to be indifferent, sad or apathetic !
Learning to create & project joy is a huge accomplishment ! And indeed joy has a geo-coded essence that can be received in the Renaissance. of 2013. And remember, you are never 'too old'. You are here with purpose and that is too live life fully and create the NEW EARTH !
Dear Masters, a truly powerful period is nigh, and it is an energy of extraordinary importance.
On the September Equinox, meditate and connect to the Golden Ages, for the attributes are of a very high vibratory resonance entering into the 12th dimension. You will discover a renewed Love of life, a lessening of fear and self-doubt. You will achieve a spring in your step that allows for greater well-being and joy. You will rediscover passion, and take a new approach to your life. You will become 'Golden'.
2013 has much yet in store. It is a planned time for renaissance, for new paths, for the rediscover of passion.
It is a year in which you will learn how to navigate in dimensions 5-12. It is a year in which you will receive codes for the new dimensions. By achieving dimensional coherent resonance with the conscious Earth Kingdoms you will expand in serendipitous ways you cannot even as yet imagine.
We honor you. Nurturing one another, nurture the Kingdoms of Earth, and express LOVE, unconditional Love in the New Earth. Be kind to self, for you are truly worthy and are leading the way to a new era, a Renaissance of great completion.
I am Metatron and I share with you these Truths. You are Beloved.
And so it is...And it is so
The above channel is copyrighted © James Tyberonn All Rights Reserved
The 3d copyrights of this Metatron message via James Tyberonn are the exclusive copyrights of Earth-Keeper publishing. We offer this message in love. It may be shared online with expressed permission from EK Admin, as long as you do not charge for it, do not alter , abridge or edit it any way, credit the website & 3d author receivor and include this entire copyright notice . It may not be posted on U-Tube or printed in books or magazines without expressed written permission from Earth-Keeper Admin. For authorization contact Anne at firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Have you ever had to tell a white lie to a friend who 'saw' an animal or famous person in the clouds, just so they'll stop talking about it and you can all move on?
Well, Mirjeta Binoke did not have any of those issues when a luminous shape that looked undeniably like an angel appeared over her home.
The 38-year-old Barking resident was in her back garden with friends when she caught sight of the winged apparition, which kindly hung around while she snapped this shot.
Reports that pilgrims are already beating a path to this now-holy London borough, formerly famous only for producing John Terry and Ross Kemp, are as yet unconfirmed.
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8×10 photograph of David Soul from Salem's Lot on quality photo paper. Personally autographed by David to the name of your choosing.
Don't forget to give us the name of the person you wish the picture to be autographed (the picture won't be simply autographed; it must be addressed to a person). You will be given the opportunity to type in the name for the autograph in the ORDER NOTES field under the SHIPPING ADDRESS information when you are checking out. If you don't (or forget to) supply a name, the name of the person purchasing the picture will be the addressee.
PLEASE NOTE: Because we don't send David individual pictures (we send him pictures in batches as we accumulate sales), and due to the international process we undergo for this service, please allow three months for delivery from your date of purchase. It's quite possible you will get your picture(s) back sooner, but we don't want to make promises we can't keep. Thank you for your patience.
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of Comfort
Inspired by the beautifully erotic paintings of Georgia OKeeffes
irises, I set out to find a perfect set of genital lips to create flower
petals for my Erotic
Floral Arrangement. Two decades later, I had acquired quite a collection of
casts in various shapes and sizes in search of my flower petals. Now what was
I to do with all of these casts once my floral arrangement was complete? I decided to
simply group them together to show the many contrasts. There were too many for just one
set, so click here for the second, Angels of Mercy.


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Sold Out
$ 40.00
This Snowdrop Cardinal is the herald of January, a festive winter soul. He guards a single snowdrop on his back, and a garnet gem rests over his heart.
This limited edition figurine is a pre-order – production will start January 16th
© 2023 8 Blue Birds.
Designed by Out of the Sandbox.
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I am working on my Top Fantasy Outfield Prospect Rankings for 2011 and have included Athletics outfielder Michael Taylor and Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez in my list. What I am wondering is: who will have a better career between the two?
Taylor fell on hard times in AAA in 2010 hitting just .272-.348-.392 with 6 HRs, 78 RBIs and 16 SBs with a 92-51 K/BB rate. This was after his 2009 season, in AA and AAA, where he hit .320-.395-.549 where he hit 20 HRs, 84 RBIs, and 20 SBs. The power drop is shocking considering Taylor has the size-he's 6'6'', 260 LB.- to play tight end or defensive end in the NFL.
With Martinez, the issues are two-fold. One, he can't stay healthy, and two, he is regressing at the dish as he moves up the ladder. In 2010, at AAA Buffalo, in just 303 ABs he hit just .253-.317-.455 with 12 HRs, 33 RBIs and 1 SB with a 65-17 K/BB rate. This after he hit .290-.337-.540 with 8 HRs, 28 RBIs, 2 SBs and a K/BB rate of 33-11 in just 190 at bats. What is amazing is that 2010 was Martinez's 5th minor league season and he has accumulated just 1,507 plate appearances.
It is safe to say that the prospect status of both Taylor and Martinez has dropped, and both are close to the majors. Which one will step up in 2011 and regain their top prospect status?


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Sunday 3 August 2014
Silent Sunday
6 comments:
Looks like you've got a superhero fan on your hands too! #MySundayPhotoReplyDelete
- Anonymous3 August 2014 at 21:47
That is one cool kid. Love how it all matchesReplyDelete
Thank you for linking up
Aww! Such a lovely photo! Such a cool dude xReplyDelete
Growing up too fast - great photo.ReplyDelete
Aw ww, what a smile!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous8 August 2014 at 14:07
I love the colors here. He just pops out against that gray wall =) #mysundayphotoReplyDelete
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When you life your life on the web, the most important part of that devil's bargain is finding the precisely right web hosting service that can meet your needs while sustaining and exceeding the robustness you hope bring to lighting up dark niches of the world. For the past 18 months — our longest stint with any web hosting provider — we have been with Pair Networks on their entry level QuickServe QS-1 dedicated server and we are happy to announce we will be extending our contract with them for another year after upgrading our server to the new standard you see below.
Pair Networks have been a fine and reliable hosting solution. We are on our own Pair QS-1 dedicated server, we pay our own way and we spend our own money where we wish and as we want.
We are happy to finally have a hosting home after restlessly bouncing away from Earthlink, SimpleNet, DeltaNet, Lunarpages, Media Temple, Network Solutions (after only three days) and Mosso (now Rackspace Cloud) along the past decade and a half.
Over the weekend, we upgraded our QS-1 server because, for the first time in 18 months, Pair offered substantial increases in CPU speed, hard drive size and server memory that was worth the $150.00USD upgrade fee. We also added ShadowDrive support to our server as a twice-a-day automatic backup system.
We appreciate the fact that Pair, unlike other hosting providers, don't change their server offerings every month to fit the bribing whim of the moment. We want a careful and methodical approach to offering the best server configuration at an appropriate price — and Pair delivers for us.
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Here is our Resource Usage report with the upgraded QS-1 dedicated server.
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The Boles Blogs Network runs nine of eleven blogs on Movable Type and that publishing platform is not for the poor pocketed or the faint hearted. Movable Type is a powerful way to present a blog, but it demands a fast server and tons of resources to get the mammoth moving.
We have never been satisfied with the backend administration speed of Movable Type 4 and we have high hopes and deep expectations that Movable Type 5 will be a huge improvement over the current version — but, until then — we are forced to slog along and do the best we can to publish new work without becoming a slave to a forever backend experience.
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On our old dedicated server, re-publishing this Urban Semiotic blog took 30 minutes 18 months ago. In the last week or so, re-publishing this same blog had grown to taking 45 minutes. As more entries and comments are added to a blog, you will always slow down in re-publishing because there is more content for the server to process.
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Grain Store10/27/2013 10:54:00 PM
Grain Store
517 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 9972-6993
While I was away in Germany earlier this year, I started seeing quite a bit of online love for this new cafe, Grain Store. Loads of people in my Instagram feed were going gaga for it, and my cousin described their poached eggs as "life-changing" on Facebook. Since we came back, I've visited twice - once with friends for a birthday brunch, and once with my mum for her birthday. (Spoiler alert: she loved it!)
|The Grain Store
Grain Store is tucked away down the quiet end of Flinders lane (near Spencer street), and is a little oasis of blonde wood and marble countertops in an otherwise nondescript part of town. Both times we visited, it also seemed to be Asian Hipster Central - smartphones, DSLRs and designer handbags at almost every table! (I include myself in that group, apart from the designer handbag, haha).
The first time we visited, they had this sweet five-dollar parking deal - you could park in the parking lot next door for ten dollars, and you'd get a five dollar discount off your meal. (Cheaper than a Myki!) Indeed, it was one of the reasons I chose to bring my mum here for her birthday just four weeks later - she has mobility issues and can't really do public transport. Sadly, Grain Store don't do that deal any more, which I only realised when we arrived and the parking lot was closed. After we found a park and settled in at our table, I asked the floor manager / waitress about it, and she told us in quite an abrupt manner that Wilson Parking ended the deal, and that we should have known because it was no longer advertised on Grain Store's website. It was a bit disappointing, (the manner in which she told us, rather than the end of the parking deal itself), but she kindly offered us a $5 discount when we settled the bill, which I thought was really nice.
On the positive side - you can actually book a table (a rarity in the cafe world!) and the food is fantastic. Let's take a look.
|Cafe Latte - $3.50
|Cappuccino - $3.50
Good coffees! As a general comment, I'm not quite sure how to critique coffee without sounding either insufficiently detailed or just a bit wanky - but when I say coffee is "good", I mean it's at a ready-to-drink temperature, has pretty latte art, and a rich coffee taste without being overly bitter. However, whilst the coffee was very good, Grain Store's focus is very much the food.
As you'll see in the next photos, the main brunchy dishes are all very prettily presented and a little more creative and cheffy than your standard cafe. They're all around $16 - $17, which I think is very well priced, considering that you could expect to pay similar prices at other cafes for those ubiquitous Melbourne cafe dishes like smashed avocado on toast, corn fritters, poached eggs and so on.
|Portobello mushroom & raclette potato rösti, poached egg, chestnut hollandaise - $17.00
The portobello mushroom and raclette potato rösti came with two perfectly poached eggs, a rich chestnut hollandaise (and bonus points for correct umlaut-usage - it thus came as no surprise to me that Chef Ingo Meissner is German). Really delicious. I'm not sure what those white flakes were meant to be (someone at my table suggested they might be truffle?) but they didn't taste of much, and didn't really add anything to the dish.
|Bacon steak and spiced apple fritters, egg sunny side up, gruyere cheese fondue - $17.00
Bacon steak! Steacon? I adored this dish. The "bacon steak" was a thick slice of smoked pork belly (I'd call it Kaiserfleisch at home), fried until deliciously crisp and slightly caramelised on the outside, with the spiced apple fritters providing welcome pops of sweetness. (They literally tasted like deep-fried apple sauce - amaze).
|Buttermilk French toast, rhubarb & apple, peppered caramel, cold drip coffee mascarpone - $16.00
I only tried a little bit of the French toast, but really liked it. I find sometimes cafes can go OTT with French toast - piles of toast, masses of ice-cream, bananas, bacon, maple syrup, caramel, whatever - but this dish struck a good balance - it was rich and decadent without being overpowering.
|Ricotta & peanut butter pancakes, banana, house Nutella, salt candy - $16.00
But speaking of decadent... pancakes with peanut butter, banana, Nutella and salt candy? Y'all know I'd already checked out the menu before our visit, and knew I'd be ordering it! It was all sorts of yum.
|Chocolate chip cookies and milk, baked to order - $7.00
Baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies are a cute idea, but they didn't really work for me. I found them too sweet and not particularly memorable. (Just quietly, I think homemade are better - try David Lebovitz' chocolate chip cookies next time you feel like baking!)
The next three photos are from our second visit with my mum - Grain Store change their menu seasonally, and they seem to keep the basic structure of their menu (e.g. pancakes, bacon steak etc.) but change the sauces and flavourings. Speaking of which, the current iteration of pancakes on their menu is "apple, buckwheat and ricotta with orange nutella, apple purée, spiced mascarpone and pistachio streusel", which makes me think I need to get back soon!
|Orange cured salmon & fried poached egg - truffle crème fraiche, smoked eggplant & crostini - $17
Isn't the cured-salmon dish just beautiful? Mum loves smoked salmon and eggs, so I was sure she'd like this. I was wrong - she loved it! She kept saying "oh wow, this is so nice!" and "we must bring your father here!" Yay!
|Bacon steak & smoky new season borlotti beans - Egg sunny side up, whipped goat's feta, vincotto - $18
One more time: bacon steak! This time it came with a tasty and filling portion of borlotti beans cooked in a smoky tomato sauce. You can't go wrong with bacon steak.
|Apple, rhubarb & ricotta pancakes - rhubarb curd, apple puree, oat and honey comb crumble - $16
I went for pancakes again, and strangely enough, I thought that these apple, rhubarb and ricotta pancakes were even better than the peanut butter ones! They were overall a bit lighter and fresher, and I liked the tart fruity sauces.
I definitely think Grain Store is one of the higher quality cafes in Melbourne - creative, unique, delicious food, in a pleasant atmosphere, and at very reasonable prices. I'd highly recommend giving it a go!
7 comments
The chestnut hollandaise sounds amazing and I was wondering about those flakes on top too! I agree with you about the French toast too - all too often it's sugar overload!ReplyDelete
Looks gorgeous! Would you say it's kid-friendly? I'm coming back to Melbourne in two weeks time, and I'm looking for a brunch place to catch up with my girlfriends - one of whom has a baby (and probably a pram). We did Cumulus last time, and would love to try somewhere new!ReplyDelete
This is one of the places that makes Melbourne look even more appealing... particularly because we already had snow here and it's still two months until it's technically winter.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous2:18 PM
those flakes on the hollandaise were fresh organic chestnuts as they were in season during the time :)ReplyDelete
I'm probably one of the very few bloggers who's yet to have visited the Grain Store :( I've heard such good things about their bacon steak but knowing me, I probably wouldn't resist giving their poached eggs a go. SO MANY CHOICES!ReplyDelete
I'm a HUGE fan of The Grain Store and also love how their menu is always changing and doesn't stay the same hehe ~ I haven't seen the pancakes before but hopefully next time I go they'll be there hehe ~ReplyDelete
aaaahhh...gotta love their freshly baked cookies with milk. Makes you feel like a kid all over again!ReplyDelete


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On July 31 last year 180 amateur sailors set sail from Southampton on a around the world race for 10 identical 68ft yachts, many of them sponsored by ports they will visit around the globe. The Clipper Round the World Race pitches secretaries in with teachers, van drivers, surgeons and builders. All boats are identical and have equal budgets, so no one has a head start – success in the race is down to teamwork, skill and dedication.
By the time the fleet reached Singapore around half-way through the adventure, a clear pecking order had become established at the front of the fleet with 'Gold Coast Australia', skippered by Olly Osborne, winning six of the seven legs sailed so far.
However, 'Visit Finland', 'Welcome to Yorkshire', 'New York', 'Singapore' and 'De Lage Landen' all scored podium finishes in at least one leg. At the half-way stage the Finnish team held second overall, seven points ahead of 'De Lage Landen', while a further four teams were within 10 points of an overall podium position.
Highlights so far have included crossing the equator under sail, the excitement of making a new landfall after thousands of miles at sea and the regular six hourly analysis in which each boat compares its performance against others in the fleet.
From Singapore the fleet will sail into the northern hemisphere winter for a stop over at the Chinese port of Qingdao, host of the sailing events at the 2008 Olympics. Next will be a crossing of the north Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, before returning to warmer climes for a transit of the Panama Canal.
Before leaving the Americas there are further stops in New York and Nova Scotia, followed by Londonderry in Northern Ireland and a final leg, around the top of Scotland, to the ultimate finish in the Netherlands.
In total 450 crew, aged from 18-72 and representing more than a dozen nationalities will take part in the 2011-12 race. A new fleet of 72ft performance yachts is currently in build in preparation for the next edition of the race in 2013-14.


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Engaging Effectively with Digital Influencers | JSB Talks Digital Podcast
JSB Talks Digital is a weekly digital marketing and social media podcast hosted by author, strategist, consultant, speaker and trainer Joanne Sweeney-Burke. Each Friday Joanne shares her digital marketing and social media insights from her work as CEO of Digital Training Institute.
In this episode I talk about digital influencers and how to effectively engage with them. This week I delivered a workshop for my professional body the PRII on this very topic. The PRII of which I'm a full member, represents PR and communications professionals working in agencies, in corporate, not-for-profits, public affairs and also working as self-employed consultants.
Coming up in the podcast:
- In social media news, Facebook introduces emojis on desktop, Insta Stories users' out-number Snapchat and Facebook links Groups and Pages.
- I interview John Carroll, CEO of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland about their digital influencer guidelines;
- In shout-outs: Three digital influencer tools worth talking about;
- Ask JSB;
- In JSB's column – How to engage effectively with digital influencers; and
- Find out what cool new tool saved my working week.
Social Media News
Facebook is going to make it easier to find groups that brands care about.
The social network has been testing a way to make it easier to navigate through groups and brand pages. Right now, more than a billion people use groups and there are 65 million brand pages on Facebook.
Tech website CNET has been talking to Facebook and reveals the social has been testing a way to make it easier to navigate through groups and brand pages (which Facebook also calls Pages, capital P), by allowing administrators to link the two together.
For example, if you click on the new groups tab from HBO's Facebook brand page, you can get to the official group for the show "Big Little Lies."
That ensures you're getting to the official group instead of one of the many fan groups.
Do you think having a Group tab on your Facebook Page will add value and help you build out your community? I sure think it will!
New emojis on Facebook for desktop
Facebook now makes it super easy to insert all your favorite emojis with just one click which is very similar to Twitter.
The emoji icon shows up for status updates, photo posts and link posts. It doesn't show up when you're uploading a video. But of course you can insert emojis from the Chrome extension.
For a full library of all emojis, including Messenger, Apple, Google and more, see this resource: http://emojipedia.org/facebook.
Instagram Stories has now more users than Snapchat
Designed to rival Snapchat, Instagram now has 200 million users per day with Snapchat lagging behind at 160 million.
That's a healthy percentage of the app's total user-base of 600 million.
Business Insider UK is quick to come to Snapchat's defence. Writing this week, they say that while "lots of people are saying that Instagram just 'officially crushed Snapchat' — they're wrong."
Contributor Taylor Lorenz says, Snapchat defines a daily active user as a person who opens the app once in a 24-hour-period, but we should consider the fact that the average snapchatter spends around half an hour on the app per day and 60% of users create content.
Instagram, she says, is primarily used for browsing and the average user spends just 15 minutes per day within the app. She concludes that it's highly unlikely that all 15 of those minutes are spent engaging with Instagram Stories.
I'd love your feedback on how you use Instagram Stories and Snapchat – get in touch to jsbgrams or jsbsnaps.
Interview | John Carroll, CEO of the PRII
In today's show I speak to John Carroll, CEO of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland about the body's guidelines on engagement with social media Influencers.
John, you are very welcome to JSB Talks Digital, thanks for joining me on the show.
Be sure to listen to John's answers.
Q1) What prompted the PRII to write these guidelines? Did you see a gap in the PR, Marketing and communications' industry?
Q2) What response have you had from the industry and also influencers?
Q3) You say that "the principles of engagement with traditional media, also hold true for social media influencers" but isn't it the case that many people working in social media have never worked in PR or traditional media before? So in that vein, do you think there is a knowledge gap?
Q4) Who does the code of ethics apply to – members of PRII only or are you asking the wider industry to abide by them?
Q5) Have you come across blatant breaches of the code and if so, what steps have you taken or can you take any steps to rectify the situation for non-members?
Q6) Given the rise in digital advertising spend and the rise of ad blockers, isn't sponsored content and influencer collaborations a sensible approach – it really is like the old fashion sponsorship strategy in PR isn't it?
Q7) How important is upskilling in this area for the industry to maintain high standards?
Q8) What advice would you give social media managers who have not worked in PR or traditional media before and who are not members of PRII – what should they do to stay on the right side of ethics and digital influencers?
You can download the PRII guidelines on engagement with social media influencers on their website or download them here.
Ask JSB
In this week's show I've questions from Muiriosa, Gemma and Catherine!
Muiriosa asks about embedding the Twitter DM button on your website.
Gemma asks about the value and relevance of Snapchat filters for businesses.
Here is the case study that I reference in the podcast.
Catherine asked for Facebook tips for a photography business and I give her three top tips!
Do you want to ask JSB a question?
I want to give you a voice on JSB Talks Digital. Simply log on to www.digitaltraining.ie/askjsb and you might find yourself and your question on air!
JSB's Column | How to Engage Effectively with Digital Influencers
In today's column, I'm sharing my insights into how to effectively engage with digital influencers.
As you heard in my interview with John, I've developed a one-day workshop on this very topic for my peers in the PR, marketing and communications industry.
The Digital Age has transformed the business of communications for PR and marketing professionals. In a world where the battle for visibility is based on vanity metrics, community and influence, how do we engage digital influencers?
But what is digital influence?
In my view, digital influence has three components:
- An engaged tribe
- When called upon they act
- They value your opinion and seek out your truth
Digital influencers are in almost every walk of life and industry but how they deliver a return on investment will differ according to the client requirements, and this is where we as the communications professional play a key role.
In the age of social media, it's very easy to become obsessed and distracted by vanity metrics i.e. Likes and Followers. As communications professionals responsible for investing in digital influencers for our own brand or client brands, we have a responsibility to do due diligence on that collaboration. This is why I've put together this guide to engaging effectively with digital influencers.
How do you decide who has digital influence?
After completing the audit above, you should be one step closer to deciding whether your blogger, podcaster, vlogger or expert holds digital influence. However there are a number of other ways you can measure online influence.
10 Effective Social Proof Strategies
If you want to know more about developing a digital influencer strategy, get in touch. Simply drop me an email to [email protected]
Shoutouts | Three influencer marketing tools
In this part of the show I usually give shout-outs to brands, organisations and individuals whose work online is worth talking about.
In today's show I'm sharing three digital influencer tools that are worth talking about.
Ninja Outreach
Ninja Outreach helps you easily find, manage, and contact influencers that are ranking for the keywords that you're looking for and gives you the ability to easily find guest posting opportunities.
It's also great for finding viral content based on keyword searches.
Here are the best features:
- Personalised templates: You can create personalized templates with custom fields, ensuring that every message is targeted to an individual.
- Automate email outreach: Email automation will save you time.
- Email statistics: You can track everything from opens to clicks to replies and much more.
Take a free trial at: https://ninjaoutreach.com/
A content marketing tool, BuzzSumo allows you to search for the most popular/shared content online for any topic. The pro (paid for) version of the tool allows you to see who has shared the content online and filter by type (such as influencers and brands) and location.
Some of the top features of BuzzSumo include:
- Filter by type, such as influencers and brands.
- Filter by location, if you only want to focus on one location.
- Find top content, ordered by number of social shares.
Use BuzzSumo to monitor mentions of relevant keywords and branded terms on the web.
For content marketers, it will help you find relevant content to share, link to, and be inspired by. You can also contact the authors and see if they're interested collaborating with you.
You can also use it to find influencers who can share your content after you produce it.
BuzzSumo has an excellent tool for monitoring Twitter for the best influencers in a specific industry.
You can then create a list of influencers so you know who to reach out to after you create your content.
The cost is $99 per month but you can use some freemium features to get familiar with the software.
Find out more at: http://buzzsumo.com/
Twitonomy is a Twitter analytics tool that provides simple yet powerful insights and features that help you monitor, manage, track and optimize your activities on Twitter.
Twitonomy also allows you to monitor and analyze your competitors.
It is easy to get started on Twitonomy; you just connect your Twitter account to get access to the free version.
There is also a premium version, but the generous free version provides you with a wide range of powerful and insightful analytics tools. While you may want the premium features, such as detailed search analytics on specific keywords, you can still get great insights with the free version.
Get started now at: https://www.twitonomy.com/
Social Media Tool of the Week: eCamm Live for Facebook
The social media tool that saved my working week is eCamm Live for Facebook.
It's designed to record FaceTime calls – both audio and video – to your Mac.
Some of the cool features include:
- Recording FaceTime chats, podcasts and interviews in HD
- Calls can be converted to MP3 for podcasting or into internet-ready movies for YouTube or Vimeo
- You can make text overlays
- You can pick your camera and microphone
- Your video stays on top when you share screen
- You see comments come over your screen
- You can share a VIDEO and play it! This is huge!
Think of the possibilities e.g. playing back a webinar you already created, playing a podcast you already recorded, playing back a promo video etc.
Just downloaded before and went live within 5 minutes. Love it!
Only $29.95 lifetime updates – no monthly subscription.
I'm not an affiliate.
Find out more at: http://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/
I love feedback
I'd love to know what you think about this episode. So please get in touch by commenting below or tweet me @tweetsbyJSB or send me a snap to jsbsnaps.
Listen: JSB Talks Digital | Episode #45
I would like to thank Eoghan Murphy aka The Galway Gamer for producing my podcast series and to Flirt FM on the campus of NUI, Galway where I am based for the use of their studio.


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BAE Audio 1023 Module
If you need this very urgent, please contact us and we keep you informed about the delivery date.
The 1023 is completely handwired using Carnhill (St. Ives) transformers.
1023 Features
The 1023 is completely handwired using Carnhill (St. Ives) transformers. It has the exact same mic/line preamp as the 1073, but with significantly more frequencies in the mid and high sections.
Aside from simply offering more frequency settings to play with, these expanded EQ sections also allow you to play the mid bell curve directly against the high and low shelves where they overlap. This capability opens the tone shaping possibilities in very interesting and musical ways.
- High Frequency: +/-16dB shelving with selectable frequencies of 10kHz, 12kHz, 16kHz, 20kHz and 24kHz.
- Low Frequency: +/-16dB shelving with selectable frequencies of 35Hz, 60Hz, 110Hz & 220Hz.
- Mid Range: +/-12dB or +/-18dB peaking with switchable selectable centre frequencies of 160Hz, 270Hz, 360Hz, 510Hz, 700Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz, 4.8kHz, 7.2kHz, 8.2kHz, 10kHz.
- High Pass Filter: 18dB per octave slope, switchable between 45Hz, 70Hz, 160Hz & 360Hz.
- EQ Button: Switches the equaliser on or off
- Phase Button: 180°
"This new flexible EQ range on the 1023 is a dream come true for a tech head like me! I literally couldn't ask for anything more!!" - JR Hutson, American Soul and R&B Producer and Songwriter
Frequency Response
|Im Normalfall 2-3 Tage, bei dringendem Lieferungswunsch bitte kurz vorher anrufen
|BAE Audio


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We don't have to look far to find an inspirational ministry with open arms and opportunities to give to others in need—Angel Food Ministries is right around the corner. Angel Food Ministries is one of the leading ministries providing nutritious meals for anyone who needs them. This ministry started in 1994 on the back porch of Joe and Linda Wingo's farm in Monroe, Georgia. At that time, local factories were closing, leaving the Wingos' friends and others in their community struggling financially to meet basic needs. Joe and Linda recognized the need, and Angel Food Ministries was born.
Starting humbly with two people with open arms and an inspiration to change lives, Angel Food Ministries has seen tremendous growth in the past 15 years. The ministry now provides support for people in 36 U.S. states, feeding over 500,000 families each month. They also assist over six million individuals annually—including singles, seniors, and those on disability—to meet their basic needs.
Angel Food Ministries now helps individuals in 36 states and feeds over 500,000 families each month. All because of two individuals with open arms and an inspiration to change lives.
According to their website, Angel Food Ministries provides "restaurant grade" meats, frozen vegetables, fruits, and other items which they acquire through purchasing arrangements with the "best producers/vendors of high quality, 'name brand' foods." Through the relationships they have established with these vendors, they have buying power, which allows them to purchase items at costs unavailable to the general public and pass the savings on to people in need. The ministry is able to provide food items at about half price, enabling people to get what they need affordably. There are no pre-qualifications for receiving assistance, assuring that anyone in need can quickly benefit from Angel Food's programs.
Angel Food Ministries reports that hunger affects over 37 million Americans each year. Even having a job does not guarantee that people will be able to provide enough food for themselves and their families; four out of ten people who need help are employed. With the global economic woes, an increasing number of individuals are struggling to make ends meet.
Joe and Linda started with a simple idea—to help these individuals in need—and opened their arms with what they had at the time. Then, they simply took the next step in making their vision come to life. Millions of lives have changed as a result of their inspiration to take that next step. We too can be a part of this influential ministry. Angel Food Ministries has opportunities for churches to become host sites; individuals can also volunteer at those host sites. For more details on how you or your church can join Joe and Linda in making a difference, one meal at a time, please visit www.angelfoodministries.com —Jeanne Henry


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Grey's Anatomy Season 18 Episode 5 : Bottle Up and Explode!
Latest Grey's Anatomy Episodes
The Grey Sloan doctors spring into action after an explosion rocks Seattle, with the incoming trauma hitting close to home. Owen experiences PTSD after he hears the explosion, while his sister Megan enlists help from Winston and Hayes in confidence. In Minnesota, Meredith and Amelia meet up with a familiar face who assists in their study.
Episode Guide
Season 01
Season 02
Season 03
Season 04
Season 05
Season 06
Season 07
Season 08
Season 09
Season 10
Season 11
Season 12
Season 13
Season 14
Season 15
Season 16
Season 17
Season 18


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After three years of coaching sixth grade at a Christian school in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pa., I moved back to the Tar Heel State, in which my dad and mom took up residence.
Through a chain of occasions that fall, we ended up transferring to Duplin County in September 1994, wherein my own family lived in a brick ranch home on the threshold of Rose Hill for the subsequent three and a half years.
Moving twice within a three-month length turned into tough enough; however, looking for a task during a chaotic economic system becomes even harder.
My desire to finding a wealthy activity that would have me financially set for the rest of my life changed into slowly dwindling alongside the cushion of coins in my savings account.
I became desperate.
The one region I had not applied for a process becomes at a quick-meals eating place. I had labored in a pair of those kinds of corporations before, and that they usually turned out badly for me ultimately.
After church one Sunday evening, my family and I went out with most of the church-goers to the local Hardee's in Wallace.
I couldn't help, however, notice the "Help Wanted" sign prominently displayed on the front counter.
Toward the give up of our evening of friendly banter, I walked up to the counter to ask for a utility. Not only did the cute woman at the back of the table provide me an application, but she also scheduled an interview for the following day.
As quickly as the fast interview had ended, I found myself preserving two freshly starched uniforms and being asked to file to paintings at 6 a.M. The following morning.
Talk approximately divine intervention.
So, I spent the night before my big day skimming through the guide and memorizing the pricing keyboard to be equipped for my first order of the day.
Getting up before the crack of sunrise wasn't my preferred component to do, but bringing domestic a consistent paycheck became well worth a variety of misplaced winks of sleep.
Other than a handful of stifled yawns leftover from an awkward night's sleep, I unnoticed the fatigue my frame changed into fighting as soon as clients commenced trickling into the eatery to greet some other day.
In the blink of a watch, my first day of taking client's food orders had come and long passed.
The morning team leader had my education on the pressure-via window for two weeks before understanding the proprietor favored me to work as a counter cashier.
Talk approximately your fundamental mix-ups.
Working the front line becomes a lot one of a kind than operating the window. However, I stored a fab head and changed into retrained as a front-line cashier within multiple days.
The lunch crowd turned into a good deal greater extreme than the old chicken breakfast club. So, in addition to a few more celebrated line cooks, a couple of greater cashiers had been recruited to address the swarm of hungry purchasers.
My cash register turned into closest to the meals select-up station, making it more convenient for me to get my clients' orders to them fast and as it should be.
But, of the route, all bets were off after I sought to lessen my seemingly infinite line with the aid of moving my legs a tad bit faster than they would bring me.
In my hastiness, I could occasionally stumble on the manner again to my paintings station and throw a patron's French fries across the counter, more excellent instances than I care to do not forget.
I might unavoidably say, "Sorry, the fries are on me."
Once a purchaser stuck me off protect through responding. "No, I trust the fries are on me." My face should have grown to become ten sun shades of crimson.
But that was peanuts compared to the day while French fries have been thrown throughout me as I flew across the room on my backside with what appeared like the complete world watching.
One of my co-workers, who passed off to be working the drive-thru window, became standing at once in the front of the French fry station. She becomes like a locomotive that couldn't be stopped.
Desiring to hold pace with the clients on the front counter, I maneuvered my manner around her to pick out an order of fries. Then, just when I least anticipated it, my co-employee turned on her heels and came barreling instantly for me. As we collided with each other, all I could do was close my eyes and await effect as I plunged to the floor.
I suppose I chose the incorrect career. I should have been a stunt man because it changed into a clip from a Jackie Chan flick.
After losing my footing, I peeked out from at the back of my closed eyelids to look the arena around me come to a grinding halt as I flew through the grease-blanketed ground to an unseen vacation spot.
I passed with the aid of some other co-worker mixing a milkshake before hitting the wall at the force-through.
Just once I thought the cataclysmic occasion was over, I noticed a tall cup of iced tea teetering on the edge of the counter. Before everybody may want to react, the refreshing beverage splattered all over my freshly starched uniform as it came crashing down upon me.
I resigned from my position a month later after accepting coaching put up. I don't recognize who has become extra ecstatic — my enterprise or me.


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2023 Summer Workshops
What we already do well isn't the issue, of course. What challenges us, what infuriates us, what shushes us, what speeds past us, what tugs us away from our next sentence or our next page, is—oh yes–precisely where we need to re-engage. The obstacles to writing are many, from the externals of time and place to the internal obstacles of politeness, worries about craft, dislike of rejection, and above all the wily adaptability of self-censure. Our workshop will lay out a series of hurdles for us to take on together via direct, in-the-moment exercises and prompts. There will be plenty to do and discuss, and much to champion. The week is dedicated to finding new creative strategies to help each writer get over, around, through—so that when we return home to the page we are stronger and, happily, more resilient for it.
Note: This "please bring" list may be updated as the workshop nears. For now, plan on bringing eleven copies of two different short essays or excerpts of your prose, typed and double-spaced, each with a range of 500 to 1000 words, maximum. One selection should be something that pleases you in the full sum of its parts, and the other? Intriguing, yet still caught and unsettled. Please also bring to the workshop: paper, pens, and notebook, as we'll be writing each day.
Marcie Hershman is the author of the novels Tales of the Master Race and Safe in America, and the memoir, Speak to Me: Grief, Love & What Endures. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Ms., Tikkun, Women's Review of Books, Ploughshares, Agni, & on NPR. Anthologies include: The Norton Anthology of Women's Literature, Creative Nonfiction, Amazon Poetry, American Fiction. Among her awards are those from the Bunting Institute, Harvard University; the L.L. Winship/Boston Globe Foundation; Massachusetts Cultural Council; Corporation of Yaddo; the MacDowell Colony. She has held the Hurst chair in fiction at Brandeis and taught for many years at Tufts University. She currently leads a private writing group in Boston.


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Last Updated: June 30, 2023
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C. Interest-based advertising.
1. Our Services. We collect or allow other companies to collect data for use in interest-based advertising when you use our Service. Other companies may serve interest-based advertisements on our Service. We use as a guide the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising as administered by the Digital Advertising Alliance (https://youradchoices.com/choices-faq).
2. Other Services. Advertisements for our products and services may appear on third party websites around the Internet. Some websites and services deliver these advertisements based upon data that has been previously collected about your past behavior on our Services and across different websites and services. For example, if you have viewed websites about gift baskets, these websites or services may display to you an advertisement for our gift baskets. This activity is called interest-based advertising (also called targeted or cross-context behavioral advertising). We do not control such third-party advertising services or the websites or services on which these advertisements appear. Further, we do not control how they collect and use data about your online activities.
3. Choice for Interest-Based Advertising. You may opt-out of having data collected, used, or transferred for interest-based advertising by certain companies listed at: https://optout.aboutads.info/ OR https://optout.networkadvertising.org/ and you may also learn more about interest-based advertising at such websites. If you opt-out, you will still receive generic advertisements, but they will not be based upon your behavioral data possessed by the companies from whom you have opted-out. This process relies upon an opt-out cookie for each browser and each device, so if you delete your cookies or use a different computer, you will have to repeat this process.
D. Mobile Push Notifications.
As a user who has downloaded our Company's mobile application(s), we may from time to time send you push notifications to your device to communicate with you and advise you of current offers and promotions. To ensure that you receive timely notification of such communications and promotions, we need to collect certain information from your device as indicated above. If at any time you do not wish to receive these types of communications, you may turn them off on your device.
E. Digital Analytics.
We use mobile analytics software to allow us to better understand the functionality of our Company's mobile application(s) on your device. This software may record information such as how often you use the application, the events that occur within the application, usage, performance data, and the source from which the application was downloaded. We do not link the information we store within the analytics software to any personal information you submit within the mobile application.
We may also work with third parties that collect data about your use of the Website and other sites or apps over time for non-advertising purposes, subject to their privacy policies. We use third party analytics such as Google Analytics to gather and analyze aggregated anonymous user information. For more information about Google Analytics, please visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/. You can opt out of Google's collection and processing of data generated by your use of the Sites by going to http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
F. From Other Businesses Who Ask Us to Process Your Information
On occasion, our Company and Affiliates may operate as a data processor of your personal information rather than a controller. For example, our corporate gifting program and our Smartgift e-gifting service enable companies to send gifts to their employees, clients, or other persons, which involves the provision of certain elements of personal information. We then process this information in order to send gifts to those persons. In situations like this, when we act as a processor, the privacy statement of the relevant controller and our agreements with any businesses or entities who use these programs will govern our processing of the applicable personal information.
We may use information we process and collect for any lawful commercial or business purpose, such as to communicate with you, to process orders, to improve our products and services (such as by responding to your feedback), to conduct research (such as statistics on favorite -- i.e., most ordered -- products), to provide an enhanced and more personalized shopping experience (for instance, to provide event reminders, such as for birthdays), to inform you and your gift recipients of offers and discounts from the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM® family of brands and Company Affiliates, and to enable you to receive credits for purchases under loyalty or buying programs that you have joined.
We may also use your information, as necessary or appropriate in our view, to operate the Service, to respond to your inquiries, to process orders or registrations, to conduct promotions, contests, and sweepstakes in which you participate, to protect the Service, the Company, and others, and to prevent fraud, theft, and misconduct.
We may combine information we receive about you via our Service with information from our Affiliates and third parties. We use the combined information to enhance and personalize your shopping experience with us (for example, by keeping your profile up-to-date) and to communicate with you in accordance with this Privacy Notice. We may also use your personal information as indicated at the time of collection or with your consent (where required by applicable law).
In addition, as provided below, the Company may use or share your data with both affiliated and unrelated third parties, for the purposes so identified. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we also may use and share deidentified data without limitation, in which case we maintain and use such data only in deidentified form—we do not attempt to reidentify such data except as needed to determine that the data is appropriately deidentified.
A. Affiliate Data Sharing.
We may provide your information to our Affiliates for use in connection with their businesses, including sending you offers and promotions. They are required to comply with this Privacy Notice. The following categories of information may be shared among our Affiliates:
B. Sharing with Others.
We may also share your information with third parties, including service providers engaged to provide services on our behalf, and may authorize them to use such information for our benefit, for instance, to process your order, to manage aspects of a business relationship, and to better communicate and provide appropriate offers to you and your gift recipient(s).
Examples of our information sharing include:
In addition, we may make such information (except for credit/debit card numbers, expiration dates and CVV codes, unless you consent otherwise), including aggregated information, available to selected third parties for other reasons that we may describe to you at the time of collection.
C. Change of Business.
We may transfer your information in connection with the potential or actual sale, lease, license, assignment, acquisition, merger, reorganization or change of control of the Company, our Affiliates, or the division responsible for the Service with which your information is associated, or as part of a bankruptcy proceeding (or otherwise, with respect to the foregoing, of part, or all, of our business).
D. For Legal Purposes.
In certain situations, we may be required to disclose personal information in response to lawful requests from public authorities, including to comply with national security or law enforcement requirements. We reserve the right to disclose information we collect from you, or that you provide to us, as required by law, in response to legal process and law enforcement requests, when we believe, in good faith, that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, respond to a government or legal request, comply with a government requirement, or to protect the rights or property of the Company, its Affiliates, users, customers, recipients, Members, Sponsors, Providers, Licensors, Merchants and Associates (as these terms are defined in the Terms of Use ).
E. Public Forums
Please note that any personal information you reveal or post on one of our public forums (as defined in the Terms of Use ), such as a message board, chat room, blog, discussion group, folder, survey, contest, sweepstakes, user review and rate forum, and all User Submissions, are not protected by this Privacy Notice and may be collected, shared and used by us, and with third parties, including to contact you. Information you provide or post on our public forums, you disclose at your own risk.
Our Service is operated in the United States and internationally. If you are located outside the United States, please be aware that any information you provide to us may be transferred to, and stored in, any country in which we conduct business, including the United States, the EU and the UK. By using the Service or otherwise providing us with information, you hereby consent to this transfer. At times, for orders originating within the EU or UK or being delivered to the EU or UK, we may use third parties located within the EU or UK to process such orders. In so doing, we take steps to ensure those entities will process your information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Notice.
Although personal information collected by us through the Service will be used by us in accordance with this Privacy Notice, laws generally applicable to the protection of personal information in the U.S. or elsewhere may not be as stringent as those in your home country.
We may retain your information in accordance with our data retention policies and for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services, comply with our legal obligations, and resolve disputes and enforce our agreements, as well as for any additional purpose based on the choices you have made, such as to receive marketing communications.
If you have questions about our data retention policies, please contact us as noted below.
The security of your personal information is important to us. If you have any questions about the security of your personal information, you can contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you place an order on our Website, it encrypts the credit/debit card number you submit prior to transmission over the Internet using Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption technology. This technology works best when the Website is viewed using Microsoft Edge®, Google Chrome®, Mozilla Firefox®, and Apple Safari® browsers. However, no transmission of data over the Internet or any other network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Although we make reasonable efforts to safeguard personal information once we receive it, we cannot warrant the security of information we receive.
Portions of the Service (such as our Member registration and Address Book) may require registration and log-in processes in which you will select a user ID and password (collectively, the "Password"). Passwords provided to you by us are the confidential property of the Company and may be used by you solely for your individual use of the Service (and otherwise as specified by us). You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any Password and for all activities that occur using your Password, whether or not authorized by you. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your Password or accounts.
We want to communicate with you only to the extent you want to hear from us.
Any promotional email we send to you will include a link to "unsubscribe" from promotional emails from that sender or to otherwise manage your email communication preferences. Alternatively, you can email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com from the email address that you wish to have unsubscribed from promotional messages.
If you wish to set other preferences concerning promotional communications, or you prefer not to have your personal information shared with third parties, please let us know by contacting us as noted below in the "How to Contact Us" section and identify your preferences regarding promotional communications and the sharing of your personal information. Your instructions will be processed as soon as reasonably practicable and in accordance with law.
Accurate information is important to all of us. Members can directly access and correct their membership information (including name, payment methods, billing address, recipient addresses, and email address) by signing into your password-protected account and visiting the "YOUR ACCOUNT: Overview page.
You can also request that we delete your account in our mobile application and delete your login ID for our Website at any time by completing this Web/Mobile app deletion request form.
Additionally, if you would like to access or correct personal information that you have previously provided to us, including your complete name, postal address, and email address, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-356-9377 or chat with us on our Website.
What If I Choose Not to Give You My Personal Information?
You are not obligated to provide us your personal information. However, if the personal information is necessary to supply goods or services to you under a contract or an order between you and the Company and you do not give us your personal information, then we will not be able to enter into that contract or honor that order for goods or services.
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Nevada, Utah, and Virginia residents may have certain rights under state privacy laws with respect to personal information we collect. This Section contains disclosures required by law and explains rights that may be available to you.
Personal Information We Collect and Disclose. In the preceding 12 months, we may have collected and disclosed the following categories of personal information about You, as described in greater detail in the "What Information We Gather" and "How We Use and Share the Information We Collect" sections of the Privacy Notice:
Categories of personal information
Disclosed to the following categories of third parties for our business purposes
Shared for targeted advertising purposes or otherwise sold to the following categories of third parties
Personal and online identifiers (such as first and last name, email address, or unique online identifiers)
Service providers, Business partners, Affiliates, Advertising companies
Affiliates, Advertising companies, Third party advertisers
Recordkeeping information (such as bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information)
Service providers, Business partners, Affiliates
Characteristics of legally protected classifications (such as age, date of birth, gender)
Commercial or transaction information (such as records of products purchased, received, or considered)
Internet or other electronic network activity information (such as browsing history, search history, interactions with a website, email application, or advertisement)
Affiliates, Advertising companies
General device location information (such as zip code)
Audiovisual information (such as videos and photos you may provide to us)
Service providers, Business partners Affiliates, Advertising companies
Inferences drawn from the above information about your predicted characteristics and preferences
Other information about you that is linked to the personal information above
For purposes of the chart above, "Advertising companies" refers to parties who are in the business of providing advertising services to a variety of clients, including us. "Third party advertisers" refers to parties who receive personal information for purposes of their own advertising efforts.
In addition to the disclosures listed in the chart, we may be required to disclose any of the personal information categories above in response to lawful requests from public authorities, as described in the "How We Use and Share the Information We Collect" section above.
Categories of Sources. We collect personal information from the following categories of sources, as described in greater detail in the "How We Collect Information About You" section above:
Our Purposes for Processing Personal Information. We use and disclose the personal information we collect for the business and commercial purposes described in the "How We Use and Share the Information We Collect" section above. As described in this Privacy Notice, our processing may include allowing third parties to use personal information collected through our Website for targeted advertising. However, we do not process personal information to conduct profiling that produces legal or other similarly significant effects concerning a consumer.
Your Rights. Residents of certain states have rights with respect to the personal information we collect. You may be able to exercise the following rights regarding personal information, subject to certain exceptions and limitations:
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us and submit the required verifying information, as further described below:
Additionally, for Colorado, Connecticut, and Virginia residents, if you have submitted a request that you believe we have not fulfilled, you may contact us to appeal our decision by sending an email with the subject line "Appeal" to email@example.com.
Opt Out Signals. Certain mechanisms or technologies may be used to signal your opt-out preferences to entities that process personal information. To the extent that we are able to recognize these signals and they are legally sufficient, we will process these signals as requests to opt out of processing or sharing for the purposes of targeted advertising or the sale of personal information. Depending on the signal you select, the opt-out may apply only to certain interactions, such as a specific browser or device.
Verification Process and Required Information. To respond to certain rights exercise requests, we may need to verify your identity by having you provide information about yourself or your account. Authorized agents can make a request on your behalf if you have given them legal power of attorney or we are provided verification of your identity, and, in some cases, confirmation that you provided the agent permission to submit the request.
Nevada Privacy Rights. As a Nevada resident, you may submit a request directing us not to make certain disclosures of personal information we maintain about you. You may submit your request to opt-out of the sale of your information by selecting this "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link (which can also be found at the bottom of our Website pages), or by emailing email@example.com, or by calling us at 1-800-356-9377.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM family of brands may provide you with opportunities to receive a variety of special offers, such as discount codes, in exchange for allowing us to collect, retain, and sell your personal information as described in this Notice. This includes all categories of personal information listed in this Notice. In exchange for providing personal information, such as your email address or phone number, you may receive discounts on our products, additional products, or other financial incentives. The terms of each offer are presented at the time that you choose to provide information to us.
You can opt into our special offers by providing the requested information associated with a specific offer. You have the right to withdraw from receiving special offers at any time. These instructions may vary by offer. Please see the section of this Notice entitled "Your Privacy Choices" for more information.
The special offers available to you are based upon our reasonable determination of the value that we receive from collecting, retaining, and selling personal information for our business. This estimated value takes into account a variety of factors as permitted by law, including (but not limited to) our expenses incurred in collecting and selling the information and our expenses incurred in providing special offers to you.
If you choose to participate in the Celebrations Passport Program, you will have the opportunity to receive a variety of special offers, such as free standard shipping, no or reduced service charges, discounts, or early access to certain products and events, from the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM family of brands. Through the Celebrations Passport Program, we may collect all categories of personal information listed in the "Additional U.S. State Privacy Choices and Disclosures" section of this Privacy Notice, and we may share such information with the categories of third parties also described in that section of this Privacy Notice. Some of these third parties, such as certain advertising providers, are ones with which we do not have a direct relationship. These third parties may be considered "data brokers" under applicable privacy laws. Please see the Celebrations Passport Program terms and conditions for more information about how to enroll in or withdraw from the program.
In order to participate in the Celebrations Passport Program, it is required that you have an account with the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM family of brands so that we can track your qualifying purchases and administer your benefits. If you submit a deletion request under state privacy laws, as described in the "Additional U.S. State Privacy Choices and Disclosures" section of this Privacy Notice, it will be impossible for us to collect this information. Therefore, you will be unable to participate in the Celebrations Passport Program once your account and personal information are deleted.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM® family of brands wants you to be aware that when you click on links and/or ad banners that take you to affiliated or third-party services, except the e-Gifting Service described above, you will be subject to the privacy policies and terms of use of those services, not ours. We encourage you to read the posted privacy statement and user terms whenever using, and prior to providing any personal information to, any other service.
We may provide you with the ability to log into our Service using a social media account, such as Facebook Connect. We do not control the activities of such social media services and have no control over the data they collect or their privacy practices. You should review their privacy practices before using any such social media service.
The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM® family of brands welcomes feedback concerning this Privacy Notice, please contact us by any method indicated below:
Write to us at:
Data Privacy Officer
Two Jericho Plaza Suite 200
Jericho, NY 11753
Telephone us at: 1-800-Flowers (1-800-356-9377)
Email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
When contacting us, please include or tell us your mailing address, and if you have a catalog, brochure or other mailing label from us, please include it with your request or have it ready when you call.
If you have a privacy or data use issue, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com first. If the issue is not addressed satisfactorily or in a timely manner, you may contact our U.S.-based third party dispute resolution provider (free of charge) at https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.
The Company may change this Privacy Notice from time to time in the future. Any changes will be posted here and reflect the date of such changes on the first page of this Privacy Notice. We advise you to check back frequently to see any updates or changes.
By using the Website and the Service, after such changes take effect, you agree to be legally bound and to abide by the revised Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, of which this Notice is a part.


text:
We're tuckered out from birthday celebrations. We will be back tomorrow with our Cheers to the New Year link up! Hope you join us!
Nap Time12/10/13
11 comments
Oh how adorable :)ReplyDelete
Precious Finn! See ya tomorrow! ;)ReplyDelete
What a sweetheart :) Don't you just love when pups cuddle up and nap with you?!ReplyDelete
Awww sooo snuggly!!ReplyDelete
hope you had an amazing time!!ReplyDelete
stop the cuteness.ReplyDelete
Oh.My.Goodness. What a sweetheart. Love this photo.ReplyDelete
Awe!! Sleepy pup! So cute!ReplyDelete
That's so cute! I took basically the exact same picture of Louis this morning! He was soooo cold!ReplyDelete
I just didn't think a picture could be this cute, I'd be tuckered out too!!!ReplyDelete
PRECIOUS. Love him!ReplyDelete
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text:
Blogging evangelist Grant Griffiths, founder of BlogforProfit.com, posted a recent article on "44 Ways To Use a Blog as a Small Business Owner."
He believes so firmly in the power of blogging for business that he now runs a business helping companies maximize their R.O.B. (Return on Blogging).
How can your business benefit from blogging? In his article Griffiths breaks the benefits of blogging down into four categories:
1. Build Trust, Authority and Credibility: This includes discussing issues in your marketplace, answering common questions about your business or product, celebrating your accomplishments and noting upcoming events (e.g. awards you've won, speaking engagements). I also like another tactic Griffiths suggests: Promote your competitors when they have earned it and deserve it. A great way to show off your confidence and professionalism!
2. Market Your Business or Firm: This includes explaining what your company does and how it does it, profiling deserving team members, talking about new initiatives, offering discounts, soliciting referrals, etc. Griffiths also suggests publishing testimonials on your blog. (All I ask is that you keep the hard sell to a minimum.)
3. Listen to and Engage With Your Customers and Readers: Encourage reader comments, write about what is working and not working for you and your products, ask readers for their opinions, and invite readers and customers to write "guest posts."
4. Grow Your Online Presence and Network: Link your blog to your other online presences, such as your Twitter stream, your Linkedn profile or your Facebook Fan Page. Ask readers to follow you on Twitter – that way you don't have to wait for them to visit your site before you talk to them again.
It's a great article that will get you thinking. Read the full story here.


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Kansas Basketball
Joe Dooley wants to keep Florida Gulf Coast Eagles flying - men's college basketball - ESPN
After a decade under Bill Self at Kansas, Joe Dooley is finally back in charge of a program again -- and a program that captured the hearts of basketball fans across the country just two months ago.
SMU's Jerrance Howard the choice to replace Joe Dooley on KU basketball staff | KUsports.com
"We have talked seriously the last few days, but nothing officially has been done. If everything comes true, it's what I'll do," Self said Wednesday, referring to hiring Howard.
Here's what KU's 2013 basketball recruiting class would have looked like in previous years | The Newell Post | KUsports.com
Interesting little breakdown.
Kansas Football
KU offense rich with skill, but will the blocks be there? | Double-Chin Music | KUsports.com
I think this is the biggest question offensively. If we can assemble a strong offensive line then this offense can be successful. If not, hard telling. Plenty of weapons, but they need the room to work.
Juco coach: Darrian Miller versatile | KUsports.com
"He's definitely a talented player, and he brings so much to the table as a dual-threat type of running back," said Morrell, who coached Miller this spring at the junior college in El Dorado. "He can obviously get the ball handed to him and do great things, but he can also catch the ball out of the backfield and even line up out as a receiver."
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says ACC should think big with 15 teams - ESPN
Krzyzewski said Wednesday that "if you really believe this could be the greatest conference ever, what are all the things that the greatest conference ever would do?"
College basketball leagues still need help with scheduling | One And One - SI.com
The primary news out of the SEC spring meetings on Tuesday was the decision to seek out a permanent venue for the annual SEC basketball tournament.