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The profession of optometry has a long, notable past. Its concepts can be dated back as far as the 12th century. During its infancy, the field of optometry wasn't taken seriously in the eyes of the other medical practices. However, as time progressed, pioneers of the industry persevered through discrimination, legal battles, and other hardships to grow and nurture the practice into what it is today. To understand the rich history of optometry, use this timeline to relive its journey.Featured Image Source: Pexels
Optometry Timeline
Image Source: Pexels
- 1263 – Roger Bacon observes that lenses can be useful for those who have trouble seeing.
- 1286 – Spectacles were created by an unknown artisan in Northern Italy.
- 1604 – Johannes Kepler explains how the retina functions and demonstrates that concave lenses fix myopia while convex lenses fix hyperopia.
- 1621 – The law of refraction is discovered by Willebrord Snell.
- 1623 – Daza de Valdes's book The Use of Eyeglasses was published in Spain. It was the first book based on optometric principles.
- 1629 – A royal charter is granted to the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, by King Charles.
- 1783 – The first shop specializing in optometric services was opened by John McAllister Sr in Philadelphia. By the year 1816 John McAllister & Son moved on to make gold and silver spectacles. The family business thrived until the early 20th century.
- 1784 – The split bifocal lens for spectacles was created by none other than Benjamin Franklin.
- 1798 – Color blindness is explained by John Dalton.
- 1801 – Astigmatisms are discovered by Thomas Young, the first person to map out the average field of vision.
Image Source: Pexels
- 1821 – Cylindrical lenses were created.
- 1843 – The trial lens case was undertaken. Its findings led to a lens prescription that was separate from the main vending and production of spectacles.
- 1847 – An English optician named James Prentice travels to the U.S. His son, Charles F. Prentice, will be known as the "father of American Optometry".
- 1851 – Herman von Helmholtz is the first to see the inner portion of the eye due to the invention of the ophthalmoscope.
- 1856 – Hermann von Helmholtz writes the volumeHandbook of Physiological Optics. It was later translated in 1924, from German to English, by James P.C. Southall.
- 1862 – The eye chart and other eye tests were developed to test vision by Hermann Snellen.
- 1864 – Another book of optics was published called the,Anomalies of Accommodation and Refraction of the Eye,by F.C. Donders. The book covered the basics of prescriptions. F.C.Donders was the first ever to put cylindrical lenses in a trial case.
- 1872 – The Illinois College of Optometry was founded.
- 1873 – The retinoscope is introduced when Cuignetreveals the principle of retinoscopy.
- 1886 – E. Landolt's book,Refraction and Accommodation of the Eye and TheirAnomalies, was published (English translation). The book used the term "optometry". Opticians were not eager to embrace the term right away. In that same year, the prism diopter measuring system was developed by Charles Prentice.
Image Source: Pexels
- 1887 – Independent experiments with contact lenses made from blow-glass were performed by F.A. Mueller and E. E. Ficke.
- 1888 – The first scleral contact lenses were created successfully. The first textbook for optometrists was published that same year titled,Handbook for Opticians, by William Bohne.
- 1895 – Charles F. Prentice began charging fees for eye exams and was threatened with jail time as a result. The following year, he issued a written document stating reasons why the United States should recognize the profession of optometrists. The Optical Journal was created and was the first optometric journal to grace the American public.
- 1898 – The American Association of Opticians formed. The name would stick for several years until it changed to the American Optical Association in 1910 before changing once again to the American Optometric Association 1919.
- 1901 – Minnesota took the first progressive step forward by passing the first state law that essentially recognized the practice of optometry as a profession. All of the states would eventually follow in Minnesota's steps by 1921.
- 1910 – Columbia University was the first college to offer classes in optometry. This was a huge step in acknowledging optometry as a profession.
- 1911 – The book,Dynamic Skiametry in Theory and Practice, was published by Andrew J. Cross. The book dove into the underlying theory of dynamic retinoscopy.
- 1914 – Optometrists take a stand against drivers who have poor vision. They push regulation that would encourage that all drivers take a vision test before receiving their driver's license.
- 1915 – Optometry finds itself brought before the Supreme Court in the case of Martin v. Baldi. The Court ruled that optometry was not a form of medicine and as a result it couldn't be regulated by the state board of medicine. In response, Albert Fitch banded together with the optometrist of Pennsylvania to pursue a legal route.
- 1919 – The International Board of Boards (IBB) was established, though the name would change to the International Association of Boards of Examiners in Optometry (IAB) in 1954 and to the Association of Regulatory Boards (ARBO) in 1999.
Image Source: Pexels
- 1923 – The first Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) was awarded at the College of Optometry located in Pennsylvania.
- 1924 – It was a process in the works for a long time, but the District of Columbia finally adopts laws pertaining to optometry. With this act, the United adopted optometry law.
- 1925 – The first international optometric fraternity is formed: Beta Sigma Kappa.
- 1928 – The routine examination concept was introduced by Charles Sheard. Soon, it evolved into a case analysis approach for refractive issues. The New York Commissioner of Education obtaining a bill that allowed only those who possessed a degree in optometry to qualify for the state board examination. This ended the apprenticeship system that had previously been in place.
- 1936 – The Optometric Extension Program was founded as a private organization. It was developed by the Oklahoma Optometric Association.
- 1937 – Controversy set in when the Reader's Digest article Optometry on Trial was published for the world to read. The article, written by Roger Riis, contained false information about the field of optometry. Optometrists and physicians across the country were outraged. In response, though only partially, Wilber Brucker published the book The Story of Optometry.
- 1938 – John Mullen and Theo Obrig created the plastic contact lens.
- 1940 – The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) began its first year with Albert Fitch taking the lead as president. The parent organization of the group was the International Federation of Optometry Schools.
- 1941 – L. Lester Beacher, a New York optometrist, published a textbook dedicated to the topic of contact lenses.
- 1947 – The U.S Army began commissioning optometrists to be on staff at the Veteran Administration Hospital.
Image Source: Pexels
- 1948 – Kevin Tuohy created thin plastic contact lenses. The first corneal contact lenses were awarded in the same year. Wm C. Ezell became president of the newly created American Optometric Foundation.
- 1950 – Eugene Strawn became president of the newly formed Association of Military Optometrists. It renamed itself as the Armed Forces Optometric Society (AFOS) 20 years later in 1970.
- 1951 – The National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) was formed. It administered its first national board exam in 1952. Another group formed by the name of the Association of Optometric Executive Secretaries. The name only stuck for a few years before they changed it to the Society of Optometric Association Executives in 1958 before changing it once again to the International Association of Optometric Executives (IAOE). The first Chief of the Optometry Section of the Medical Service Corps was selected by John William Sheridan. In 1966 Sheridan was given the American Optometric Association's Apollo Award.
- 1952 – Soft contact lenses were introduced to the world by Otto Wichterle who discovered crossed-linked hydrophilic polymer (HEMA).
- 1961 – The first spin-cast soft contact lenses were created. The optometrists of Pennsylvania take to the courts in an effort to pass a bill that would make it legal to use ophthalmic diagnostic pharmaceutical agents. Sadly, they lost their court battle.
- 1965 – New medical systems launch: Medicare and Medicaid. These systems discriminated against optometrists.
- 1968 – A new group is formed: the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA). In New York City, the LaGuardia meeting determined the future of optometry.
- 1969 – African American optometrists formed a group of their own, the National Optometric Association (NOA). It was founded by C. Clayton Powell and John L. Howlette.The NOA is an organization of mostly minority optometrists who specialize in eye care for minority communities. A group known as the Optometric Historical Society (OHS) was created to document the history of optometry and recognize the people and organizations that help to promote the cause. Co-founded by Henry Hofstetter and Maria Dablemont, the group had 33 charter members.
- 1970 – The Armed Forces Optometric Society was formed. Its president was LTC Frederick Van Nus. Alabama makes progressive moves by authorizing that a school of optometry be established.
- 1971 – The Bausch & Lomb soft contact lenses were approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. It was advertised to consumers in 1974.
Image Source: Pexels
- 1972 – Kansas introduced the first VOSH chapter with 35 optometrists.
- 1976 – West Virginia launched the first law in which therapeutic drugs could be used by optometrists
- 1977 – The U.S. Supreme Court declares that professionals use ethical practices while advertising their services.
- 1978 – The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) issued a rule known as Eyeglasses 1. It tried to circumvent the laws that were in place that restricted the advertisement of goods pertaining to the field of optometry. Several optometric groups opposed the FTC through litigation, and were able to nullify everything except the prescription release.
- 1981 – Congress passes legislature that allows optometric coverage under Medicare to reimburse procedures that were done on aphakic patients.
- 1986 – President Reagan signed a law that allowed optometrists to be repaid for their services when performed on nonaphakic patients. The Optometric Oath was standardized by the American Optometric Association as well as the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry in an attempt to encourage the integrity of the profession by promoting ethical behavior.
- 1990 – William Padula was the president of the newly formed Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.
- 1998 – Oklahoma enacted a law that authorized the use of lasers during optometric procedures for certain kinds of treatments.
- 2005 – A series of 3 national meetings, known as the Optometry 2020 Summits, were attended by over 20 organizations belonging to the optometric professions.
- 2008 – The National Commission on Vision and Health (NCVH) created a group that consisted of health professionals that focused on improving the visual health of the entire nation. It was their job to provide guidance and act as the authority for the field of visual health. The NCVH guided health professionals, decision-makers, and community members.
Image Source: Pexels
- 2009 – The group known as the American Board of Optometry (ABO) was formed for the sole purpose of developing certifications pertaining to the profession.
- 2010 – National health care legislation is passed and children's vision is now seen as beneficial. Another effect of the newly passed law is that patient access to care laws were preserved.


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Board of Directors 2018-2019
|Alex Morosovskiy
Alex is a Certified Fund Raising Executive with more than 15-year experience of working in key fund development roles at leading educational, health care and social service non-profits, including University of Toronto, United Way Toronto, Habitat for Humanity GTA and Casey House Foundation. Before moving to Canada, for 10 years he managed an international grant-making foundation in Ukraine. Alex brings to the Board his diverse expertise as a fundraiser and grant-making executive as well as his experience serving as a director of a number of charities in Canada and Ukraine. He is a former client and sits on CultureLink's Program and Resource Development.
|Andrew Vassos
Leader and developer of people. Innovator of talent mapping through intricate mentorship programs. Guided on several cross-functional Bank-wide projects aligned to culture, clients and compensation. Champion of Community awareness, engagement, and involvement across various organizations. Coordinated and promoted several Community initiatives aligned to career planning, progression, and workforce integration. Enthusiastic about the opportunity to make a difference, and live by the guiding principal "if you don't endeavor you don't evolve"!
|Arlene Clement
Arlene is a Director of Services at the University of Toronto. She has over fifteen years' experience in leadership in a unionized environment, with a strong track record of strategic leadership, and expertise in human resources, financial management, policy development, and consensus building in a complex multi-stakeholder environment. Alene has over 12 years of experience serving on the Board of Directors of two non-profit charitable organizations, including periods of chairing Boards. Both from her professional life and from her experience as a community leader, Arlene brings to the Board excellent communication, listening and facilitation skills, with experience working with diverse populations and individuals of all walks of life.
|Brandin O'Connor
|Cathy Katrib-Reyes
|Erich Schafer
|Ferzana Chaze
Dr. Ferzana Chaze is an experienced educator and research professional. She is a subject matter expert on issues related to immigration and settlement, diversity and social inclusion. Ferzana has a demonstrated expertise in leadership and governance in a variety of contexts and with diverse groups of persons. Ferzana is a full-time professor at the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies at Sheridan College. Prior to this, she was involved in research, education and knowledge mobilization at Ryerson University.
|Golam Ahmed
|Helen Latimer
|Rob Manne
Rob is an independent brand, communications and marketing consultant. For nearly 20 years, Rob has built brands and helped them succeed in a disrupted world. Rob has worked for leading firms Interbrand, Edelman and Cohn & Wolfe, and at Rogers Communications. In addition to serving on the Culturelink board, Rob is also on the Advisory Board of Humber College and advisor to social media commerce company Candid. Rob's won awards, but he's driven by partnering with great people and organizations to make an impact.
|Ruba Bilal
20 years working with national and international organization, skilled in developing, managing and implementing projects in conflict areas, developer of policies, procedures and systems, HR professional, knowledge on human rights, experienced in mobilization of activists and youth, advocacy passionate, conflict resolution, training and empowering women and youth, creating training materials on human rights and politic literacy. Worked with refugees, demonstrated expertise in refugees' settlement.
|Wendy-Ann Horning
Wendy-Ann Horning recently retired from Wells Fargo Financial, where she was a Manager of Specialty Collections, starting in 1997. She previously worked for GE Capital as the Account Services Manager for their Auto Leasing portfolio. Wendy was a member of Wells Fargo's first Canadian Diversity Council. Wendy first came to know CultureLink in 2000, where volunteering with the English Conversation Circle was a suitable 'fit'. She became a board member in 2001 serving on the Board until 2005, including a short period as Chair of the Board. Wendy was on the board of Sojourn House, a refugee shelter in downtown Toronto, where she was the President up until her term on the Board ended in June 2011.
Board Meetings
Board meetings are open to the public; meetings start at 6:30 pm at 301-2340 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON.
For more information please contact Claudia Rivera at firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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January 2006
Welcome T.R.
For those of you who have not heard yet, today is the first day of what should transpire to be a great thing for Rangers fans and readers of mlb.com and texasrangers.com.
T.R. Sullivan, who has covered the Rangers for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for more years than he probably cares to remember, begins today (Jan. 19) as the Rangers beat writer for texasrangers.com and mlb.com.
T.R. wrote a final column for the Star-Telegram this past Sunday for the paper which can be read here: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/baseball/mlb/texas_rangers/13632659.htm
T.R.'s talents as a writer should bring the readers right into the minds of the Rangers executives, coaching staff and players.
I know he will be missed at the Star-Telegram but we are happy to have him around the club everyday with the added bonus for readers of posting stories and news in an instant instead of waiting for the paper the next morning.
Jesse Sanchez and Robert Falkoff have done a great job of covering the club over the past few years and they are not going anywhere either. Jesse is going to concentrate writing more for mlb.com's Spanish-language section of the site while Robert becomes a general assignment writer. I'm sure you will see both of their by-lines on the Rangers and league site many times not only this year but in the future. I would also like to personally thank them for their work covering the club.
Let's again welcome T.R. to the MLB "family" if you will. I think all Ranger and baseball fans are looking foward to not only your first story but the thousands that will come in the future.
Town Hall Recap
The first of the three Town Hall Meetings took place last night at Academy Sports in Grapevine. A crowd of about 250 people were on hand to ask questions and get autographs from the Rangers personnel in attendance.
President Jeff Cogen, GM Jon Daniels, Jim Sundberg, broadcasters Tom Grieve and Victor Rojas and players Brian Shouse and Thomas Diamond met the fans and answered their questions.
The fans asked questions for 45 minutes and then got in line to have a chance to ask more questions to the panel and get autographs.
From talking to some of the fans in attendance they all seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the experience.
There are two more of these Town Hall meetings coming up and I hope Rangers fans will get the chance to come out and meet us and ask questions.
Here are where the last two will be beginning with this evening's in Dallas.
Wednesday, January 12 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Academy Sports & Outdoors Dallas, 8050 Forest Lane
Thomas Diamond, Brian Shouse, Don Wakamatsu, Jeff Cogen, Thad Levine
Jim Sundberg, Tom Grieve, and Eric Nadel
Tuesday, January 17
Academy Sports & Outdoors Arlington, 1100 West Arbrook Blvd
Gary Matthews Jr., Josh Rupe, Don Wakamatsu, Jeff Cogen,
Jon Daniels, Jim Sundberg, Tom Grieve, and Victor Rojas
We all hope to see you there.
First Town Hall Meeting On Tap
I hope everyone had a great holiday season and with the new year it is time to think about baseball again.
With that in mind we are holding the first of three "Town Hall Meetings" tomorrow night here in the Metroplex. All three of them are being held at Academy Sports locations.
The first two are this week and here are the details with who will be there.
This will be a great opportunity to meet these Rangers players and front office staff in a casual atmosphere. There will also be a chance for everyone to ask questions as well. Hope to see you there.
Town Hall Meeting #1: Wednesday, January 11 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Academy Sports & Outdoors Grapevine, 1523 State Hwy. 114 West
Thomas Diamond, Brian Shouse, Don Wakamatsu, Jeff Cogen, Jon Daniels,
Jim Sundberg, Tom Grieve, and Victor Rojas
Town Hall Meeting #2: Thursday, January 12 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Academy Sports & Outdoors Dallas, 8050 Forest Lane
Thomas Diamond, Brian Shouse, Don Wakamatsu, Jeff Cogen, Thad Levine
Jim Sundberg, Tom Grieve, and Eric Nadel


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Athena TaskPro is a mobile solution that's ideal for your workforce in our new world of social distancing. Our solution creates a simple way for you to move your forms, surveys and reports to an easy-to-use mobile platform.
From the cloud-based Command Center, create your own forms and surveys and then assign them to your staff. Data is captured with the mobile app.
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Progress of assignments and the data collected is immediately available in your cloud-based Command Center with GIS mapping.
The Command Center enables flexible reporting of all data collection including geo-coded photos. And all staff assignments can be further managed including follow-up.
Completed forms and digital signatures are available for distribution from both Command Center and Mobile App.
Finally, Go Mobile, Go Paperless.


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There was Big Ben in full glory. We headed out to the Parliament Building and then over to the London Eye for an introduction to this great city from a birds eye view. Even though it was raining like crazy, we could still see all the landmarks across the city. It was fantastic!
Then it was off to Westminster Abbey. It is as beautiful in person as it is on TV. I could pick out all the famous places from the Royal Wedding. They have a great audio tour so we knew what we were looking at and who was buried where. It was really impressive.
After the Abbey, we were at that starving and ornery part of the day, so we headed off down a street to find some eats. We ended up at a quaint little pub for a Plowman's lunch. It was quite good, although I will say that "cold pork pie" is not on my list of favorites- more like on my list of things to never eat ever again. I will stick to fish and chips!
We were surprised to find that we had headed off in a much different direction than we thought, and were actually quite close to Trafalgar Square. We only had an hour before closing,but we headed into the National Gallery to take in the Masters. I thought that The Hooligans would hate it, but they were actually quite enthralled and Carson is quite well versed in VanGogh and Monet and even knew my favorite artist, Seraut! Apparently he pays better attention than any of us thought! It was one of our favorite stops.
From there we moved down to Picadilly Circus. We stopped by the Amex Office and took a picture for a shout out to all my colleagues! YAY Amex!
Then it was off to Selfridges for French Macarons (Heath has an eagle eye for Macarons and I had to chase down the girl carrying a bag of them to find out where she got them.) After checking our map, we realized that Selfridges is quite a ways from Picadilly, so we took our first solo adventure on the Underground. Heath is an excellent navigator thank goodness and we were warm and cozy in no time enjoying our French Macarons in jolly old England.
It was a lovely day. Although it rained and rained and rained some more, that didn't stop us from seeing London and loving it!


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Our new formulation contains Silica derived from sand, which is known to be the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Its soft, fine texture makes it a gentle, yet effective natural exfoliant. Silica slows aging of skin and helps keep the constituents of the skin, such as collagen and elastin, remain vital and able to retain moisture. It also helps to eliminate pimples
Ingredients: Cane Sugar, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower Seed Oil), Oryza Sativa (Rice Bran Extract), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Seed Extract), Helianthus Annus (Sunflower Extract), Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Rosa Damascene (Moroccan Rose) Oil, Rose fragrance, Phenoxyethanol.


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And I grew strong... The best motto for a start-up! But also for a city like Miami who grew this decade with the rise Wynwood
We have chosen sentences from famous songs that are connected with our brand or Miami!
This bangle is part of the Riposte Miami collection!
Thanks to its alloy of stainless steel, you can keep it around your wrist at the gym, in the pool or at the beach, it will remain shiny and beautiful thanks to its superior anti-allergic and stainless properties
Adjustable size
And I Grew Strong engraved.
Made of: Alloy of iron, carbon, and chromium.


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|Course no. :
|ECTS credits:
|Prof. Dr.-Ing. A. Hobbacher
|winter term summer term
|Course type:
|Lecture/practical exercises
|Exam type:
|Written e. 1,5h or oral examine
|Exam requirements:
|Knowledge of verification concepts, load assumptions, products, materials and joining methods and types of structures. Verification of components against static and fatigue loads, flexural-, lateral- and plate-buckling, verification of bolted and welded joints.
|The student shall acquire the knowledge of design and verification of structural components, especially in respect to cranes and earth moving mashines. He (she) shall be able to recognize the different possible failure modes and to apply existing codes.
|Course contents:
|1. Verification concepts (allowable stress, partial safety factors)
2. Load assumptions (buildings, cranes, moving loads)
3. Basics of technology (material selection, products, joining methods)
4. Types of structures (truss, frame, grid, plate structure)
5. Verification of stresses in components
6. Stability (flexural-, lateral- and plate-buckling, 2nd order theory)
7. Joining methods (rivets, bolts, friction grip bolts, welded joints)
8. Fatigue ( basics, load spectra, notch effects, damage summation, codes
9. Basics of fracture mechanics (stress intensity, fracture toughness, crack propagation)
10. Application of computing for steel structures (types of software)
|Da keine entsprechenden Bücher existieren, werden ein Vorlesungsumdruck und eine CD zur Verfügung gestellt.
Since no appropriate books are available, a printed manuscript and a CD will be distributed.
|available in modul:
|2 - technical specialization module in semester 9
steel structures in semester 8
_ 2. technical specialization module master mechanical engineering in semester 9


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Orphic V
Yoga. Action. Style.
The Orphic V
Insanely comfortable.
Flexible in all directions.
Great looking.
It's simple elegance with a hidden power. It works with any kind of outfit, and plays as nicely under a sport coat as it does on the yoga mat.
This is no ordinary shirt. Its got an incredibly stylish and flattering cut, it's made out of our proprietary eco-friendly fabric, and between the stretch and the softness of the material, it is just ridiculously comfortable. Consistent with the Bhujang tradition, once you put on the Orphic V, you might not ever want to take it off.
It's not just for lounging, though. The Orphic V is made for performance, first and foremost. Tired of your shirt plowing up under your chin in down dog or handstand? Not with the Orphic V. It has a little extra length and a slim cut that keeps it where it's supposed to be, regardless of your orientation in space.
We chose a v-neck for our first shirt style because we simply hate that feeling of something pressing against our throats when we're moving on the mat. Don't worry, though, it will probably be the best-looking active shirt you have ever worn.
One of the very unique things about this shirt is that you can probably wear at least 3 different sizes.
If you get the same size as you would any t-shirt, you'll get the standard Bhujang Style fit. Just sung enough to be comfortable and to stay in place.
If you get one size down, you'll get a tighter, light-compression feel that fits like a warm embrace.
If you get a size up, the shirt will fit like a regular t-shirt with an ultra-luxurios feel, but it might not stay so perfectly in place when you are totally upside down.
The best fit is going to be influenced by the relationship between your waist size and you shoulder width. For instance, if you have have a very slim waist, and if the shirt's stability during handstand is a major concern, then go for a size down. The extra flex is going to accommodate your shoulders, even if they are very wide relative to your waist.
On the other hand, if you've got a little extra material in the abdominal department, that can help your shirt stay in place, so you can go for a larger size.
Eco friendly
Modal fabric is simply amazing stuff. It's made from Beech trees, a highly renewable and self-sustaining resource that can grow in almost any soil. The creation of the fibers is done in Germany through an ultra clean process that is far more friendly to the environment than almost any other fiber made.
Not only is it friendly to the environment, it's also incredibly friendly to your skin. The feel of this fabric is insanely comfortable, and you will easily want to wear this shirt all day long.
Made in the USA!
This shirt is hand-sewn by an amazing group of people in Philadelphia, PA. They take the greatest of care to make sure that every seam and stitch works perfectly to give the Orphic V its unique form and function.
Not only is the shirt sewn in the USA, but the fabric itself is knitted in New Jersey. The yarn is spun Georgia, and even the Spandex is made in the Carolinas. So when you are buying Bhujang Style clothing, you are helping to to create real jobs for great people and supporting clean and sustainable industry in the USA. Thanks.
Customer Reviews
Fit perfectly. Moved with me, not against me. Did not have to adjust the shirt or fall down over my head. Planning on buying a second one.
I love the T-shirt. It's the best T-shirt in the world for Yoga and lounging. Once you put it on, you will not want to take it off. The T-shirt feels better than my own skin!
If you have a skinny build and don't want to look even skinny, size up; even if you have a slightly athletic build, consider sizing up.
That being said:
The price point is ridiculously high. I feel vain and stupid for buying a T-shirt that costs this much money. The made in America stamp has become a justification for exorbitant pricing. America isn't the center of the world and clothing can be more than responsibly manufactured in many countries. The responsible choice is to select the best person/entity for the job. I'm not implying YFM has or hasn't done this. I'm stating an overarching principle and problem with society. I'm curious if YFM shares this viewpoint?
At the end of the day, it's YFM's prerogative... I feel more people would be able to enjoy these T-shirts and the Bhujang Style brand if the price point was lower (and that it would yield a higher NET profit for the shareholders).
Love it and now I am waiting for some new colors to come out.
This shirt is awesomely soft and comfortable.
Their items are so great fitting that it's like it was custom made


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Since 2012, Crossfields Institute has co-organised a series of conferences in collaboration with the Institute for Philosophy and Aesthetics at Alanus University (Bonn, Germany). For each conference, a third partner has also been invited in to co-design, co-organise and co-host the conference. Past conferences were organised with the University of Kent, the University of Gloucestershire, the University of the West of England. The most recent conference – The Poetics of Leadership – was held at the University of Cumbria. Planning is underway for our next conference which will be held in the autumn of 2019.
The role of research in our organisation
Crossfields Institute's strategy regarding research is to promote and encourage a research based approach within the organisation and the organisations we serve and work in collaboration with. Research is viewed as one of the primary areas where we can work collaboratively with peer organisations to learn, share practice and develop strategic links.
The promotion of research within the organisation relates particularly to the development of our own practice. Our staff are actively encouraged to engage in learning and research as an integrated part of their job role, and a number of staff are either on or have completed Masters or PhDs. A further example of a recent research project in our organisation was an action research project called 'Crossfields 100'. This research explored the impact on staff productivity and wellbeing of short but regular periods of reflective personal time during the working day. All staff (not just academics) were invited to take part as both participants and co-researchers.
Research conferences
Crossfields Institute hosts research conferences on a regular bases. These are normally organised in collaboration with universities and partner organisations. We have so far held eight go these conferences.
The Research Forum
Another regular research activity is our Research Forum, the aim of which is to study, present and discuss relevant questions in education and social innovation, with particular focus on current academic debate. The work takes place in regular seminars and is meant to contribute to the enhancement of the research profile of the Institute for Education and Social Innovation (ibugi), Crossfields Institute (CI) and partner organisations.The Forum is intended for PhD or Masters candidates or researchers working in or related with ibugi, CI and partner organisations. Participation requires a personal invitation or prior approval of the coordinator.
Coming soon…
The Poetics of Leadership
Creativity, art and story in enabling meaningful change
Decision-makers need to be bold and agile to help their organisations and communities respond to rapid changes in their environments. Actions based on existing patterns of thought and behaviour will often not suffice. What stimulates the necessary creativity to think afresh about contexts and choices? In this two-day event, we will explore methods available for leadership practice and development. Topics will include: creative writing as a method for personal leadership, poetry as an aid for exploring emotions, the visual and performing arts as a means of enabling new ideas, storytelling as a method for leadership communications, physical play as a means of reducing inhibitions, and outdoor activities as opportunities for deepening insight. We will experience such methods and discuss them in the context of both classical and contemporary theories on the role of creativity and arts in personal and social change.
Leadership, Ethics and Working with Unknowing
The focus on ethical values in leadership has been sharpened through a string of recent world events, and it seems that the need for truly ethical leadership has never been greater. Yet in what do genuine ethical values really lie? Is ethical leadership something that individuals can cultivate? And can ethical values be instilled into organisational culture in such a way that it is both evolving and sustainable?
This conference sets out to encourage inquiry and stimulate debate on these questions. We will address the theme from a range of perspectives and we will specifically consider the importance of working creatively with unknowing. Here, the idea is that ethical inspiration and ethical action can arise as much out of states of openness and emptiness as it can out of solution-focused effort.
The poet John Keats called this 'negative capability' and we will be examining what this means and what its relevance for ethical leadership practice might be. The conference offers contributions from scholars in the field and practicing leaders in a blend of key-note presentations and interactive workshops. The conference is for leaders, managers, academics, students, philosophers and anyone else interested in the practice of ethical leadership today.
Inner and Outer Dimensions of Thinking
Thinking is deeply embedded into every aspect of human life. It informs how we experience ourselves and it informs how we experience the world. It also plays a major role in determining the kind of social, cultural and technological environments we collectively create. And yet for all its importance, there is still little general consensus about what thinking is or how it functions.
Cognitive science has tended to reduce thinking to 'outer' physical factors. Traditionally this has been understood as computation-like activity in the physical brain, but more recently it is seen as the activity of the brain and body in living interaction with the physical environment. Other approaches to thinking focus on how we use words and how language is structured. Still other approaches adopt first-person and phenomenological methods to describe the conscious experience of thinking from the 'inside'.
At this conference we will address the question of the nature of thinking from both outer and inner dimensions. There will be keynote lectures, workshops and paper presentations that draw from different disciplines, including philosophy, phenomenology, psychology, the arts and neuroscience. The aim is that out of this transdisciplinary approach, new insights emerge that go across and beyond the different disciplines.
The conference is for academics, researchers, educators and students from any discipline who are interested in deepening their understanding of what thinking is and how it functions.
Transforming Moments: Dissonance, Liminality and Action as Learning Experiences
Role of Humanities, Arts and Transdisciplinary Practice in Higher Education
With career pathways and employability increasingly defining higher education, what is the role and importance of subjects such as literature, philosophy and the arts? And is there still a place in higher education for pursuing a love of learning for its own sake?
In this conference we will explore the possibility of higher education as a journey into the unknown, a place, perhaps, for finding an individual calling or life's task, a place for self-discovery and selftransformation, a place for exploring questions of human experience and human existence. What is the relevance of this notion of higher education today, both at the individual level of spiritual meaning and fulfilment and at the more general level of social cohesion and resilience?
Our aim for this conference is to create an open space for collaborative dialogue, creative thinking and critical enquiry, with the hope that this will promote new insights for practical ways forward. The conference is for educators, practitioners, students, researchers and anyone interested in the future of higher education.
Reimagining the University: New approaches to teaching and learning in higher education
What were the original ideals of the university and how do they relate to what the university has become today? How can new ideas of ethical, embodied transformative practice help to reimagine and revitalize the university?
The conference is for educators, practitioners and researchers from different disciplines who are interested in innovative approaches to teaching and learning in higher education including:
- embodied teaching and learning methods that involve the whole human being in the learning process.
- participatory learning that challenges and redefines how valid knowledge is created.
- learning that helps students develop into the ethical leaders of the future.
- inter-disciplinary practice that bridges the divide between arts, humanities and sciences as a way of opening up new approaches to learning and knowledge.
Symposium: Research in Early Childhood Education and Social Pedagogy
The general aim of the symposium is to nurture constructive dialogue and exchange between different approaches in early years education and social pedagogy. This includes for example Montessori, Steiner, Pickler and 'mainstream' approaches. The question behind the symposium is how more dialogue and exchange between the different approaches can help to deepen understanding and practice in the critical early years field as well as in social pedagogy.
Thinking Through Action


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An update is long overdue and lots has been happening here 'on the farm.
Most has been recorded in photographic form so I'll unwrap it as we go.
We moved the pond as it was always slimey green from too much sun. It's very happy with the new position.
Our boundary fences were almost 30 years old and possibly only held together with spider webbing. 😊
So over the course of only a month we'd replaced them with new ones. Strong and enduring.
This gave us the ability to finally formalize the side front garden, yay. So here you see a lemon scented turtle (For the yummy leaf tea), a pretty purple tibochina and scented gardenia . All underplanted with hardy gazanias for colour.
It's our plan to appear 'normal' on the street side 😆
Finally a picture of one of our Blue Tongue Lizard tribe. Our mild winter has already waned with the earth warming and these critters appearing for their Sunbaking Time. They have no fear of us, the cat or the chookie-babes
Thanks so much for supporting this blog sharing and I'll catch you all again next update. Sending JOY to You on this beautiful day


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Lovest Thou Me More than These?
Are agapao and phileo really different in the New Testament? How about in John 21:15-17, Jesus' famous conversation with Peter? What does the evidence say?
I just read a great little book which genuinely helped me understand my Bible better, Roy F. Butler's little known The Meaning of Agapao and Phileo in the Greek New Testament (Lawrence, KS: Coronado Press, 1977).
I wrote an Amazon review of it:
This short, punchy work takes aim at the very common view that ἀγαπάω (agapao) and φιλέω (phileo) indicate very different kinds of love in the NT. Butler fires rapidly but with great precision, and he takes the time to do what few scholars seem to have done: he actually looks at all the uses of the two Greek words in the NT. He shows convincingly that every kind of use of phileo is matched by a synonymous use of agapao. The two words are synonyms, not denominators of vast and mutually excluding theological systems. He concludes that agapao and phileo both mean the same thing, and we have a perfect English word for it: "love."
Butler was particularly helpful with John 21:15-17. He also writes with real verve, personality, and humor without going over the top.
Butler fails almost entirely to discuss linguistics and how it might enlighten the problem. For example, a discussion of sense and reference might have helped him not to overstate his case when it comes to what Moisés Silva might call a "technically charged" use of one of the Greek words in question. But Butler's methods are still generally sound. Who can argue with usage? What this book may lack in linguistic sophistication, it makes up for in punchiness. A quick, genuinely helpful read—and this reviewer has been reading a lot on the topic.
Let me share just a few excerpts, too. These are Butler's comments on John 21:15-17, the passage many have appealed to for a difference between agapao and phileo. I myself was already persuaded of almost all Butler's views, but on this one I felt he tipped me over the fence I was riding and brought me down on his side. R.C. Trench was one of the earliest interpreters to see a difference between the two words for love in that passage, and Butler takes issue with Trench's now classic interpretation:
Trench's arguments have in them several elements that will not stand up under scrutiny. Of least importance is the fact that they make no logical sense. Inasmuch as Peter had used the verb phileo twice on his own account, why should he be distressed by Jesus' use of it? Assuming that he might be so distressed, however, for reasons not perceptible to human intelligence, why in spite of his distress would he answer again with the same verb which so distressed him on Jesus' lips? Most important is the fact that two plain and simple statements of John the writer are customarily overlooked by those who aspire to prove by this passage that agapao and phileo have different meanings. In point of fact, they must be overlooked if this passage is to be cited to establish a difference between the two verbs. They are…first: 'He said to him for the third time'; and, second: 'Peter was grieved because He said to him for the third time.'
After Jesus twice asked Peter, 'Do you love me?' using the verb agapao each time, John in his own person continues, 'He said to him for the third time, 'Do you love me' using phileo. Now it ought to be obvious that unless the verbs are exact synonyms, John could not state that Jesus used phileo 'for the third time'; as a matter of strict fact, Jesus had used agapao twice previously, and this was the first, not the third, time he had used phileo. Only if the two words are identical in meaning does John's statement hold water. (p. 62)
I wanted to buy his argument, but I wondered if "for the third time" really demanded what Butler says. He anticipated my question. He argues in a footnote (pp. 83-84) that το τριτον never means "upon the third occasion," but always, "for the third time."
He argues in the next footnote against another common objection, this one voiced by Moulton and Milligan:, "In so severely simple a writer as John it is extremely hard to reconcile ourselves to a meaningless use of synonyms, where the point would seem to lie in the identity of the word employed." Butler argues that "there are two mistakes in their thinking. The first is the assumption that a simple writer limits himself in the use of synonyms. The simplicity or complexity of a piece of writing is determined largely by its style. The second mistake lies in the implication that John himself does not use synonyms. John in fact customarily, even habitually, uses synonyms." (p. 84)
One other big advance Butler made for me was to note that it's not just that φιλέω and ἀγαπάω are used interchangeably in the NT. They are used interchangeably in very similar contexts and with the same objects: God, man, life, etc. In fact, he puts it this way: "For every occurrence of phileo there is an occurrence of agapao expressing exactly the same idea." (p. 70)
Now, the reverse is not exactly true, but it's close. It's kind of complex!
4 Comments
Thanks for the post. Not prepared to enter the discussion yet, but for what it's worth . . . Have you given any thought to whether the Spanish synonyms amar and querer might parallel the Greek verbs? La Biblia de Las Americas uses both in John 21.
That is worth looking into, John Mark. I would guess, however, that the LBLA doesn't keep up that distinction throughout the NT. I just checked, and that is indeed the case. John 21 is the only passage where they render φιλέω with querer.
But my instincts go with translators who keep up an inspired verbal distinction… The question is whether or not the semantic range of the two verbs warrants it, and my Spanish sensibilities aren't careful enough to say… What do you take to be the difference between amar and querer?
I blogged on this a year ago, with a link to an excellent article http://www.kouya.net/?p=1580
My impression is that the difference (if any) would be subtle, and possibly subject to personal or regional variation.
In John 21, any chance that the same (Aramaic) word was used all seven times in the actual dialogue?


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Handhelds 2006 SmartPhone Articles
Popular Handhelds Articles for 2006
RIM Blackberry 8700 Review
Research In Motion's Blackberry email devices are enjoying quite the boom these days, on par with Palm's Treo smartphones. Brighthand's chief reviewer, Adama D. Brown, took a look at RIM's[...]
HP iPAQ rx5915 Review
In his latest review, Adama D. Brown takes a close look at HP's most recent handheld, a Pocket PC with a GPS receiver and 2 GB of built-in storage.
Garmin iQue 3000 GPS PDA Review
Brighthand's chief reviewer, Adama D. Brown, takes Garmin's iQue 3000 for a spin. This handheld is an attempt to entice users with the prospect of combining GPS-guided navigation and Palm[...]
HP No Longer Offering iPAQ hx4700
In the last few days a device that was once HP's flagship handheld has quietly disappeared from this company's web site.
SlingPlayer Mobile Review
Ed Hardy gives us his thoughts on a hardware/software combination that lets people stream TV shows and other multimedia content from their homes to their handhelds.
OQO Model 01+ Review
The OQO Model 01+ is not quite a handheld computer, not quite a tablet, and not quite a laptop, but mimics functions of all three. It's a 1 GHz desktop[...]
Review – Mobile Crossing Waypoint 200 PocketPC with GPS
In the niche world of GPS PDAs, Mobile Crossing is far from the first name to come to mind, being eclipsed by big-name Garmin, or dedicated innovator Mitac. We've taken[...]
The Latest on the Sidekick 3
The FCC has given T-Mobile permission to release the next version of the Sidekick cellular-wireless handheld in the U.S. As a result, many of the details on this upcoming device[...]
A Year with Fossil's Tech Watches
Staff Writer and long-time handheld user Shawn Barnett brings his experiences with Fossil's Palm OS-based Wrist PDA and one of its rivals using Microsoft's Wrist Net technology.
T-Mobile SDA User Review
T-mobile released the T-mobile SDA Smartphone in mid February, and with its advanced features including WiFi, Windows Mobile 5.0, EDGE and media capabilities, one would find a hard time remembering[...]
PDA News – Loox rumors, SDIO video-out, Palm rumors & price cuts.
Reports: Loox phone details, new handhelds Video out card for SDIO slots? Palm Lifedrive 2 rumor probably false; Palm cuts Lifedrive retail price
How to Get Push Email on an Older Pocket PC… Sort Of
Step-by-step instructions on how to have email automatically delivered to a Windows Mobile 2003 handheld from an Exchange server using only the software that came on the device.
A Handheld By Any Other Name
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Palm Cuts LifeDrive's Price
Today, for the first time, Palm cut the price for its premier handheld by 10 percent.
Is this the Nokia E90?
Recently, some very sketchy details have emerged on what might be a future cellular-wireless handheld from Nokia.
Sidekick 3 Officially Unveiled
Capping months of rumors and speculation, T-Mobile has just officially taken the wraps off the Sidekick 3, which will include many features that are new to this line of cellular-wireless[...]
Get Ready for New Palm Handhelds
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CeBIT 2006: Asus P525 Windows Mobile Phone and GPS PDAs
Asus had on display a few of their recent PDA offerings and an upcoming VoIP integrated SmartPhone, the Asus P525. The P525 first showed up here at CeBIT 2006[...]
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It has been about a year since RIM introduced a new cellular-wireless handheld to replace the 8700, so its not surprising that rumors have been going around for a while[...]


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|Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, one of the few capable of hunting the monsters that prey on humanity. A mutant who is tasked with killing unnatural beings. He uses magical signs, potions, and the pride of every Witcher - two swords, steel and silver.But a contract has gone wrong, and Geralt finds himself without his signature weapons. Now he needs them back, because sorcerers are scheming, and across the world clouds are gathering.The season of storms is coming...
|Andrzej Sapkowski
|419 pages
|Release Date
|2013 Polish; 2018 English
The following is the eighth in a series of eight reviews of the Witcher books. Because this review assumes reader familiarity with previous entries, there may be spoilers for the preceding texts.
Just when everyone thought that Andrzej Sapkowski was done writing Witcher books, out of nowhere in 2017, publishers Orbit and Gollancz announced that they would be publishing the US and UK versions, respectively, of the next entry in the Witcher saga, Season of Storms. Considering the fact that the video game series follows the conclusion of Sapkowski's previously-final novel, The Lady of the Lake, and with the video games themselves coming to an end with 2017's Blood and Wine, from where doth this man summon the inspiration for another book? Well in actuality, Sapkowski published the Polish edition in 2013—still fourteen years after The Lady of the Lakei (in the author's native tongue).
I suspect that hubris motivated Sapkowski to write Season of Storms a decade into the 20th century. Witcher fans may remember the infamous story of Sapkowski selling the rights of Wiedźmin (derived from Polish "wiedźma" or "witch") to CD Projekt Red for less than $12, 000 USD. The game developer was able to acquire rights to the fantasy franchise for such a paltry sum of cash because its owner maintained at the time a negative perspective on video games. Only after the successes of The Witcher (2007) and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (2011) did Sapkowski begin to change his tune. Perhaps then, by penning a new book, he wanted to remind the world who the Witcher franchise's real father is—not CD Projekt Red.
Content Guide
Readers sensitive to mature content should approach the literary Witcher series with caution equitable to the video games. This is literature for adults. As each book in the series is over 400 pages, an exhaustive content guide detailing what Christians might find offensive would be a novel itself. To supplement potential gaps, I recommend reading the content guides of our reviews of The Last Wish, The Sword of Destiny, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, The Lady of the Lake, The Witcher, The Witcher 2, and The Witcher 3 for additional insight concerning the mature nature of this franchise.
I do not believe that there is anything I could indicate here that would be different from what one should come to expect from a Sapkowski novel. At any rate, one controversial subject unique to Season of Storms is an ad hoc debate concerning abortion. The reasons for guarding life are largely for the purpose of maintaining patriarchy and "keeping women in their place"; the sorceress responsible for the outrage finds her practice highly profitable, though she is of the opinion of "women's right to choose." Reminder to readers: sorceresses are (almost always) sterile.
"It has reached our ears," he puffed angrily, "that the Honourable Madam Neyd makes magical concoctions available to womenfolk who don't want children. And helps those who are already pregnant to abort the foetus. We, here in Kerack, consider such a practice immoral" (11).
Though magic has always existed in the Witcher saga, understood as the Power, this novel introduces Goetia, or demon-summoning. A major plot point in Season of Storms concerns suppressing one bold enough to violate the laws of magic forbidding this kind of conjuration as it has resulted in the slaughter of entire villages. However, things are not as they appear….
The violence and profanity here are consistent with prior books and video games, but sex scenes featuring a certain sorceress are the most extensive of all the texts.
Additionally, a man sexually assaults a young girl; as a result, an entire gang of men pay for this crime with their lives. In terms of other sexual deviances, it is possible that an elder man had groomed a younger man for the purpose of the former's pleasure.
Those who have read my Sword of Destiny review will recall the timeline that I published for all of Sapkowski's short stories, including Season of Storms. This novel falls between "The Last Wish" and "A Matter of Price." Despite Geralt and Yennefer's passionate tryst, the former abandons his lover and resumes his journey on The Path, which takes him to the minor kingdom of Kerack. Season of Storms opens with Geralt tracking a rare monster that can camouflage itself in the woods. Shadowing a lone family traveling through the woods as bait, he slays the beast, though perhaps not quickly enough. Regardless, Geralt brings his trophy along to collect his reward; as a man of honor, he refuses the exceedingly generous offer from the nearby ward.
The tallest guard, clearly the commandant, pushed her bowl away and stood up. Geralt, who always maintained there was no such thing as an ugly woman, suddenly felt compelled to revise his opinion (21-22).
Checking in his swords with the crude local guardswomen, Geralt goes into town, seeking company with his good pal Dandelion. After a display of astonishing skill, thrashing some armed ne'er-do-wells with nothing more than a broom handle, city guards arrest not the perpetrators, but the defender, Geralt! Thrown in jail for days, a certain benefactor he pays fines for the fabricated charges, though they do not make it difficult for him to find her. Promising riches beyond his imagination, Lytta Neyd, fondly known as Coral, sends Geralt on a mission to hunt demons while unfortunately unarmed as his trademark swords have been stolen!
"Not exactly. Warewolfes, werebats, wererats, and similar creatures are therianthropes, humans able to shapeshift. The aguara is an antherion. An animal—or rather a creature—able to assume the form of a human" (252).
Though Season of Storms is a singular novel, Sapkowski writes it as though it were a collection of short stories like those it chronologically falls between. Its functionality is as an "expansion" to the Witcher saga, rather than an essential entry, mitigates its potency. Though Sapkowski tries to tie the stories together by beginning and ending with a monster hunt and prolonging the resolution of the sword heist, I believe that the novel would have been better-served as individualized stories rather than an awkward assemblage of serial misadventures.
"For it was Cosimo Malaspina, and after him his student Alzur, yes, Alzur, who created the witchers. They invented the mutation owning to which men like you were bred" (148).
For example, Geralt's interactions with Coral establishes the path to the novel's ersatz villain, but he first follows a lead on his witcher swords ending with a confrontation with a unique monster that narrowly relates to anything whatsoever. After aimless wandering and a serendipitous encounter and defeat, Geralt tries to follow another lead that ends in folly. Only after introducing a deus ex machina character and then explaining how Geralt knows them afterward does the novel present a resolution to the main conflict that must have a resolution for the sake of human decency. A perfunctory scene at Kerack court gives Geralt reason to never return for the remainder of the saga.
Of course, those who are reading Season of Storms will already come prepared for its chronological and modular inconsistencies, having prior devoured eight Sapkowski books, one encyclopedia, three video games plus two expansions, and perhaps even some Witcher comics. Simply put, this novel is "more Witcher" for those who feel that they have not had enough, though at no point does it discard the feeling of capitalizing on the game's success, or a contractual obligation to write (someone get George R. R. Martin on that plan!). Therefore, I would recommend Season of Storms particularly to those like me who inhale all things Witcher. Others are not missing much.
+ Return of Witcher elixirs
+ Geralt really knows how to fight!
+ Dandelion's development as more than a burden
+ Origins of several original magical phenomena, such as anti-aging and the witchers
- Cora is NOT Yennefer
- [spoiler redacted] is NOT Vilgefortz
- Addarion Bach is NOT Yarpen Zigrin or Zoltan Chivay
The Bottom Line
More Witcher sounds like a good thing in theory, but this tale deviates from the comradery, longing, and hope provided within the mainline series.


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No-Cry Solution Series Author
Elizabeth Pantley is a parent educator, mother of four, and the author of the now-classic baby sleep book, The No-Cry Sleep Solution, as well as six other books in the series, including The No-Cry Separation Anxiety Solution, The No-Cry Potty Training Solution, The No-Cry Discipline Solution, The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution, plus other successful parenting books. She is known worldwide as the practical, reasonable voice of respectful parenting.
How to Tell if Your Child Still Needs a Nap
In the first year of life your baby needs lots of sleep (13 to 18 hours a day!). Sleep is necessary support for your little one's rapid growth and development. But your baby doesn't know that! He exists in the moment and responds to his body's needs and the environment. Many parents don't realize that their baby's sleep needs are powerfully driven by instinct and by understanding and responding to his cues sleep can be a very easy, pleasant process. When your baby is tired, he'll sleep – but only if the conditions are right. If not, he will fuss and cry about not sleeping.
Bringing a new life into this world carries with it an awesome responsibility. Parents ensure the physical growth of their child through proper nourishment. They build the foundation for emotional stability through a strong relationship with their baby built on love and trust. They promote the intellectual development of their child by talking, reading, and providing opportunities for discovery and exploration. And last, but certainly not least, parents are responsible for guiding their child along the path of spiritual and moral development.
A common mistake that parents of newborns make is to misinterpret their baby's attempts to communicate and respond in just about the opposite way that Baby means for you to.
Is there anything more exasperating than dealing with temper tantrum? Is there anything that makes you feel more helpless than watching your tiny child scream, kick and lose control, and being unable to stop his distress? It may be less baffling if you learn where these emotions originate.
Your children can make you angry. It happens. Very often your anger is triggered over normal childhood behavior. Your child isn't acting out with the intention to upset you, though it may feel that way. When we view a situation with our adult outlook we set ourselves up with unrealistic expectations. The reality is that children are inexperienced, naïve and lacking in social skills. They have limited knowledge about social rules and expected behavior.
It's the time of year when many people hit the stores shopping for the best bargains in gifts and holiday foods. It's also the time of year for kids to beg, whine, fuss and have major meltdowns and tantrums in the malls and stores. Here are some tips to make your shopping trips pleasant - and maybe even fun!
At some point children resist their daily nap and parents ask, "When is it time to end the nap routine?" The best answer to that question might be "Never!" Naps take only an hour or two out of the day, but naps – or lack of naps – can shape all twenty-four hours of your child's day. They have the power to influence mood, behavior, health, and brain development. Naps can affect how happy your child is in the morning and how easily she'll go to bed at night. An appropriate nap schedule is a vital component for your child's healthy, happy life.
1. Newborn babies sleep up to 18 hours per day. Parents of new babies all complain about of lack of sleep. But this is really about the parents' experience – not the baby's! Newborns need a massive amount of sleep – fifteen to eighteen hours each day. The problem for us is that they break up this sleep into chunks spread out over all 24 hours of the day and night. The good news is that over the early months their biological clock kicks in and they start to consolidate more sleep during the night.
There are many difficulties that arise when you have multiple children, and coordinating bedtime routines is definitely one of them! How do you manage older children's bedtime routines with the non-schedule of a new baby?


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Using phone, tablet, and laptop microphones for meeting transcription
Recent advances in machine learning and signal processing, as well as the availability of massive computing power, have resulted in dramatic and steady improvement in speech recognition accuracy. Voice interfaces to digital devices have become more and more common. Lectures and online conversations can be transcribed using the live caption and translation features of PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. The speech technology community, including those of us at Microsoft, continues to innovate, pushing the envelope and expanding the application areas of the technology.
One of our long-term efforts aims to transcribe natural conversations (that is, recognizing "who said what") from far-field recordings. Earlier this year, we announced Conversation Transcription, a new capability of Speech Services that is part of the Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services family. This feature is currently in private preview. To achieve reasonable speech recognition and speaker attribution accuracy in a wide range of far-field settings, microphone arrays are often required.
As researchers in the Microsoft Speech and Dialog Research Group, we're looking to make the benefits of transcription—such as closed captioning for colleagues who are deaf or hard of hearing—more broadly accessible. We will be presenting our paper, "Meeting Transcription Using Asynchronous Distant Microphones," at Interspeech 2019, which provides a foundation for our demo at the Microsoft Build 2019 developers conference earlier this year. The research team working on this project includes Takuya Yoshioka, Dimitrios Dimitriadis, Andreas Stolcke, William Hinthorn, Zhuo Chen, Michael Zeng, and Xuedong Huang. Our paper shows the potential to allow meeting participants to use multiple, readily available devices, already equipped with microphones, instead of specially designed microphone arrays.
Using technology from our pockets and bags for accurate transcription
The central idea behind our approach is to leverage any internet-connected devices, such as the laptops and smart phones that attendees typically bring to meetings, and virtually form an ad hoc microphone array in the cloud. With our approach, teams would be able to choose to use the cell phones, laptops, and tablets they already bring to meetings to enable high-accuracy transcription without needing special-purpose hardware.
While the idea sounds simple, it requires overcoming many technical challenges to be effective. The audio quality of devices varies significantly. The speech signals captured by different microphones are not aligned with each other. The number of devices and their relative positions are unknown. For these reasons and others, consolidating the information streams from multiple independent devices in a coherent way is much more complicated than it may seem. In fact, although the concept of ad hoc microphone arrays dates back to the beginning of this century, to our knowledge it has not been realized as a product or public prototype so far. Meanwhile, techniques for combining multiple information streams were developed in different research areas. At the same time, general advances in speech recognition, especially via the use of neural network models, have helped bring transcription accuracy closer to usable levels.
Harnessing the power of ad hoc microphone arrays: From blind beamforming to system combination
As described in our paper, we developed an end-to-end system by putting all relevant components together to evaluate the feasibility of transcribing meetings with ad hoc microphone arrays and optimize the way to combine the different elements.
The diagram shown above depicts the resulting processing pipeline. It starts with aligning signals from different microphones, followed by blind beamforming. The term "blind" refers to the fact that beamforming is achieved without any knowledge about the microphones and their locations. This is achieved by using neural networks optimized to recover input features for acoustic models, as we reported previously. This beamformer generates multiple signals so that the downstream modules (speech recognition and speaker diarization) can still leverage the acoustic diversity offered by the random microphone placement. After speech recognition and speaker diarization, the speaker-annotated transcripts from multiple streams are consolidated by combining confusion networks that encode both word and speaker hypotheses and they are sent back to the meeting attendees. After the meeting, the attendees can choose to keep the transcripts available only to themselves or share them with specified people.
Our system outperforms a single-device system by 14.8% and 22.4% with three and seven microphones respectively. A version of the system runs in real time as demonstrated here. Experimental results on publicly available NIST meeting test data are also reported in an extended version of the paper, which we published online.
The work published at Interspeech 2019 is part of a longer focused effort, codenamed Project Denmark. Many interesting challenges remain to be investigated, such as the separation of overlapping speech, the end-to-end modeling and training of the entire system, and supporting accurate speaker attribution for people who want to be recognized in transcriptions while ensuring that others can freely choose to remain anonymous. More results will be coming, and we encourage you to visit the project page, check out related publications, and stay tuned for further developments with this technology. For those attending Interspeech 2019, we are looking forward to discussions with our colleagues in the research community.
We will be presenting our research at Interspeech 2019 at 10:00am on Tuesday, September 17, during the "Rich Transcription and ASR Systems" session.


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We have been relatively good recently at not dining out so much. It is the one indulgence all three members of the family share a passion for. But lately we've curtailed it fairly well. We certainly made up for it this weekend.
It actually started last week with the opening of Barcelona, a wonderful Tapas/Wine bar literally steps from our new pad. We'd already been there a few times before this weekend rolled around. We were going to go out for sushi Friday after Cindy got home. I knew that she would be late and that I would start getting hungry and grouchy, so as a preventive measure, Skye and I went for just a little tapas prior to sushi. It worked out well. We had two lovely family outings in one evening, although somehow the "small bites" didn't do much to reduce our sushi feasting.
Saturday Night Fever
I blame it on the mundane nature of household tasks and errands. By the day's end, after puttering around the house, and filing and organizing and blah, blah, blah, I needed some fun. Which was perfect because we already had plans to go out with friends. When I was getting ready around 6 and already getting hungry Cindy informed me we weren't meeting them until 9. That used to be normal, but I've become quite the early bird, so I knew this wasn't going to work. What to do?
Back to Barcelona. By the time we met up with our friends, we were practically ready to call it a night. But we rose to the occasion and were able to be social for several more hours.
Daylight Savings? Not So Much
Earlier in the week I signed up for the first Inman Park Beer Chase 5K and Beer Fest 2011. I also bought Cindy a ticket for the Festival and beer-sampling after the 5k.
The Beer Chase 5K or 3 mile stumble
I haven't been running at all lately. I honestly can't remember the last time I went for a jog. Still a 5k is not so hard for me, it's just a little over 3 miles. But running with little sleep and fairly hungover and with the Vibram 5 fingers, well, let's just say I was very glad it was as short as it was and that I didn't care about my finish time.
It was fun in spite of that, although I was surprised how quiet and serious everyone seemed. I couldn't figure out whether the people around me were there more for the run or the beer. Usually that's a pretty easy one to call but not on this Sunday.
Cindy and Skye did accompany me to the race start. It was probably only 200 yards from our condo. They didn't bother taking any pictures though and were on their way home probably before I was out of sight. I wouldn't fault them for that give how long I probably took to get out of sight.
The Inaugural Inman Park Beer Chase 5K and Beer Fest 2011
I realized later that I was standing on a hill when I took this picture so it came out a little uneven. I know what you're thinking, it being a beer festival and all, but that wasn't the case this time around.
Most of the Sponsors are local businesses, most of which we've gone to at one point or another. Doing a pretty good shop lately of supporting local economies and being a localvore.
I'm not absolute with either endeavor but I figure if everyone changed a little bit, then no one would have to go to the extremes of say "No Impact Man" or the Amish or well, you get the idea.
They were all micro-breweries, many of them local. Other than when I'm purchasing a case or more, when I'm entertaining I almost never buy mass produced beer. And of course, if I can actually talk to the person brewing the beer, it makes it taste all the better. The same kind of thing that happens for me at the farmer's market. All in all this living local thing is very satisfying to me.


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hmv.com reviews... The Darkness @ O2 Academy Bristol
The hard rockers rolled into Bristol over the weekend and we were there to catch them in action...
The catsuit wearing, falsetto wailing glam rockers The Darkness.
At the Bristol Academy.
Was it full? And how were the crowd?
With it being a Sunday night, they aren't particularly the most active of audiences, yet banter is thrown back and forth from the stage in equal measure. At one point, underwear is even thrown on the stage...and who said romance is dead?!
So what was the set like? What did they play?
Whilst promoting a new album, the set sees almost all of their seminal debut album Permission To Land being played to the delight of everybody. Things kick off with 'Barbarian' the opening from their latest effort 'Last Of Our Kind'. Without paying too much attention to the subject matter, 'Growing On Me' still sounds great to this day.
Seeing as they have been likened as the real life 'Spinal Tap' in the past, naturally something had to go wrong as it does when Dan Hawkins' guitar breaks during 'Black Shuck' twice! You've got to appreciate any band that uses a cowbell solo to open up their songs as they do on 'One Way Ticket'. Even an avid fan in the crowd fights his way to the front with his own bell raised in the air to acknowledgement of the band.
The newer material in the forms of 'Mudslide' and 'Roaring Waters' certainly seem to include more metal elements as apposed to the straight up glam-rock of before. In comparison 'English Country Garden' is as camp as Christmas, with an audience member baring a considerable amount of flesh on stage during a rather interesting dance.
It's the older material like 'Stuck In A Rut' or the sublime 'Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman' in which the end of the song is halted for around 5 minutes to include crowd participation. But everybody really starts bouncing for their most famous number 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love'.
The encore consists of the wonderful 'Christmas Time' and a very frenetic cover of Radiohead's 'Street Spirit', a long staple of their live shows. It almost seems sacrilege to even attempt to recreate such a song and yet played with such a pace it really works. It's all finished with 'Love On The Rocks' which towards the end sees Hawkins riding through the crowd on shoulders soloing on his guitar as he makes his way across the room. It's a theatrical end to a theatrical set.
Any good between song banter?
From the outset Justin states that it is probably the most ill he has ever felt during the show, but it still doesn't stop him from wearing outrageous outfits and talking to the crowd. Gentle in his tone, he communicates with both individual members and everyone collectively almost being challenged by somebody to a high voice contest.
Did they put on much of a show?
For a band that are so theatrical in the music they make, they certainly don't do things by half measures. Whether it's getting the audience to clap by standing on your head and moving your legs in time, or riding on a roadies shoulders throughout the crowd whilst mid guitar solo; Justin Hawkins likes to put on a show!
What was the highlight of the set?
Everyone knew it was coming, from the encore chants of 'Christmas song!'. As an inflatable Santa and Snowman are raised on stage there is a massive cheer on stage as the band return to play the wonderfully OTT 'Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)'. It's hard not to put a smile on your face if it's either from the festive spirit or ridiculous lyrics.
Where can I catch them next?
You can catch them before the end of the year in Bournemouth, Oxford or London before a European tour at the start of 2016.


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In this section
In line with the City of Onkaparinga's drive to create a vibrant Noarlunga Regional Centre, the council is seeking development partner/s to participate in an extraordinary mixed-use land development within the rapidly expanding southern metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia.
Noarlunga Regional Centre Revitalisation Prospectus(PDF, 3MB)
Together with various stakeholders including the Government of South Australia, the City of Onkaparinga is driving the repositioning of this important regional centre. Located only 30km south of the Adelaide CBD, this is a prime beachside location and is adjacent the world-renowned McLaren Vale wine region.
This opportunity is focused around approximately 12 hectares of strategically located land within Noarlunga Centre, the heart of the City of Onkaparinga. The land is located in the key business, retail and government services hub for the outer southern metropolitan region.
The area is well-connected to other parts of metropolitan Adelaide via the electrified rail line, local and regional bus services, Southern Expressway and Main South Road.
According to City of Onkaparinga CEO, Mark Dowd "Noarlunga is the perfect location for a regional development of this kind, with easy access to transport, beautiful beaches, great rural landscapes and the world-class McLaren Vale wine region.
The opportunity exists to leverage these inherent strengths and transition Noarlunga to become a true lifestyle city.
Buoyed by strong underlying international, national and local developer demand for diverse quality development opportunities in South Australia, this is an ideal opportunity to invest in
a landmark location."
There are numerous potential opportunities including to either:
All enquiries in English by email to firstname.lastname@example.com. If you wish for an Officer to contact you directly by telephone please note this in your enquiry.
Customer Relations Centre
E email@example.com
Postal: PO Box 1,
Noarlunga Centre SA 5168
Submit a request or feedback
Kaurna acknowledgement
The City of Onkaparinga acknowledges the Kaurna Nation and its people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land in the area now known as the City of Onkaparinga, and pays respect to Elders past and present.


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ESL Class
We offer a free ESL (English as a Second Language) class from September to May on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm. The first day of class is September 11, 2019! The class is located at East Gate Alliance Church (2203 E. Becker Rd). Students can park in the lower parking lot (off of N. Anton Ave) and enter through the door marked with the ESL sign.
Anyone who would like to learn English is welcome! Classes are led by trained volunteers who are excited to meet you and help you learn. No pre-registration is needed. Walk-ins are welcome. All materials will be provided. Childcare is available.
The class is geared towards beginners – those who speak little or no English.
¡Se habla Español!
Questions? Call or message Dan at 920-888-6950, or email him at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Today, entirely metronome work on the first two measures of the Menuet II. I'm not sure exactly what I was doing wrong either during class. The rhythm seems even to me. One thing that I find interesting is that when I come off this kind of practice, which is new to me, it is easier to remember the bowing than it has been with other kinds of practice.
Practice tonight was about 40 minutes. Warmup was Kummer #7.


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Hantu Tingi aka Hantu Galah
Hantu Tingi aka Hantu Galah refers to a type of legendary Tree Monster. Some call them Tall Ghost or Bamboo Ghost. Different rumours also says that when a spirit possesses a tree, it manifests itself as the Hantu Galah. Appearance It has a humanoid figure and has the arms and legs of a tree. Its ..


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Nano is eating my lunch. I'm having trouble killing my inner-editor. Word count to date: ~1300.
In addition to leaving my job in December, I'm also officially transitioning out of 242 and my hope group. It's such a bitter-sweet stage. On the one hand, I'm excited about moving on to post-college group and getting to see some good friends more regularly. And I'm really ready for a change; ready to move forward and let God do a new thing in me. I feel like these last four years have equipped me for purpose in the kingdom, and I'm ready to set out on that journey.
On the other hand, I'm going to miss seeing alot of awesome friends in 242 on a regular basis, not to mention all the amazing people coming in who I won't get the chance to know better. Plus, my hope group is thriving after two years of hard, seed-planting, struggling, prayer-warrioring, and hoping.
On the other hand (yes, I have three hands), -that's just the place I want my hope group to be when I step out.
I am so grateful and awesomely blessed that Jesus chose to use such a caring, and passionate body to intervene in my life (or death, rather) and display his heart to me, through his Spirit and His people. It's hard to walk away from something that's been so life-giving, but I'm ready, and even excited.
There's alot of people in my office really upset about the election turnout. I'm thinking of making them cookies that say Hillary 2008* as a consolation prize.
*This website is not endorsing Hillary Clinton for office. I repeat, not. **
**I love blogs with fine print.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Posted by everyday amy at 11:25 AM
1 comment:
Don't go!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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MINNEAPOLIS, MN and REHOVOT, Israel, Feb 22, 2017 – Stratasys Ltd., the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, announced it will release financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2016 on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The Company plans to hold the conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year financial results on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at 8:30AM (ET).
The investor conference call will be available via live webcast on the Stratasys Web site at www.stratasys.com under the "Investors" tab; or directly at the following Web address: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/9kxkoga5/.
To participate by telephone, the domestic dial-in number is (855) 319-2216 and the international dial-in is (503) 343-6033. The access code is 73596435.
Investors are advised to dial into the call at least ten minutes prior to the call to register. The webcast will be available for 90 days on the "Investors" page of the Stratasys website or by accessing the provided Web address.
About Stratasys Ltd.
For more than 25 years, Stratasys Ltd. has been a defining force and dominant player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing – shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range of vertical markets by enabling new paradigms for design and manufacturing. The company's solutions provide customers with unmatched design freedom and manufacturing flexibility – reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving designs and communications. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the Stratasys ecosystem includes 3D printers for prototyping and production; a wide range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional services; and the Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities with over 2 million 3D printable files for free designs. With more than 2,700 employees and 800 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents, Stratasys has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards.
Visit them online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com/.


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by Kyna Garrett, on Mar 16, 2018 6:01:00 AM
Once again, we have partnered with another property management company (Lincoln Property Company) to prove the value of multifamily properties having virtual tours on Google My Business.
This case study compares all of their properties with virtual tours on Google My Business to properties without virtual tours over a twelve-month period. Looking at all of the results for properties with virtual tours, it is apparent that there was a significant growth in website conversions, as well as customer engagement compared to properties without virtual tours.
Discover the latest in the world of virtual tours, photography, 3D architecture and Google Business View. More →
6601 N. Avondale Ave.Suite 200Chicago, IL 60631Phone: 877-658-0433


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With every streaming service desperately pushing its own exclusives and originals in order to try and differentiate themselves from every streaming service, it can be frustrating to be hit over the head with some ostensibly great TV show you can't watch without paying an extra $10 or so every month. The internet being what it is, though, frustrated streamers have found an obvious workaround: piracy. As noted in Sandvine's "Global Internet Phenomena" report (via Vice's Motherboard), BitTorrent downloads have been increasing after years of "steady decline," which is coinciding with an increase in piracy—since torrenting is still the go-to choice for people who want to download big things illegally, even if it can be used just as easily to download legitimate things.
According to Sandvine's research, a lot of users are choosing to subscribe to "one or two" streaming services and then they'll "pirate the rest." Game Of Thrones is still a big hit among pirates, partly because it often premieres in different parts of the world first, so as soon as it's available in one place, people in other places will steal it as soon as they possibly can. In a similar vein, the study has shown that BitTorrent downloads account for 32 percent of all upstream internet traffic in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, partly because a lot of U.S.-based streaming content is simply harder to access there.
Basically, streaming content is so good these days, that people are compelled to steal it. That's gotta be a good thing to these companies, right?


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ShowingFilter 1-20 of 223 listings.
TACOS OF THE SEAS - Custom Line 112
Motor Yacht Rental in Croatia
$8,222 / day
34.1 m / 112.0 ft
Find a motor yacht rental at the most popular yachting destinations
In recent years Croatia has become one of the top sailing and yachting destination in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, with more then a thousand kilometers of coastline and 1,240 islands. The major regions for a yachting vacation are Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar and the Istria & Kvarner region.
There is a wide range of yachts and boats to choose from in Croatia, for all budgets and expectations. Whether you are looking for a Catamaran, Speed Boat or Luxury Yacht, Croatia got it all.


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We specialise in boutique catering for all events, big and small. From buffet style, cocktail parties, platter drop offs, formal sit down dinners, rustic garden parties, office catering, breakfast bars – we can bring your culinary visons to life. All menus are bespoke to meet your individual needs and budget. Get in touch!
You can find us at organic food markets weekly across Sydney. We bring you a selection of fine fresh foods from salad bowls, bagels, pastries, delicious proteins cooked fresh at the market as well as a selection of delicious sweets. Come visit us at a market to learn more about ordering take home roast trays! Follow us on Instagram @elizabethskitchenaus to find out which market we are at this week.
We are very excited to be launching a collection of fine food products that are close to the Elizabeth's Kitchens heart! Stay tuned and watch this space….
My family ran a third generation dairy and cattle farm known as "Figtree", in a small town called Clybucca. It was the rich farm lands of the Macleay Valley on the Mid North Coast of NSW where as a five year old I used to climb on the roof of the outside laundry to reach the fresh figs from the "Figtree". Those early years have embodied in me the passion for freshly picked farm food.
We grew our own watermelons, peaches, persimmons, pears and had vines of passionfruit growing over the paling fence. My mother would skim the cream from the milk after the cows were milked and whip it to make the most beautiful whipped cream you could ever taste. Add the freshly whipped cream to the baked grammar pumpkin tarts and the taste was heavenly.
Raising our own poultry, I would run and feed the ducks & chooks and collect all the fresh eggs. The wonderful smell and taste of the pastry of my mums incredible meat pies and the tantalising freshly baked apple tarts were to die for. The constant aroma of chocolate brownies, custard slices with fresh passionfruit icing and the most talked about Pavlovas on the Macleay Valley with high peaks of meringue and covered with cream fresh from the dairy and then topped with passionfruit from the vines.
It is the memories and tastes of the bygone era that drive my passion to produce food that is not only fresh and flavoursome but also full of the passion of childhood memories.
With love,
Elizabeth has over 30 years experience in the food industry, having opened countless restaurants and cafe's across Sydney and providing exceptional catering services. Elizabeth has a passion for food and prides herself in using traditional cooking styles.
Zoe is a passionate foody who loves to endulge in a cheeky Apple crumble. Zoe has a background in the financial services industry and business adminstration. Her passion for food and her business expertise was an unstoppable combination.
Laura is a creative at heart and is passionate about food design, gastronomy and presentation. Laura graduated from UTS with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Finance and Marketing. Laura is your go to to bringing your event to life whether in food design and presentation, event styling or buildling your creative direction.
Ellie is a social media and marketing guru and graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Screen & Media from Sydney Film School. In Ellie's spare time, you can find her designing, making and curating beautiful content or with her two miniature dachsunds.


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After Taking Heat for CEO's Pro-Trump Comments, Under Armour Speaks Out Against Immigration Ban
Kevin Plank's pro-Trump remarks sparked controversy
Today, Under Armour issued a statement against President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to temporarily halt immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries and indefinitely ban the entry of Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. The president and others have described the order as a "travel ban," and yesterday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld a previous ruling that blocked it from taking effect.
The brand's statement follows pro-Trump remarks from its CEO, Kevin Plank, on CNBC's Halftime Report Tuesday, when he said the "pro-business president" was "a real asset to this country." The interview resulted in social media backlash against the brand as Under Armour celebrity endorsers Misty Copeland, Stephen Curry and Dwayne Johnson came out against Plank's remarks.
In a viral Instagram post, Copeland wrote, "I have spoken at length with Kevin privately about the matter, but as someone who takes my responsibility as a role model very seriously, it is important to me that he, and UA, take public action to clearly communicate and reflect our common values in order for us to effectively continue to work towards our shared goal of trying to motivate ALL people to be their best selves."
In his own Instagram post, Johnson clarified that Plank's remarks were "neither my words or my beliefs," adding, "His words were divisive and lacking in perspective … a good company is not solely defined by its CEO."
The timing and nature of today's statement suggest that it's a response such backlash, but Under Armour claims in the statement, "These are not new or revised values. This is what we believe."
The comments also do not shy away from Plank's relationship with the president. The statement opens by addressing the CEO's invitation—along with the leaders of GE, Ford, Tesla and Dow Chemical—to join the American Manufacturing Council. "We believe it is important for Under Armour to be a part of that discussion," the brand wrote.
After citing the new UA Lighthouse facility in Baltimore, which it calls an "important first step in the evolution of creating more jobs at home," the statement clarifies that the brand engages in "policy, not politics." Last month, the company also debuted its first "Made in the U.S." product line.
The statement does not fully walk back Plank's previous comments about Trump, but it claims UA advocates for "an inclusive immigration policy that welcomes the best and the brightest."
"At Under Armour, our diversity is our strength, and we will continue to advocate for policies that Protect Our House, our business, our team, and our community," the brand continues before finally addressing the executive order directly in its final sentence. "We are against a travel ban and believe that immigration is a source of strength, diversity and innovation for global companies based in America like Under Armour."
Read the statement in its entirety below:
February 10, 2017
At Under Armour, our culture has always been about optimism, teamwork, and unity. We have engaged with both the prior and the current administrations in advocating on business issues that we believe are in the best interests of our consumers, teammates, and shareholders. Kevin Plank was recently invited at the request of the President of the United States, to join the American Manufacturing Council as part of a distinguished group of business leaders. He joined CEOs from companies such as Dow Chemical, Dell, Ford, GE and Tesla, among others to begin an important dialogue around creating jobs in America. We believe it is important for Under Armour to be a part of that discussion.
We have always been committed to developing innovative ways to support and invest in American jobs and manufacturing. For years, Under Armour has had a long-term strategy for domestic manufacturing and we recently launched our first women's collection made in our hometown of Baltimore, MD. We are incredibly proud of this important first step in the evolution of creating more jobs at home.
We engage in policy, not politics. We believe in advocating for fair trade, an inclusive immigration policy that welcomes the best and the brightest and those seeking opportunity in the great tradition of our country, and tax reform that drives hiring to help create new jobs globally, across America and in Baltimore.
We have teammates from different religions, races, nationalities, genders and sexual orientations; different ages, life experiences and opinions. This is the core of our company. At Under Armour, our diversity is our strength, and we will continue to advocate for policies that Protect Our House, our business, our team, and our community.
These are not new or revised values. This is what we believe. Under Armour and Kevin Plank are for job creation and American manufacturing capability. We believe building should be focused on much needed education, transportation, technology and urban infrastructure investment. We are against a travel ban and believe that immigration is a source of strength, diversity and innovation for global companies based in America like Under Armour.