text:
Black Box Replaced by the Black Bag
It was quite a long and tiring day for me, but this surprise waited for me today evening. The August Vellvette Box with all its surprise elements intact. This is the first time that I am getting my box this early. Usually I get it on the starting of the commencing month. By that time I would have gone through hundreds of blog posts telling about the contents they received and all the surprise element would have gone. But this time it was different. I got the box early enough and while I didn't have the least idea of what I was about to get. This is awesome.
Add caption
A Black Bag
When I saw the parcel form Bluedart from Vellvette I was somewhat sure that it was a bag, because the package was quite flat. I was expecting the pink( Similar to June Vellvette bag) one, but there was a black bag with gold lettering. Even though the same color combination of the box the bag was a lot cuter. I also feel that the bag is quite useful compared to the box. It makes an effective utility and makeup storage and it quite useful during my travels.Most of my Vellvette Box'es was damaged too but the bag stays put through all the hurdles of shipment.
Now let me take you through what I got inside the August Vellvette Box/bag.
This month's theme is "Ticket To Hollywood". According to the Vellvette crew they are packing a blockbuster that will unleash the celeb in you.I got 3 super cute items.
1. H2O+ Face Oasis Shine Neutralizing Gel
2. Sally Hensen Lip Plumper In Sheer Cherry
3. Brocato Curl Calming Balm
H2O+ Face Oasis Shine Neutralizing Gel
Even though just a sample of 8ml/.27u.S Flo z, this is definitely a treat. I have extreme oily skin and from the reviews online I hear that this stuff works magic.I gives you oil free marine hydration and the idea seems overwhelming. According to the company, the marine algae in this gel naturally absorb the excess oil and deliver water light moisture and the micronized silica in it minimizes the pores and refines the skin texture. It also mattifies the skin and reduces the surface shine. It delivers continuous moisture to the skin without any oils.
The main ingredients are,Micronized Silica: This finely ground mineral, found frequently in quartz and other aggregate rocks, helps minimize the look of pores, visibly refine skin's texture and diminish surface shine.Phospholipids: Cellular compatible microspheres that deliver active ingredients within the epidermal layers while helping to improve skin texture and making it healthy and balanced Oil-Controlling Marine Blend: A dynamic composition of algae that neutralizes oil prone skin while delivering essential moisture.Dulse: Reddish-purple leaves that sprawl along the north Atlantic coast; naturally hydrates the skin while absorbing excess surface oilGigartina: Red fan-like spores that thrive in brisk marine waters near Ireland and Scotland; rich in trace minerals known to help to regulate oil productionNeptune Kelp: Golden brown algae that form towering deep-sea canopies near New Zealand; helps decrease skin's oil output by calming overactive sebaceous glandsIt is a high end product and costs 2000 Rs for a 50g jar. I was on the lookout for such a moisturizer and would have definitely liked to get my hands on a sample before being the full sized one. The gel is light greem and the smell is quite pleasant but after you put it on I feel that it is not quite refreshing or so.It is light and get absorbed into the skin fast without leaving any oiliness or a sticky film behind. Even though It hydrates the skin well didn't see any notable difference on it after one use.
Brocato Curl Calming Balm
It is a hair calming balm and will be quite useful for persons with thick, curly hair. A small amount of this cream turns coarse, frizzy curls into soft, smooth spirals. It is made with Brocato's Curlscience Ingredient Complex and the company claims that this formula provides perfect balance of moisture to leave your locks feeling super soft, shiny and frizz-free in even the most hot and humid climates. This formula has a low-viscosity composition that allows the product to spread easily and evenly throughout the hair for a perfect, even distribution of product. Curlscience has been proven to provide 20% better curl retention than other competing products.Ingredients:water, propylene glycol, cyclomethicone, phenyl trimethicone, hexylene glycol, c13-14 isoparaffin, laureth-7, polyacrylamide, dimethicone, dimethiconol, polyurethane-14, amp-acrylates copolymer, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, fragrance.
It is sulfate free, protein free, glycerin free which is great for your hair.
But I am not a great fan of this product. I have slightly wavy hair and I prefer it that way. In addition to this I received 2 products form Brocatto Curlinturupted series as a part of my May Vellvette Box(Brocato Curlinterrupted Smoothing & Hydrating Treatment Kit). I have already used them trice and they do not have any beneficial effects for my hair. In addition to this they dried out my hair too much. I will definitely be using this product to look whether this one gives any good results.In addition to this it is a leave in product and I am not a fan of leave in hair products. If you have frizzy curly hair this may work well for you.
The product is a colorless gel with the same smell as Brocato Curlinterrupted Smoothing & Hydrating Treatment Kit. The smell is a little bit overpowering for me. The cost of the full sized product is 1275/- for 175 ml. What I got is a trial sample of 25 ml that costs about 375 INR. I think the sample will last 3-4 uses but I can't tell without using as sometimes you might need a lot of product for getting good results.
And the star of the show,Sally Hensen Lip Plumper
It is a lip plumper with hydro collagen complex and an intense formula that increases the size of the lips and gives an Angelina Jolie pout. The company claims that the product gives you ultimate lip boosting results. It has plumping hydro-collagen complex and micro-spheres of marine collagen and hyaluronic acid capture. It also has cinnamon and ginger extracts which is aid to increase lip color and make them pinker and fuller. Peppermint provides lips with a cooling and stimulating sensation.
Ingredients Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Triisostearyl Citrate, Flavor, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Atelocollagen, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Nicotinate, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Tribehenin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Capsicum Frutescens Resin, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben.
I got the color sheer cherry. It is a dark pink shade with tiny gold shimmer. The color is nice and extremely wearable. It has a brush applicator and hence is more hygienic. The product smells strongly of cinnamon (It makes me remember the cinnamon oil that is used as a remedy for tooth ache). It has a mild tingling sensation when applied on the lips which lasts for about30 seconds. I didn't notice any significant plumping but it definitely makes the lips fuller and more defined. Like the Sally Hansen Radiant Hands Nails and Cuticles Crème which I received last month this is also a good one. Read review here
The product cost is 775INR for 6ml and I got the full sized product with the Vellvette box.
In short the August Vellvette box was a good bargain. I am particularly pleased with the lip gloss since I heard a lot of good reviews on the internet about it.


text:
Contact: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839
MADISON – Governor Scott Walker released the following statement this evening after the Wisconsin State Senate's passage of the 2017 – 2019 State Budget.
"Thank you to the members of the State Senate for approving our budget that will put more actual dollars into K-12 education than ever before. We are providing historic increases in funding for our public schools and we are lowering property taxes for the typical home at the same time. This budget proves you can do both, and I look forward to signing it into law soon. We are working and winning for Wisconsin."
In addition, Governor Walker agreed to veto the following budget items after discussions with the Wisconsin State Senate:
*Modifications to Public Finance Authority
*Initial Applicability of the Repeal of Prevailing Wage Law
*Transportation Projects Commission Changes
*Transfer of Segregated Funds (WisDOT Fed Swap)
*Tolling Implementation Study
*Energy Efficiency Revenue Limit Adjustment
*School District Referenda Scheduling
*State Capitol Basement Renovations
*Local Regulation of Quarries – Governor Walker is vetoing this item because he believes changes of this magnitude should be addressed in separate legislation.
All vetoes, including full summaries, will be included in the governor's veto message.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to iCodeBlog! This blog will mainly focus on iphone programming using the XCode environment. I will be updating weekly with iphone programming tutorials, news, updates and related nerdy stuff.
A little bit about me…
I am a Computer Science student at the University of New Mexico and will be starting my senior year this fall. I became interested in iPhone development with the launch of the web applications and had Apple accept 3 of my web applications. The Cost Per Square Foot Calculator, the Daily Calorie Calculator , and a Weight Watchers app that they later pulled due to copyright.
Since the launch of the app store, I have been spending countless hours learning and researching iPhone programming using XCode. One huge issue I noticed is the extreme lack of iPhone Programming tutorials on the web. The best I could find was some outdated Hello World tutorial on YouTube. So, I have decided to create iCodeBlog to share the things that I learn along the way. So be sure to check back often!


text:
The Golf Club Dresden Ullersdorf can be found in the charming countryside between Prießnitzaue on the edge of the Dresdner Heide (Forest) and "weisser Hirsch" stretching the 18 hole Golf course through the slightly Hilly Terrain.Streams, ponds, lakes, Flora and Fauna are all natural elements to be encountered on the Golf course. The Clubhouse with the "Golfino Franco" restaurant invites every Golfer and guest to appetising Snacks or a delicious meal for 2 with wine of your choice or recommended. On the terrace you can enjoy the wonderful view of the "Schönefelder Hochland" while tasting a fresh cold beer.
Popovičky, Středočeský kraj
Czech Republic
Aqaba, Aqaba Governorate
2522 Oberwaltersdorf,
By providing us your email address, you are consenting to receive electronic Network Golfer updates from Pacific Links International.
*Terms and conditions apply. Click here for details.


text:
Most people who use the internet in some capacity have heard of Pornhub, which is one of the largest online distributors of pornographic videos in the world. The website has become known for putting themselves in front of the public on numerous occasions, but now they are taking things a step further.
The porn website is currently offered to pay college tuition for one student within the United States for a single year. The total amount on offer amounts to $25,000. That's highly generous of the website. In order to become eligible for such a nice prize, the student has to answer one simple question: 'How do you strive to make others happy?' We assume this means a few NSFW (not-safe-for-work) videos will be created in response to the question and uploaded directly to the porn site.
Corey Price, Vice President of Pornhub, said: "We're always looking at different ways we can give back and we thought helping someone to go to college would be a great way. Part of our inspiration is that we've seen a lot of people have a hard time getting money to go to college. We want to make it easier for one person who shares the same mission of spreading happiness."
A scholarship from a porn website probably isn't something a lot of people want to be seen with, but then again, it's money for college, so who cares?


text:
I Am Prosper, I Am Ariel, I Am Caliban: A Metatheatrical Approach to Neil Gaiman's The Sandman
Date of Award
Degree Name
College of Liberal Arts
Type of Degree
Document Type
First Advisor
Mary Moore
Second Advisor
Timothy Burbery
Third Advisor
David Hatfield
In this paper, I use a primarily close-reading approach to examine the metatheatrical elements of William Shakespeare's representation in Neil Gaiman's comic book series The Sandman. This involves examinations of individual panels throughout three different issues of the series in order to uncover how Shakespeare is presented, as well as how he, in turn, affects the presentation of other characters, and how these both affect the view which the reader might form of not only Shakespeare, but of Gaiman himself. In doing so, I establish the existence of a new, related genre: metacomics. Similar to metatheatrics, this approach relates to the control Shakespeare and other characters within this comic exert on each other above and beyond that specifically dictated to them through Gaiman and his artists, and is carried out predominantly through the interplay between text and artwork which is the main focus of my discussion.
Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman.
Play within a play.
Shakespeare, William, 1565-1616 - Comic books, strips, etc.
Recommended Citation
Haydu, Leah E., "I Am Prosper, I Am Ariel, I Am Caliban: A Metatheatrical Approach to Neil Gaiman's The Sandman" (2007). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 630.


text:
Protect Your Assets
You can benefit from the tax savings that result from supporting Child Advocates without giving up the assets that you'd like your family to receive someday with a donation in the form of a charitable lead trust.
There are two ways that charitable lead trusts make payments to Child Advocates:
A charitable lead annuity trust pays a fixed amount each year to Child Advocates and is more attractive when interest rates are low.
A charitable lead unitrust pays a variable amount each year based on the value of the assets in the trust. With a unitrust, if the trust's assets go up in value, for example, the payments to Child Advocates go up as well.
Fund Your Donation With:
An Example of How It Works
George would like to support Child Advocates and receive tax benefits. George received a windfall amount of income and needs a large income tax deduction to offset the income. Following his advisor's recommendation, George funds a grantor charitable lead annuity trust with assets valued at $1,000,000. George's trust pays $60,000 (6% of the initial fair market value) to Child Advocates each year for 15 years, which will total $900,000. After that, the balance in the trust reverts back to George. He receives an income tax charitable deduction of $686,160. Assuming the trust earns an average 8% annual rate of return, George receives approximately $1,619,706 at the end of the trust term.
*Based on a 3.6% charitable midterm federal rate. Deductions and calculations will vary depending on your personal circumstances.
Next Steps
- Contact Suzanne McAndrew at 713-529-1396 ext. 238 or firstname.lastname@example.com to talk about supporting Child Advocates by setting up a charitable lead trust.
- Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.
- If you include Child Advocates in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.
Legal Name: Child Advocates Endowment
Address: 3701 Kirby Dr., Suite 400, Houston, TX 77098
Federal Tax ID Number: 76-0386619


text:
Gary Brown: Not adding up? Must be another New Math
This is going to be distressing to grade school pupils of the 1960s, but apparently there is another New Math.
It looks as though your kids and grandkids will be on their own, as you were, as far as doing their homework. There has never been a New Math that adults could understand.
As news commentator Tom Lehrer once said in the lyrics of a song — "New Math" — he wrote back at the time New Math was introduced in our schools, "It's so simple / So very simple / That only a child can do it!"
So, ironically, children who were supposed to have a much better understanding of mathematics because they were being taught New Math during the day, were being told by their parents at night to, "Eh, forget your math homework for right now, and let's move on to English."
New Math homework for third grade, for example, was forgotten by some parents until their sons and daughters moved out to go to college.
Personally, New Math wasn't a problem for me. I was firmly ensconced in the ancient arithmetic concepts — addition and subtraction — of old math by the time any new math ideas were rolled out. When new age education types decided to teach New Math, I already was so much of an old-fogey intellectually that teachers left me alone.
"He'll never get sets and all that stuff," I'm sure my teachers reasoned. "Just have him recite his 'times tables' again, have him solve a couple of 'goes into' long division problems, and get him on the bus."
My sister learned all about sets, however, and she also was taught all those abstract New Math concepts that caused so many math teachers to hustle to find jobs in the service industry.
I know this because I once tried to help my sister with her math homework. Being older and more experienced in how to 'carry the one' and subtract larger numbers from smaller ones by borrowing from the larger-than-necessary number beside it, I figured I could mentor her.
It didn't take me long to realize that she was doing her figuring so far out of the box, that I had to resort to telling her something like, "The way I'm figuring it, if I give you three dimes, and you give me two quarters, you'll have a set, and I'll just have a subset, so you'll be greater than and I'll be lesser than, OK?" And then I'd have her get her piggybank and actually make the exchange of money, because I found that nothing reinforced the understanding of New Math — or made a profit — better than experiencing it, at least until Mom found out about it.
Except for having to give the money back, I could see some potential value in New Math, even though in the end everybody in the country decided it sounded goofy, so they gave up on it.
I was reminded of all this when I got an email the other day that said "No Parent Left Behind — Explaining New Math."
"With the advent of the Common Core Standards for mathematics (a set of uniform goals, which has been adopted by most states) many schools in the U.S. are implementing Singapore Math, which has been shown to meet these new standards," explained the email.
"Singapore Math focuses on hands-on, visual learning, and uses the 'concrete, pictorial, abstract' sequence to foster a true understanding of mathematical concepts. Its emphasis is on ... exploring different ways to reach a conclusion, not just on memorization of rules or getting the right answer."
Apparently, two and two doesn't have to equal four anymore. If nothing else, this introduction to the modern New Math should teach us to closely check our change at any restaurants where we know New Math students are working.
Contact Gary Brown at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Microsoft Windows 8 Finally Goes Small
It was inevitable: Microsoft had no choice but to pursue the small-sized tablet segment if it hopes to be relevant. Consumers are increasingly voting with their wallets that smaller tablet form factors are the way to go. Apple has now jumped into that market segment with the iPad Mini, an implicit concession that Steve Jobs was wrong when he proclaimed that the perfect tablet size was around 10 inches.
Thus far, Microsoft's forays into the tablet market have been with larger devices, including its own Surface tablet that sports a 10.6-inch display. Most Windows 8 and Windows RT devices made by OEMs have also been in the full-sized segment. That's all changed with the Acer Iconia W3 that was just unveiled at Computex Taipei.
The Iconia W3 is being billed as the "industry's first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet," and its 8.1-inch display will compete directly with the iPad Mini's 7.9-inch screen. An Intel Atom chip is found inside, which promises all-day battery performance. Intel has been making headway in tablet wins, including scoring a spot in Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 (also with an Atom processor). Intel's pricier chips also contribute to the higher price of the Iconia W3, which will retail for $379.
Iconia W3. Source: Acer.
Microsoft is also exploring a new strategy of bundling in a basic version of Office with smaller devices. That may give the Iconia W3 a leg up in productivity against the iPad Mini, but the display's resolution is unimpressive at 1,280 x 800. Mind you, that's higher than the iPad Mini's current 1,024 x 768, but this is 2013 and Apple is expected to move to Retina iPad Minis in a matter of months. Beyond just resolution, the Iconia W3 has poor viewing angles and color reproduction, according to The Verge.
The Iconia W3 may not have a good shot at competing with the iPad Mini, but more importantly the device signifies Windows 8's entry as a platform into the small-sized segment. This is a much bigger deal for Microsoft than it is for Acer. Now the software giant needs to release a 7-inch Surface.
It's been a frustrating path for Microsoft investors, who've watched the company fail to capitalize on the incredible growth in mobile over the past decade. However, with the release of its own tablet, along with the widely anticipated Windows 8 operating system, the company is looking to make a splash in this booming market. In a new premium report on Microsoft, a Motley Fool analyst explains that while the opportunity is huge, so are the challenges. The report includes regular updates as key events occur, so make sure to claim a copy of this report now by clicking here.
The article Microsoft Windows 8 Finally Goes Small originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Intel. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Intel, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
The FDA is working to build upon their efforts to prevent and resolve drug shortages. From 2011 to 2012, the number of new shortages decreased from 251 to 117.
RELATED: Oncology Resource Center
The FDA is releasing a strategic plan as required by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) of 2012 to improve the agency's response to imminent or existing shortages, and for longer term approaches to confront the underlying causes.
This plan also highlights ways for drug manufactures to prevent shortages by promoting and sustaining quality manufacturing.
In addition, the FDA proposed a rule requiring all manufacturers of certain medically important prescription drugs and biologic products to notify the FDA of a permanent discontinuance or a temporary interruption of manufacturing likely to disrupt their supply.
This proposed rule implements the expanded early notification requirements included in FDASIA.
Parts of the strategic plan include:
- improving the FDA's communications about shortages, such as launching a new mobile app, so that individuals can instantaneously access drug shortage information via their smart phones
- clarifying manufacturers' roles and responsibilities by encouraging them to engage in certain practices that will reduce the likelihood of a shortage
- updating the FDA's internal procedures for responding to early notifications of potential shortages
- broader use of manufacturing metrics to assist in the evaluation of manufacturing quality, as well as incentives for high-quality manufacturing
- internal organization improvements to focus on quality, including a proposed Office of Pharmaceutical Quality within CDER
- risk-based approaches to identify early warning signals for manufacturing and quality problems
For more information call (888) INFO-FDA or visit FDA.gov.


text:
Jeffrey Epstein's longtime lawyer Alan Dershowitz admitted he got a massage while at Epstein's house but reportedly said it was from an "old, old Russian woman" and "I kept my underwear on."
Alan Dershowitz admits to going to child sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein's house for a massage, but would like you to know that he kept his underwear on. pic.twitter.com/Sfj4689wDd
— Lauren Werner 🇺🇸 (@LaurenWern) July 9, 2019
From Crooks and Liars:
take our poll - story continues below
Will the 2nd Amendment Be Destroyed By the Biden Admin?Completing this poll grants you access to DC Dirty Laundry updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Yesterday, Axios' Jonathan Swan was just floored when Dershowitz told them he did get a massage at Epstein's residence but it was from a very "old, old Russian woman."
Swan had the same reaction that we all did which is "What the hell is going on?" It's insane.
[…] Epstein's butler testified under oath that Dershowitz was present when underage girls were around, according to court filings.
In an interview via Skype, Dershowitz insisted he never saw an underage girl at Epstein's house, but was worked on by an older lady. Huh?
"Were there young women in another part of the house giving massages when I wasn't around? I have no idea of that," he said.
"I kept my underwear on during the massage," Dershowitz went on to stammer. "I don't like massages particularly."
Dare I say the walls are closing in?
Wow. "'Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz was around Epstein frequently,' declares Roberts in the filing. "Dershowitz was so comfortable with the sex that was going on that he would even come and chat with Epstein while I was giving oral sex to Epstein.'" https://t.co/Z7U9hlBRvN
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 8, 2019
Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab and Minds.
Your Daily Briefing:
Fight Online Censorship!
Get the news Google and Facebook don't want you to see: Sign up for DC Dirty Laundry's daily briefing and do your own thinking!


text:
I Have Prosopagnosia!
Author: Ria | Category: General | Tags: Face blind, Prosopagnosia
The other day, I was listening to Radiolab on NPR and it suddenly hit me… I have prosopagnosia!
Not a severe case, but a fairly bad case, enough to be severely embarrassing when it hits me! 🙁
Prosopagnosia also called face blindness, is the inability to recognise faces even when one might be familiar with the person. It is a cognitive disorder of face perception where the ability to recognize faces is impaired, while other aspects of visual processing (e.g., object discrimination) and intellectual functioning (e.g., decision making) remain intact, says Wikipedia.
Initially, the term was applied to conditions following acute brain damage. However, recent research has proved that a congenital or developmental form of the condition also exists where people are born with it or acquire it early in life, and what is more, it affects a large number of the population.
A German study conducted in 2006 and reported in the American Journal of Medical Genetics found that about 2% of the population suffered from prosopagnosia. Another survey conducted by Dr. Ken Nakayama of the Harvard University indicates that as much as 10% of the general population might be suffering from prosopagnosia to various degrees.
In its severest form, prosopagnosiacs fail to recognise even their close friends and family. Especially when they meet people away from the familiar places where they routinely interact. Even in its milder forms, prosopagnosia can be the cause of terrible embarrassment and social discomfort. That is exactly what my experience was.
Take the time when I was having lunch with a bunch of people from work. And this guy at the next table turns around, 'Hi Ria, how are you?' He gets up and comes over and starts talking. It is all I can do to hold up my side of the conversation, without giving away the fact that I have no clue who he is! Meanwhile, I'm busily going through mental lists searching for his identity. Obviously, he is a contact from work, possibly from a past workplace. So my questions go in that direction… 'So how is work?' 'Oh you know how it is… same old, same old'. No win there. 'And how is everyone at work?' 'Hey, I changed jobs recently, did you know?' And he is busy getting his wallet out and extracting a card for me. My sigh of relief was not audible, I hope! I took the card, looked at it and all I wanted to do was kick myself! How could I forget this guy? We occupied neighbouring cubes at my previous job, been a party to private jokes, mostly at the expense of cow-orkers – no that is not a typo – and shared innumerable lunches. How could I? I'm so glad that the rest of the conversation was a genuine pleasure!
Or think about this situation. I'm walking along in the city, with my friend Ashley. On a Friday, after work, headed to our favourite watering hole. We are stopped at a light waiting to cross. And this guy stops by us and starts talking to me. 'Hey, hey, how are you? Long time, no see'. And I'm smiling and talking and searching in my mind for his name. And I know, I should be introducing Ashley right away. She is looking at me like 'what is wrong with you?' He is looking at her… and at me. And all I can say is, 'sorry, gotta rush. Talk to you later'. And I cross the road, almost running. Fortunately, Ashley knows me well, and has no problem believing the fact that I couldn't introduce her just because I didn't know the guy's name! And to this day, that remains a mystery!
I hardly ever enjoy a movie with many white men actors for the simple reason that I'm pretty much unable to keep the characters and their names straight in my mind!
Though my experiences with prosopagnosia has been totally awkward when they occurred, they have not been that frequent to warrant any anxiety. Generally I have written them off as caused by a busy mind. But now, in the light of recent enlightenment, I'm forced to reconsider. And I have come to the conclusion: yes, I suffer from prosopagnosia!
If you want to test your ability to recognise faces, check out this page at Radiolab Blogland.
You can read more about prosopagnosia at
Just Another Face in the Crowd; article in New York Times
Prosopagnosia research centers
NINDS Prosopagnosia Information Page
Face Blind; article in Wired Magazine
11 Apr 2014


text:
|Esme Dancewear uses cookies and other technologies so that we can improve your experience on our site. To find out more see our Privacy Policy
See Our Size Charts and Find the Right Size for You!
Take a Look at Our Gorgeous Ballroom & Latin Collection
Let's Us Make Your Own Unique Designs or Make a Special Order
Browse Our Beautiful Tutu Collection and Find One Just For You!
Here at Esme not only do we make fantastic custom competition wear, we also make bespoke made to order class-wear with a fit just for you. Our class-wear is fashioned from the highest quality materials here in the UK and each item is built to 'work hard' so you can 'play hard' in the comfort of your perfect fit.
Explore Esme and Find the Dance Wear You Love!
"Here at Esme Dancewear we specialise in designing and creating beautiful ballroom dresses, exclusive tutus and everyday dance class wear.
We can make the perfect costume for you whether it's your first competition or your hundredth show. Selected from our Collection or
a Custom design each garment is made to order in the highest quality with attention to detail, here in the heart of the Brecon Beacons...
Find Passion with Dance Wear You love from Esme"


text:
On the Farm, Scaring Away the Bears
Photo by peupleloup/Flickr CC
Most pests you can pluck off plants and squish. Aphids, small as specks? Mashed by the dozen. Potato beetles can--and should--be mercilessly pinched between a thumb and a finger. Cruel world, but our crops are for people, not cabbage worms, which we drown or suffocate in a jar. Some foes, however, come bigger. Like 300 pounds, with teeth and claws.
Black bears roam our farm. I hadn't expected them, but I should have, considering the national park (Shenandoah) in our backyard. The bears, it turns out, often amble out of the woods hungry. They devoured our peaches, and now they're after our corn. One morning last week a bear stood on two legs a few feet from our front door, pawing an apple tree.
The savvy foragers need to down about 12,000 calories a day, and they can smell ripening fruit like a dog on a trail. Last month, as soon as our beautiful, rosy peaches started to turn, the bears ate every last one. Acres of juicy New and Red Havens, gone. We'd waited too long to fence the orchard. But the cornfield, we thought, was secure. Then the bears wriggled under the gate.
This farm is not a bear buffet. And we could hardly accommodate the burgeoning population: about 15,000 bears across Virginia.
We could tell: they knocked down stalks, shucked and gnawed cobs, and left deposits behind. We cursed them, but I also felt awed. Such shrewdness and power. And organic Brocade and Silver Queen sweet corn? Nice taste.
But this farm is not a bear buffet. And we could hardly accommodate the burgeoning population: about 15,000 bears across Virginia. That number is growing at more than 9 percent a year, says Jaime Sajecki, black bear project leader for the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Over the last century, she says, bears have come back from the brink of extinction, helped by hunting restrictions, conservation land, and second-growth forests that have sprung up on deserted farmland.
Around here, bears may also be thriving because of a crackdown on bear paw soup. In the late '90s, a three-year federal investigation actually dubbed SOUP (Special Operation to Uncover Poaching) picked up several neighbors trafficking in bear parts, mainly paws and gallbladders.
The paws--especially the front left one, I've heard, tender from being licked and scratching for salt--apparently make a delicious brothy soup that goes for more than $1,000 a bowl in China. The gallbladders, dried and powdered, produce tinctures said to cure ailments as varied as heart or liver disease, hemorrhoids, hangovers, coughing, and cancer. Each little sack can fetch $10,000 on Asian black markets. A couple from the next town over admitted that for more than a decade, they had sold about 300 gallbladders a year.
If you really wanted to, you could still make bile elixirs or bear paw soup legally here. You'd just have to kill the bear yourself, only one a year, over 100 pounds, not a mother with cubs, during hunting season. (Virginia has three, for archery, muzzleloaders, and firearms.) Farmers, if their livelihood is truly at stake, may be eligible for off-season kill permits, but Ms. Sajecki doesn't like those, and neither do we.
Instead, our rugged farm director rides around at dusk on a four-wheeler, scaring bears back into the forest. For all their strength, they're skittish creatures. Some people keep dogs in orchards to bark away bears. A local wildlife biologist suggests sounding the occasional air horn.
Too bad we can't set up a bear-only farmers' market. You want peaches? Fine, hand over a quart of honey. Or let me play with that cute little cub.


text:
One of the major stories circulating the world right now is how will the new implemented tariffs on imported steel and aluminum impact us as a nation and our economy? There are so many different opinions when it comes to President Trump's new steel and aluminum tariffs. Personally, I don't think that question is easily answered right now, as we have to see what happens over time, but I do have a few reasons why I think it will be a good thing for a company like Alpha Pipe.
Right around 1/3 of all steel used in the United States is imported per year. Private construction jobs were known for taking recycled (used) or surplus steel to help save on cost, but that has changed over the past 3-5 years. The used/surplus pipe market is one that Alpha Pipe has built a strong base on. We help companies all around North America save money on job costs by selling them used or surplus steel for their job sites. This has become much harder to do since China and other countries can import their steel at such cheap rates. The past 5 or so years, our used pipe has been competing with imported new prime pipe. As you can imagine, many companies would rather have the new prime imported pipe over the recycled/used pipe since the prices are very comparable. Because of that, the market for recycled/used pipe has shrunk immensely.
Once the new tariffs are set in place, there are many new opportunities for Alpha Pipe to sell our used inventory to different construction companies. At this point, our pricing looks much more desirable and far below the imported steel competition. We think with the tariffs coming into place, that Alpha Pipe will be able to go back to our roots and start selling much more used pipe again.


text:
David O. Russell Directing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?
by Ethan Anderton
December 14, 2009
Source: Pajiba
Just last week we found out that Natalie Portman was going to be joining the adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in addition to producing the undead period piece with Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly. However, there was still no word on who would be directing, let alone writing the script. But with the film moving so quickly, it sounds like a director might already be in place as Pajiba claims that David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) might be writing and directing. So while the risk of a fight breaking out on set has increased exponentially, this project would certainly be in good hands.
While David O. Russell is temperamental, he's one of the more original and unique filmmakers out there. You have to respect a guy who jumps from a relatively grounded film set during the Gulf War (Three Kings) to a crazy, not-easily-accessible existential comedy like I Heart Huckabees. More recently his diversity in stories and genres has him taking on a boxing drama with Mark Wahlberg & Christian Bale (The Fighter) as well as a comedy (Nailed). And with both films apparently having a little trouble wrapping up and finding distribution, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies sounds like more of a sure thing than anything else he's got.
But of course with the way things work in this fickle industry, talent can leave a project just as quickly as they become attached, and that's assuming that this information is indeed entirely accurate. If we get any confirmation or any other news regarding this zombie period (that sounds gross) flick, then you'll be the first to know. In the meantime, do you guys even think David O. Russell could handle this kind of project?
2 Comments
David O. Russell is a pretty good director and I think he is a good choice to tackle this adaptation, so I'm okay with him directing PPZ.
Xerxex on Dec 14, 2009
Thank god they're taking this movie seriously.
Mark on Dec 14, 2009
New comments are no longer allowed on this post.
Follow Alex's main account on :
Add our updates to your Feedly - click here
Get the latest posts sent in Telegram


text:
Online harassment has been common since online social networks have been running. One of the biggest names in these social networking sites is that of Instagram and the widely popular site has finally started taking steps to deal with the ethics of online comments. The image sharing network will now allow users the autonomy to choose what's right for their profiles and what isn't. The new feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks and will allow users to filter their comment streams. This will make sure that harassing and profane comments are filtered easily.
Instagram will be rolling out a new anti-harassment feature in a few weeks
Instagram is also looking into the possibility giving people the choice to completely turn off comments for their photos. It's not like there aren't general policies set up by Instagram which dictate what is 'acceptable' speech and what isn't, it's just that there are a lot of phrases that may be offensive to some people for some specific reasons. This is why users are going to be given the charge of their accounts and they can filter such comments.
"Our goal is to make Instagram a friendly, fun and, most importantly, safe place for self expression," said Instagram's head of public policy, Nicky Jackson Colaco, in a statement to The Post. "We have slowly begun to offer accounts with high volume comment threads the option to moderate their comment experience. As we learn, we look forward to improving the comment experience for our broader community."
The fastest way to get feedback on such features is to make them live on high-profile accounts of Instagram. That is exactly what is being done; the new feature will be live on high-profile accounts in the coming weeks. After being tested the service will become available to all of us 'normal users' as well.
This new feature is just one way for the growing harassment issue on social networking sites. The issue, in which some are blamed to be too lenient and some are accused of high censorship Instagram is taking the middle ground and allowing users to control this part themselves.
However, Instagram is still not really sure whether it should allow users to block comments completely on their photos. This is still being discussed and we will keep you updated as things move forward.


text:
Today has been quite a productive day. That's because I was home almost the whole day as my husband is recovering from flu. We only went out for a quick breakfast. So I managed to bake some macarons, prepared an ice-cream mixture (which I hope to churn tonight) and now I'm writing this post.
I actually made the Steamed Yogurt Cupcake last weekend after I saw the recipe on Dayang's blog, DapurKu Sayang. It turned out that the recipe was first posted by Rima. I was quite please with the my cakes because most of them 'opened up'. The cakes were moist and tasted very good too.
I followed Dayang's recipe which she adapted from the original recipe:
1 cup ...................plain flour
1 tsp ....................baking powder (I used 1/2 tsp double-action baking powder)
90g ......................castor sugar
1 tsp.....................ovelette (an emulsifier)
1.......................... egg
1/4 cup................. yogurt
1/3 cup................. evaporated milk
1 tsp..................... vanilla essence (I used pure vanilla paste)
1 tsp..................... cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ................ .coffee paste
1. Combine all the ingredients, except the last two, and beat using an electric mixer until the batter becomes pale, thick and the whisk leaves a vivid trail when stirring through the batter.
2. In a small bowl, remove 5 tablespoon of the batter and add in the last two ingredients. Stir well.
3. Drop the plain batter into the cups. Then drop a teaspoon of the chocolate batter on top of the plain batter.
4. Steam on high fire for about 15 to 20 minutes.


text:
For ease of navigation, the twenty-one Pre-Fringe Profiles I've created are below, each linked to their respective haiku. Happy clicking!
This play I done wrote:
I hope it causeth laughter.
If not, no refunds.
Is it worth the cost
Truth can be tricky poker
Come see for yourself
Sherlock Holmes and Seuss
A mash-up nobody missed
But why didn't they?
Three actors on stage
A single light shines above
Many dice boulders roll.
You say "morbid" like
It's a bad thing; Howard the
Duck will be there, too.
The dark is scary.
Metaphors are super cool.
Who turned out the lights?
Are you ready to
See the expedition north
That goes south at Fringe
In times of crisis
We must fight for our beliefs
And declare no more
Space is deep and dark.
What's left when you are alone?
Billy Joel and stars.
Eldritch scurrying
Through layers of history
The Rats in the Walls
Eyes watching in dark
Blood hits the stage, together
We all Scream, scream, scream.
Writing words is hard
And now her mind is going
Things could be better…
Hostel, deception
Girl and Boy caught in the fray
What is 10 x 10?
See if Sherlock Holmes
Can stay sane after meeting
Our Lord Cthulhu
Our lives are a speck
A minute glimpse only
Of what life could be
Looking for devils
Throughout all the Seven Hells
When they are next door.
Life elsewhere can be,
something we all want to see.
And the fun's on me.
"Just try it. It's fun."
She said. "Just pick an apple.
It's your last supper."
Tis the season to
be jolly tra la la la
la la la la la
For fun and laughter
Gilligan and Hamilton
Better than Reese's
Dance brings happiness
Dance brings people together
Dance empowers all
Questions? Comments? Enraged invective? Check out my answers to occasionally asked questions in Notes on Notes, or the contact info linked from that page!


text:
Just without the commercials and disappointing halftime shows.
During a meeting at the White House last Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke with U.S. President Trump about the upcoming imperial succession, when current Emperor Akihito will step down from the throne and let his son take over.
We already knew that Trump will be the first guest that the new Emperor Naruhito will be meeting with, but what we didn't know is that the President was concerned with how big an event the succession would be.
The President first expressed hesitation with wanting to go to the event, saying: "Enh, I don't know if I want to go or not." He then followed up with: "Tell me. How big is that event compared to the Super Bowl for the Japanese?" Prime Minister Abe replied with: "About 100 times bigger," to which Trump said, "I'll go. If that's the case, I'll go."
▼ "It'll be great. We'll get some hats, get some Trump Burgers. Best succession ever!"
Earlier, the conversation began with Trump saying: "It's the first time this has happened in 130 years. It's a very extraordinary event. A really amazing event."
Abe then replied with: "The Emperor is abdicating the throne for the first time in 200 years. His first guests will be President Trump and the First Lady." Whether or not he was intentionally correcting Trump on the years is unclear, but we can't for sure say he wasn't.
Here's how Japanese netizens responded to the Super Bowl/succession comparison:
"This sounds like bad American-joke copypasta."
"Trump really knows how to grab us Japanese by the hearts."
"Is he a middle schooler? lol"
"They're just a couple of old pals now, Trump and Abe, aren't they?"
"That sly old Abe!"
"The succession is definitely on a different level entertainment-wise than the Super Bowl…."
"Wait, what's a 'Super Bowl?'"
We're definitely looking forward to the succession ceremony, and we hope it lives up to Trump's standards. But even if it doesn't, maybe he can still make his trip to Japan worthwhile by looking for a copy of the "bishonen" parody manga about his son Barron.
Source: Yahoo! News Japan via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Wikimedia Commons
Insert image: Wikimedia Commons/内閣官房内閣広報室
● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!


text:
Is the iron ore rally over already? After a grueling year that saw prices slip to a low of $38 per ton in December, iron ore rallied last Monday, spiking 19% higher to hit $63.75 per ton, the greatest one-day rally in history, and miners like BHP Billiton (BHP 3.27%), Rio Tinto (RIO 1.15%), and Vale (VALE 2.55%) have all enjoyed a run-up in response.
Since hitting a low of $18.46 in January, shares of BHP have jumped 60%, trading just under $30 each, while Rio gained as much as 47% from its January low. Vale went on a tear, with its stock more than doubling in value, rising from its nadir of $2.24 that it hit in late January to almost $5 a stub on Monday.
Yet by week's end, the rally in pricing for both iron ore and mining stocks seems to have fizzled. Iron ore trended back toward $50 per ton and the miners gave up a chunk of their gains. BHP settled to a 43% improvement while Rio is now up 31% from its low. Vale remains some 73% higher.
However, if the iron ore pricing rally was that tenuous that it couldn't hold on for more than a week, investors may be right to be concerned that the miners will revisit their lows too.
A short-term convergence
The surge in pricing was driven by Chinese regulators who signaled they were willing to spend their country's economy out of the doldrums by loosening monetary policy to support growth. They've committed to targeting economic growth of 6.5% this year, but the fundamentals of the mining industry may not be there to underpin any sustained expansion. Even BHP Billiton admits the market for steel and pig iron production this year are at best "subdued."
While the miner also feels there is a better long-term outlook because other sectors of the Chinese economy are more robust than construction, Australian ministers cautioned against boasting about how much iron ore the miners can dump on the market, and advocated that producers be more "circumspect" in their approach.
It speaks volumes
Despite the low pricing environment, BHP has indicated it still intends to push production higher, hitting 270 million tons in Western Australia this fiscal year and eventually rising to as much as 290 million tons. Western Australia accounts for about 37% of global iron ore production and half of international seaborne iron-ore trade, of which China consumes about two-thirds.
By keeping production high, the miner actually lowers its costs, and BHP has been on a cost-cutting drive, slashing jobs and cutting its dividend. As a result, it has an ingrained incentive to keep pushing production ever skyward.
Yet there are risks. Investigators looking into the deadly Samarco mine collapse in Brazil that killed 19 people say it was caused at least in part by the desire by BHP Billiton and Vale to ramp up production to offset falling prices.
Vale has also been pushing production higher around the world, and last month noted it hit a record of 346 million tonnes of iron ore in 2015 -- this even as it realized prices that were 42% below the year-ago period. Rio Tinto noted its higher production of iron ore volumes improved its earnings by $132 million last year.
With a mind-set like that, and industry and macroeconomic fundamentals remaining weak, there is little chance iron ore prices will remain elevated, and the rally in the miners' stock prices are poised to follow them lower. Investors would do well to avoid trying to catch the volatility ride and instead wait for a more stable environment to emerge.


text:
"African governments use Internet shutdowns to silence opposition more and more —what can people do?" asksViola Stefanello on EuroNews of
What would you do if your government decided to intentionally shut down your access to the Internet? Millions of people around the world have had to answer this question time and time again over the past few years, as government-mandated Internet blackouts are on the rise. Less than a month into 2019, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Zimbabwe have experienced government crackdowns on Internet connections.
From 2016 to 2018, 371 separate cases of Internet shutdowns were documented around the world. More than half of them occurred last year alone, according to international non-profit organisation Access Now.
Authorities have used a number of reasons to justify the blackouts, including public safety, national security and stopping the dissemination of rumors and illegal content. However, advocacy groups investigating governmental tendencies to exert control over the flow of information don't buy it. They claim it has more to do with silencing opposition movements and protests and trying to limit political instability.
"They harm everyone: businesses, emergency services, journalism, human rights defenders, and demonstrators. They don't help victims or restore order," Access Now's website reads.
In the past few weeks, several African governments have turned to partial or complete shutdowns in attempts to control the public discussion.
Sudan doubled down on social media amid widespread anti-government protests, with Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition calling on network operators to fight back against state pressure — but it wasn't the only African country to do so.
Zimbabwean authorities were quick to gag social media — including Facebook and Whatsapp — as soon as civil unrest over rising fuel prices spread in Harare and other major cities, and the DRC also ordered a full blackout following recent elections…..
From 2016 to 2018 alone, Africa witnessed 46 Internet shutdowns,…….Chad, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Algeria, Togo, Cameroon, Gambia, Uganda, Gabon, Algeria, Morocco, Lybia, Tunisia, and Algeria have all cracked down on their citizens' access to the Internet in the past.
How did citizens react to Internet or social media shutdowns?
"People always find a way", Zimbabwean analyst Alexander Rusero told Euronews. "But it {VPN} doesn't work for everyone", Rusero pointed out. "Usually the ones in Harare, at the centre of the country, manage to".
The analyst was quick to underline the issues behind similar crackdowns…"During the Internet blackout there were a lot of lies and rumors — they spread faster than you would believe. Media relies on social media, and so do critical opinion leaders. Outside those platforms, fake news manifest".
Jean-Hubert Bondo, a journalist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, doesn't believe the problems end here. "Many Congolese families live off their small cybercafés. Also, we are in a country where there are not enough physical libraries. Students and researchers use the Internet to research their work at the university. Young people animate pages on Facebook and WhatsApp", he told Euronews. "To deprive us of the Internet is to take us back to antiquity". As for the VPNs Rusero mentioned — the most common ways to avoid Internet censorship worldwide — Bondo said that, during the latest shutdown, they failed to work. "In response to what is being perceived as a violation of human rights, Bondo reported that several Congolese civil society organisations have now lodged a complaint against the main telecommunication companies.
In Uganda, a crackdown on Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and mobile money apps in February 2016 as citizens were heading to the polls sparked a legal case that will be discussed in court in February 2019. "Shutdowns may not silence people, but they do hinder communication", said Ugandan blogger Ruth Aine Tindyebwa….


text: Søren Lose graduated from The Royal Danish Art Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 2003. Søren uses photography as a starting point and very often moves into the direction of sculpture and installation. Since graduating he has been exhibiting internationally; most recently in China, Italy, Canada, the US and Germany. Søren has also been doing curatorial projects, in addition to teaching workshops in Denmark over the last few years. His most recent curatorial project was at the Fuglsang Kunstmuseum in Denmark in the summer of 2009. He has also been consistently teaching photography workshops at AErø Kunsthøjskole for the last 3 years. Prior to that, Søren was head of the photography department at Krabbesholm in Skive, Denmark. Søren lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.


text:
What's Las Vegas Weather Like?
My name is Mike Myers. I am the owner of Legion Marketing; my expertise is in nightlife. I believe that I know the best and brightest of everything that's in Las Vegas. I can help you skip the lines, skip the bad spots, basically cut the fat.
The weather in Las Vegas is not 105 like everybody thinks. Sure, June through August is way too hot. Wherever you go from air conditioned hotels to air conditioned cabs and limos, to air conditioned restaurants and clubs. Unless you're actually walking the strip, you don't even notice.
Actually, my wife has a good rule of thumb: the warmer it is outside, the colder it is inside. So don't forget to bring a cover up or a little jacket when you're going out at night. She's always chilly because the casinos blast the AC to entice the tourists on the strip to come inside and gamble and spin.
For the most part, March through May is beautiful. June through August is too hot and September and October amazing weather again with 80 and calm winds. The winter months are kind of a crap shoot. It's usually a little bit windy and either in the 40s and 50s. But I happen to love jackets and I get to show them off during those months so, at least it's not snowing.


text:
Many situations in bulk handling require material to be separated to different transfer points or receptacles. ASGCO®'s new Lift Bed – Diverter Plow™ is specifically designed to handle that task, and is more cost-effective than a traditional tripper conveyor.
The Lift Bed – Diverter Plow is a pneumatically operated impact bed that lifts the conveyor belt from full trough to 0° into a stationary diagonal plow. The urethane diagonal plow, which includes two Spring-shoc™ tensioners, enables the lift bed to apply the proper tension and not pinch or damage the belt. This increases production and allows the belt to experience a limited amount of stress, eliminating the opportunity for premature wear and stretching.
"This fully automated bulk material diverter plow system is a real game changer because it allows users to fully clean and divert materials at designated locations. The diagonal plow discharges material from either side of the conveyor as specified by the customer during design, which makes it uniquely suited for any situation," said Aaron Gibbs, President of ASGCO.
The plow can be automated by either the push of a button or set-up on a timer or PLC system. It is designed with a rugged steel structure for the toughest of mining environments and conditions including such as those in aggregate, coal, pulp and paper, and bulk material handling industries.
Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/product-news/10102018/new-asgco-impact-bed-can-fully-clean-and-divert-materials-at-designated-locations/


text:
We've opened a second location in Arnprior! Visit us today at 114 John Street N, Arprior. We're located in the same building as Simply Beautiful Bridal Boutique. Look forward to seeing you soon!
Author: millstreetfashions
We have Gift Certificates!
What is the perfect gift for a sister, mom, friend, wife, or girlfriend who loves shopping, beautiful clothing, and looking great? A Mill Street Fashions gift certificate of course! Our gift certificates are printed on high-quality matte-finish post cards and presented in a luxurious gold envelope. Gift certificates are available in any amount and have no expiration date. Come by the store today and get yours. Christmas shopping, done.
The collections we carry and why we love them!
We are thrilled to be bringing in items from designer lines that we think are the best and most beautiful. Here are some of the lines we carry and why we love them:
Frank Lyman Design – Frank Lyman from Montreal is one of Canada's top designers. His styles are for confident, stylish women of any shape. The timeless collections are perfectly designed to flatter the figure, whether it's for casual dress or for jazzing it up for that very special occasion.
Bella Amore Italy– Bella Amore represents pure Italian fashion flare direct from Italy. These styles make you look good and feel comfortable. They are perfect for nights out on the town, shopping days with the girls, cruises, and resort season.
Kollontai – Kollontai, the fashion label of Gabrielle Tousignant, creates trendy, fashion-forward pieces with unique garment cuts and textures. The clothes are designed in Montreal and Canadian-made.
Leopards and Roses – We absolutely love the creative color and designs used for the Leopards and Roses casual collection that adds vibrancy to the everyday wardrobe.
Dolcezza – Dolcezza is a fabulous line from Montreal that combines mod prints with classic cuts. Every item Dolcezza creates is of the utmost quality.
Tribal – Based in Montreal, Tribal has been keeping on trend with the fashion industry since 1976, with an established reputation for creating long-lasting looks that transition easily from day to night. Their stunning styles cross-cut youth and maturity.
We hope to see you in-store soon! Connect with us if you would like to learn more about the lines we feature and the garments we currently have in stock.


text:
Why did people hate Madonna's 2019 'Eurovision' performance? A professional singer explains
23 May 2019, 15:48 | Updated: 23 May 2019, 15:51
We asked Classic FM presenter and soprano, Catherine Bott, if Madonna's Eurovision half-time performance was good or bad from a professional singer's point of view. Her take on the vocals is pretty controversial...
Reviews of Madonna's Eurovision performance last night are mixed at best.
After the Queen Of Pop's performance of 'Like A Prayer' and her new single 'Future', the majority opinion seems to come down on the side of Madonna's performance having been poor, with people believing she sang flat and missed the mark on everything from costume and pitching to political message.
GET MADONNA THE AUTO TUNE FFS pic.twitter.com/HtuOxZvUa5— Roman Kemp (@romankemp) May 18, 2019
Madonna yesterday evening...#Eurovision pic.twitter.com/JUaqO5hEch— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) May 19, 2019
Indeed, on first listen we can't help noticing that Madge opted for some unusual pitches to hang her well known hit 'Like A Prayer' on. The notes she uses in lines like "I hear you call my name" and "you know I'll take you there" are much lower than the ear expects.
But, was Madonna's Eurovision performance actually bad?
We've recruited Classic FM presenter and pro soprano, Catherine Bott, to help us unpack the controversial half-time set.
"I was interested to see the Madonna show because I'd seen reports that she sang flat/out of tune throughout her big number," Catherine says.
"Not so – those constant tell-tale upward flicks in pitch before important notes told me that creative and deliberate use was being made of pitch modification software which in itself was perfectly fine, and her actual voice had more depth and texture than I was expecting".
That's what Catherine had to say about the version of the performance Madonna has posted on her YouTube channel, at least: a tick for the quality of Madonna's voice itself and unsteady pitching saved only by auto-tune added after the fact.
"I didn't do the Eurovision experience on Saturday night," Catherine explains and on searching for the video a day later, she had come across the edited version. "It had clearly been auto-tuned to within an inch of its life," she laughs in retrospect.
"I have just played the original clip and there are none of those synthetic grace notes. This is Madonna au naturale and very badly tuned indeed." You can watch the original version of Madonna's performance above.
In the interest of full disclosure, Catherine admits to not really "getting" Madonna because of "all those visuals not backed up by a voice of substance or interest".
"For me the 'horror' of her performance was its banality. She clearly still thinks she's being transgressive – with all those robed, chanting figures, the gas-masks, our heroine prostrating herself like a Bride of Christ before revealing the traditional corset – but the production only achieved maximum tastelessness".
Ouch, our Catherine doesn't mince words.
Why was Madonna's Eurovision performance so controversial?
In spite of Eurovision having a strict "non-political" stance, Madonna highlighted ongoing Israeli-Palestinian tensions in her performance by dressing backing performers up in Israeli and Palestinian flags and flashing the words 'WAKE UP' over the stage at the end of her performance.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and local public broadcaster, KAN, were by all accounts caught by surprise by the political message and claimed it "was not part of the rehearsal". EBU released a statement confirming "The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political event and Madonna has been made aware of this."
This all comes after activists had called for Madonna to boycott this year's Eurovision due to its being held in Israel at a time of ongoing conflict with Palestine.
As well as being off-key and a poor performer, Madonna managed to violate the EBU's principle of non-political engagement by adding the Israeli and Palestinian flags to the back of two dancers backs. What a waste of money she was #Eurovision2019 https://t.co/jCsK1YcUq8— Luke Baker (@BakerLuke) May 18, 2019
ICYMI the Israel and Palestinian flag was shown briefly on the back of two of the performers at the end of Madonna's performance.— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 18, 2019
The EBU and broadcaster KAN have said they were unaware that this was going to happen and that it didn't occur during rehearsals. pic.twitter.com/iBi6HKZK8c
Madonna's outfit, featuring a cloak, leather armour, fishnet tights and eye-patch, added to the attention-grabbing spectacle.
"Sorry", our experienced soprano says, "but [Madonna's performance] came across like the Lower Sixth Drama Soc's 'controversial' end of term show. She really should have grown out of trying to shock people by now."
"Kudos to her for doing all those stairs with trip-hazard flowing robes and an eye-patch, though." Amen to that.
Watch the original, unedited version of Madonna's Eurovision 2019 performance above.


text:
Job Skills • Life Skills • Social Skills
Employment First
Preparing students to find meaningful employment upon completion of secondary education has increased in importance as federal and state mandates direct employment as the first option. Gompers Private School is uniquely qualified to provide employment skills training through the expertise of our adult Day Training and Employment Services programs. Based on the transition plan established by the Individual Education Program (IEP), students are able to explore their vocational interests and experience various levels of vocational training.
Gompers offers two excellent adult programs for students who have completed their secondary education:
The first step to preparing our students for adulthood and the work related skills they will need in the near future is learning how to function independently in the home environment.
Our transition life skills curriculum teaches students how to complete household tasks such as making a bed, folding and putting clothing into a dresser drawer, hanging up clothes in the closet, and sorting bath and kitchen towels. Kitchen duties taught include washing and drying dishes and putting them away in a cupboard. Menu planning allows students to learn to identify food groups, read and understand nutrition labels, and select the ingredients necessary for a healthy meal. Students will even have an opportunity to go grocery shopping, and learn to itemize the cost of foods. Even the most basic skills such as learning to identify various utensils and setting a table are a necessary support in the home environment.


text:
Behind the Brain Power: 4 Steps to Educating Your Team
Date: May 13, 2016 | Topic: 4 Steps to Educating Your Team
In these times of rapid technology advancement, it is important to keep your team and end-users educated in order to increase profitability and decrease productivity loss. Whether it is training on avoiding phishing emails or education on your current hardware/software – it is important that it happens! Today, our senior management team is sharing 4 steps to keeping your team educated.
1. Keep your team caught up with the speed of change.
Mike Estep | President: The decision to use the tag line "The IT Brain Power Company" was very intentional! We have always focused on employing the very best and continually focused on improving our education and certification as a team. What I didn't understand at the time was that an already fast paced IT environment was going to begin to move at a completely different pace – 3 to 4 times faster than ever before. Office 365, Azure, Windows 10, and many other applications are changing the face of how we educate our team.
BECA has committed 2016 to the year of developing a new education paradigm for our team. We have partnered with some of the very best training companies to build a system that allows our team to be constantly training. Our goals haven't changed. We continue to employ the smartest and very best, but our methods have evolved to handle the pace of change. Training is now happening every week and every month as revisions of software evolve and change. For Microsoft Azure, there were over 500 versions in a 12-month period. You can't just count on "on the job training" to stay caught up!
2. Provide an education path for end-users.
Branden Smith | Vice President: "How do I do this in Word?"… "What is a URL?"… "I need to create a Pivot table in excel!". These are everyday questions your end users might ask, and without an employee education plan they can cause you major productivity loss! Computers and software have been in our business lives for several decades now. Everyone is assumed to have basic computer skills, but the fact of the matter is that we all learn only what we need to complete our daily tasks… it's human nature.
If your team has to call their help desk every time they have a how-to question, it creates a disruption to the workflow. Investing in training for the software your business functions on is time and money well spent. At BECA, we use and recommend Clip Training. It is web based training for Windows and Office (plus many other software packages that you use every day) that is delivered in easy to follow 5-10 minute video clips. Most of us don't have the time to sit and watch hours of training, but carving out 5-10 minutes per day is easy!
3. Train your users on new products.
Sean Barron | Chief Technology Architect: The pace of change in IT is accelerating. It's important as an IT Professional to constantly be in a mode of learning and keeping up-to-date with new technology so you can deploy the right solutions, not just the ones you are familiar with. As I look back in my career to just the last decade, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge and skills that are no longer useful in today's IT environment. The cloud makes bringing new technology solutions to market easier, and this has quickened the pace of change. Personally, this is what makes Information Technology an exciting industry to be in, but it also makes keeping your knowledge and skill level up-to-date a challenge. On a personal level, it's important to schedule regular time to train and learn new things. Set monthly goals to learn a new technology or skills. We all have really busy schedules between work and family, and I find that by scheduling the time for training, I am more likely to follow through.
With new technologies such as Office 365 and Microsoft Azure, it also important to keep up-to-date with all the feature additions and changes in these platforms. Take for instance Azure. Although it is a fairly new platform, it has gone through a tremendous amount of change. Just recently, Microsoft rolled out into production the new Portal and the new Azure Resource Manager deployment model. So I went from one Azure project (creating a VM infrastructure in what is now known as the Classic Portal) to the next Azure project (having to use the new Portal and the Azure Resource Manager model). I knew exactly what I wanted to do on the project, but had to learn some new ways of getting them done. By the way, I love the new Azure portal and Resource Manager deployment model!
The pace of change in IT is only going to continue to increase. It's up to us as IT Professionals to have a plan in place to continue to learn and adapt to better serve our clients.
4. Educate your sales team to understand new technologies.
Robert Rivers | Account Development Director: On the sales side of BECA, our team must continue to stay on top of technology changes and additions along with the direction of the manufacturers. Since this is so important, we have scheduled training twice a month on Monday evenings. This training allows us to have group learning and discussions on a regular basis. Some of this training time is spent accomplishing the required training from our manufactures so we can have their elite dealer status. The rest is understanding the movements and advancements in what we recommend to our customers. We feel that this training time is very important in being a true VALUE to our customers. It is validated when they tell us that what we are explaining now makes sense to them and they can now see the business VALUE.


text:
WBO super-welterweight world champion Jaime Munguia is an active fighter. He's defended his belt already this year, beating Takeshi Inoue in January. On April 13 he will return to Mexico, his homeland, to fight Dennis Hogan in Monterrey.
He is proud to box so regularly. "It is very important," Munguia said. "We are in the big leagues now, to stay busy, to be concentrated. When you're the world champion you have to think more. You have to do things that you didn't do before, be more intelligent. So it's important to stay calm and be training, so it's very important to do that now at this level of fighting."
Before he won his world title, he almost stepped in at short notice to fight Gennady Golovkin last year. He is open still to boxing Golovkin. "We would be interested in that fight with 'GGG' now that he is on DAZN. The truth is it would be a good fight for us and for the people. One year ago it couldn't happen, but now obviously it's a possibility, and if a year ago I felt ready, now I feel even more ready. So with pleasure we would accept the fight, but right now I'm focused on the fight that I have on April 13, but after that with pleasure we would take this fight," he said.
"I do have plans to move up to 160 pounds, maybe next year or for the next fight or maybe by the end of the year. The truth is we are still saying that, but I feel good, and I feel good making 154lbs for this fight that I have on April 13. But we are considering a move up to 160lbs."
At present Munguia maintains that he is the leading super-welterweight in the world. "The truth is, and with all due respect, and I'm saying it with as much humility as possible, that I feel like I consider myself number one," he said.
He hopes to preserve that status in April. "The truth is I'm very happy to be coming back to México as a world champion. This is the last place where I fought before I became a world champion and made all of my defences. So it's very exciting to be coming back to México, coming back to Monterrey. It's great," he said. "The city has a great love for boxing, and I'll be coming with all the desire to not disappoint the fans and give a good fight."


text:
Full Profile - Neeraj Saxena
Neeraj Saxena
PhD Candidate
International student from India
Area of Interest: Transportation network modelling
The economic development of a region can often be linked to the quality and status of its transportation infrastructure. The better the transport system, the more promising a future the region can expect.
I have also been intrigued by the challenge of applying mathematics and statistics to real world issues. So coming up with an efficient and sustainable transport system to directly impact the economic growth of a city is something that fascinates me.
The rCITI group at UNSW Australia has emerged as a strong research group in transportation infrastructure which is why I applied to do my PhD research here. It is an enriching experience working within a faculty with such high quality, renowned researchers and academics and I receive all the support I need to work on and develop my research ideas.


text:
Our Brands
We have taken the responsibility to represent our manufacturers in the best possible way. For some manufacturers we are the only trading partner on the market. We work together with Sony, Panasonic, JVC, AWS Amazon Web Services, ATOMOS, Blackmagic Design, Cinegy, DJI, Amazon Elemental, Imagine Communications, Litepanels, LiveU Ateme, NewTek, Roland, Sachtler, SWIT, Systec, Teradek and many more manufacturers.
AWS elemental
AWS was launched in 2006 to provide developers with an on-demand IT infrastructure. From the beginning, the focus was primarily on companies and fewer… Read More
The French manufacturer ATEME stands for hardware and software-defined encoder platforms for live streaming and file-to-file encoders.
ATEME is a leading… Read More
Amazon Web Services
AWS was launched in 2006 to provide developers with an on-demand IT infrastructure. From the beginning, the focus was primarily on companies and fewer end users. Amazon Web Services… Read More
Ardis Technologies
Aridis started as a technical ICT company with consultants, software developers, programming engineers, specialists in electronic design and product and information management… Read More
Atomos is a manufacturer of revolutionary monitor recorders.
Atomos is working with editing software brands such as Apple, Adobe and AVID to develop touchscreens... Read More
Autocue is a British manufacturer of teleprompter systems for the broadcast industry. The company was founded in 1955 and licensed its first teleprompter in 1962 based on a patent… Read More
Avid Technology, Inc. is a US-based corporation that produces software and hardware for media production. Avid was founded in 1987. The company has been listed since 1993. Since then,… Read More
Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design is a digital cinema company and manufacturer based in Australia. Blackmagic Design is an innovative manufacturer of products for studios, cameramen and… Read More
Cinegy focuses on researching and developing software and technologies for media and television. Cinegy Workflow is the software platform that combines digital asset management,… Read More
Canon is a Japanese company based in Tokyo. Canon is the largest camera manufacturer in the world. In addition to cameras, the company also offers many digital imaging products,… Read More
DDP (Dynamic Drive Pool) provides scalable, modular data storage solutions. DDP provides full project and file sharing support for Avid, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, EVS, Adobe, Grass Valley, Telestream, Blackmagic,… Read More
Insta360 is a camera company based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and a leading manufacturer of 360-degree cameras that enable users to capture panoramic video, photos, and live broadcasts.… Read More
DJI has evolved from being a pure drone manufacturer into a technology company. The focus has always been on new ways of filming. Core business, however, is the production… Read More
Imagine Communications
Imagine Communications is a leading manufacturer of products and solutions for TV stations, telecommunications companies and online streaming providers. Platinum routers,… Read More
Insys Video Technologies is one of the fastest growing video integration companies in Europe, offering everything from strategy and design to development, deployment and maintenance… Read More
JVC is a company based in Yokohama, Japan, which develops and distributes consumer electronics and media technology devices. JVC has many years of experience in video,… Read More
Litepanels was founded in 2001 by a group of Hollywood-based lighting designers and directors who have advanced LED lighting for motion pictures, television and the audiovisual industry… Read More
LiveU's award-winning technology enables live video broadcasts from any location in the world with lightweight, easy-to-use equipment. From backpacks to smartphones and satellite… Read More
Marshall Electronics
For over 30 years, Marshall Electronics has been a trusted provider of high quality, reliable video, audio and multimedia systems for broadcast video, Pro A / V, Pro Audio and OEM applications worldwide… Read More
NEWTEK is a leading manufacturer of virtual studio solutions. The Tricaster product line is the ideal tool for studios and production companies looking for an all-in-one device that can handle image mixers,…Read More
Panasonic is a trademark of Kadoma-based Panasonic K.K. Panasonic and offers a wide range of electrical appliances with a special focus on various video areas, such as cameras and productions… Read More
Planar Systems, Inc. is an American digital display manufacturer based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Founded in 1983 as a spin-off by Tektronix, it was the first US manufacturer of electroluminescent (EL) digital displays… Read More
Roland is a manufacturer of various audio solutions and supplies the commercial audio and video industry with application-specific equipment. The products are aimed at applications… Read More
Sony is the third largest Japanese electronics group based in Minato, Tokyo. Sony is an electronics manufacturer with a focus on cameras, lenses and accessories… Read More
Wendelin Sachtler, cameraman, actor and inventor developed his own tripod head in 1958 and thus a revolution for the film industry. His so-called gyro head was not only tiltable,... Read More
Sachtler Bags
Wendelin Sachtler, cameraman, actor and inventor developed his own tripod head in 1958 and thus a revolution for the film industry. His so-called gyro head was not only tiltable,... Read More
SWIT sells brand broadcasting products. They also provide technical support and services. Professional LCD monitors, LED lights, radio transmitters and batteries are their main categories… Read More
Teradek develops and manufactures high-performance video solutions for broadcast, cinema and general image processing applications. From wireless surveillance to color correction… Read More


text:
SciChart® the market leader in Fast WPF Charts, WPF 3D Charts, iOS Chart, Android Chart and JavaScript Chart Components
Question: I\'m still working with v1 of SciCharts until I find the time to convert everything that needs to be changed for v2, but I\'m playing around with legends right now and running in to an odd issue. I\'m essentially copying your example in to my own code, but the legend doesn\'t want to appear on top of the graph pane. It appears just fine if it is set on an empty section of window, but disappears when placed on the pane. Is there a way to bring the legend to the front on the pane? It may also be worth noting that I'm attempting to apply a legend to seven different panes, would it be possible to apply a single legend, or are individuals required?
Hi there,
The legend is a totally separate control, not part of SciChart. If you look at the example it is declared in a parent Grid, below the chart in the grid (which puts it higher in the Z-order). E.g. the structure is:
<Grid> <s:SciChartSurface> <s:SciChartSurface.ChartModifier> <s:LegendModifier x:Name="legendSource"/> </s:SciChartSurface.ChartModifier> </s:SciChartSurface> <s:SciChartLegend LegendData="{Binding LegendData, ElementName=legendSource, Mode=OneWay}"/> </Grid>
The legend can actually be placed anywhere in your application, so long as it can bind to the LegendModifier which acts as a data-source. Think of the LegendModifier as a ViewModel in this case and Legend as a view.
So — to place it above the chart, just make sure its in a grid over the chart. We give it a margin to inset it slightly.
Yes, you will need one legend per chart as each one consumes data from the LegendModifier which must be present on the chart. Of course you could have one legend and re-bind it to each chart one at a time. So long as you're prepared to do the logic to update the binding then this is also a possibility.
Best regards,
I figured out what the issue was. My implementation was almost correct the first time except the Z order assumption, so because my legend was declared first, the graph itself was building over the legend. Forcing a Z Index worked like a charm. Thanks for your help.
Please login first to submit.


text:
(Editor's note: Updating to correct the spell of Jonathan Rosenberg's name.)
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Google's business of placing advertisements off the Web hasn't met expectations, according to a Google executive.
During a conference call Wednesday, Mark Mahaney, an analyst at Citigroup asked what was Google's biggest disappointment and biggest upside surprise regarding its products and service launches in the past year.
The "best example might be [the] offline print efforts," responded Jonathan Rosenberg, senior vice president of product management and marketing,. These efforts "probably haven't taken off as we'd like."
The offline print efforts will require Google to work with producers of magazines and publications to come up with new formats, said Rosenberg.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt added that it'll take a "few cycles" to get it right, and reminded those on the call that Google's own advertising search model took a couple years to refine.
As for the product that was an upside surprise and exceeded expectations, Rosenberg pointed to Keyhole, a satellite image firm Google had purchased. Keyhole was integrated with Google maps and now provides a visual platform on which advertisers can place ads within the context of maps, Rosenberg said.


text:
Because the term suggests, interracial dating merely means selecting and taking a companion who belongs to a race aside from one's own. I think that in JHB, it is a bit easier to hook up with individuals of other races whereas in CPT, it is a lot more… you may see less interracial dating in CPT. In case you're looking to meet an Asian women, it will not do you a number of good to end up on a web site populated with members who are principally on the lookout for someone not equal your ethnicity.
In addition, interracial marriages had been banned to forestall Blacks from assuming the status of Whites. That is why the supply of an interracial courting internet site is useful. Interracial courting or marriages provoked social attitudes of hatred, disgust and repulsive attitudes from people living inside society and the world in direction of those who had been relationship an individual of one other race.
Those who decide to use this kind of relationship service can easily log into their chosen courting website and find others in search of Christian mates, companionship, marriage, romance, or courtship. Times have modifications now that almost all Individuals have begun to break down the obstacles between the races and interracial relationships have turn into extra widespread.
Even because the work force became extra integrated, with minorities and ladies stepping into roles as soon as designed for white, skilled males, and public locations ceased separating or refusing companies to minorities, interracial relationship was still awkward.
Since the 80s, the number of interracial dating and marriages has increased significantly, and it is persevering with to increase. Households raised large points about interracial courting and marriages, and tried to do the whole lot in their energy to stop it from happening.


text:
Representativeness of social partners in the European cross-industry social dialogue
In March, Eurofound published a study identifying the relevant national cross-industry and European actors in the field of cross-industry industrial relations. The background to this is the European Commission's intention to identify, recognise and assess the representative European associations to be consulted under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). According to the study's results "the national members of ETUC, EUROCADRES and CEC organise 91% of all employees and the national affiliated organisations of BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME and CEEP organise 85% of firms which employ 89% of workers." The study concludes that these organizations are therefore "to be regarded as the most important EU-wide representatives of labour and management at cross-industry level."
Download study from EUROFOUND website


text:
The Most Important Thing We Can Do to Give Kids a Healthy Start in 2016
Dec 29, 2015, 9:00 AM, Posted by Giridhar Mallya, Martha Davis
Supporting parents and families is one of the most critical things we can do to safeguard a healthy future for our nation's kids.
We talk a big game, as a nation, about how much we value our kids. After all, "the children are our future," right?
But here's the thing: our investments and policies don't yet line up with this value. Spending on children makes up just 10 percent of the federal budget, and that share is likely to fall. The outcomes are clear: Child well-being in the United States ranks 26 on a list of 29 industrialized nations in a UNICEF report. We must do better!
So here's our recommendation of the absolute best thing we can do to give kids a healthy start in 2016: support parents and families.
Looking back on our years of experience working with children and families, as a social worker and educator and as a public health physician, we've learned that kids thrive when their caregivers thrive. And they can fall behind when their parents are stretched thin.
Recently, we saw this idea echoed back to us in a new documentary, "The Raising of America." The five-part series looks at the social and economic pressures that put children and families at risk.
"It's too much," says one working mother in the film, as she stands in her kitchen holding her baby. "I can't do it."
The good news is, we're seeing bright spots in communities that are already finding ways to make life easier for parents and better for children. Here are three concrete examples of how communities have supported families in giving their kids a healthy start:
Make High-Quality, Affordable Childcare and Preschool a Priority
High-quality childcare and early education can cost as much as rent in many communities — and more than some public college tuition bills. Many parents, even with moderate-wage jobs, can only afford the cost by putting their kids in lower quality care or taking a second (or third) job.
It pays to invest in early childhood education because early learning leads to success in elementary school. And success in elementary school predicts whether children will go on to get a high school diploma.
Many cities realize the value of educating their youngest residents and supporting their families. These places are making free or low-cost preschool available to as many kids as possible. For example, in June, Culture of Health Prizewinner Bridgeport, Connecticut, announced that through a partnership with the United Way it is launching a universal pre-K initiative.
Not only will the program ensure every kid in Bridgeport enters kindergarten prepared, but it also aims to engage parents, provide transportation, and expand children's access to health screenings. The city now has 4,000 slots, covering 90 percent of Bridgeport's 3- and 4-year-olds.
But there's more work to do. Only six states have half or more of their 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool. Public-private partnerships will be critical to supporting expansion so that all communities can catch up with Bridgeport.
Turn Schools Into Community Hubs That Support Kids and Parents
In Lawrence, Massachusetts, nearly 4 in 10 children live in poverty, and four years ago, only half of high school seniors graduated.
Last year, the graduation rate had risen to 67 percent.
Lawrence, another 2015 Culture of Health prize winner, has made many changes that may have led to that dramatic rise. One thing that surely has made a difference is the reimagined Family Resource Center connected to the city's public schools.
Educators and community partners saw that more students would succeed in the classroom if their families had more financial security. So they proposed that the center, which already offered registration and school enrollment support, be turned into a hub of services for families.
Today, parents can go to the center to get help finding a job, enrolling in health insurance, scheduling doctor appointments, and getting into training and ESOL classes. All the much-needed support equips them to better focus on their children's educational and emotional needs.
Many other communities are embracing this model, too, recognizing that schools and families can support each other in nurturing healthy, happy, and well-educated children.
Focus Health Care Settings on Health and Wellbeing
Founded in direct response to the needs of the four public housing communities it serves, Philadelphia's Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services clinic does more than take care of families' physical health. It also offers mental and behavioral health care, dental check-ups, couples and family counseling, and even cooking classes.
Because the clinic has found that a large number of patients have experienced physical or emotional abuse or other adverse childhood experiences, 11th Street embraces the Sanctuary model of trauma-informed care. The model uses art therapy, mindfulness, meditation and other techniques to help patients, including parents, manage the effects of toxic stress.
When parents achieve better mental and emotional health, they are better able to balance the dizzying demands of parenthood in the 21st century. As health care continues to evolve, we need to make sure payers and providers find ways to address the physical, mental, and social needs of families.
Supporting children and their families is hands down the best investment we can make for our nation's future — it will make for stronger communities and businesses and a healthier and more successful nation. That's why we at the Foundation are committed, with our partners and grantees, to help create the conditions that give every child and family a chance to thrive. We hope you'll join us in that mission in the New Year.
Martha B. Davis, MSS, is a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her work focuses on strengthening families to create nurturing, healthy environments that promote children's positive development. Read her full bio.
Giridhar Mallya, MD, MSHP, a senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a public health physician and health policy expert. Read his full bio.


text:
Why SEO is So Important To Your Business
Because the majority of all web users rely on popular search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo to find products and services, it is perfectly logical to utilize SEO as a key component in any online marketing strategy. For a small-medium sized businesses, implementing a well thought out SEO strategy means that potential clients will find your products much easier, and for you – much more cost effectively, which will translate to growth for the business.
Business owners, in many cases, have a hard time trusting and understanding the workings of SEO to improve marketing and increase sales, which is principally due to a lot of the incredible, over the top claims made by a few unscrupulous SEO companies, which didn't deliver. A solid marketing campaign has many benefits, but the complexities of an effective SEO strategy is usually an overwhelming task to many small business owners.
Let's look at some of the benefits your website would get from seeking the services of a Scottsdale SEO company.
Better Rankings
When you use a search engine, it usually displays a huge list of possible website choices, which you then have to review individually in order to find what you need. Most people settle for the first few websites on the list, and that's why it's important for your business to be on page 1 of the search results.
Quite a number of factors play a part in improving a website's rankings including, URL structure, social media, and the use of authority content. Once all the elements have been properly implemented, your website will gain better visibility within the search engines, and through other websites. Customers will be able to access services and products rendered because they will have an easier time finding the business.
Search Engine Placement
Search engine optimization (SEO) can ensure that your website's rankings stay ahead of other websites for a long time, which will in turn, enable customers to more easily find and access the site in the future. The effects of a good SEO campaign last long enough to ensure a continued online presence.
Company & Brand awareness
Your company's products or services wouldn't sell much if no one has ever heard of them. That's what SEO is all about: making sure people know about your business and making sure that you are reaching a large targeted audience that is most susceptible to buying from you, and to give them every reason in the world to help them spread the word about your Company.
The initial campaigns may not lead to an explosive amount of new traffic and bring in a large volume of new sales, however, the publicity is undeniably good for any company, especially on a longer term basis. Increasing a company's brand recognition almost always leads to more sales because as people become more familiar with a product, they begin to trust it, and the high traffic on your website starts to generating consistent sales.
Affordability and high ROI
Each marketing campaign comes with its own special needs, costs and budget, and for the most part, the majority of advertising campaigns are costly. However, search engine optimization is a surgical move that ensures dependable turnover without requiring much of an investment.
Enhanced website design
In developing and implementing your digital media strategy, you have to consider that the major search engines love fresh engaging content. A big part of optimizing your SEO efforts requires rebuilding or restructuring your website into a content hub. Content that is fresh, targeted and engaging will always help in driving more people to your site, and have them do something (like purchase your products and services).
Working with a professional SEO services company like Scottsdale SEO Pro can help enhance the visitors' experience on your site, as well as increase conversions of your desired call to action, while getting rid of the superfluous fluff. Let us help you build a real presence online that creates the foundation for you to become an authoritative source in your market, improve your search rankings, and create a competitive edge online.
Contact us today to learn more. Call 480-499-4269. To get started right away – please complete our Client Discovery Form
Why SEO Is So Important To Your Business
Scottsdale SEO Services
8 Hot Trends In Digital Marketing for 2014
Chandler SEO Services