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By VICTORIA CHUNG and MIA DELMONICO
Photos by ANTHONY HERNANDEZ and TATUM MAPES
Redlands East Valley High School is a community with a plethora of layers, each one contributing to the vast environment that the school provides for its students.
In J-38, REV takes on a new teacher: Erin Herbert. A moderate-to-severe special needs teacher, Herbert has a genuine care for the wellbeing of her students that is more than obvious. She has taken on a new role and actively invests time and effort to integrate her students into the school community and assists in creating a healthy and happy environment for everyone.
"There's also so many misconceptions with the students and I believe that is the hardest part," says Herbert, "I look at my job as not just serving these kids, but serving the entire community at REV. I want to be here for questions. I want to be here for anyone who is looking or wondering about a disability, or saw something strange, or funny, or sweet and just wants to know if that's normal and how to approach a kid."
"I can talk forever about these kids." She continues, "When you meet these kids, I know that you're going to fall in love. Anyone that I introduce them had such an impression from my kids and now they created friendships and connections with the kids on campus. They feel included and like a community member. That's just so important, your life needs to have all those aspects or you're not going to be happy and complete person."
Herbert has a goal she wants to accomplish on the foreign grounds of Redlands East Valley: to make her students feel like they are a part of the community. According to many, she has largely succeeded. Students David and Albert play an integral component of the main office. Michelle loves art and takes art with the general-education students and Assad is a passionate runner whose goal is to be in the Olympics.
The kids of J-38 help make REV a Wildcat family. J-38 has an open classroom during Fun-Friday lunch. Join them for lunch and learn about more about the Wildcats, the REV way.


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Happy Friday! It's finally the end of the week. I haven't done much outside of adding nine new cards to the shop. There are so many fun things to talk about and share so let's get started.
The lovely Shauna of Branch design studio shared the branding for Kristin Cofer, a photographer from San Francisco. I love all of the lines in this identity design. It just all comes together wonderfully.
I love this illustration of the gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o by Katie Rodgers of Paper Fashion. I've always been a big fan of Katie's work and this was the perfect opportunity to share her work here!
You might remember Cassie of The Veda House from the first Ask A Freelancer post. She shared her gorgeous wedding invites on her blog this week. They are absolutely stunning and full of great details so be sure to view the post.
Speaking of fun designs, I love the pattern that was crafted from the Lily Lolo logomark. Black and white identity designs are definitely in again this year.
The labels on the Produce Candles are so much fun. I buy candles from different brands all of the time so candle packaging is one of my favorite ways to find inspiration.
There is never enough print love on this blog. The stationery for Munster Rose by Mae Mae Paperie is absolutely gorgeous. I'm loving the focus on utilizing elements in several different ways.
Breanna Rose's latest wallpaper is absolutely gorgeous. If spring isn't on your mind, I love this lettering-based wallpaper as an alternative.
Is the client always right? I love these posters by Jonathan Quintin sharing some hilarious client quotes and requests.
Menu design is definitely one of those things that I have so much respect for. There is always so many elements and information in such a small space. The colorful menu design for Joyride Taco House is one of those that utilizes great branding with beautiful design.
I figured this quote would be perfect to end this list on and a great reminder for the weekend.
8 Comments
That menu design is AWESOME! I need to start paying more attention to the design of menus. I'm pretty sure I've never seen one quite so colorful. I would totally be asking if I could take one home with me -I do collect menus sometimes though 🙂 Love your new cheers card…really liking the different colors and layout.
Really LOVED Kristin Cofer branding. Holy cow, it's just perfect!
Of course, all other items from your link list are fabulous too, but I'm still too blown away by Shauna's design to comment on the others… 🙂
Love this roundup list!! In particular the Lily Lolo, the Munster Rose stationery and that Produce packaging.. {swoons for pretty packages}.
I think I'm in live with just about everything on this list but the Lily Lolo cards and candles take the cake. Oh and that blue dress is to die for! Loving the mango cards too!
Thanks so much for the inclusion this week in your roundup, much appreciated!
Some lovely design inspiration here dude, the client is always right haha!

subset: commoncrawl


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May 21, 2015
From start-ups to big business to agencies, everyone has had their own unique pleasures and pitfalls when it comes to handling the more junior members on the UX team.
A stark memory I have as a junior experience designer (JUXD) at a London-based digital agency was being treated like I had absolutely nothing of value to contribute. One definite low was being asked to add a box to a wireframe—my only job all week! That particular stint sent my confidence to rock bottom and it took me a long time to build back up again in a more supportive environment.
Unfortunately, it seems that it's a consistent truth that there are many lead and senior UX designers who have no idea how to care for their junior designers, as well as many JUXD's who feel unfulfilled and stifled in their current role.
We need to do a better job of educating our seniors about how to care for more…read more
By Yael Levey


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"Follower of Jesus" Mark Siljander debunks anti-Islam propaganda; Ibrahim Soudy on Orlando false flag_ on Kevin Barrett's Truth Jihad Radio
Coming Up Sunday, June 19th —
Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 8am Pacific * 11am Eastern * 16:00 GMT
"Follower of Jesus" Mark Siljander debunks anti-Islam propaganda; Ibrahim Soudy on Orlando false flag
First hour: Mark Siljander, former Conservative Christian congressman (R-MI) and author of A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide, has published a new book: The Qur'an with References to the Bible. It boasts over 3000 references to the Bible, which effectively serves to highlight the spiritual common ground uniting the three great Middle Eastern monotheistic traditions.
Congressman Mark Siljander once despised Islam so much he walked out of a White House prayer breakfast because the prayer was being led by a Muslim! Later, after deeper study of Christianity as well as Islam, he realized how much these two religions have in common, and became a bridge-builder between the faiths and a sort of unofficial (but extremely well-connected) U.S. envoy to various hot spots in the Islamic world. Among other diplomatic miracles, his intervention apparently helped convince Libya to give up its (innocent) Lockerbie suspects and later its nuclear weapons program. The secret? Siljander spoke from the heart and told the Libyans how sorry he was that the US had murdered Col. Qaddafi's baby daughter. (Just think what those magic words "I'm sorry" could accomplish in the case of, say, Israel apologizing to the Palestinians, or the US apologizing to Muslims for the false-flag 9/11 inside job and the War on Islam it launched.)
In 2008, Siljander was indicted on transparently bogus "support for terrorism" charges. It was alleged was that a group he had worked for had also paid money to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leading beneficiary of US support in the anti-Soviet Afghan liberation war. Despite Hekmatyar's career as an American ally, he was suddenly redefined as a terrorist, allowing Zionist US Attorney Bradley Schlozman, an unconfirmed Bush appointee in the Justice Department dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy, to launch his bizarre prosecution of Siljander (who was innocent of the Hekmatyar connection, and is deeply opposed to all forms of terrorism).
Why was Siljander set up for politically-motivated prosecution? According to my well-connected sources, the crucifixion of Mark Siljander was a message – a sort of horse's head in the bed – from the neocon forces behind the 9/11 coup d'état. The message was simple: Get in the way of our War on Islam and you're toast. (For a relatively fair account, check out the Wikipedia entry on Siljander.)
Siljander's book A Deadly Misunderstanding does indeed represent a major obstacle to the War on Islam. I have an Islamic Studies related Ph.D. and have taught introduction to Islam courses at UW-Madison and Edgewood college, and mini-courses at several Wisconsin churches; and never have I seen an approach to real interfaith dialogue as promising as that of Mark Siljander – a true follower of Jesus. Anyone who wants to end the current Wars of Religion (i.e. the 9/11-instigated War on Islam) needs to hear Mark Siljander's amazing message.
2nd hour: Ibrahim Soudy, Structural Engineering Ph.D. and member of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, writes:
"Omar Holmes" versus "James Mateen"
We are living in a fast-pace-24-hour-news-cycle world where people forget very quickly and get bored even faster. Terrorism, Extremism, Radicalism, blah blah blah have become old and almost boring stuff. This is even more true when the standard mantra is to attach these words to…..you guessed it, ISLAM. In every "terror" event in the West, the perpetrator(s) was/were known to the law enforcement BEFORE he/they did it!! Doesn't THAT alone strike you as weird "coincidences"!!!!
Since Sunday very early morning, I have been following with kind of intrigue the news and more importantly the reactions to the "new" story recycling an old boring movie. A "Muslim", alone this time, was behind the largest "mass shooting" in the history of this country!! His name is "James Mateen" or "Omar Holmes". I bet you would not even remember who is "James Holmes"!! He is that troubled young man who simply took a big gun and went to a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, at midnight and killed 25 persons and injured some more. His story was forgotten within a few days (actually a few hours for most). Omar Mateen on the other hand has a big difference with James Holmes, Omar is a "Muslim" and not just that but his "sexual identity" AND his target make his story all the more "spicy" for the American taste. The magic three letters S-E-X…..Night Club……2 O'clock Saturday night/Sunday morning……..people are drunk……..you get the picture…..
Compare the reactions to "James Mateen" gunning down 25 persons in a movie theater to the reactions to "Omar Holmes" gunning down 49 persons in a night club and draw your own conclusions……
This show was broadcast on June 19, 2016.
For only $3.95 a month you can listen to shows on-demand before they are broadcast – and also get free downloads and other perks from Kevin! If you are a subscriber, just log in to the members area of TruthJihad.com to get early access to the shows. Non-subscribers only get access to the No Lies Radio show archives the day after the broadcast here. Help Kevin keep these shows on the air – become a subscriber today! Or if you prefer, PAYPAL a one time donation, or a regular payment, to truthjihad(at)gmail[dot]com .
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Blog Archives
Soviet Life
Soviet Life
May 1968-May 1981 (incomplete)
In 1956 the U.S. and Soviet governments agreed to a mutual propaganda plan modeled on Life. From them we got The USSR which became Soviet Life which became Russian Life. From us they got Amerika which became America Illustrated. "Soft" propaganda for a Cold War. Gentle cultural competition. Achievement, progress, beauty, tourism. Soviet Life could celebrate the cosmonauts and the construction of a dam as though ballistics and explosives were signs of society's liberation. One can just imagine what Amerika looked like.
Somewhat relatedly, the U.S. Information Agency, which seems to have had a hand in all this, also employed Chermayeff & Geismar (which later added & Haviv) for a traveling Russian-language exhibition that showcased American design. Featured among the designer portraits, which can be found in the Milton Glaser Archives, was none other than Milton Glaser.
Find Soviet Life bound in green in the back near the bathrooms.
Magazine Covers – 1970-1979
This post continues to look at Magazine Covers throughout the decades. 1970-1979 contains hundreds of items and as usual it was difficult choosing these few to feature.
I begin with this gem from 1970, the beautifully produced, polite propaganda, Soviet Life. We have a number of full issues in our periodical collection from the late 60's, early 70's, and early 80's.
And from the idealism of Lenin we move onto the eroticism of Lennon in Avant Garde magazine which is also available in our periodicals no.1(1968:Jan.)-no.14(1971:summer).
This is a strange one, the "urban renaissance" issue of this defunct inflight magazine from US Airways. "Mainliner Magazine" sounds like something for the heroine chic crowd.


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First Quarter Hawaii Annual Business Reports Due
The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' (DCCA) Business Registration Division (BREG) reminds businesses to file their annual business renewal reports.
Annual reports due in quarter one (January – March) are now available online at hbe.ehawaii.gov/annuals and must be filed with BREG by midnight (HST), March 31, 2016. Accepted forms of payment online include credit card, eCheck, or through an eHawaii.gov subscriber account.
Hawaii annual business reports can be filed at any time during the quarter in which the annual filing is due. The annual report filing period is related to the business entity's registration date. The quarters are as follows: First quarter is January – March; Second quarter is April – June; Third quarter is July – September; Fourth quarter is October – December.
If your Hawaii annual report was due in a previous quarter, you can submit your filing online with a $10.00 late fee. Any filing more than a year overdue can be filed by mail, fax or walk-in with a late fee of $10.00 per year. Filings can be mailed to: P.O. Box 40, Honolulu, HI 96810; emailed to: firstname.lastname@example.com; faxed to: (808) 586-2733; or hand-delivered to the BREG office at 335 Merchant Street, Room 201, Honolulu, HI 96813.
For filing-related questions, please visit www.businessregistrations.com, email firstname.lastname@example.com, or call (808) 586-2727. For technical questions, please contact eHawaii.gov via email at email@example.com or by phone at (808) 695-4620.
Online filings of annual reports are generated in partnership with Hawaii Information Consortium, the official Internet portal manager of eHawaii.gov.
About eHawaii.gov
Hawaii's official Internet portal, portal.ehawaii.gov, is managed by Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC, a Hawaii corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm, NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV). Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC partners with Hawaii state and county government agencies to bring more services online and improve public access to government information.
About NIC
Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the "100 Best Small Companies in America" six times, most recently ranked at No. 36 (2014), and the company has been included four times on the Barron's 400 Index. Additional information is available at www.egov.com.


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Gita (Siamese Cat)
large aquatint in pristine condition, numbered and signed in pencil on the bottom margin, 61/120 K. Moti, ca. 1984
22 1/4 by 29 7/8 in., 56.5 by 76 cm
Kaiko Moti was born in Bombay, India. He studied at the Bombay School of Fine Arts, and then at the University College in London with the support of a scholarship. In 1950 Moti relocated to Paris in order to study sculpture with the artist Ossip Zadkine, but due to the lack of studio space he switched to printmaking, studying at the Atelier 17 with Stanely Hayter and developing a distinctive style of ephemeral aquatints. Later in his career he taught at the University of Wisconsin. His work in in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the French National Museum of Modern Art, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.
Moti, Lubin Graphics, Greenwich, CT 1988, pp. 100-101
From the Collection of the Tsuruoka Family (Kakunen Tsuruoka, 1892-1977)
price: $600
Scholten Japanese Art is open Monday - Friday, and some Saturdays by appointment only
Contact Katherine Martin at
(212) 585-0474 or email
to schedule a visit between 11am and 4pm preferably for no more than two individuals at a time.
Visitors are asked to wear face masks and practice social distancing at their discretion.
site last updated
December 1, 2022
Scholten Japanese Art
145 West 58th Street, suite 6D
New York, New York 10019
ph: (212) 585-0474
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The Dynamic Christian Assembly, Ekpoma-Edo state Nigeria, has held a powerful three-day crusade, themed "The Move of the Spirit of God in Nigeria" at its auditorium, which led to the healing of many, with deliverance from various afflictions.
The crusade, which was hosted by the Founder and General Oversee of the church, Bishop Peter Lawal, was led by the world renowned Ghanaian preacher and Head Pastor of the Jesus is the Solution Chapel International, Bishop John Tsetse, from the 24th to 27th February, 2017, the Dynamic Christian Assembly auditorium was filled with people from many walks of life, who came to experience the power of the Lord through his anointed servants.
The crusade was able to impact, empower and spiritually refresh the lives of thousands of attendees. Awesome is an understatement of what the experience was like. It was a great gathering of people from all parts of the world; the entire atmosphere was lit up with the Word, Worship and Wonder, and in-depth revelation of the Word of God like never heard before by distinguished man of God, Bishop Tsetse.
Many received their healing and gave testimonies to the glory of God as the numbers kept increasing each day, who were also treated to good music by the host choir. During his ministrations each day, hundreds 'possessed' by evil spirits ended up sprawling on the floor while many more were shaking uncontrollably and vomiting out unusual substances.
Several of those who had been 'healed' at the crusade shared testimonies after which the Ghanaian 'Prophet' led the congregation in praying for the sick and 'prophesied' into their lives.
Shouts of praise, hands lifted high in thanksgiving, dance of victory, and screams of joy; these and more were the expressions of what the atmosphere was like at the last day of the programme. God is indeed in the business of changing lives and restoring destinies.
Over the years Bishop John Tsetse Ministry has been focused on positively influencing and impacting the community both physically and spiritually, with life changing messages and spirit filled ministrations. We bless God for his life.
Being one of the most anointed and highly outstanding ministers of our generation. Bishop Tsetse speaks across the world extensively on issues of salvation, faith, healing, breaking of curses and covenants, and spiritual leadership. In town after town, across the length and breadth of Ghana and beyond, he has mobilized God's people into action.
His crusades attract crowds that number in hundreds of thousands, and spectacular moves of the Holy Spirit in these meetings have resulted in amazing miracles of healing and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Be it in Europe, America, Africa or Asia, the result has been the same – people tumbling over under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, sick bodies healed, barren women becoming mothers, marriages healed. He is therefore understandably much in demand in crusades, conferences, and seminars around the world. Bishop John Tsetse has a passion to see people empowered and awakened to their God-ordained destiny and has purposed to help facilitate networks of Kingdom-minded believers raised in his lifetime. He touches millions of people's lives through his popular television programme every Saturday from 4:30-5pm on TV Africa.
His church, Jesus is the Solution Chapel International is located at Ashaley Botwe School Junction, between Nanakrom and Santor Road. Tel: 054 059 548, 0269 651 967


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Feminist Group Crashes German Christmas Service With Topless 'I Am God' Protest on Altar
The feminist group FEMEN crashed a Christmas service at the High Cathedral of St. Peter in Cologne, Germany, with a topless activist getting up on the altar exposing herself to the congregation with the words "I am God" written on her body.
The activist group, which says that it is based on "sextremism, atheism and feminism," was apparently trying to protest against patriarchy and the Vatican's pro-life views. According to EuroNews.com, the woman was identified as 20-year-old philosophy student Josephine Witt.
The incident, which has been captured on video, shows her running onto the altar in front of the large congregation, but clerics quickly surround her, cover her up and take her away.
FEMEN, which was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Paris, France, often participates in topless protests aimed at "fighting patriarchy in its three manifestations – sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion." It demands "that the old people in the Vatican and their fanatical adepts bring their religious dogmas into compliance with the modern world and human rights."
A Catholic church in San Juan, Argentina, was also targeted by topless women who were part of a pro-abortion group.
In that incident, the feminists surrounded the local cathedral and its members standing outside, and proceeded to sexually molest, spit on, spray paint and wrap their underwear around the faces of Catholic men standing together in prayer. The attack concluded with the burning of an effigy of Pope Francis.
The Roman Catholic Church has long been a champion for the rights of unborn children, and states that abortion is a sin. Pope Francis has also spoken out at length in defense of unborn children, most recently in his lengthy "apostolic exhortation" document, where he insisted that the "defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right."
"It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development," he stressed. "Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems."


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Application of Nature-inspired Techniques for Communication Networks and other Parallel and Distributed Systems
The recipients of the "EvoAPPLICATIONS Best Paper Awards" will be invited to submit an extended version of their works to a special issue of Memetic Computing.EvoCOMNET solicits contributions dealing with the application of ideas from natural processes and systems to the definition, analysis, and development of novel sequential, parallel, and distributed evolutionary computation approaches to the solution of problems of practical and theoretical interest in all domains related to network systems. Use and tuning of hybrid computational approaches based on evolutionary techniques are also welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Submissions must be original and not published elsewhere. They will be peer reviewed by at least three members of the program committee. The reviewing process will be double-blind, so please omit information about the authors in the submitted paper.
Submit your manuscript in Springer LNCS format.
Please provide up to five keywords in your Abstract
Page limit: 16 pages.
Accepted papers will appear in the proceedings of EvoStar, published in a volume of the Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science, which will be available at the Conference. The authors of accepted papers will have to improve their paper on the basis of the reviewers comments and will be asked to send a camera ready version of their manuscripts. At least one author of each accepted work has to register for the conference and attend the conference and present the work.


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"Luckily" for me, i got my hands on a SMC TigerSwitch 10/100/1000 T8624T. Unfortunaly it was password protected, so here is a short how to on factory resetting the device.
So if you dont know your password to the switch, then you'll have to reset it to factory defaults.
To do this you'll need a serial cable (RS-232). Connect it to the switch and connect to the COM port through for example Putty
When connected to the console, power on the switch. As soon as the switch boots press CTRL + U. This will take you to the system file menu.
Now press D to delete a file. Just let the filename be emptry and press Enter. Now press Y to confirm to delete the startup-configuration. If it dosnt choose the startup file just write the name of the startup-file instead.
Press Q to quit the system file menu. The switch will now boot. Alternativly give it a power cycle.
Default username and password
The default username and password on the T8624T is:
Username: admin
Password: admin
If its not working try with password = smcadmin
Enjoy your "new" switch. If you would like some information about the switch, then take a look here
If you're not familiare with configuring SMC switches, then i think you'll get a long way with the installation guide here (not for this exact switch, but it will work :-)) or with the management guide here (for the 8624T)
Peace out!


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Native Plants
Diodia virginiana
Diodia virginiana L.
Virginia Buttonweed, Buttonweed
Rubiaceae (Madder Family)USDA Symbol: DIVI3
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
Specimen & Label Data
Diodia virginiana
Location: E edge of ditch, 135 m south of wooden bridge--Oakwell Farms.
Latitude: 0.000000
Habitat: In mud & full sun. Subject to flooding. Alkaline, alluvial soil. Common in the community, often in dense colonies.
Description: Ascending perennial with fiberous roots, to 40 cm tall. Stalks forking in upper third. Leaves sessile, lanceolate, microsopically serrate, glabrous, to 1.5 x 6 cm, bright green. Corolla a 9 mm, white tube, flaring abruptly. Fruit not seen.
County: Bexar
Collector: Harry Cliffe
Collection Date: Jun 6, 1987
Specimen number: 221
Herbarium Owner: NPSOT
Herbarium ID: 0456
Accession Date: Jul 27, 1993
Accession Number: 36 Annotations: SCXRB


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Have We Seen the End of the Magical Girl Genre?
I critique anime, games, movies, books, and more, getting to deeper levels of analysis and thought than many other critics on the web.
The Death of Shoujo - As We Know It
The term 'shoujo' is a label for any anime or manga aimed at a girl demographic. Within shoujo are sub-genres, like shoujo-ai (girl's love, or romance between girls), and magical girl. As I talked about in a previous article, the magical girl genre involves transforming schoolgirls of elementary to early high school age, with magical powers. So exactly what you'd expect from the name.
The first one was Sally the Witch, which aired on TV in Japan in 1966, and the most famous ones (in the U.S. at least) are Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. These shows were all about saving the day, making friends, learning life lessons, and having cool powers. I say 'were' because, outside of reboots of older shows, nobody is making new magical girl shows anymore. You occasionally see the idea of magical girls pop up, but in darker, edgier anime, which are action and horror-oriented. They may have some tropes in common with the original magical girl genre, but only to deconstruct, parody, or subvert those tropes. This turns a genre once known for being saccharine, and appealing to young girls, into something action/horror-oriented, grimdark, and appealing to older male and female teenagers, and adults. Examples include Magical Girl Raising Project and Magical Site. So why did subversion, deconstruction, and a darker and edgier tone take over the magical girl genre? And is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Let's ask Kyubey.
The Influence of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica"
WARNING: Madoka Magica spoilers below!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica was an anime series, followed by the successful, critically acclaimed movie Rebellion, that fundamentally changed everyone's view of the magical girl genre, and shoujo anime, forever. Now, it was not the first shoujo anime to deal with sad themes or events. An early shoujo and historical fiction about Mary Antoinette, Rose of Versailles, had just as much tragedy in it as you would expect given the historical events it represents. Later shoujo works, like Princess Tutu and Revolutionary Girl Utena, also used tragedy, and questioned their own genre's tropes and clichés. Even Sailor Moon had some very tragic moments, and those characters really went through hell to earn their happy ending - every season, in fact.
So it's not correct to say that Puella Magi Madoka Magica did anything new in terms of introducing tragedy to the magical girl genre. What it did uniquely was that it made being a magical girl itself a hopeless, tragic condition. In Sailor Moon and Cardcapor Sakura and a dozen other shows, magical powers were more or less inherently good. Magic could be stolen or corrupted by evil, but good magic always triumphed over bad magic. Magic was tied to emotions, and pure emotions like altruism, friendship, and true love were better than evil emotions like greed, hatred, and possessive lust. So good magic always beat bad magic, good people always triumphed over evil people, and there were not inherent flaws in the use of magic. Magic was simply a tool, and its use reflected and magnified the emotional desires of its users. It is similar to the way paints can be used to make happy or dark pictures.
In Madoka, the magic system itself is the villain. A conflict is created, not between people who use magic for good vs. people who use it for evil, but between people who do not want to die from taking part in the magic system and the need to save the universe by maintaining such a system, even if it requires merciless cruelty, emotional manipulation, and concealing truths. This is how Madoka relates to the old idea of 'selling your soul'. In most magical girl shows, magic just happened. A girl holds the right Mineral MacGuffin, says the right magical words, and poof. Powers. And sometimes - a silky new costume.
But in Madoka, things get a little more complicated. The girls think that's the kind of story or world they're in, and expect magic to work like that. But it doesn't. They think the term 'soul gem' is just a name. But it turns out, those are literal houses for the girls' souls. Their bodies become invulnerable to damage, perhaps even replaceable, as long as their soul gems are not damaged. Also, their soul gems will become corrupted and darken in color as the girl becomes sadder and/or uses more magical energy. The only way to brighten a soul gem is to eat the 'grief seeds' which are left when a magical girl defeats a witch. Oh, and by the way, all magical girls become witches when their soul gem blackens completely.
This marvelous system, as cruel as it seems, is what allows humans to thrive and advance, and it also allows the universe to continue to exist. So, the story is a Cosmic Horror tale where girls take turns going mad from the revelation. But through time travel, Homura is able to help Madoka choose a path that rewrites reality to create a happy ending. It's not easy. And it's not fun for Homura, as we see her go mad herself in the sequel movie Rebellion. So this is not the first tragic shoujo or tragic magical girl series, but it is the first one where the magic system itself is suspicious and dark, and where the exposition fairy, or exposition furry character cannot be trusted. It's also a magical system strikingly similar to the 'equivalent exchange' law in alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist. Both are attempts by writers to play down the fantastical, whimsical nature of magic in other stories by making hard magic systems that adhere to very specific rules, the way things like electricity do in the real world. This creates a story that feels more realistic, even if that can sometimes be depressing because it is not unlimited and cannot solve everything.
What Forced the Genre to Get Darker?
It's easy to blame Madoka, and simply say that show was the harbinger of a new era of magical girl shows.
But the theory of media I believe in is that media is not a conspiracy. It's not top-down. Changes in the kind of media produced and the kind of stories we tell almost always have to do with changes in what the buying public wants. And then storytellers simply create art and literature that reflects what the people want.
The world that we live in today is not the same world it was in the 1990s. In the 2000s, we saw September 11, the rise of international terrorism, the end of the economic prosperity of previous decades, a housing crisis, and more fears over global environmental crises. Evangelion, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Death Note, and Kill La Kill are just a few examples of how the encroaching global darkness on what had been a previously sunny world, at least in the richer countries, changed anime. Oh sure, dark or edgy anime existed prior to this. But it was more niche and less mainstream. Mainstream anime was brighter in tone. Anime we remember now as good from the past, like Akira, are retroactive hits, which flopped at the time. People's perceptions changed, and then what they considered good about the past also changed.
When times get harder, people start to become more cynical and critical. In good times, you see people liking black and white morality, power fantasies about defeating some inhuman evil entity and earning some kind of love interest's favor. People want cuteness, fantasy worlds where bad things don't happen, and when they do, the heroes are there to save the day, making everything right at the end. In the 2000s, as we saw as I mentioned, the three horsemen of economic despair, environmental woes, and war in the Middle East appear on the scene, we saw a darker turn for all mass media storytelling. This included literature, music, comic books, movies, and anime. Bleak was in, and saccharine was out unless you wanted to parody it. South Park and Family Guy in Western Animation did just that, taking shots at the cheerfulness of pop culture past. Superheroes went from being morally infallible good guys to being morally flawed, questionable human beings who made mistakes, as Batman became in the popular film The Dark Knight. This trend is still continuing, for example, The Last Jedi is a critical, cynical look at the moral binary of the old Star Wars trilogy, and Avengers: Infinity Wars features a bleak ending and humanized villain.
When Mami was decapitated in the third episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, it sent a clear message: this will happen to magical girl shows too, even though they of all genres are known most for idealism. So does the change break the genre?
Is the Magical Girl Genre Broken Forever?
Well, I mentioned before that all fiction got darker around the time after various events. This included:
- The Columbine shooting
- The 24-hour news cycle, and later the internet, making us more aware of global problems,
- 9/11, and the ensuing 'war on terror' that the West is still fighting,
- Becoming aware of global climate change, and the problems it may cause, a
- Economic downturns; we still fear losing our jobs to automation and outsourcing, and the costs of healthcare, housing, and so on are still high.
- In Japan, the worries are over a low birth rate, and an increase in social hermits who don't work and live only to consume anime and video games.
So it makes perfect sense that, as reality becomes a bit more cloudy, so do the kind of stories people want to hear, and what they want to create.
But it's sad to think that nobody is producing a new light-hearted magical girl show. That all we're going to see of the genre is deconstruction, darker-toned versions, and parodies. There have been nostalgia reboots of the old shows, if they were popular enough, but any new show with magical girls has this air of bleakness and inescapable, inevitable pain that old magical girl shows did not have.
Maybe as the world changed, the way we see magic in fiction also changed. Maybe we used to see magic similarly to how we see electricity. Electricity was once seen as a marvel for what it made possible. Now, all we see are the darker sides of producing and using it; pollution, child labor, exploitation, light pollution, nuclear accidents, and so on. So now, fiction focuses mainly on the darker sides of using magic.
But what I worry about is that nobody seems interested in making anything new and smart for little girls. They don't seem to be an important demographic in anime anymore. Sailor Moon Crystal was not trying to appeal to little girls, it was trying to appeal to women my age (25-35) who were already fans of Sailor Moon as a franchise. Similarly, in Western Animation, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic quickly became popular with adults, and their fandom of the show quickly overshadowed the idea that the show was for little girls.
Is nothing made for little girls anymore? Or have we decided to stop sheltering the 'innocence' of little girls, acknowledging that even they are not stupid, and can enjoy things with more mature and morally complex plots? I don't know for sure.
I'll just have to cling to my ancient Hello Kitty DVDs, and the hope that someday I'll see a new magical girl show that isn't just another f*cking psychological horror in lipstick. But I am not holding my breath.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2018 Rachael Lefler
Rachael Lefler (author) from Illinois on October 31, 2019:
Ironically, Steven Universe is kind of the answer to many of these concerns, although it's a western show... I wonder when we'll see the next great original shoujo?
Oof on October 31, 2019:
Oof... Really wish I would have stopped reading before the last 3 paragraphs. Was very well written and had a very good point up until then.
Pixie Nobara on May 18, 2019:
What about Pretty Cure?
Edymnion on May 14, 2019:
While the trend is going that way, I would disagree that no new lighthearted and "pure" ones are being made. In the West, you need look no further than Steven Universe. First half of season 1 is hard to get through, but once you do, whoo boy! Sure, it has dark tones to it, but the underlying message never falters. Love, friendship, and respect win the day. And when force is required? There's an entire episode of the main character basically having to overcome the PTSD of the bad things he had to do.
Steven Universe is basically a love letter to the genre, and its an amazing ride.
Nanully on March 14, 2019:
Totally agree!!! Also Yuri relationships apparently every new "dark" mahou shojo has two female lovers now just because. The main female heroine can't fall for a boy anymore who loves, respects, and supports her because that wouldn't rake in the otaku numbers.
Willdiealone on September 01, 2018:
You have just blew my mind


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Lebanon cabinet fails on trash crisis amid new protests
By Sara Hussein
BEIRUT - Lebanon's cabinet ended an acrimonious meeting on Tuesday with no solution to a trash crisis that has sparked violent protests and calls for the government's resignation.
Impromptu protests on Tuesday descended into violence once more in the evening, as a small group of young men threw rocks at Lebanese security forces.
After more than five hours of talks, the cabinet decided to reject a list of tenders for waste management contracts across Lebanon and refer the problem to a ministerial committee.
"Given the high prices (quoted by would-be contractors), the council of ministers has decided not to approve the tenders and is charging the ministerial committee with finding alternatives," a cabinet statement said.
The decision came after a session that saw six ministers from one political bloc walk out.
For months, the 18-month-old government has been paralysed by political disagreements between its two main blocs, rendering decision-making virtually impossible.
Since Saturday, people have gathered in central Beirut for demonstrations that began over a trash crisis but evolved into an outlet for deep-seated frustrations over government impotence.
On Tuesday, large crowds carrying Lebanese flags and chanting gathered for spontaneous protests in Riad al-Solh Square near the premier's office.
By nightfall, most of the protesters had left, but a small group of young men remained and began hurling rocks at security forces and setting plastic barricades alight, an AFP photographer said.
After nearly an hour, security forces arrested a number of them while others fled.
In a statement published online, the Lebanese Red Cross said it was treating at least three wounded people.
'Heading towards collapse'
It came as Prime Minister Tammam Salam ordered the removal of a concrete blast wall at the site, dubbed the "wall of shame," which was erected after violent protests Sunday.
Large crowds have gathered in Beirut and elsewhere, despite the "You Stink" campaign - which has organised the street protests thus far - scheduling its next official demonstration for Saturday.
At the weekend, Salam acknowledged protesters' frustrations and warned that his government risked becoming irrelevant if it could not address the public's concerns.
"We're heading towards collapse if things continue as they are," he cautioned.
But Tuesday's cabinet meeting was unable to resolve the social issue that has united protesters.
It was intended to discuss companies qualified to bid for new waste removal contracts.
The list had drawn fire from activists who said the firms were linked to political figures and were seeking exorbitant fees.
Several ministers also criticised the proposed costs ahead of the cabinet meeting.
Lebanon already pays some of the world's highest per-ton waste collection rates, and media said the companies sought to raise prices even further.
The core of the crisis, which erupted after the 17 July closure of the landfill serving Beirut and its surroundings, remains unaddressed.
When the Naameh landfill closed, the government failed to identify sites for new landfills or alternative arrangements.
Trash began piling up until local municipalities found temporary solutions - dumping in empty lots, river beds and even forests.
'Corrupt political class'
Tuesday's cabinet statement made no mention of potential landfill solutions.
But it said $100 million of development money was being allocated to the northern Akkar region, which some politicians have proposed as a potential landfill site.
Media said that even after new waste management contracts were approved, it could take up to six months for collection and disposal to begin.
On Monday, leaders of "You Stink" said they were regrouping after the weekend violence.
They blamed the clashes on "troublemakers," but also acknowledged that they needed time to organise better.
They called a new demonstration for Saturday night against Lebanon's "corrupt political class".
"In the beginning, this was a battle over the trash issue ... But now there is a general battle against the political class," organiser Marwan Maalouf told reporters.
Experts said the protests had become a rare outlet for Lebanese frustrated by an out-of-touch political elite and an atmosphere of impunity.
"People are on the streets because they feel that at every level there is no one there for them," said Maha Yahya, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Centre think tank.
"It's an alarm bell for all the political leadership."
Lebanon has been without a president for more than a year, and parliament has twice extended its own mandate since the last elections in 2009.
The country has long suffered chronic electricity and water problems and has seen its resources stretched yet further by an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.


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This is my first recipe ever to have a name. I first made this soup when Miriam was a small child. More than once she would toddle up and ask for "Papa's fine soup" for dinner.
Eilene has been ill the last couple days, so I decided to make something that would be easy on her stomach. Originally I made this soup with chicken, but today I am replacing it with tofu. Eilene is still being a bit of a vegetarian. I will also be using fresh lemon grass, instead of the original powered lemon grass.
Below the updated version of this recipe I am also posting the original recipe.
Papa's Fine Soup (updated)
½ lb. Fresh noodles
2-3 stalks lemon grass
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 green onions, cut in 1 inch slices
1 inch ginger root, cut in thick slices
1 Tbs. Shaoxing (optional, Chinese cooking wine)
1 lb. firm tofu, cut into ¾ inch dice
1 Tbs. soy sauce
½ lb. baby bok choy
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the fresh noodles. Cook the noodles for 3 – 4 minutes, drain and rinse to stop them from over-cooking. Place them evenly into individual serving bowls.
Tip: Fresh noodles will cook much more quickly than dried noodles.
2. Trim the lemon grass and chop it into small pieces.
3. Place the chicken stock, lemon grass and ginger into a medium pot and bring it to a boil. Cook for 5 to ten minutes.
Tip: If you want to make this dish vegan, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
4. Pour the broth into a separate bowl through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lemon grass. Rinse the ginger slices and return them to the broth.
5. Add the sesame oil to the original pot and sauté the garlic and onions for about 1 minute.
6. Return the broth and ginger to the pot and add the Shaoxing, simmer for 5-10 minutes.
7. Add the tofu, soy sauce, and baby bok choy to the pot. Cook until the greens done, about 3-5 minutes.
8. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles and serve
Papa's Fine Soup (original recipe)
1 pkg. Udon noodles
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 green onions, cut in 1inch slices
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 inch ginger root, cut in thick slices
½ tsp. lemon grass, powdered
1 Tbs. Shaoxing (optional, Chinese cooking wine)
1 Tbs. soy sauce
½ lb greens
1. Dry udon noodles are fairly thick and about 7 inches long. use about 1/3 of a package of Udon per person. Boil noodles until almost cooked through (noodles will still show a tiny white spot in the center when cut). Drain and rinse them to stop them from over cooking.
2. Add the oil to a medium pot and brown the whole chicken breasts on both sides. Set aside to cool.
3. Without cleaning the pot, add the garlic and onions and sauté for about 1 minute, loosening the chicken bits to prevent them from burning.
4. Add the chicken broth, ginger, lemon grass power and Shaoxing to the pot and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
Tip: Using lemon grass stem, sliced, simmered and then removed may have a slightly better flavor, but I use this recipe as a last minute, quick meal instead of getting takeout.
5. Cut the chicken breasts into ¼ inch slices. The thickest part of breast should still be a little bit undercooked.
6. Add the chicken to stock with the soy sauce, greens and noodles. Use a minimum of a ½ pound of pea pods, either the flat Chinese kind or the thicker sugar snap peas.
Tip: If you want to make it a bit more vegetarian and hearty you may also add pea sprouts, bok choy, bean sprouts or any other Asian green you have.
7. Cook until greens done, about 3 – 5 minutes and serve.


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N.Y. Fed President Would Like To Tag, Track Ethically-Challenged Bankers
Ever since Wells Fargo reminded us that banks are cesspools of duplicity, dishonesty and malign incentives, New York Fed chief Bill Dudley has been thinking about ways to deal with what are euphemistically called "cultural failings." And he's come up with some ideas.
First, banks need to stop plastering mission statements to toilet-stall doors and start paying people for not violating laws, rules, regulations and corporate codes of conduct.
Second, people like himself need to start asking questions, notably about how a firm's compensation structure might encourage good, rather than profitably bad, behavior.
Third, he'd like Congress to issue him a tranquilizer gun and let him loose on Wall and Main streets to implant tracking devices in John Stumpf, Carrie Tolstedt, Wells Fargo's other 5,300 bad apples, and anyone else doing anything wrong, so that he and his fellow supervisors can precisely track their exodus from Wells branches to branches of other banks.
Mr. Dudley has proposed a bad banker database that would track culture failings, an issue he calls the "rolling bad apples" problem. This issue needs legislative input from Congress to be taken up, in order to align it with laws protecting employee rights.
This all sounds suspiciously familiar. Maybe there's been a place where similar "rolling bad apples" have been tracked?
Fed's Dudley Urges Consideration of New Laws to Fix Bank Culture [WSJ]


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This top features a high knot, rather than a knot at the bustline, as you more commonly see. That style is too revealing for many women, such as myself. Some women solve the problem by wearing a camisole, or by using modesty panel, but Burda's design makes that unnecessary.
Unfortunately, this issue is not easy to obtain and, even if you do manage to get your hands on a copy, the pattern is provided only in sizes 34 to 40.
In order to draft this pattern, you need to start with a well-fitting dolman sleeve pattern. This tutorial explains how to draft a dolman sleeved pattern. It is assumed that these pattern pieces do not have any seam allowance. Cut away seam allowances from your original t-shirt pattern. At the end, you can add the seam allowances back.
- Start with a well-fitting long-sleeved t-shirt pattern.
- Lay the top on a large piece of paper, and trace around the shoulder, center front, hem, and side seam. The dotted lines indicate the lines we don't really need.
- Extend the shoulder line.
- Fold the sleeve in half, the long way. Lay the should point against the shoulder, lining the fold against the lengthened shoulder line.
- Trace around the sleeve hem, and the sleeve. Join the sleeve to the body with a curve. The higher the curve, the tighter the fit under the arm. If you make it too high, the top may pull at the bust. If you make the curve too low, it may be too baggy. Make a best guess and you may have to tweak the curve when you make your muslin.
- The final pattern. Repeat this process for the back.
If you are going to test this pattern, make sure to add seam allowances. If you are going to use this pattern to make a knot top, do not add seam allowances yet.
Next, I will post instructions on how to create a knot front top.


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It's Friday, so that means it's time for a challenge! I have been going strong and am now about halfway through last week's Flashback Fearless Friday's challenge, which means there will be a week of overlap, but it will be awesome! Here's the story for Bold Moves Episode #24 Fearless Fridays #12!
If you haven't yet, make sure you go back and listen to Monday's episode featuring Cory Zimmermann, the founder of This Time Tomorrow Foundation, which uses music to and random acts of kindness to inspire people and change lives, especially for people who have cancer! The story that led him to start such a wonderful foundation is definitely based upon some very bold moves, so I think you'll love it! I was definitely not at the top of my interview game… I inexplicably had insanely watery eyes, and a runny nose, and those things were super distracting, so I did not say much! Fortunately, Cory is a pro, and his story definitely helped move the podcast along fine with little intervention on my behalf. It's worth a listen, or watch! You can also win the opportunity to have me buy you a coffee mug, in turn donating to the This Time Tomorrow Foundation!
As always, you can elect to listen to the podcast in iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app, or you can check out the embedded player on this page, and it's no exception for Bold Moves Episode #24 Fearless Fridays #12! The interview episodes are also available on YouTube, so you have the visual as well!
I am super excited to do this challenge, and the fact that it falls during the holidays and when I will be doing holiday travel make it even more perfect! Isn't it wonderful the way things often fall into place perfectly?
I always reference the previous week's challenge and follow up with how I am doing with it before I introduce the former one. As I mentioned last week, gratitude is something I am already practicing with some regularity, but this is making it more public. You can see a small dose of what I've been grateful for on my instagram feed!
Alright, make sure that you listen to this week's episode!
I can't wait to hear about what you do… Either comment below with your favorite stories, or share them on social media with the hashtag #BoldMovesFearlessFridays so I can see what you're doing! I know a lot of people like to keep their random acts of kindness a secret so that they don't seem like they are bragging, but consider this a chance to open up the audience to spread it so more people do it! Plus, I have been dying to share someone's #BoldMovesFearlessFridays on an upcoming episode, so this could be my chance! Do it for me! 😜
Speaking of future episodes, if you know someone who'd be an awesome guest, or you've made some bold moves yourself, please use this link to apply! Also, I'd love it if you shared my podcast/blog with anyone you think would like it… And I want to know how I'm doing (especially if you think I am doing well – haha), so feedback is welcome, especially if it comes in the form of an iTunes review!
There's another great interview coming for Monday – stay tuned!
Comment with your Random Acts of Kindness stories – whether you were the giver or receiver of the experience! 💜
P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post!
Also, connect with me on social media!
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The Avengers have assembled—well, what's left of them, at least—to take down Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. But this time around, the team has a new ally in the fight: Captain Marvel.
Following her debut in Captain Marvel, Brie Larson's character Carol Danvers has finally popped up in the new trailer for Avengers: Endgame. Mixed between highlights of past Marvel films, the latest trailer sets the stage for the final battle to come with heroes like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) taking the lead.
There's a bunch of badass action shots in a montage towards the end—including an incredible shot Rocket (Bradley Cooper) teaming up with War Machine (Don Cheadle)—before the final reveal of Captain Marvel.
Check out the trailer:
Avengers: Endgame marks the end of "Phase 3" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will give the Avengers another chance to fight against Josh Brolin's Thanos, who snapped away half the universe in Infinity War. We spoke with Brolin about his roles in Infinity War and Deadpool 2 in 2018, and with Endgame on the horizon, he's ready for another big year.
Avengers: Endgame opens on April 26.
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Guest commentary
Some of the consequences of our abuse of the environment are imminent. With world agricultural production leveling off, grain prices are rising. Water tables in parts of India, China, and the Middle East are dropping precipitously in response to the unsustainable use of ground water for irrigation. Without ground water as a backup, even a quite ordinary drought could trigger acute water shortages that would threaten food security. Irreversible species extinctions are occurring parts of the tropics due to the combined effects of habitat destruction and global warming. Human health is threatened by the buildup of toxic wastes in water and soils and by declining air quality.
In today's globalized economy, environmental disruptions in populous countries anywhere in the world could profoundly affect us all.
In their efforts to warn the public that a global environmental crisis is at hand, some environmental advocates are increasingly exploiting the shock value of extreme weather events. For example, columnist Thomas Friedman has been talking about the "global weirding" of the weather. Activist/author Bill McKibben stated recently in a Youtube video: "Pretty much every day, somewhere on this planet we are breaking records that have stood for centuries…"
Many scientists and policy advisers endorse this strategy of making global warming the flagship of the environmental movement and extreme weather events the ship symbols. They argue that it gets climate change—the "smoking gun"— onto the front page of the newspapers and it plays into Americans' proclivity to be more concerned about what is happening here and now than about issues that they perceive as affecting people in distant countries far off on the future. But I wonder if this strategy might have a downside.
Establishing a linkage between extreme weather events and climate change is not as easy as it might seem. The power of statistical inference is limited by sample size. Memorable weather events occur far less frequently than, say, lung cancer cases, so attribution of extreme events to climate change is far less convincing than the attribution of lung cancer to smoking. Even when the linkage is statistically significant, as in the case of heat waves, the more extreme the event, the smaller the relative contribution of global warming to the observed anomaly. That doesn't detract from the statistical significance of a record breaking high temperature, but it places a damper on its shock value.
The limitations imposed by sample size would not be such a serious issue if the mechanisms that link extreme weather events to climate change were well understood, but unfortunately, they are not. These ambiguities confront scientists and science writers with a dilemma. Nuanced stories that reflect the true state of the science are rarely simple and dramatic enough to qualify as front page news. But stories that exaggerate the human contribution to extreme weather events detract from the credibility of climate science.
Has the strategy of focusing the discussion of the global environmental crisis on extreme weather events been effective in raising public awareness? Opinion polls indicate that there does, in fact, tend to be a discernible upswing in the level of public concern about climate change in the wake of particularly damaging extreme events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. But there is no evidence of a robust, sustained upward trend.
At no time in the recent past have Americans ranked climate change as their highest priority environmental issue. According to the report "Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in November 2013", published by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, Americans rank the leading environmental issues as follows: water pollution (62% say it should be a "high" or "very high" priority), developing sources of clean energy (61%), toxic waste (56%), air pollution (54%), climate change (44%).
If the polling results are any indication, it would require a series of extreme weather events much more disruptive than the ones we've experienced during the past decade to bring about a real sea change in public opinion on climate change. I don't think we can afford to wait for that to happen. Raising public awareness of the multiple threats to our planet's life support system is too important to be subject to the whims of the weather.
The author, John Michael Wallace, is a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington.


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Today I blog live from the Connecticut Historical Society where I am combing through the records of MS 4823 – The National Popular Education Board. During the 1840s and 1850s, this organization based in Hartford, CT trained New England women as teachers and then sent them west to work in small towns. Thanks to the generosity of the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, I get to make the opposite trek and spend the next eight weeks learning about the history of Jacksonville by traveling through the region where many of the town's early leaders originated: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and later, New Hampshire.
While I've passed through New England a number of times, this is my first extended stay. I'm a seasoned traveler who loves to meet new people and see new places, but truth be told, as a consummate Midwesterner who puts a little too much emphasis on letter "r" and drenches everything in ranch dressing, I sometimes get a little nervous among Easterners who say things like, "Wait, let me get this straight – Kansas City is in Missouri??" (true story).
I find regional variations and hierarchies both fascinating and perplexing. After all, I'm in New England because New Englanders feature prominently in Jacksonville's story. One would think the regional bonds would be a bit stronger and rather than insist on belittling the Midwest as "fly-over country," Easterners would look out the airplane window with pride and say, "I made that."
Now, this animosity goes way back. Take for example this scathing review of James Kirke Paulding;s novel Westward Ho! published in the Illinois Patriot, a Jacksonville newspaper, on November 17, 1832. It already shows resentment from one Jacksonville resident who feels misrepresented by a distant New York author:
The letters written by young women sent west to teach by the National Popular Education Board not only reveal a strong sense of adventure, but a shared idea that they had entered an entirely new world populated by people very different from themselves. They reflected a culture that was at once excited to push the boundaries of the United States further west while simultaneously maintaining frontier boundaries between the perceived "settled" and "unsettled" regions.
Previous posts on this blog have discussed 19th century observers who described the people of Illinois as backwards, ignorant, and all together uncultivated. So one question I keep returning to is: was thus really true? Was the Midwest really that different, or did white settlers simply need to believe these differences existed? Much scholarship and research leans toward the latter, but much of that research has been done on institutions and ideas controlled by men: politics, economics, religion, etc. A basic assumption in women's history is that women's work remained women's work regardless of region. Babies always had to be born, food always had to be cooked, and those socks sure didn't knit themselves.
The teachers sponsored by the National Popular Education Board grappled more with living far from home as single women than they did with regional differences. Some wrote about having to deal with unfamiliar men, while others wrote about their perceived depravity. Take for example Augusta C. Adams from Mt. Hally, Vermont, who returned home in 1854 to nurse her sick mother. Once her mother recovered, she wrote to the Board to request a new posting, Adams was quite specific that she desired a "good situation, not in the country, where I should not be entirely shut out from Society." Crowded country schools were beneath someone more accustomed to more sophisticated environs. She much preferred "to be an assistant in some Academy… if possible, I should like to teach music, drawing and painting, chiefly."
Yet I was struck by one letter from Elizabeth Bachelder, a teacher in Mooresville, Indiana, dated March 31, 1852. In a unique departure from the typical rhetoric about the backwardness of her charges, Bachelder actually implores leaders in New England to reconsider their position. She wrote:
Education has many warm friends in this country. I know of but one thing which keeps alive a prejudice against Eastern teachers. 'Tis the extracts from letters in the Report of the Board, in which the ignorance of the people is commented on. Perhaps I ought not to mention this, but the warmest friends of the Son feel very deeply that such expressions are rather uncalled for and that it is the only thing which keeps alive a feeling of dislike towards his teachers. There are exceptions in every community. I have seen in favored New England, as backward pupils as anyone will be able to find in this Country. Most of the people are intelligent and refined and they have a pride about such matters that are discovered only by spending time with them. Western people are very close observers of character, they expect much of the teachers spent to them, but they dislike any appearance that shows great superiority or indicates that we feel that they are inferior to us in intelligence. I feel much attached to the people by whom I am surrounded, kinder friends I never expect to have, a pleasanter home I could not have, the family are religious and the older members very well educated. They treat me as a sister.
Bachelder's is the only letter I've come across that does not emphasize the differences between hew Midwestern station and her New England home. This isn't about proving that Midwesterners need to snap out of our regional inferiority complex. That just isn't possible. Its ingrained in our very souls. However, my time in New England is about understanding how national networks formed, the stories people told themselves and others to further westward movements, and most importantly, how women experienced, described, and lived imperialism.
More to come!


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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
June 22, 2008
June 22, 2008
June 25, 2008
Engineering Economy
13.234.1 - 13.234.13
Assessing the True Cost of Delivering Nano-hype
Engineering and technology can have a massive impact on productivity and economic growth so it is important to track the likely course of new technologies as they grow from concept to maturity. Nowhere is this more important than in the case of nano- technologies. This broad category ranges from incremental CMOS developments to highly speculative new materials with novel functionality. However, roadmaps for strategic development need to be built on more than hype and promises. This paper describes a simple tool to measure the maturity of new technologies in many economic as well as technical domains. It ascribes one of ten stages of maturity to fourteen different parameters. A review of non-volatile memory technologies is used as a benchmark. The tool has been used to demonstrate technology evolution within academic courses and it has also been applied within short industry courses.
Project rationale and scope
The appeal of nanotechnology lies in the sheer breadth and potential impact of its applications. However, these features are also its greatest weakness. Hardly a week passes without some new nano-product or material being touted as the miracle solution that will drive the next wave of high-tech development 1. The reality is that few of these claims will be realized in the form predicted. Even the developments that eventually succeed will have a tortuous and demanding evolution path. How does anyone make a balanced assessment of new technology that captures its novelty and the imagination of the innovators but at the same time acknowledges that realistic business criteria will also be applied? This paper describes a simple process to derive a measure of the maturity of new technologies in many economic as well as technical domains. It was initiated by a need to explain new technology in course work and has since been extended to research and development outcomes in several industry sectors.
Technology evolution rests on a brutally Darwinian process that is based on the interaction of engineering, economics and market opportunities. This makes any long term planning difficult yet there is every reason to believe that the scope and impact of technical change will be as profound in the next thirty years as it has been in the last thirty. However, it is difficult to find a balanced view of any emerging technology. The advocates obviously dwell on its strengths and sometimes their enthusiasm can drift into unsubstantiated hype and wishful thinking. At the other end of the spectrum, those involved with mature technologies are too busy managing products and cash flow in highly competitive global markets to be seriously concerned about a technology that may be a decade or more away.
A quantitative tool that measures the maturity of emerging technologies has a number of applications in the domain of Engineering Economics:
Robertson, J., & Kozicki, M., & Petrovic, S. (2008, June), Assessing The True Cost Of Delivering Nano Hype Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3908
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2008 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015


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Seems like time-management games slowly increase the area of their application - from restaurant business they move to beauty industry. So, as we follow them from the crowded and stuffy diners into shiny high-class boutiques, hair dressing salons, and clothes stores, we're meeting a new time-management game developed by Café Games and presented by Real Arcade.
I am not saying it's the first because the pioneer game from the beauty industry based on the time-management principle is Belle's Beauty Boutique. Frankly, Sally's Salon is much alike the latter title, at least in terms of goals you are to achieve.
In Sally's Salon, you are to make all of your customers of different age, gender and social status beautiful. You are to take care of their hair, dye and dry it, cut it, reshape their eyebrows, make manicure and do everything to keep them satisfied in any possible way.
All of your customers will want to:
Have their hair washed
Have their hair cut;
Have it dyed.
Have it dried with a hair dryer.
Need a manicure
Need to change the shape of their eyebrows.
And good for you, customers need to be cashed out.
The point of this game is to serve your customers at preset sits and stations.
When a customer asks for another service, you are to drag it to the corresponding sit or station.
Similarly to other micromanagement games you are to always think ahead and prescribe new tasks as you are currently busy doing something else. This is the only way to achieve the goal set on each level.
And this is pretty challenging as you are trying to multitask and serve all the customers.
Once you sit a customer who wants his/her hair cut or dyed, a menu will appear in the middle of the screen. You are to click through the offered haircuts or colors and understand which one fits your customer best.
You can define it by the facial expression of the customer on this screen.
If this crazy old lady is smiling broadly with Lilac Blue Bob- let it be. Just give her what she wants and make her look like a crazy teenager. The customer is always right.
Similarly to all other games in every level you will have to reach the set money goals - minimum and expert. Be sure not to lose any of your customers and not to keep somebody for a long time at any sit or station.
A good decision will be to hire the apprentice hair dryers and washers when you earn enough to afford paying them.
With each level, the number of stations will increase along with the number of services you will have to provide to your customers.
If you come up with a dynamic and far-reaching strategy, you will have to grow your business and move from the suburb mall to the downtown area, promising you better earnings.
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World's Leaders and Innovators Converged at EmTech HK
EmTech Hong Kong returns for its second edition in the past week at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Co-organized with MIT Technology Review and Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, EmTech Hong Kong showcases emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change our lives and an access point to the most innovative people and companies in the world. This year's theme is The Future of Technology, Today, and key topics include New Materials, Innovation, Cloud, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Automation, Virtual Reality, Augmented Life, Healthy Ageing, FinTech, Cybersecurity and Future Cities.
Professor Alexander Wai, Vice President (Research & Development) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Host Innovation Partner of EmTech Hong Kong, remarked on the progress of science research in Hong Kong, "Over the past eight decades PolyU is proud to have laid down many significant research milestones. Our professors have developed a reputation for taking research from the laboratory into the real world, where it has practical use with meaningful benefits. We believe a contributing factor to PolyU's success has been our efforts to encourage and enable cross-disciplinary research, which brings experts together. We are glad to be the Host Innovation Partner for EmTech Hong Kong to further foster interactions and partnership with various stakeholders to meet the needs of society."
Professor Alexander Wai, Vice President (Research & Development) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
EmTech Hong Kong 2017 drew over 500 participants from more than 20 countries. Some of the world's most influential leaders and innovators that are driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs will speak at EmTech Hong Kong. Over 30 speakers are participating.
EmTech Hong Kong aims to facilitate innovators and enterprisers by giving them a voice as well as a platform for engagement. Participants can expect opportunities to learn how their businesses can incorporate and benefit from the emerging technologies showcased at the conference, while networking with over 500 like-minded individuals. Hong Kong is widely recognised as a flourishing international business centre and a gateway to Mainland China, especially the Pearl River Delta region. Over the last few years, Hong Kong has become a technology incubator for innovative enterprises.


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We create pre-build face filters for Instagram - fully customizable in Spark AR Studio.
Create your own
filters in no time
All our filters are fully functional and can either be directly uploaded to your account or completely customized in Spark AR.
If you are not sure which face filters you want to create maybe you want to start with one of our freebies first!
What is Spark AR Studio?
Spark AR Studio is a master suite of animation and augmented reality creation. From novice javascript developers, 2D artists, 3D modellers and visual effect designers, Facebook's software opens up a new world of possibility to millions of Instagram users.
The incredible software allows creators to fulfil the growing demand for Instagram Facefilter templates to users all over the world. Anyone can download Spark AR examples to make a point, try a product virtually or have some fun.
Through our website, anyone can access a curated gallery of Spark AR templates. By using a Spark AR Template, users gain access to pre-built Spark AR Project files which allow for easy customization. There's no coding knowledge required which makes it a huge timesaver as you don't have to start your AR project from scratch. Now, through our selection of Spark AR Templates, it is super easy to create your own Instagram Facefilter template, without the need to pay thousands to a developer.
Spark AR Use Cases For Business and Marketing
When something grabs the attention of the masses, it's not long before brands jump on board and put their products in front of millions of eyeballs. This has certainly been the case for Instagram and Spark AR. The use cases for business is growing as more and more marketers realize the need to market to a younger audience. Some of the more popular examples include makeup, branded colors, visual design with subliminal brand messages, virtual products, or even mascots.
As selfies are one of the most common photos taken, makeup is high up on the popular list for many Spark AR creator brands. Using the power of AR, any user can apply a filter to their selfie with a click of a button.
Users of Instagram can try on a new shade of lipstick or foundation. Once they are happy with their look all they do is hit share and all their followers now have exposure to the makeup brand. What's amazing about this is the brand's AR Spark is tagged so users can decide if this something they want to buy before it even hits the stores.
Get In Early on This AR Trend
It's estimated that around 100 million users will use AR technology across a myriad of devices this year alone. With giant's like Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google driving the technology, it's no wonder that we are going to see a spike in the adoption of technology in the coming years. For Facebook's Spark AR, this means there is no better time to create or obtain some Spark AR Templates or Spark AR Project files for your idea. The possibilities of your own Spark AR going viral is excellent, so jump on the opportunity before everyone else does.
Creating Face Filters Using Spark AR Templates
If you are a marketer or owner of a brand, then you might be wondering how to create your face filters for Instagram. The most common roadblock we hear from people before they find is, "I'm not technical" or "I don't code". Don't let these excuses stop you from creating your idea. You see, we have made it really simple to overcome these barriers of entry. All you need is our Instagram Facefilter Templates.
Through our site, use the search tool to navigate and find the best Spark AR Templates, which contain pre-built Spark AR Project files. Once you have them, import the template and begin adding your designs. Alternatively, you can also download Spark AR examples for inspiration. You won't have to worry about coding as we have that covered for you. All you need to do is put on your creative hat, and by the end of the day, you will have your face filter ready for use on Instagram.
Spark AR Examples & Projects
Templates for Spark AR are easy to use. We allow our templates to be customized through Spark AR Studio. This gives you full creative control over the final look of your face filter. All you have to do is add one or more of the following elements to the template:
Either a 3D object or custom texture. While our Spark AR Templates include these as standard in Project files, your team can replace these elements with ease. Spark AR Studio even has a gallery of 3D objects you can use if you don't have access to your creative team.
Once you have the creative elements, all that's required is to use the face reference assets to create textures that fit perfectly on someone's face.
Best Practices
When creating your AR filter for Instagram, it's very important to think about the use case application and why someone would use your filter. Consider what the user would be thinking, for example;
How does the user want to express themselves, what they are doing and how they are feeling. How does the user want to connect with others to start a conversation? How does the user share their emotions? Do they want to be silly, funny or something other than themselves? How does the user wish to share current news, topics or trends?
While these are the core principles of thoughts that should help shape your build, make sure you keep things simple. By doing so, you won't over complicate your face filter. Focus on finding the correct Spark AR Template, and you will be well on your way to a successful build.


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Over the past 24 hours, EOS's EOS/USD price rose 5.54% to $1.33. This continues its positive trend over the past week where it has experienced a 11.0% gain, moving from $1.18 to its current price. As it stands right now, the coin's all-time high is $22.71.
The chart below compares the price movement and volatility for EOS over the past 24 hours (left) to its price movement over the past week (right). The gray bands are Bollinger Bands, measuring the volatility for both the daily and weekly price movements. The wider the bands are, or the larger the gray area is at any given moment, the larger the volatility.
The trading volume for the coin has decreased 9.0% over the past week, while the overall circulating supply of the coin has decreased 0.13% to over 1.00 billion. The current market cap ranking for EOS is #50 at $1.33 billion.
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.


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Jack achieved the record using 15 Retrotec 3300 test fans with 120,000 cfm, as well as a large 60,000-cfm fan on a 37-million-cubic-foot building in Graben, Germany.
His team used depressurization testing along with an infrared camera to locate leaks. Loading ramps, gates, elevator shafts, and emergency exits were all identified as air leakage contributors. Yet, despite the large amount of leakage, sealing to meet the standard may not have been the most challenging part.
"The test was tiring," said Jack. "However, the morale was high and we had the feeling that we mastered the challenge.
"Convincing the client of the benefit of testing was also tough. Getting the building prepared for the test is always a challenge too," he said. "All interior doors must be open, of course, not easy in a high security building. Where to get 15 16A power sockets was also not easy. Shutting down the ventilation and sealing some of the vents on the roof when it's cold is also difficult."
Despite the difficulties, Jack's seasoned team of large building testers successfully met their standards, as well as gaining the world record for largest building tested with blower doors.
"Energy savings on a large scale can be made on such buildings. All you need are enough fans," said Jack. "Testers think it can't be done, or that they don't have the required power. Maybe they overestimate the leakage area, as it was approximately 14 square meters on this building. Large buildings also lose lots of energy and have the same problem as domestic dwellings — just on a larger scale."
For more information on the Guinness World Record blower door test, visit www.blower-door-xxl.com.
Publication date: 04/23/2012


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CHURCH COUNCIL AND STANDING COMMITTEES: Concern themselves with the business of the church.
ENDOWMENT BOARD: Elected position
DECORATION COMMITTEE: Decorate the sanctuary for Christmas and Easter.
FUNERAL DINNERS: Volunteers who donate a food dish for a funeral meal. Volunteers who come in and help serve the funeral meal.
OFFICE HELPERS: Help with putting together the church newsletter and bulletin. Volunteers who answer the phone. Other assistance as needed.
SNOW AND GARDEN HELPERS: Volunteers to help clear the walks of snow in winter. In summer help is needed with mowing and keeping the landscaping weeded.
CHURCH LIBRARY: Volunteers needed to help in a variety of ways.
CHURCH MOUSE: Refill the envelopes, pencils, etc. in pew racks.
RADIO BROADCASTS: Donations accepted for weekly radio broadcasts.
ALTAR FLOWERS – Delivering flowers to the homebound after worship services
CHURCH MUSEUM: Help with maintenance of the history of the congregation.
BULLETIN BOARD DESIGNER: periodically change the bulletin boards to reflect the season or a program.


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OGDEN, UTAH, June 24, 2014—Trace Minerals Research (TMR), a leading provider of trace mineral based supplements for over 40 years, announces that Utah Sea Minerals™ has been reviewed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and is allowed for use in certified organic production or food processing and handling according to the United States Division of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) Rule. Having a product OMRI Listed® is important for TMR's continued success as it markets its bulk ingredients to the food and beverage industry.
"Adding Utah Sea Minerals™ to our offering of OMRI Listed® products is another huge step for us," said James Crawford, Bulk Sales Manager for TMR. "Now that Utah Sea Minerals™ is OMRI Listed®, we have two ingredients we can offer manufacturers that they can use to fortify and enhance their organic products. Each complex is unique in its own way, but the benefit is that they both contain an all-natural mineral profile of over 72 ionic trace minerals that have been harvested from the Great Salt Lake."
The uniqueness Crawford referred to applies to both Utah Sea Minerals™ and ConcenTrace®. ConcenTrace has been OMRI Listed® since 2012 and is very similar to Utah Sea Minerals™. The basic difference is Utah Sea Minerals is simply seawater from the Great Salt Lake that is naturally higher in sodium. Conversely, ConcenTrace® is seawater that has gone through a proprietary concentration process that causes the sodium to "fall out" so it's 99.5 percent sodium free and more concentrated than Utah Sea Minerals™. Crawford added that the main reason TMR wanted to add Utah Sea Minerals™ to its OMRI Listed® offerings was because many manufacturers requested a higher sodium trace mineral complex.
In order to get both Utah Sea Minerals™ OMRI Listed®, TMR submitted product information to OMRI, including all ingredients and manufacturing processes. OMRI specialists reviewed the formula according to strict procedures and guidelines to determine compliance with NOP standards. Once a product is OMRI Listed®, farmers, processors, certifiers and home gardeners trust that it is allowed in USDA certified organic operations.
TMR chose OMRI because of its more than 2,500 listed products, 14 years of experience, and proven, ISO-accredited review procedures and because organic certifiers routinely reference the OMRI Products List to ensure that the ingredients they're using are compliant with organic regulations.
Utah Sea Minerals™ is Non-GMO Project® Verified, certified vegan, gluten free, Kosher and Halal. For manufacturers, bulk pricing is available upon request by calling 800-624-7145 or emailing James Crawford at email@example.com. Utah Sea Minerals™ is also available in natural and specialty health food stores throughout the country and carries an MSRP of $11.39 for a 16 ounce, 48-serving bottle and $61.79 for a one gallon, 384-serving jug.
About OMRI—OMRI is a nonprofit organization that provides professional, independent, and transparent review of materials and processes to determine suitability for producing, processing and handling organic food and fiber. OMRI is recognized by the USDA National Organic Program as a reputable third party reviewer of inputs for organic use. For more information about OMRI, visit www.omri.org.
About TMR—Trace Minerals Research (www.traceminerals.com) is the ionic mineral supplement brand you've known and trusted for over 40 years. TMR is the exclusive provider of ConcenTrace® Trace Mineral Drops, an ionic, solar evaporated, GRAS-affirmed and food-grade, andNon-GMO Project Verified essential trace mineral complex that is harvested from the Great Salt Lake for food, beverage and dietary supplement use. ConcenTrace® is also the number one selling trace mineral in the natural products industry. TMR uses these naturally balanced, naturally occurring minerals as the basis for all products in its branded product line. Extensive research supports the need to keep minerals in proper balance throughout the body in order to achieve optimal health. Trace Minerals Research is focused solely on servicing the natural products industry and the company's complete line of superior quality nutritional supplements is backed by a "Feel the Difference or Your Money Back" guarantee. In addition, TMR is Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) certified by the Natural Products Association™ (NPA) (www.npainfo.org) under the new Food and Drug Administration's final cGMP rule [21 CFR 111] for dietary supplements and has been GMP certified since 2004.