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Pouches Flex Their Marketing Muscles
Good looking and functional, too, pouches are taking on rigid packaging.
The stand-up pouch is the new can, jar and bottle. That's the thinking at companies such as Campbell Soup, Heinz and Kraft, which are transforming supermarket shelves and foodservice operations with pouches of all sizes and configurations.
Pouch attributes such as light weight, ease of use, product protection and visual appeal also are attracting smaller processors, for products ranging from fresh fruit to tapenade.
"Go!" time for Campbell Soup
Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J., is adding pouches to its packaging lineup for two new product lines, Campbell's Go! Soup and Campbell's Skillet Sauces. The products will launch in the U.S. this summer.
Both products will be packaged in retortable stand-up pouches made from customized, high-barrier laminated materials. The microwavable Go! Soup pouch material is an all-plastic laminate; the Skillet Sauces pouch is made from a plastic/aluminum laminate.
Developed for a single use, the pouches are not resealable. The soup pouch holds 14 oz., and the sauce pouch holds 9 oz.
Click on the image
Both structurally and graphically, the Go! Soup pouch will shake things up in the soup aisle and add a new dimension to Campbell's array of products in cans and rigid cups. Because U.S. consumers are not familiar with ready-to-eat soup in a pouch, Campbell will use the package graphics and structure to attract and educate consumers.
"Many of the soup pouches in the marketplace contain dry products that need to be reconstituted," explains John Faulkner, Campbell's director of brand communications. "To help prevent confusing Go! Soup with dry products, we are utilizing a clear gusset on the bottom [of the] pouch to allow consumers to see the wet soup" inside the pouch.
Directions on the back of the soup pouch will explain how to microwave the product, starting with tearing at the notch to vent the package. The pouch material was engineered for linear tearing, which provides clean opening and easy microwave preparation.
The sauce pouch was not designed for microwave cooking but rather for pouring into a skillet and heating with chicken or other protein.
Graphics created for the Go! Soup pouches are quirky and fun, featuring photos of "Millennial" men and women — people in their late teens to early 30s, that is.
With the Go! Soup line, "We are targeting Millennial consumers," Faulkner says. "We know they believe that today's soup choices fail to deliver a convenient, fresh, exciting food experience. As a result, our traditional canned soups are not a part of their eating repertoire."
Faulkner adds that Millennials eat "significantly fewer servings of canned soup each year" than their elders. In the Millennial demographic, "Canned foods are perceived negatively. We need to remove that negative barrier."
This market insight drove the pouch's look and feel, which are so different from those of a soup can. Decorated using reverse-print rotogravure, the pouches will create colorful point-of-purchase billboards when they hits store shelves.
Acknowledging the primacy of smartphones among Millennials, Campbell will print a 2D barcode on the back of each pouch. Scanning the code will bring consumers to a Campbell's website.
Pouch with a spout
Pouches used for multiserving products need be reclosable and, ideally, incorporate a dispensing feature. The new economy-oriented Heinz Ketchup pouch, for example, has a reclosable cap and a spout. To dispense ketchup, the consumer simply removes the cap and squeezes the flexible package.
Click on the image
The 10-oz. stand-up pouch is decorated with Heinz's familiar graphics. The iconic white shield pops on a ground of red, and a call-out on the front of the pouch assures consumers that the product is the "Same Heinz" with a "Great Low Price." The suggested price for the pouch pack, which launched this spring, is 99 cents.
The company is "leveraging this cost-effective pouch format to make Heinz Ketchup accessible to all consumers," says Tracey Parsons, a spokesperson for H.J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh. She adds that the pouch is convenient for cooking, because the package contains the equivalent of one cup of ketchup.
Artisanal processor Maison Le Grand (www.maisonlegrand.com), St.-Joseph-du-Lac, Quebec, also chose a pouch with a spout fitment for its products. The company previously used glass jars but switched to custom pouches made of multilayer, high-barrier materials for its pesto, tapenades, aromatic sauce and tzatziki.
In each case, the multilayer material and spout are customized to suit the all-natural, cold-filled products' characteristics, including viscosity and sensitivity to oxygen and light. Flair Flexible Packaging (www.flairpackaging.com), Appleton, Wis., supplies the opaque pouches, which hold 170-200g (6-7 oz.).
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The Harlem Shake craze is all of two weeks old, and already it's become one of the most inescapable--and inexplicable--memes in recent memory.
A search on YouTube for "Harlem Shake" turns up 8.8 million results: according to the site's Trends blog, there were 40,000 unique videos with more than 175 million views on February 15. There are almost certainly more now.
But has it crossed over the line between "all the rage" and "over it"?
As early as February 13, the Atlantic Wire was suggesting the meme had worn out its welcome when Today uploaded their groan-worthy version. The LA Times declared it dead or dying on February 16, with a list of reasons the overexposed meme was just over (and two thirds of readers seemed to agree, responding to a poll in the article).
If you ask us, the Harlem Shake lost the plot when it went mainstream. Part of the charm of the videos was their very lo-fi style: a single shot, usually in wide-angle, no bells and whistles, just a guy dancing in a helmet and then a giant dance party. Many of the videos featured a single slow-motion moment, but that was as fancy as it got.
So when Pepsi uploaded a video of its various beverages taking the place of the dancers, it was something of a bridge too far. The meme had gone from viral sensation to mainstream as a corporate giant hijacked it for advertising purposes:
(A version featuring Jeff Gordon, crew and his Pepsi Max racing car is truer to the spirit of the original videos.)
And A&W restaurants made a bizarre attempt at their own version, featuring Rooty the bear and in a black and white "History of the Harlem Shake" (circa 1974) video.

subset: commoncrawl


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**** WINNER UPDATE. This giveaway is now closed. Our lucky winner is… Elyse who said "Everything! I would first love to make cookies and cakes with my daughter." on December 10, 2012 at 4:45 pm. Congratulations Elyse! Please contact me by Thursday, December 20th to claim your prize. Enjoy! ****
Now that we're officially in the holiday spirit and The 12 Cakes of Christmas is well underway… I think it's time for a little giveaway. Don't you? We've partnered up with our friends at KitchenAid again to bring you another fabulous contest! One that involves both giving and receiving. This year you'll be the ultimate baker and the ultimate gift giver! Because one lucky reader will win a 5 quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer for you! AND a 5-Speed KitchenAid Hand Blender for your best baking friend!! It's twice the prizes and twice the fun! It's twice the Ho, Ho, Ho!
Are you squealing as loud as I am?! Seriously…. talk about an amazing prize!
I absolutely love my KitchenAid and use it for everything! For 12 years now, my classic 4.5 quart mixer has seen me through thick and thin. I cannot even begin to count the endless batches of cake batter and icing it has endured over the years. Not to mention cookie dough, pizza dough… I could go on! So I am quite thrilled for our soon-to-be winner of this gorgeous 5 Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer!
And in the true spirit of the season… it is better to give than to receive! Our lucky winner will be able to share this prize with their best baking buddy!
Whether that's Mom, Aunt Carol, or your best friend! It's your gift to give! It's a 5-Speed KitchenAid Hand Blender!! Stainless steel blades and five different attachments will have your best buddy blending, chopping and shredding with ease. It can even froth milk for espresso drinks (now we're really talking!). Just think of your bestie happily frothing up a peppermint latte for you… as a way of saying thank you! For sharing your amazing prize! Oh what joy!
**** WINNER UPDATE. This giveaway is now closed. Our lucky winner is… Elyse who said "Everything! I would first love to make cookies and cakes with my daughter." on December 10, 2012 at 4:45 pm. Congratulations Elyse! Please contact me by Thursday, December 20th to claim your prize. Enjoy! ****
- Sign up to follow Half Baked – The Cake Blog on Facebook
- Sign up to follow KitchenAid on Facebook
- Leave a comment below telling us what you'd mix up with your new KitchenAid products!
Giveaway ends Monday, Dec 17, 2012 at midnight PST. A winner will be chosen via random.org and announced here, on this post, on Tuesday, Dec 18th. Winner will be notified by email and must claim their prize within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Promotion open to new and existing Facebook Fans. Winning is conditioned on liking both Facebook pages. Prize includes one KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Stand Mixer, provided by TheCakeBlog.com, valued at $429. And one KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender with attachments, provided by KitchenAid, valued at $129. Prizes may not be shipped until Jan 2013. Void where prohibited. Only one (1) entry per person. Must be a US resident and at least 18 years old to enter.


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TideSDK is the new standard for creating beautiful and unique desktop apps using your web development skills.Download TideSDK Donate
Wrap your head around TideSDK quickly and start to create your own desktop apps with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript after a couple of minutes.
To the guides section
You have to know your toolset. Head over to our API documentation now.
To the API documentation
There is MUCH work to put into TideSDK and we need every possible help to bring this project to its full potential. Contact us now, any help is appreciated!
Drop us a mail
Added guides section 'Beginner Guides' with 4 new guides.
Updated to recent JSDuck version.
Nov 16 2012
Fixed formatting and added code examples to Ti.Filesystem
Sep 5 2012


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Virtual Graffiti is one of the fastest growing IT solutions providers for business, government and education. Our unique approach to technology starts with comprehensive product knowledge and outstanding customer support, ensuring our customers find the right solution. We assist buyers of all levels of experience from the earliest stages of decision-making through product fulfillment and post-sales support.
View the latest promotions and offers from Virtual Graffiti. See how you can save even more on special offers that run in addition to our current promotions throughout the year. If you have any inquires please call us at 800.886.5369!
In the technology industry, strategic partnerships are critical for success. Virtual Graffiti, Inc., has aligned itself with industry-leading partners to offer powerful and cost-effective solutions for our customers. Virtual Graffiti makes it easy for you to find products and solutions from our partners through our large network of branded microsites. Select your store below:
SonicWall's Promotional Tradeup! Free Appliance Upgrade with 3 Years of AGSS Purchase!November 27, 2017


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Arguably the city's finest Cantonese restaurant, Jiang by Chef Fei offers a truly memorable dining experience. Using only the best seasonal ingredients, impeccably prepared according to time-honoured traditions, Chef Fei has created a menu, which excites and delights in equal measure.
Stylishly designed using an elegant palette of grey, brown and cream, the restaurant enjoys a sophisticated, contemporary feel. Featuring solid wood floors, elegantly patterned carpets and exquisite Oriental artwork it provides the perfect environment in which to enjoy Chef Fei's wonderful food.
Comprised of fresh, flavourful dishes, Jiang by Chef Fei's menu is classic Cantonese in essence, but with a contemporary twist in terms of style and presentation. Sample from dishes such as poached lobster served with homemade mayonnaise and sweet fruits or Canadian beef rib eye spiced with Szechuanese pepper, chilli and garlic.
To complement the flavours of Chef Fei's cooking, the menu is paired with a bespoke selection of Chinese teas and wines.
Reservations can be made by one of the contact methods below.
+86 20 3808 8885
reserve a table


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Greater DFW area and North Texas residents utilizing a portion of their home for organic vegetable, fruit, nut gardening plus medicinal & nculinary herb gardening. With a little effort we can feed our families more nourishing organic food and have a healthier, less expensive, and more sustainable homestead.
Our mission is to provide free education to persons seeking to live sustainably and grow their own food, particularly with Permaculture.
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Lane County Looks to Wood Products Industry
August 8, 2011 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Lane County Looks to Wood Products Industry
Navistar International Inc.'s decision to move 450 jobs to Indiana from its Monaco RV motor coach plant in Coburg, Ore., will reduce employment in Lane County's transportation equipment manufacturing sector by half.
As reported by the Register Guard, Eugene, that's terrible news for a local economy that has grown numb from similar blows. Even before Navistar's announcement Tuesday (Aug. 2), employment in the sector, mostly recreational vehicle manufacturing, had fallen 80% from its peak in 2005. Such a steep decline makes the notoriously volatile wood products industry look like an island of stability in Lane County's manufacturing economy.
Lane County's RV makers employed 4,600 workers in 2005, according to the Oregon Employment Department, having added more than 1,000 jobs in just two years. Eugene and Springfield had become bedroom communities for Coburg and Junction City, the industry's leading production points.
Jobs in the RV plants paid an average of 22% less than those in sawmills and plywood mills, but the RV makers were on the verge of surpassing the mills as Lane County's leading source of manufacturing employment. Monaco Coach Corp., Country Coach Inc. and Marathon Coach Inc. — the big three RV companies — filled local suppliers' order books, and their workers' paychecks helped sustain grocers, dentists, movie theaters and car dealers.
Then the bottom fell out. A credit crunch, a deep economic downturn and high gas prices all came at once.
The Register Guard reported that employment hit bottom in March 2009, when just 500 people were employed in the transportation equipment manufacturing sector. A gradual recovery had took hold since then, with employment in the sector averaging 900 in the first six months of this year. But the news about Monaco promises to bring local RV industry employment to a new low. A return to the boom days before the Great Recession is a distant dream.
Navistar's shift in production to Indiana results from a new factor in the local equation. Monaco, like Lane County's other big RV makers, is locally grown, but its assets were purchased by Navistar after bankruptcy proceedings in 2009. Monaco's jobs in Coburg became subject to decisions made by a multinational company based in Illinois. While 150 jobs will remain in Coburg, consolidating most of Monaco's work force in Indiana makes sense to executives who see Lane County as an outpost distant from supply lines and markets.
Total manufacturing employment in Lane County peaked at the same time as the number of jobs in RV-making hit its highest point. Since then, manufacturing has declined by 40%, to 12,200 in June from 20,600 in the summer of 2005.
The RV industry accounts for about half of that decline. And the drop in manufacturing employment accounts for half the decline in total non-farm employment in Lane County, which stood at 143,500 in June after reaching a peak of 159,500 in late 2007.
Other sectors have suffered as well, but one contrast is telling. The wood products industry in Lane County has been shrinking for a decade, slipping to 3,400 jobs in June from 5,300 in 2001. Yet wood products remains the largest local source of manufacturing employment, and it is likely to remain so — particularly if a recovery in the construction industry ever arrives.
Wood products is known to be a boom-and-bust industry, highly sensitive to changes in the housing market. But it won't be moving to Indiana, and it continues to provide jobs that form the base of Lane County's economic pyramid. The RV industry, once poised to overtake wood products as the county's leading manufacturing employer, is mostly gone.
The wood products industry is still here, and can be expected to remain.


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District 7 Officers Always Get Their Man (Robber)!
August 9th, 2012 by milwaukeepolice
On August 1 at 9:45 p.m., squads were dispatched to an armed robbery in the 2900 block of N. 46th St. As squads began to saturate a second robbery was reported to police on the same block.
District 7 Police Officers Dionte King and Scott Wilson began a foot pursuit of a possible suspect. Meanwhile, Officers Martez Ball and Harold Almas and Sgt. Charles Grimm set up containment
Officers located the suspect hiding in the bushes in the 2800 block of N. 46th St. Officers recovered the suspect's weapon, a BB gun, which he dropped during the pursuit.
The suspect confessed to both robberies. Great job by District 7 officers taking a two-time robber off the street!


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U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) wants the new Navy ship honoring passengers of United Flight 93 — which crashed near Shanksville in Somerset County September 11, 2001 — to be commissioned in Philadelphia.
— U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) wants the new Navy ship honoring passengers of United Flight 93 — which crashed near Shanksville in Somerset County September 11, 2001 — to be commissioned in Philadelphia.
The USS Somerset is the ninth and newest amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. It joins the USS New York and the USS Arlington in remembering the heroes of September 11.
"The Somerset should be commissioned in Pennsylvania, and I have asked Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to bring her to Philadelphia for the occasion," said Senator Toomey. "The ship is named in honor of the courageous passengers whose action prevented the terrorists from killing many more Americans. Our state and our citizens would be privileged to have the ship begin its service to the country in the Port of Philadelphia. I hope Secretary Mabus agrees. "
A ship is commissioned when it is put into active service The Somerset was christened in July 2012.
In the summer of 2008, steel from the dragline's bucket was melted down and cast into Somerset's bow stem. Somerset is the final of three ships named to honor heroes of the September 11 attacks, joining the USS New York and USS Arlington, respectively.
Designated LPD 25, Somerset is the ninth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. These versatile ships incorporate both a flight deck to accommodate CH-46 helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and a well deck that can launch and recover landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The San Antonio class' increased vehicle space and substantial cargo-carrying capacity make it a key element of 21st century Amphibious Ready Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Joint Task Forces.
Somerset will provide improved war fighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.
The USS Somerset will be the fifth U.S. naval vessel to carry the name Somerset. The four previous ships of that name were a side-wheeled ferryboat (1862-1865), a motorboat (1918), a transport (1945), and a patrol escort (1944-1955).
The ship will be led by a crew of 360 officers, enlisted personnel and Marines. The 24,900-ton Somerset was built at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Avondale, La. The ship is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet, and a navigational draft of 23 feet. Four turbo-charged diesels power the ship to sustained speeds of 22 knots.
The text of Senator Toomey's letter to the Secretary of the Navy follows:
January 24, 2013
The Honorable Ray Mabus
Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20350-1000
Dear Secretary Mabus:
Thank you for your action in response to this office's request for the Navy's assessment of the suitability of Philadelphia to be the site of the commissioning ceremony for the USS Somerset.
I have received information that the Navy has cleared Philadelphia as a potential site, and local officials fully support. I therefore respectfully request that the Navy hold the commissioning ceremony in Philadelphia.
As you know, the ship's name honors the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 whose actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their intended target, forcing the aircraft to crash in Somerset County, PA, on September 11, 2001. In the words of Secretary of the Navy Gordon England, "The courage and heroism of the people aboard the flight will never be forgotten and USS Somerset will leave a legacy that will never be forgotten by those wishing to do harm to this country." It seems only fitting that the vessel's commissioning ceremony be held at the closest port to Somerset County.
Thank you for your service and attention to my request.
Pat Toomey
United States Senator


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Earlier this week I had already prepared a sort of news roundup kind of post. Then the CCP personel cut news hit and I was pondering another post. A lot has already been said about it though, I will make just a few comments here later on.
Incarna 1.1.2
Main thing this new update brings is Ship Spinning 2.0 ! The dread door is gone, you can now see your ship in your hangar without having to enter the captain's quarter. CCP Aporia explains what's up in this devblog. Other changes can be found in the patchnotes.
Eve Is Real
Shame the site is somewhat of a nuisance to navigate, but the idea is nice. The third level has been unlocked at the www.eveisreal.net website. This means Aurum reward, so you can finally buy those fancy boots you always wanted. I have been watching some videos and pics and it's nice, also brings back some memories when I was still actively participating in (factional warfare) fleet battles.
Blog Banter #29 – Immersion
Which brings me to Blog Banter #29. The freebooted Eve Blog started a blog banter on Immersion in Eve. To be honest, I never really felt that much like a cold hearted Caldari business man when I played my main character. But when I was playing factional warfare in it's prime, I felt much more immersed in the game, and it's backstory ! I also learned to hate the Amarr. There are some very nice contributions to the banter, al in all a good read, check it out at Blog Banter #29.
The Lay Offs
No need in repeating the news here, every one who reads this will know about it now. Keith Neilson has a nice blogpost that also includes a list of names. What a lot of people already had been saying turned out to be true, CCP cannot sustain development for Dust and World of Darkness on just the income EVE generates. Maybe they barely could, but the drop in subs since MonocleGate hit hard. Of course it's sad for those people that worked on WOD, but I can certainly understand CCP's move here.
What I don't get, and a lot of people with me, if I read the response to the layoffs on the blogs and forum, is that the Community Team was also layed off. Well almost all of them anyway. This comes across as if uppper management is somehow blaming the community team for the events that unfold around the Incarna release. Some of these people (for me CCP Fallout especially) were the face of CCP in a difficult time, and they made the most of a difficult situation. Ok CCP Pann's post at the time was not so great but uhm, well we're gonna let that slide… Needless to say the 'suits' are free of blame as it seems only 'lower personel' was fired.
It's interesting how every time when CCP seems to get things right, ie focusing on Flying In Space instead of Incarna etc, they blunder in some other sort of way. I also wonder what all of this means for Walking in Stations, will it ever expand beyond the single room, where you walk around like a drunken sailor ? That would make Incarna the most useless expansion in an MMO ever, 4 years of dev time wasted.


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Leopard Fleece Print English Close Contact General Purpose Saddle Cover $24.95
Show off your fun and funky style with this fleece leopard print saddle cover. Your saddle will be easy to identify in your barn from other saddles with this wild animal print. It is a soft and stylish way to protect your saddle from dust and rodents. It measures 26" along the top and 24" down each side. It is made to fit on standard close contact and general purpose saddles up to 17.5" and will stretch to fit on 18" close contact and dressage saddles. This quality cover is made out of soft fleece and has a strong elastic cord sewn in all the way around. Care Instructions: Machine wash. Dry in dryer low heat. Made in the USA.
Matching close contact saddle pad available.
You may also like these Equine Gift items


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The meteoric rise of 24-hour key-card clubs has taken the industry by storm. Since 2001, the number of these clubs has grown by 400 percent, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA).
The two superstars of the model are Anytime Fitness, Hastings, MN, and Snap Fitness, Chanhassen, MN. The two franchise companies boast almost 1,500 clubs between them, 800 for Anytime Fitness and 700 for Snap Fitness, with several hundred more franchise rights sold. Each company shot up the ranks of Entrepreneur magazine's Top 500 franchise list this year, both placing in the top 100.
The key to the 24-hour key-card model, especially for franchisees, is the lower-than-normal overhead costs. The clubs are not staffed 24 hours a day, meaning club owners can savey money by not paying staff to be at the clubs during nonpeak hours.
And therein lies the problem. Last month, the city council in St. Paul, MN, upheld a judge's recommendation to fine two Anytime Fitness franchisees $500 each for violating a city ordinance that states a CPR-trained staff member must be on duty at all times the club is in operation. The unanimous vote took place last month, but the debate about the language of the ordinance and the battle to change it rages on.
Another wrinkle in the 24-hour key-card club model is the issue of mandatory automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Eleven states have laws that require AEDs in every health club. Most of these laws specify that a CPR- and AED-trained staff member must be in the club during its normal operating hours. Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness have franchises open in some of these states, as do other key-card clubs. As of press time, no challenges have been filed to the operation of these clubs in these AED states, but that could change in the future. More states are considering laws with AED requirements.
The result of the St. Paul decision and the growing number of states with AED requirements in clubs could have lasting ramifications on the future of the 24-hour key-card club model.
A Twin City Re-Modeling
After the city council vote in St. Paul, the two fined Anytime Fitness franchisees were in the process of switching their daily hours from 5 a.m. to either 11 p.m. or midnight and were arranging schedules to staff those hours. A third Anytime Fitness club in St. Paul, which opened after the fines were assessed to the other two clubs in December 2007, is operating from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Joe Wittwer, who owns one of the fined Anytime Fitness clubs with his brother, Jason, says that he hopes the St. Paul ordinance gets changed so that they can run the club according to the original business model. Shutting down the club for good was never an option, Joe Wittwer says.
"Our life savings, our house, everything's in this place," Wittwer says. "We don't have the option of starting up in a new town. We couldn't afford it. We're here, and we're here to stay, so we just have to figure out how to make it work."
The St. Paul ordinance was initially put in place in January 1989 as a way to crack down on sex clubs posing as massage parlors or health clubs, with the CPR requirement added in 1992. Chapter 427.07, Section 12 of the St. Paul ordinance reads:
"At least one (1) employee or manager, trained and qualified in first aid and CPR according to standards established by rule by the department of safety and inspections, shall be on duty at all times that the licensed premises are in operation or open to members or the public. Such standards shall be in conformity with standards and guidelines established by the American Red Cross with respect to water safety instructors or by the American Heart Association for similar purposes."
Wittwer and Anytime Fitness spokesperson Mark Daly question the interpretation of "on duty" in the ordinance. (The city council interpreted "on duty" to mean having a staff member in the club.) Daly also takes issue with the intent of the law as it applies to health clubs.
"Our clubs in St. Paul have always had a manager or staff person on duty and readily accessible by phone," Daly says. "We believe it is not only possible, but incredibly simple for a city to devise laws that would prevent sex clubs from operating while simultaneously allowing legitimate fitness clubs to operate in an affordable manner."
Most Anytime Fitness clubs are staffed between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., Daly says. Cell phone numbers of club owners or managers are posted on the wall, along with a panic button that relays a signal through a security company to 911. Members can wear emergency necklaces while working out. Camera surveillance in the facilities allows club owners to see if someone tries to enter without a pass — or if someone is having a heart attack. Video is recorded, but the cameras are not monitored 24 hours a day.
Daly says Anytime Fitness is working with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, a supporter of both Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness, to change the ordinance. However, the mayor cannot introduce legislation to the council, according to St. Paul council member Kathy Lantry. Instead, ordinance changes require a council member to sponsor and introduce the change to the council. A majority vote of the city council (4-3) would then be required to enact the change, she says.
A change may be difficult to attain, however, according to Patricia Lindgren, a legislative aide to council member Dave Thune, a strong supporter of the ordinance.
"This has unfortunately been portrayed as being an 'anti-health club' position," Lindgren says. "St. Paul is happy to see health clubs locate here in our city as long as they abide by the city ordinance requiring staff on duty at times that health club members can gain access to the club. That key-club ordinance was passed in the 1980s for very good reason, and there is no need to change it."
Daly says of the 46 states in which the 800 Anytime Fitness clubs are located, St. Paul is the first city to challenge the company's model.
"How can 800 other communities all be wrong and St. Paul alone be right?" Daly says.
Snap's Future in St. Paul
A more-than-interested observer in the St. Paul situation is Ben Cowan, who owns the rights to three Snap Fitness franchises in St. Paul. Cowan, who paid $40,000 for a three-pack of clubs, disagrees with the ordinance and will not open his clubs until there is a change in the law.
"I'm optimistic and hopeful that we can come to some sort of agreement with the city to make this work," says Cowan, who owns two other Minnesota Snap Fitness clubs in Cottage Grove and Golden Valley.
If there is no change in the ordinance, Cowan could open his three clubs in another area — even out of state — without paying anything extra to Snap corporate, he says. But Cowan, a St. Paul native and Minneapolis resident, does not want to do that, nor does he want to open his model in St. Paul with restricted hours.
"The model does not work if you need to staff it," he says. "If you start to staff it, you can no longer provide affordable memberships. Now they become more expensive memberships."
Some Snap Fitness clubs are staffed 40 hours a week, and some are staffed 10 hours a week, says Snap Fitness spokesperson Patrick Strait. On average, the clubs are staffed about 15 to 20 hours per week and by appointment for tours and personal training sessions, he says.
"It's all in the hands of the franchise owner," Strait adds.
An AED Issue
An even bigger potential threat to the operating model of Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness and other key-card clubs may come in some of the 11 states that have laws mandating AEDs in health clubs. Those states are Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island. Other states are working to pass AED legislation.
Of the 11 AED states, three states — Arkansas, Indiana and Rhode Island — have special clauses for 24-hour key-card clubs. The laws in Arkansas and Indiana state that clubs that are not staffed must have a telephone available for 911 access and signs in plain view that indicate an AED's location and instruction on how to use an AED.
Rhode Island's law simply states: "Any health club which operates a facility on a key pass basis with no attend-ing employees at anytime is exempt from the trained employee on duty requirement."
Like many AED states, New Jersey requires a CPR-trained staff member in the club during all hours of operation. New Jersey's law goes one step further, stating that club owners must arrange and pay for CPR/AED training for their employees.
The New Jersey law does not exempt key-card clubs, and that's something Cary Adler, owner of Spa 23 Health and Racquet Club, Pompton Plains, NJ, isn't shy about pointing out.
"The law is the law," Adler says. "The [24-hour key-card] model has a place, but at the same time, they have to play by the rules. They're going to have no choice but to spend the money and either staff the club at night or not open it."
Spa 23, which opened in 1980, is not a key-card club and has a limited 24-hour schedule. The club is open from 5 a.m. Monday until 8 p.m. Saturday, and open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
At least two staff members are on the premises at Spa 23 at all times, says Adler, who adds that all 150 part-time and full-time employees of the club are AED and CPR certified.
"We had an AED years before it was required," Adler says. "Within a year of having the AED, we saved a guy's life."
So far, no regulatory agencies in any of the AED states have fined key-card clubs for not having staff on duty at all times. IHRSA is trying to get the state mandates to apply a "staffed business hours" clause for 24-hour key-card clubs, says Joe Moore, executive director of the association for for-profit club owners. He adds that IHRSA is "committed to accommodating the schedule of all of those who wish to attend a gym. [24-hour key-card] clubs have specialized operating plans that warrant specific legal protections. IHRSA is working to ensure these facilities are able to operate without running afoul of the law."
Strait says it is the responsibility of Snap Fitness franchisees to familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations in their respective territories. If a local official contacts Snap Fitness about a possible violation, the company will then contact the franchisees in that area and make sure they are in compliance with the law, he says.
"Furthermore, we are always quick to err on the side of caution as it pertains to the safety of our members," Strait says, "and we recommend to all of our franchisees that they should invest in an AED — regardless of whether or not it's a requirement."
In 2002, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), along with the American Heart Association, urged fitness clubs to install AEDs and train their staff to use them. In ACSM's third edition of facility standards and guidelines, published last year, the organization made AED installation and training a requirement. However, the ACSM guidelines are not law.
Doyice Cotten, professor emeritus of sport management at Georgia Southern University, monitors AED state laws as they relate to health clubs. Although he has not examined the AED laws related specifically to 24-hour key-card clubs, he says that if the law states that all health clubs must have an AED-trained staff member in the club, then the 24-hour key-card clubs must obey the law.
Richard Lazar, the president of AED Risk Insights, a Portland, OR-based firm that provides information about AED laws and legislation, does not agree with most AED laws that single out 24-hour key-card clubs.
"Statutes or ordinances that impose requirements on these key-card clubs are frankly silly," Lazar says. "These kinds of requirements for facilities with such low density, such few users in the wee hours of the morning, just make no sense to me from a public health or a public policy perspective. The probability of sudden cardiac arrest in a health club is only slightly greater than a sudden cardiac arrest elsewhere in the community. If public policymakers believe that AEDs are important, then they should broadly require them and not cherry-pick require them. [AED laws] make policymakers feel good but don't do much good from a public health perspective."
A situation involving a sudden cardiac arrest has never occurred in one of Cowan's Snap Fitness clubs, he says. If it does, Cowan is confident that other members in the club could figure out how to use an AED in an emergency. Although Cowan is for mandating AEDs in health clubs, he doesn't want to be required to have an AED-trained staff member in his club during all hours of operation.
"What is the purpose of that person on staff?" Cowan says. "Are they there sitting around waiting for someone to have a heart attack? If they are, they're going to be waiting a long time. The bottom line is, the model does not work staffed."
The model of 24-hour key-card clubs, based on operating without staff in the club at all hours of the day, has not been an easy one for insurance companies to come to a consensus. Some insurance agencies have created policies to cover these clubs. Other insurance companies are just now beginning to consider insuring these clubs.
Insurance Companies Becoming More Comfortable With Key-Card Clubs
Several features at Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness have eased insurance companies' concerns, such as having a panic button on the wall that contacts a security company, which then contacts 911. Other features include telephone numbers of the club owner or manager posted in the club, necklaces that members can wear during their workouts and 24-hour surveillance cameras.
George Spanjers of Spanjers Insurance Agency, which merged last year with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, works with Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness, as well as the new World Gym 1440 All Axcess 24-hour key-card clubs. Spanjers/Gallagher claims to be the first broker to develop an insurance program specifically for 24-hour key-card clubs.
At first, key-card clubs in general were required to pay higher premiums, Spanjers says, but his company has reversed that requirement.
"Because of the safety devices in place, the risk management we've done and the removal of hazards that cause the claims … [24-hour key-card clubs] don't pay higher rates," Spanjers says.
VeNita Schnebele, area president of Arthur J. Gallagher, says that insurance companies have distinct differences in the types of risks they will insure. The 24-hour key-card clubs are perceived as higher-risk, lower-premium operations, she says, if they are treated on an individual basis.
"While we won't see a high frequency of losses, the opportunity for a very large loss exists," Schnebele says. "Therefore, we work with insurance companies who understand that they will write thousands of the clubs who collectively will generate enough premium to offset the occasional very large loss."
Insurance costs vary from club to club, but according to Spanjers/Gallagher, the cost for property and liability coverage for average-sized key-card clubs is between $2,500 and $4,000 per club annually.
Ken Reinig, senior vice president of Association Insurance Group, a broker that connects insurance companies to their clients, says his company has been insuring 24-hour key-card companies for more than two years.
"They're not as dangerous as we once thought," Reinig says. "We're starting to welcome the 24/7 clubs and are trying to convince our underwriters to actually show a rate reduction if they have all the necessary things in place. You have to have the video. You have to have key access or fingerprint access. You have to have the proper waiver, which we provide to them. As long as we have those things in place, we're absolutely OK with them."


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Learning to be Agile - a snapshot of Agile training providers
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Agile is an approach that focuses on high-bandwidth communication and creating self-organising teams. Will virtual training be beneficial to the uptake of Agile methods, or is the concept of virtual training anathema to an Agile organisation? What follows is a brief look at a sample of the face to face training consolidators and providers out there – far from comprehensive but a starting point for further investigation.
Scrum Training
Scrum is probably the best known of the Agile techniques, and has a certification associated with its training. There are two levels of Scrum certification training, under the auspices of the Scrum Alliance. The Alliance restricts and accredits trainers who are allowed to offer certified Scrum training. A Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) is allowed to deliver training courses which they design; the course must address the basic Scrum structure and content. CSTs must pay an annual subscription fee of US$7500 to maintain their certified trainer status.
A CST is authorised to deliver the following Scrum courses:
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Since 1 April 2009 the student must pass an exam to achieve ScrumMaster certification, and reaccredit every two years. Ongoing membership of the Scrum Alliance costs US$50 per year.
The Scrum Alliance maintains a list of CSTs and all the certified courses on offer.
The Scrum Alliance lists courses on offer all around the world.
Agile University
A consolidator of Agile training in North America is the Agile University.
The mission statement of the Agile University is:
"To instill Agile principles, share knowledge of Agile practices and advance the adoption of Agile approaches. Through this collaborative effort, we manifest the power of people working together to perfect the art of software development"
The Agile University offers a variety of services to training providers.
- Listing a course in the schedule of available courses. Free of charge posting of course details and trainer bio, with a link to the provider's web site.
- Student registration service. $75 per student; course listing, student registration and payment processing, student communications, billing and settlement and student feedback/trainer rating.
- Marketing and registration service. $125 per student plus a flat fee per course, all the registration services plus promotional services
- Full service option. $225 per student plus a flat fee per course, all the above services plus training venue selection & coordination, classroom logistics and production of course materials.
Agile University lists courses from a broad range of trainers, covering the whole gambit of Agile approaches. Agile luminaries such as Alistair Cockburn list their courses on the Agile University site.
The courses listed on the Agile University website are listed by the level of experience/prior knowledge – beginner, intermediate and advanced. They cover topics as diverse as Agile Engineering, Agile Project Management, Certified ScrumMaster and a variety of soft skills.
The Agile University courses are offered in North America.
InfoQ Virtual Training
In May, InfoQ anounced their expansion into the highly competative training marketplace, with the launch of InfoQ Virtual Training. The InfoQ offering is headlined as "High quality virtual training that focuses on topics that are in demand today. Affordable and accessible, you can attend these virtual events from the comfort of your home or office" How effectively can a new provider compete in this marketplace, and will virtual trainings from InfoQ (and other online training providers) be valuable to the Agile community?
Elsewhere in the World
Europe (United Kingdom, Benelux & Sweden)
An Agile approach with a lot of traction in the United Kingdom is the Dynamic Systems Development Methodology (DSDM) - the DSDM consortium oversees training and certification under the DSDM umbrella.
Similar to the Scrum Alliance, the DSDM consortium accredits training providers and a certification program. The consortium website maintains a list of training providers and their training offerings.
Australia/New Zealand
The antipodes are embracing Agile with the recent launch of the Agile Academy.
The Academy website states
Welcome to the Agile Academy, the next wave in Agile learning and collaboration. Designed for IT professionals, the Agile Academy is a knowledge hub that promotes Agile related learning, knowledge sharing and capability development across the IT industry. We offer an integrated curriculum of leading edge courses across the entire solution development life cycle, covering all roles at varying levels.
The Academy was founded in response to a recognised gap in the marketplace in the region when Suncorp, a large Australasian financial institution, made the decision to go Agile across the whole organisation. (The Suncorp Agile journey will be the subject of a later article).
The Agile Academy is a collaborative organisation offering courses and materials from partner companies, including Thoughtworks and Software Education.
Similar to the Agile University, the Agile Academy courses are not aligned with a specific Agile methodology, but cover a variety of subject areas, from leadership and project management to developer techniques and software testing.
The training providers listed above are certainly not all that are out there. Tell us about others and your experiences with them.
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Additional Agile Development Training
Billy McCafferty
Agile training & untouchably superb eLearning from Industrial Logic
Mike Bria
Also, be absolutely sure to take a tour of our Greatest Hits - web-based, workshop-style eLearning training in Test-Driven Development & Refactoring, Design Patterns, and more. There is no other XP eLearning in the world as advanced and complete as this.
Happy learning!
Marketing for free... but not for all
Johannes Link
Re: Marketing for free... but not for all
Michael James
I find this article very strange to say the least.
It is kind of strange. Also one error I know of: The CSM test is not in effect until this Fall.
. 5-page illustrated summary of Scrum: tinyurl.com/dkyqjs
. An example checklist for serious ScrumMasters: tinyurl.com/cvdwor
Agile Training is incomplete without Agile engineering practices
Eric Laramée
Our team of trainers are also practitioners of the essential Agile engineering practices, such as Agile Modeling, Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and of course, Test-Driven Development (TDD).
Come and take a look...
Training Director - Pyxis Technologies.


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So now that Sabin and Daniels cancelled, that means tickets should now be like $17 now right?
Joke. right?
Anyways, there's no need for any surprise replacements as the card looks really stacked. Sabin not being able to wrestle is a bummer, but Daniels not being able to make it makes up for it as I really don't want to see him and AJ team against Dragon and Davey. Putting Los Luchas in a rematch is smart booking, and the match should be nuts. A lot of Super Dragon rematches always seem to include past elements from previous matches, so hopefully Dragon will come out and go nuts on Los Luchas and Los Luchas step up their intensity and seak revenge on Dragon. It should be an awesome match to watch. I want to see Phoenix fuck shit up! I also want to see Dragon and Ronin punk out that guy who lied about the wheelchair shit.


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How To Become A Doctor in Illinois
In order to qualify for General Medicine jobs in Illinois, you should compare all available technical schools in your target area, as well as consider taking some of your courses online. Check with each nursing school below for assistance with certificate program requirements, degree prerequisites, and class registration. You may request information from several different schools below, without making a commitment.
To prepare for General Medicine careers in Illinois, you need to complete a technical education in your specialty area, as well as consider taking part of your required courses online. Which college degrees give you the best chances of finding employment after graduation? Are you are considering an associates degree in electronics engineering, or a bachelor of science in mechanical or civil engineering? Check with the medical education department for course registration deadlines, and engineering program requirements.
Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients, take medical histories, prescribe medications, and order diagnostic tests. They often counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare. Surgeons operate on patients to treat injuries, such as closing wounds or setting broken bones, or to combat a variety of diseases.
There are two types of physicians, with similar degrees: M.D. (Medical Doctor) and D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine). Both use the same methods of treatment, including drugs and surgery, but D.O.s place additional emphasis on the body's musculoskeletal system, preventive medicine, and holistic patient care. D.O.s are most likely to be primary care physicians, although they can be found in all specialties.
All physicians and surgeons also must pass a standardized national licensure exam. M.D.s take the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). D.O.s take the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA). For specific state information about licensing, contact your state's medical board. Beyond major requirements within the medical education department, you may consider North Central Michigan College water quality as a complementary elective.


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Editor's note: There are several family ties throughout Major League Lacrosse's rich history. Starting with the Gaits and Powells and all the way through to the Leveilles, Spallinas and Untersteins, brothers have continued to compete with or against each other throughout adulthood. Today we look at how the Leveille brothers eventually got to play on the same team.
The Leveilles were born to play lacrosse – literally.
After Kevin was born, his godfather placed a lacrosse stick in his crib at the hospital – it was the perfect match.
Since then, Kevin and Mike have combined for 14 seasons in the MLL, 330 goals and 461 points. They have been one of the most successful lacrosse families in the league's history, creating countless memories in their time in the MLL.
The two learned the sport from their father George, who started the club lacrosse team at Niagara University. The two boys would shoot around in the backyard along with their dad, and would often playing in summer leagues in nearby Albany.
Lacrosse wasn't the only sport for the duo growing up, however. Each played soccer and hockey as well – or one sport per season – in their hometown of Delmar, New York. Kevin even cites the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup playoff run as one of his favorite memories growing up with Mike. Despite this, lacrosse was and forever will be the No. 1 sport in the hearts of the Leveilles.
"To me, lacrosse was the most exciting sport," Kevin says. "It's just such a fast pace. At the time, there was a lot of opportunity versus hockey, which is obviously a much tougher path to the top, so those things combined led me down the path of lacrosse. I've certainly enjoyed making that decision in the years beyond."
When they were finally old enough, Kevin and Mike started playing on organized teams. When Kevin reached the seventh grade, Mike was only in second, but that didn't stop him from playing with kids four to five years older than him.
"He looked like a helmet with cleats," Kevin says about Mike's size, or lack thereof. "He was literally half the size of everyone out there and getting walloped pretty good, but at the same time, he was hanging in there and had a couple good plays. I remember being impressed at that point, like, 'wow, my little brother who's tiny is hanging with all these middle schoolers and doing well. That's pretty amazing.'"
The age difference of the two prevented them from playing any further for quite a while. In the meantime, Kevin decided to attend the University of Massachusetts where he went on to be named a first-team All-American his senior year. One of the deciding factors in choosing UMass over a traditional powerhouse like Duke or Johns Hopkins for Kevin was his family.
"The fact that it was a half hour away from my parents was big," Kevin says. "After all the sacrifices they made, letting us play here and there, it was very important to me that they be involved and be able to come watch."
When Kevin graduated from UMass in 2003, Major League Lacrosse was still in its infancy. It wasn't until his senior year in college he realized playing in the league was even a possibility.
"Coach Cannella [at UMass] was like, 'there's this draft or whatever, do you wanna fill this out to put your name in?' and I was like, 'sure, whatever.' I didn't really think too much of it, which was probably a good thing because I was more focused on finishing the season as well as I could at UMass.
"The night after the draft, Chris Fiori and I, who were both drafted by the Cannons, played at UMass together and were best friends, we drove from where the draft was in Philadelphia to practice in Boston. We're at practice, balls are flying around, people were bigger, faster, stronger, the shots were harder, the goalies were better. We were just like, 'whoa, this is amazing.'
"It took me halfway through the year to break the lineup just because our team was so good. It was kind of surreal the whole time. It was cool because it was never really on my radar. College had been the pinnacle. To have the opportunity right afterwards was exciting, awesome, new and different. It took a little while to realize [what was happening]."
While Kevin started to make a name for himself in the MLL, Mike was just coming into his own. After a dominant high school career, Mike decided on Syracuse University for his collegiate playing days. At Syracuse, Mike scored 132 goals and registered 83 assists, 215 points total in just 59 games. That's 3.64 points per game, if you were wondering. His collegiate success culminated in his final week as a Syracuse lacrosse player.
In a six-day span in late May of 2008, Mike won the following:
· A national championship
· Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four
· Named a First-team All-American
· Was a First-round MLL draft pick (only behind Paul Rabil and Matt Danowski)
· Won the Tewaaraton Trophy
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better week in the history of the sport, let alone college lacrosse.
To put the cherry on top of the week, the team that drafted Mike traded him away to the Chicago Machine just a few hours after they drafted him. The reason that was such a good thing? Mike was finally reunited with his brother, and the two were able to play lacrosse at the highest level, together.
"I started lobbying for him two or three years in advance," Kevin says. "So to see it come to fruition was obviously exciting. That's what it's all about. To have the opportunity to play together is definitely special. That was a great day. I was a little nervous once New Jersey picked him up but I'm glad that we worked it out."
The brothers were excited to start playing together for the first time in nearly 15 years. Their teammates, however, were not nearly as excited.
"In our first practice together, everyone was like 'are you gonna pass the ball to anyone else?'" Kevin says while laughing. "We had chemistry right off the bat, which we always figured we would, but that first practice was great. We connected probably 15 times and were just dominating. That was really cool."
Their teammates started to like the duo more once they started playing in actual games. In their first game together, Mike registered four points – two goals and two assists, both assists going to – who else – but Kevin. Mike earned Rookie of the Week honors for his performance, beginning what looked to be the start of a long and successful career.
Sadly for Mike and fans alike, his full-time job started to prevent him from being able to play at his highest ability. After sitting out the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Mike played just seven games in 2013, recording only four goals in that timespan.
"It's unfortunate," Kevin says. "He's got a big time job with NBC in New York City so he can't afford the time to be in the right shape and be in the right lacrosse mode to compete. But I understand it completely and totally back him on the decision. It was the right thing to do for him."
Despite this, Kevin still thinks that Mike is one of the greatest attackmen
of all-time. "He can play the attack position in so many different ways. He can carry the ball, he's got a great shot and he's a great feeder. He's a great teammate and a guy you can rely on."
Epilogue – The Golden Brothers?
In 2010, Mike earned a gold medal at the 2010 FIL World Championships in England. Kevin, meanwhile, served as an alternate on the team, watching Mike make the All-World team, only one of three attackmen to do so. This time around, Kevin has to do the opposite – winning gold without Mike there.
"I'm kind of just trying to carry the torch for the both of us," Kevin says. "It's definitely not as fun to not be playing with him in the USA uniform but it's ok. I'm just trying not to think about it too much. It'd be another cherry on top of the pie if he were out there."
Kevin will try to be one of the 23 US players to compete for the gold at the 2014 World Championships in Denver. This upcoming spring, he'll compete in his 11
th MLL season where he's still chasing his first ring. Hopefully for him, Mike and for MLL fans everywhere, they can play together just one last time.
"Obviously there's a handful of guys who have been able to [play together] in the MLL," Kevin says. "I think all of us share the same kind of bond. It's a really unique thing to be at the top of the sport with your brother and your best friend."


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Protect your iPhone X with an impact-resistant, slim-profile, hard-shell case. The image is printed directly onto the case and wrapped around the edges for a beautiful presentation. Simply snap the case onto your iPhone X for instant protection and direct access to all of the phone's features!
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James Revell
November 19th, 2018
I visited London in 2005 & 2006 for business, but since it was somewhere I had never been before I had to take my camera. When I had some downtime, I decided to walk around & take in the sights. While crossing this side street, this image is what I saw. The image was taken on 35mm, black & white film & processed with a sepia tone. The image will be a giclee print on archival, watercolor paper.
Photography has always been a passion of mine, ever since I received my first camera at the age of 11. In 2000 I decided to pursue my passion and work as a photographer for a living. Mostly I shoot portraiture, but have always enjoyed and still do enjoy shooting landscapes, nature, travel and still life. My style of shooting is very relaxed because I prefer the candid over the posed. When I shoot nature or landscapes, I don't necessarily go "looking" for something to shoot, per se. What I want to shoot presents itself to me. The subject will determine whether I process my images in color or black and white. Black and white tends to tell more of a story, but color shows the natural beauty and boundless colors in nature. I feel that...
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If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on FineArtAmerica.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Fine Art America does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Fine Art America sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Fine Art America to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
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Using an assortment of discarded paper goods and household items, artist Lisa Hoke creates large-scale collage installations on walls. From afar, you might not realize what materials that she's used, but upon closer inspection you'll notice there are cardboard boxes, trading cards, cups, plates, cups, stickers, and more. The use of these items is Hoke's way of commenting on the amount of refuse we produced and how we overlook the beauty of these objects. She's right. If you think about all of the work that goes into designing and producing packaging, then it is a shame to discard it. Her color-coordinating, lusciously textured work gives these objects a second life and a chance for viewers to appreciate it beyond it's primary function. Hoke even allows them to participate by donating items to be used in her work.
In an article in Arts Sarasota, Hoke says, "Castaway treasures become my tools for expression of beauty." Her work unfolds organically, as she recognizes that you can't completely plan for any installation.When she's finished, the work is often a surprise to not only the viewers, but herself.
There is a both a visual delight and over stimulation that comes from looking at Hoke's installations. This representation of our over-abundant consumer culture has a dizzying amount of bright colors, logos and patterns. They vibrate against each other, competing for our attention. Here, it seems the old adage "art imitates life" rings true. (Via Junk Culture)
The post Lisa Hoke Installations Using Discarded Household Items Critique And Celebrate Consumer Culture appeared first on Beautiful/Decay Artist & Design.
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SODO Kitchen, Starbucks Headquarters, Seattle
Social responsibility and high-end fare meet at Starbucks café.
The idea behind the design of the café, says Stromire, was to create a space that puts the traditional corporate café to shame.
"The café is really sexy," Stromire says. "It has different heights of seating. We have leather, we have marble—just very high-end finishes. It's phenomenal. It's not a flat space. The lighting is very unique. We used a lot of wood grains to create a kind of rustic feel. The design of the servery is a similar kind of thing. It has subway tiles in the back and we have stainless steel hoods on the equipment and white marble counters. It's very sleek."


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Citywire New Model Adviser talk to the manager of the Hermes Global Emerging Markets Fund about how the Fund has achieved sector-topping returns.
Despite a challenging three years for emerging markets, the Fund's quality bias has served it well. Gary Greenberg has returned 9% and claims top spot in the 202-strong Citywire Equity – Global Emerging Markets sector, compared with a near 18% loss by the MSCI Emerging Markets index.1
"The Chinese authorities have one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake. They're going to make it but not without some serious bumps along the road..."
- 1 All data calculated by Citywire and published 11 April 2016.
Credit talk flows from Colorado Springs


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Novelist Janet Evanovich's bounty hunter character Stephanie Plum makes her movie debut in the persona of Katherine Heigl, as this less-than-successful adaptation details the jobless divorcee's entry into the fugitive-chasing game.
Her first target turns out to be an old flame (Jason O'Mara), a policeman suspected of murder. John Leguizamo, Sherri Shepherd ("The View") and screen veteran Debbie Reynolds also appear. DVD extras: two "making-of" documentaries; deleted scene; outtakes. ** (PG-13: AS, N, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and Movies on Demand)


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Skip to comments.Tea Party Express Press Conference Fights Back Against Attempts to Discredit Tea Party Movement
Posted on 07/28/2010 7:37:47 PM PDT by Syncro
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2010
CONTACT: Levi Russell at (509) 979-6615 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Tea Party Express Press Conference
Fights Back Against Attempts to Discredit the Tea Party Movement
National Black Conservatives Rally to Take Back America
The Tea Party Express, (website: http://www.TeaPartyExpress.org) one of the nations largest tea party organizations with over 400,000 members, is conducting a press conference regarding the unrelenting attacks on the tea party movement in an effort to dissuade Americans from rebelling at the ballot box in the November 2010 elections.
From the very beginning when Rick Santellis famous on-air rant helped rally millions of Americans to the tea party movement, the establishment media and liberals across the country have tried to head off the growing citizen involvement in opposing the reckless spending in Washington and the growing intrusiveness of the federal government, said Lloyd Marcus, Tea Party Express spokesperson and leader.
First, they called us all Astro-turf and not real, but the crowds kept getting bigger. Then they said we were being paid by the Republican Party, which became obviously false as we took on establishment Republicans as well as Democrats. Then they tried to say we were all a bunch of nuts, but when millions of people kept coming, they couldnt claim everyone was a nut. Now, they are trying to say that we are racist, which is yet another desperate fabrication. We are going to stand up and call on the Left to start sticking to the issues, and stop the name calling, added Marcus.
In light of the NAACP resolution accusing the millions of Americans who attend Tea Parties of embracing racists, the Tea Party Express is hosting a National Black Conservative Press Conference to speak out against all of the bogus, false and malicious charges leveled against the American people who have rallied to take their country back from the big spending and irresponsible and unconstitutional growth of the federal government. Apparently the NAACP and other groups are afraid to acknowledge the fact that the tea party welcomes people of all races, and is a much bigger and more diverse group than theyre willing to admit, stated Marcus.
Black conservative leaders, organization spokespersons, authors, entertainers and activists from across America will gather in Washington DC to introduce themselves and their individual roles in fighting the good fight promoting conservative principles, values and patriotism within the tea party movement.
As a black singer/songwriter performing my America Tea Party Anthem and traveling with Tea Party Express, I have attended over 200 tea parties across the U.S. The attendees are not racists. They are decent hard working Americans who love their country. Tea Party patriots oppose President Obama's policies, not his skin color.
Lloyd Marcus, Black Conservative, Tea Party Express Spokesperson, Entertainer & Press Conference Organizer
National Black Conservative Press Conference
Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Time: 8-11am
Place: National Press Club, Washington DC
INVITED SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Ambassador Alan Keyes-Chairman of Conservative Majority PAC,
Star Parker, President, Center for Urban Renewal and Education,
Lloyd Marcus-Tea Party Express/ NAACPC, author of Confessions of a Black Conservative,
Kevin Jackson, author of Amazon best-selling book, The BIG Black Lie, President of the Black Conservative Coalition and The Black Sphere, LLC,
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action,
Ted Hayes-NABS (National America's Black Shield),
William & Selena Owens-Higher Standard Publishers,
Mychal S. Massie Chairman Project 21-The Nation Leadership Network of Black Conservatives,
Frantz Kebreau-National Director, NAACPC (National Asso. For the Advancement of Conservative People of ALL Colors),
Timothy F. Johnson, Ph.D.-The Frederick Douglass Foundation,
Lloyd Marcus-Tea Party Express/ NAACPC,
Ron Miller, president of Regular Folks United and author of SELLOUT: Musings from Uncle Tom's Porch,
C. Mason Weaver, President Mason Media Company Author of "It's Ok to Leave the Plantation/Motivational Speaker,
Emery W. McClendon Dr.,Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day,
Ruth Bryant White, Editor In Chief of BreakingNewsJournal.Net, Leader on Conservative Moms For America and author of "Life Through The Eyes Of An Interracial Couple",
John Felix,President/CEO/founder of the Caribbean-American Cultural Association, Inc. of North America,
Bob Parks, Member, National Advisory Council, Project 21; Video Producer, Media Research Center,
Bishop Harry Jackson, Pastor of Hope Christian Church and Chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition.
Quite a line-up of speakers!
Nobody can lob mud like the Left.
Go 'TEAm' Party!! :-}
Stick to:
Uncontrolled government spending (by both parties)
Unconstitutional government enlargment
Congress not listening to the people it represents
Leave aside (for now) social issues, religious issues.
You'll get more members and you'll alienate fewer people who would like to join the Tea Party based on the 1st 3 issues listed.
Lloyd got his name in there twice. I like him so I didn't edit the second one out lol
It should be quite the press conference!
It would be nice if Niger & Roy Innis could make it as well.
Is America uniting despite Obama, Pelosi, Reid and the rest of the socialist commies?
Anyone think those who attempt to discredit the Tea Party are worthy of a second thought? Anyone who would gravitate toward the Tea Party shouldn't give a hoot about those who lean to the left.
Stay on offensive.
Do not yield the tempo to the Left.
Thomas Sowell
Walter Williams
Clarence Thomas
I am waiting for a written report, but in Edison, NJ today, right in front of the sub shop where 0bama spoke, a Tea Party person was accosted by 8 to 10 people, called a racist, shoved, screamed at, all for being white.
I did not see it, I heard it first hand from the guy who it happened to.
He had to be yanked out from the crowd that surrounded him, he could not get away. State Troopers were running to his aide when his friends saved him first.
Now that is a reply to the dog that bit you -- and don't be afraid to squirt a little Mace on that sorry biting dog.
Weathermen socialist agenda (Oboma & friends).... full text - (http://www.archive.org/stream/YouDontNeedAWeathermanToKnowWhichWayTheWindBlows_925/weather_djvu.txt)
Woo hoo!!
Go Tea Party!!
Rebellion is brewing!!
"Uncontrolled government spending (by both parties)
Unconstitutional government enlargment
Congress not listening to the people it represents"
I agree those should be the issues. And instead of accepting the "racist" tag, the MSM should be asking why more minorities aren't interested in those issues.
What a joke. The Tea Party is making itself irrelevant as it continues to tap dance for its masters.
Awesome lineup!
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Everyone loves a saving. Just look at the sales, bands of angry mobs descending on to high streets salivating at the prospect of grabbing that item of clothing for half price. So behold Shop Scan Save, an app that will enable bargain hunters to start saving on their grocery shopping.
Available on both the iOS and Android platforms, Shop Scan Save is free (another bargain) and once you've signed up your credentials you'll be able to browse through an ever-changing list of what's on offer. There's usually between 10 to 12 different products found in the "My Offers" icon and you can check for more by hitting the refresh button in the top right-hand corner.
Shop Scan Save
- Format
- iOS and Android
- Price
- Free
- Where
- Apple App Store and Google Play
Currently the type of products on offer with Shop Scan Save are toothpaste, washing up liquid, nappies and booze, but offers will depend on shopping habits and deals you as the consumer choose to take advantage of. Depending on the item it's the odd 50p or £1 saving, but Mobilize, the folks behind Shop Scan Save reckon you'll end up saving a few hundred quid each year.
Once you've seen something on offer, be it some toothpaste or a can of Bacardi and coke, you need to find your nearest PayPoint store. Yes that's right, the app only works at convenience stores with PayPoint in place, yet there's actually far more of these than you may expect. Spar, Co-op, Londis and Costcutter to name but a few.
To locate your nearest one, you need to press the Store Finder icon. This in turn fires up Google Maps within the app, with the phone's GPS pinpointing your position and signalling it with a blue icon. Participating stores, (ie, stores with PayPoint) are represented by green pins.
Press on said green pin and a pop-up window will appear with the name of the store and the postcode. Sadly there's no turn-by-turn direction facility, but it's fair to assume that you won't be going too far out of your way to make a 20p saving on a carton of milk so you should know your way around. If not, then you'll have to make a note of the postcode and enter it into another of your mapping apps.
When you first register with Shop Scan Save, you'll receive a virtual ID. Here is where you'll find your personalised barcode and tool for making a saving. Once you've picked up your item that's on offer, you need to ask the cashier to scan this barcode before scanning the item.
If the cashier looks at you bewildered, as was the case with our venture, there are instructions within the app (under the "Help" section) that should give them peace of mind.
Each offer can only be used once and if you're the first to make a claim at a retailer, you'll be rewarded with a free Nestle four-finger KitKat - proprietors which have already been frequented before you will appear as purple pins on the map.
Make Shop Scan Save part of your everyday life and we can see you making a tidy saving throughout the year. Yes you might feel a little silly the first couple of times you use it, particularly when a curious crowd behind you is looking over your shoulder, but embrace your inner geek and you'll have enough money to buy that new gadget you're after.


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State Street Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Joseph L. "Jay" Hooley focused on the opportunities and challenges presented by the Digital Revolution, as more than 900 students received undergraduate and advanced degrees at Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School commencement exercises on May 18 at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on the Boston waterfront.
Hooley told graduates that "managing the steady torrent of information racing at you from all directions will be essential to your success – and sanity."
Sawyer Business School graduates are ready to fill the need for "business and technology-savvy workers with strong analytical skills and real-world experience" who can communicate effectively and present bold ideas, he said.
Employers "need people who are entrepreneurial, inquisitive, and not afraid to challenge the status quo. … They need workers with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and a global perspective," said Hooley.
The State Street leader talked about how the Digital Revolution has transformed his firm, saying: "We have evolved into a technology-enabled financial services company that focuses on serving institutional investors. In fact, today I consider us to be much closer to a technology company than a bank."
One anecdote focused on how Hooley's initial skepticism about the launch of a State Street internal social network was dispelled when he saw how employees used it "to engage with one another about ways to work more effectively and use their vast experience to address client questions."
Yet he warned the graduates not to allow technology to rule their lives.
"Don't get so consumed by data that you lose balance or perspective," he advised. "Information is only a commodity – it's what you do with it that matters, so reserve time to think, and develop your ideas into insights. Put down your devices; tune out now and then. And find balance in your personal and professional lives."
Honorary degrees
The following honorary degrees were awarded during Sawyer Business School exercises:
• Hooley, honorary Doctor of Commerce degree
• John Harthorne, chief executive officer for MassChallenge, Inc., a start-up accelerator that provides support to entrepreneurs around the world, honorary Doctor of Commerce degree
• Financial executive Robert C. Pozen, former chairman of MFS Investment Management and a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, honorary Doctor of Business degree
Student Statistics
Sawyer Business School bachelor's degrees: 578
Sawyer Business School master's degrees: 386
College of Arts & Sciences commencement
Boston Medical Center President and CEO Kate Walsh spoke at the College of Arts & Sciences commencement at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18, at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion. Walsh, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center has improved access to quality health care for some of the poorest patients in Massachusetts in addition to strengthening the hospital's finances and operations to ensure the long-range stability of clinical care and medical education programs. Walsh received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Suffolk University Law School commencement
Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman spoke at Suffolk University Law School commencement exercises May 17 at the Citi Performing Arts Center –Wang Theatre in Boston's Theatre District. Foxman, a worldwide leader in the fight against bigotry, is a Holocaust survivor who joined the ADL in 1965 and has devoted his life to fighting anti-Semitism, bigotry and discrimination throughout the world. The Law School granted Foxman an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) also gave remarks. The senator received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.