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Many large retail brands are starting to manage their mobile marketing development in-house, instead of using service providers. How will this change affect mobile marketing in the future?
With big retail brands such as Walmart, Amazon and eBay making hefty investments to take their mobile marketing development and management in-house, where does that leave service providers?
One guess would be that the competition would increase greatly with less fish – a.k.a brands – in the sea looking for services such as application and mobile Web site development, database/CRM, location-based services, QR code efforts, SMS/MMS and mobile video.
"Generally speaking, it is smart for companies that can afford it to take as much mobile technology as possible in-house via acquisitions," said Wilson Kerr, vice president of business development and sales at unbound Commerce, Boston.
"By acting fast, they're out ahead of the curve and block their competitors from using these tools," he said.
Buying up mobile
Amazon has been acquiring mobile companies like Snaptell and Yap, PayPal bought Fig Card and VeriSign, and Walmart brought its app development in-house through its purchase of Small Society.
Left and right the industry has been seeing mergers and acquisitions. The daunting part is that a lot of this M&A activity is brought on by big brands that are truly investing in mobile long-term.
Is this good for the industry? Yes, because it means that companies finally understand that mobile will end up being one of the most disruptive technologies of the 21st century.
On the other hand, if there are fewer brands that need to turn to mobile marketing service providers like app developers, LBS providers and others, then these companies may be at risk.
"There is a big difference between technology or payment platform giants like eBay, Groupon, and Visa and a consumer-direct retailer like Walmart," Mr. Kerr said. "Walmart stands out, because they have embraced a holistic, long-term strategic vision regarding the impact of mobile and social commerce.
"And they are investing heavily," he said. "They acquired One Riot for ad targeting, Kosmix for social media search and, most-recently, Small Society, a mobile agency.
"They not only lock up the technology, but the hard-to-find, fresh-from-the-mobile-front-lines personnel. Walmart Labs has 60 employees and another 25 openings listed on their site. They claim to be defining the future of commerce and mobile clearly sits as the cornerstone of this roadmap."
Retailers with mobile teams
In 2012 expect that more retailers will bring services like check-ins and deals in-house and incorporate them into their branded apps instead of working through third-party apps such as foursquare and Groupon.
The consolidation that is going on in the mobile industry points to the importance of mobile to retailers and the overall growth in retail apps. It is also evidence of the fact that retailers are looking for more control over their customers' mobile experiences. They don't want to have to share their data with third parties.
Expect to see further consolidation among app developers in 2012.
Online guys go mobile
Deloitte's purchase of Ubermind last week points to an increased interest by old-school Internet companies to jump aboard the mobile train. Deloitte wanted to amplify the professional services it offers to brands.
Another example of a traditional Internet company investing in mobile includes WPP's launch of Possible Mobile, a mobile commerce agency.
There have been 41 mobile-related acquisitions worth approximately $780 million in 2011 and 39 investments worth $314 million. Mobile marketing deal activity in 2011 increased 150 percent from 2010, according to Petsky Prunier's summary of 2011 M&A and investment activity.
Service providers are also consolidation in the mobile space. Some of the noteworthy mobile acquisitions in 2011 included Motricity's $93 million deal for mobile marketing provider Adenyo, Augme Technologies' $45 million purchase of mobile marketing firm Hipcricket and Lenco Mobile's $42 million acquisition of mobile marketing company iLoop Mobile.
"The recent acquisitions we're seeing in the mobile space bear striking similarities to the Agency of Record (AOR) relationships that formed in the traditional advertising sector 50-plus years ago," said Jessica Legg, product marketing manager at Digimarc, Beaverton, OR. "In the Mad Men era of agencies, we saw a model established where brands created retainer agreements with big ad firms—based on the two-for approach of tapping a resource with a broad range of capabilities at an all you can eat price.
"But those glory days are gone, as the media landscape has become more fragmented and complex, the Agency of Record is in decline—because no agency can do all things well," she said. "Less CMOs are hiring traditional creative AOR's, and instead are opting to work with a mixture of firms with highly specialized areas of expertise, including mobile service providers."
Brands that still have traditional AOR's are still funding big budget programs with other service providers—often because their main agency does not have the bandwidth, is not agile enough, or does not have expertise in that area, per Ms. Legg.
"There are some comparisons that can be drawn to what's going on in the mobile arena,
" Ms. Legg said.
"No developer can be all things. Unless a brand has the capital and a justifiable amount of ongoing work in each area to acquire mobile firms across the spectrum of capabilities—there will always be a market where mobile companies with unique and compelling service offerings will thrive," she said.
"It's up to mobile service providers to find out what the thing is they do really well, and do it better than anyone else."
The verdict
So is all of this mobile M&A activity good or bad for service providers?
Brennan Hayden, vice president of WDA, East Lansing, MI, believes it is good news.
"These acquisitions are a welcome validation that competent mobile executions are critical to a healthy marketing program, and that expertise is in short supply," Mr. Hayden said. "With these acquisitions, it is now in even shorter supply.
"Even for those vendors looking to do business with the companies mentioned, I would go so far to say that the volume of external expenditure on mobile services at these companies is about to increase dramatically," he said.
Mr. Hayden believes that the volume of work still exceeds the resource available, and the acquisitions are being made primarily to provide leadership and core internal functionality that necessarily resides in-house.
Once these essential elements are in-place, the ability of these acquiring companies to out-source will increase, simply due to the speed at which they need to move, per Mr. Hayden.
"The bottom-line in that you can't outsource what you can't manage, and you can't manage what you don't understand," Mr. Hayden said. "That has been the fundamental problem in mobile marketing budgets for years.
"These acquisitions mark a very encouraging turning-point in this regard," he said. "Companies can no longer punt on the subject of mobile marketing.
"They have to get serious, they have to understand and invest in that understanding. These acquisitions are a sign of that investment, and I would suspect there are definitely more to come."


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By Sean Steffen (@seansteffen)
Off Season Nonsense:
The LA Galaxy had an interesting off-season. It started with the release of Omar Gonzalez and Juninho, followed by the pursuit of Ashley "barely still plays soccer" Cole. The Galaxy took a lot of heat for this pursuit when it was reported they would be using TAM, but anger seems to have dissipated when it was announced that price was closer to 300k. In reality, people should still be getting angry that the Galaxy spent 300k on a 35 year old left back of questionable fitness, but the Galaxy narrative machine is simply too strong for such a reasoned fan reaction.
The Galaxy further wasted their money on the head scratching signing of Jeff Larentowicz, who demands far more money than he is worth, free agent money on Mike Magee, despite having one of the most promising young talents in the country in Jose Villarreal providing cover at left mid and forward, and finally, paying high dollar for one of the most overrated keepers in MLS history.
In their frenzy to blow their newly acquired cap space in the most inefficient way possible, the Galaxy actually managed to stumble their way into three key moves. The first was the signing of Emannuel Boateng, a promising young winger who has impressed in preseason. His speed and dribbling ability should offer a new facet to the Galaxy attack, although Sebastian Lletget is still projected as the starting left mid once he recovers from his groin injury.
The second was the use of TAM to acquire Jelle Van Damme from Standard Liege in Belgium. Van Damme is a physical defender who looks to be a real aerial presence and danger on set-pieces, and, for Galaxy fans, it's best to keep the mind on his talents and not that time he called Oguchi Onyeywu a dirty monkey, which the Galaxy TOTALLY addressed by getting quotes from lots of people not named Jelle Van Damme about how that's completely in the past. (Fans somehow bought it because, again, the Galaxy narrative machine is all powerful).
The final great move for the Galaxy was the acquisition of Nigel De Jong, who, in addition to providing his trademark brand of physical defensive play in shielding the back line, also brings the pass usage to stabilize an LA midfield that was already seeing 40 fewer passes per game from 2014 to 2015 prior to the loss of Juninho, who saw about 70 passes per game. The Galaxy were dead set on the signing of a defensive midfielder, and luckily they managed to find one who could also pass, as this is the biggest problem facing them (as I will go into in the tactics section).
Despite all their missteps, the Galaxy walked away from the off-season with the LA Times writing a big article on their thriftiness, which really speaks more to the lazy narrative chasing nature of soccer journalism today.
The LA Galaxy went into a full on tail-spin to end the regular season in 2015, and this can primarily be attributed to the tactical missteps of Bruce Arena and his stubbornness to adjust. Arena insisted on playing Giovani dos Santos as a forward, despite the fact that stylistically he operates as a forward in the same underneath space as Robbie Keane, and neither of them are physical enough to offer any kind of hold up play. This, in turn, pushed Gyasi Zardes to the wings where he struggled mightily for lack of a single creative bone in his body. With both playmakers playing up top and little support from behind, the Galaxy created 3.55 fewer shots in the midfield per 90 in 2015 than they did in 2014, making it super easy for teams to sit two defensive mids on Keane and dos Santos and let the Galaxy midfield strangle itself until it gave up the ball, in which case the defense would be exposed thanks to the aggressive attacking posture of the team.
The good news is Arena has finally come to the conclusion that dos Santos needs to be in the midfield creating chances and Zardes up top holding onto the ball and scoring goals, in order for the Galaxy to have a diversified attack. This has been the primary formation throughout pre-season (although Bruce didn't trust Gio defensively enough to play it against Santos) and the Galaxy have looked infinitely more dynamic than how they ended the season. Hopefully Bruce's formation against Santos isn't an indication that he is having second thoughts, as I will literally pull out my hair if I have to watch another season of Zardes in the midfield.
Key performers:
Robbie Keane is utter bae and may just go down as the best striker this league has ever seen. Like Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa, Keane creates a large number of his own shots, which is why he is able to consistently produce underlying shot totals which make his year to year xG output so stable. Keane was able to account for a whopping 0.76 xG+xA per 90 and an astounding 1.2 goals plus assists per 90, oftentimes single handedly carrying the Galaxy's anemic offense on his back. While it's possible the Galaxy front man overperformed a bit in 2015, his underlying numbers remain solid, and it would be foolish to bet against a healthy Keane scoring fewer than 15 goals in 2016.
As a forward, Giovani dos Santos created about 0.34 xA per 90, despite only creating about 2.9 shots per 90. He did this, however, with a mere 7.7% touch percentage, which suggests that the Mexican star could have the potential to put up some truly impressive chance creation numbers from midfield. Whether or not his xA will go up or down as the volume of his chance creation increases will entirely depend on the types of chances he is able to create. If Gio can consistently cut inside and deliver through balls, this Galaxy attack can be as dynamic as ever. If not, Galaxy fans are in for a long season as it is absolutely necessary that Gio steps into the role vacated by Landon Donovan as the team's primary chance creator.
Dos Santos also had an impressive 0.37 xG per 90, although that should be expected to go down as he's moved farther away from goal. Still, he was one of the top xG+xA per 90 performers in the league with 0.71. If Gio can manage to keep this total above 0.5 per 90 from his new midfield positon, the Galaxy should have a potent attack between Keane and Gio and be able to attack teams from multiple angles. This was ultimately the strength of the legendary 2014 LA Galaxy team which broke all kinds of offensive numbers, and I truly believe this combo has the potential to put up numbers somewhat close.
The LA Galaxy have the potential to be one of the best teams in the league this year, however age and lack of team familiarity may stand in their way. While many have pointed to their improved defense, the Galaxy backline was ultimately not to blame for the sins of 2015. The Galaxy in 2015 bombed players forward like a team confident in possession (ala 2014), however they did not possess the skill to hold onto the ball or create chances from midfield, causing constant breakdowns which exposed the Galaxy back line.
Whether Van Damme and Cole are upgrades to the Galaxy backline, then, is completely irrelevant to the greater picture. What's most important for the Galaxy is to attempt to replicate the possession and shot creation spread of 2014 to enough of a degree that they will create more goals through this offense than their aggressive posture gives up. Whether this will happen is ultimately not something we can see in the numbers, however the success or failure of the Galaxy season will absolutely hinge on this delicate balancing act.

subset: commoncrawl


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Happy Birthday Little Siana Brin!!
However, just because I couldn't be there, doesn't mean I wasn't able to participate! My sister was kind enough to let me design and create her invitations (and was even sweet enough to keep from losing her mind when I took longer to finish than I had originally planned). It started off with an idea, and grew into something totally adorable...and crazy time consuming! There were SO many little pieces that had to be assembled for each invite! But, in the end, I really loved the product. Take a look:
Each one of those little photos were hand cut into heart shapes! And in case you're curious, they're pics of Siana at months 1, 3, 6 and 9. What do you guys think? I think they turned out pretty good, and my sister loved them so I'm thrilled I was able to contribute to this special event in some way.
As it's "Totally Pinterested Tuesday" I figured I'd share a couple of other cute 1st Birthday Invites I've found and pinned to my Kiddy B-Day Ideas board on pinterest.
I love these cute little boy-friendly birdy invites!
Find them on Etsy from ShutterbugSentiments
These are absoletely adorable!! You can get these cute
western themed invites from InvitingPrintables
I'm a sucker for the circus, and these invites are perfect.
These invites are available from InvitationCrush
This giraffe is crazy cute, not to mention the little turtle!
You can find these invites at MyExpression
If you want to see what other pins I've collected either for kid's birthday parties or for anything else:


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BC: Created by: Meghan Androsik
FC: The Inspired
1: Life is too short not to make the best and the most of everything that comes your way everyday. -Sasha Azevedo | Brandon
2: Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory. -Betty Smith | Mom
3: The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. -Flora Whittemore | Dad
4: Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things. -Joe Paterno | Grammy
5: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. -Unknown | Pappy
6: When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. -Walt Disney | Aunt Chelly
7: Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about. -Unknown | Matthew
8: Challenges and difficult times aren't just those things that occur to someone else. The secret is in learning to turn problems into positives and attacking each issue with action not inaction. -Byron Pulsifer | Brittany
9: The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be. -Horace Bushnell | Leah
10: It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them. -P.G. Wodehouse | Erica
11: Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it. -Groucho Marx | My dad's family
12: The death of my cousin
13: It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up -- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross


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This modified Hummer H1 seems unaffected by the flooded Houston streets, even when it's over the hood. Modified by Search & Destroy Tactical Vehicles I was so impressed that I contacted them to see what they can do for an H3. Turns out there isn't much. The H1 has the diesel engine which can be waterproofed whereas the 3.7L in my H3 isn't as flexible.
My H3 can of course get some of the cool bits like a snorkel and so forth but I'd be a little concerned that when the water gets high enough that the snorkel would be needed I'd be testing the seals on the doors for sure. Reading the forums I guess the H3 has a great deal of waterproofing right from the factory.
Anyway check out the cool H1 in action on Houston's flooded streets. For more info about Search & Destroy's modified vehicles check out their site. Search & Destroy


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Dominican Preaching by Fr. Dominic Legge, OP
Above is a 45 minute lecture on the Dominican Preaching given by Fr. Dominic Legge, OP at the recent Vocation Weekend at the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC.
"So what does this have to do with you? Aren't you cloistered contemplatives?" you might ask. Yes, but the nuns are at the heart of the Holy Preaching. We are monastics in an apostolic order. (You might say we are a hybrid!)
The nuns no less than the other branches of the Dominican Order share fully in the Dominican charism of "preaching for the salvation of souls." How? Not by actively preaching as our Brothers do but by the witness of our lives, by our prayer, by our pondering of the Word. As our Constitutions so beautifully express it, ""the nuns while commissioned by God primarily for prayer are not for that reason excluded from the ministry of the Word. For they listen to the Word, celebrate it and keep it in their hearts and in this way proclaim the Gospel by the example of their life."
Holy Preaching comes out of a love for souls and a desire for their eternal salvation. Once one has "tasted that the Lord is good" the desire is that others experience this same delight! The cry of St. Dominic, "Lord, what will become of sinners!" becomes the cry of each Dominican nun and united to the preaching mission of the Order the intensity of this longing mysteriously wins souls to God.
The mission of the Dominican Order is needed more than ever. Please pray that many of the young men who attended the Vocation Weekend will respond and ask to join the Order and that many young women, captivated by Christ's love will likewise become Dominican nuns!
Special thanks to the Brethren at www.dominicanfriars.org for the video clip and to Fr. Dominic Legge.


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20-07-2019 : Urgent notice for Candidates of CEN 02/2019
Railway Recruitment Board, Ajmer
Railway Service Commission, Ajmer which was set up in 1983 was renamed as Railway Recruitment Board Ajmer in 1985.It was shifted in the present building in March 1988.
Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), Ajmer functions under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. It is primarily responsible for recruiting the working and supervisory staff (Group 'C') required for Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner Divisions of North-Western Railway and Kota Division of West-Central Railway.
There Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) at the Railway Board level oversees the functioning of RRBs. RRCB issues instructions and guidelines to the RRBs to ensure that recruitment is done on the basis of merit and in accordance with Government policy. RRCB also undertakes redressal of grievances of the candidates in the matters concerning recruitment.
RRB/Ajmer has a Chairman, and a Member Secretary and an Assistant Secretary and supporting non-gazetted staff.
RRB calls for eligible applicants through wide publicity in "Employment News" (A publication of the Government of India) and other national/state/local newspapers. The employment notification is also uploaded on the official web sites of RRBs.
The applications are generally invited online. They have to upload requisite documents and pay fee (wherever applicable). The eligible candidates are called for a written examination with call letters being uploaded in advance of the date of the examination. Examinations are now mostly held as 'Computer Based Test (CBT)'- routinely called 'Online exam'.
There is no interview after the written examination. In some categories, there will be a 'Second stage written examination'. In the categories related to operational safety, the successful candidates of final written exams will be called for a psychological/aptitude test.
The application details furnished by successful candidates are verified and they are called for scrutiny of original documents i.e. Document Verification (DV).
The selection process is based on merit and is subject to the rules and regulations issued by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board), Government of India which includes reservation of jobs for certain castes/communities, such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC/NCL). Persons with Disability (PwD) and Ex-servicemen are also entitled for reservation as per the rules
A panel of names is then recommended to the concerned Railway to the extent of the vacancies. The successful candidates will be required to pass a medical examination before appointment. The medical examination will be organised by the concerned Railway.
The entire recruitment system functions impersonally without fear or favour, in a transparent and fair manner. There is no scope for corruption, influence or discretion in this process. Candidates indulging in malpractices and unfair means are dealt with strictly.
Railway Recruitment Board, Ajmer
2010, Nehru Marg, Near Ambedkar Circle,
Ajmer - 305028
Call us: 0145- 2425230
Mail us: email@example.com


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Year 5 had an amazing time at Dell farm. They did things from looking after farm animals to exploring the cave of doom.
Our Dell Farm trip was a success. We met a teacher called Miss McMicheal. She introduced us and welcomed us to Dell Farm and their staff. We all had a wonderful time. It was adventurous and muddy.
In July 2014 year 5 went on a wonderful trip to Dell Farm! They had an adventurous time. They took part in rock climbing and braiding horses! It was splendid!


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We apologise for any inconvenience if you are wanting to place an order. The hopefish shop will be reactivated when the hopefish team are back in action. If you have any inquiries please contact us at
Code: Sten109
Cats stencil to paint murals, bedroom friezes, T shirts, pot holders, aprons or shoe bags with three different cat or kitten shapes. Save money by adding optional extras: paint brushes, appliqués, DecoArt fabric paints.
Price: £1.49
three DecoArt dry to fix paints: bronze, beige (antique mum) and grey sky
one pot of DecoArt lime green Fabric Beadz
and six fabric washing instructions to take home
NB The Decoart fabric paints are easy to apply and do not require heat to fix. For best adhesion of fabric paints (all brands) the manufacturers advise that you prewash the fabric in the absence of any fabric conditioner.
a pot or two of water
a table with a wipe clean surface or disposable tablecloth
cardboard inserts to place inside each item to be painted (except pot holders)
because of the drying time of some products the children may need to take their creations home on their cardboard inserts
children aged 6 and upwards with adult help
paint and beadz are non toxic but may stain. Children should be supervised throughout
Why not mix and match this pack with the Flowers and Fairies or Elves and Butterflies Kits for a craft party that will suit both boys and girls?
* The check out applies a flat rate postal charge with no charge for orders over £75
|Cat T Shirt Painting Party - Kit for 6
|Avenue Mandarine Ninon Fabric Doll to Paint
|Avenue Mandarine Super Hero Miaou to Paint
|FREE on orders over £75


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FA to crackdown on diving with two-match ban for cheats… starting with first match of 2017/18 season
Chiefs take aim at players duping officials but law will only apply to incidents that result in a penalty or player being dismissed
THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION is cracking down on cheats by introducing two-match bans for diving.
And the new law will come into effect from this Friday with the Championship's first game.
Repeat offenders will also face an extra one-match ban for each additional offence.
The ban for duping officials with simulation will only apply in cases where it resulted in a penalty or a player being dismissed.
Conversely, players wrongly sent off for two bookable offences will have their bans rescinded if one of the yellows was awarded in error after an opponent dived.
The FA are wary of investigating every incident that could be considered diving.
So they will only review instances with "clear and overwhelming evidence" of a player deceiving a match official.
A pool of up to 14 former referees, managers and players will be used, with one from each set to review each case.
Most read in football
Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Hull's Robert Snodgrass all caused controversy with apparent simulation last season.
The news comes as it was announced the ABBA system will be used in penalty shootouts in all EFL competitions this upcoming season.


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Mark Hunt files lawsuit against UFC, White and Lesnar
January 10, 2017
UFC Heavyweight Mark Hunt has filed a lawsuit against the UFC, Dana White and Brock Lesnar in the District Court of Nevada on Tuesday. The lawsuit stems from Hunt's fight against Lesnar at UFC 200.
Hunt is claiming violations of the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act, Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Fraud, False Pretenses, Breach of Contract, Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Duty, Negligence and Unjust Enrichment.
The premise of the complaint is that the UFC allowed Lesnar to fight at UFC 200 while providing the WWE wrestler with an exemption from the UFC's anti-doping policy.
Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance in both an out-of-competition and in-competition drug test.
Lesnar defeated Hunt via unanimous decision at UFC 200 this past July.
The Complaint makes reference to UFC 152 when Vitor Belfort was allowed to fight with a testosterone use exemption but without disclosing the information to the public or his opponent Jon Jones.
In the lawsuit is embedded a photo of Lesnar pummeling Hunt.
In Hunt v. Zuffa, LLC, et al., complaint embeds a pic with the caption, "Doping Lesnar Fights Hunt, a clean competitor, at UFC 200." pic.twitter.com/Q4HCcUAIvc
— Jason Cruz (@dilletaunt) January 11, 2017
Of the notable items in the Complaint, Hunt claims RICO violations against the UFC which carry treble (3 times) damages.
He also claims personal injuries which include damage to reputation, loss of opportunity of career advancement and further earning potential.
Payout Perspective:
Hunt has intimated that he may take legal action and he did. The timing comes after Lesnar was recently handed 1 year suspensions from USADA and the Nevada State Athletic Commission which meant that he could come back in July 2017.
RICO is a very specific statute that requires that a person must commit at least two acts of racketeering activity from a set of crimes within a specific time frame and are related to an enterprise. This will be interesting for Hunt to prove and would make discovery as interesting as the current antitrust lawsuit filed by former fighters.
Hunt is scheduled to fight in March 2017 which makes this lawsuit all the more interesting.
MMA Payout will keep you posted.
13 Responses to "Mark Hunt files lawsuit against UFC, White and Lesnar"
edi on
January 10th, 2017 9:26 PM
Jason can you tell us in layman terms why the suit names- Lesnar,White & Zuffa? All 3?
dave lebold on
January 10th, 2017 10:33 PM
Things that are indisputable:
Antonio Silva was given a TUE by the UFC for testosterone
Silva was injected with testosterone by the UFC's doctor, the Brazilian guy
Silva failed drug test for too much testosterone after fighting Hunt
Frank Mir was given a TUE for testosterone by the UFC
Frank Mir was given a TUE for Adderall by the UFC/USADA that was subsequently denied by the Nevada commission.
Frank Mir failed drug test for steroids after fighting Hunt
Brock Lesnar was given an exemption from testing by the UFC pre UFC 200
Lesnar was tested before UFC 200 (test failed for PED's)
Test pre 200 could have been analized in time for results to be known before he fought
Brock Lesnar failed 2nd drug test for PED's after fighting Hunt
TOPS E on
January 10th, 2017 10:38 PM
Hahahaha…more problems
Jason Cruz on
January 10th, 2017 11:35 PM
All 3 involved due to theory set forth by Hunt that the UFC and White allowed Lesnar to fight in the UFC without going through drug testing. Lesnar a party since he was the person that was allowed to fight and used PEDs when he fought Hunt. The UFC is a party due to the drug testing policy. Also, the claim is that UFC has pattern of lax drug testing and enforcement (the lawsuit includes examples re Mir, Belfort at 152). White is named because he is an agent of the UFC that is part of the alleged "enterprise" which seemingly combats doping in supports but actually facilitates it.
d on
January 11th, 2017 9:28 AM
The suit should be against USADA/NAC. They are the ones who give out exemptions and facilitated the drug testing.
dave lebold on
January 11th, 2017 12:40 PM
response to "d"
USADA only gave Brock the exemption from testing because the UFC demanded it and It is part of the UFC and USADA's agreement.
Fight Fan on
January 11th, 2017 4:16 PM
D the ufc let him fight, end of story. Nice corrupt league that will do anything for a cheap buck.
Jason Cruz on
January 12th, 2017 10:33 AM
Actually, USADA and NAC should have been included in the lawsuit.
d on
January 12th, 2017 8:55 PM
Dave, that's not how it works technically. The UFC gave USADA free reign. The UFC can not dictate to them at all according to the agreement. Same goes with the NAC- they tell the UFC how their testing is done, and the UFC has to accept it. Now, if you are saying behind close doors they forced USADA/NAC to accept it, that's possible, but he'd have to prove that.
d on
January 12th, 2017 8:56 PM
FF, I know you aren't too bright, but if the UFC doesn't control the testing, and they rely on USADA and NAC to regulate ped testing, it really isn't their responsibility.
Fight Fan on
January 13th, 2017 3:40 AM
They let him fight without the sams requirements, corruption for a cheap buck.
d on
January 13th, 2017 9:02 AM
Can you read?
Dennis on
January 26th, 2017 11:36 AM
Eminem has a new song… would a clean fighter please stand up please stand up.
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A re-launch of the Art All Around public art program, which kicks off this week at the Westbrook Community Center, aims to engage the community in creating installation pieces destined for various locations in the city.
According to Craig Collins, the executive director of the Maine Center for Creativity, which runs the program, locations will most likely include Blue Note Park downtown, a portion of Main Street sidewalk and a section of the riverwalk.
Workshops to create the artwork, which beganWednesday, are taking place at the community center, My Place Teen Center and Cafe Inc. at the Dana Warp Mill, and will culminate in the installation in July.
From now until then, volunteers, students and residents will work to create thousands of hand-crafted art pieces for the installation by using recycled and recycleable materials.
Collins said more locations and partners may be added. Collins said the organization is also looking at a temporary commercial space downtown that could be open for the public to participate.
Art All Around is the main initiative of the Maine Center for Creativity, a nonprofit organization established in 2005 as a way to galvanize communities in supporting art as an economic development tool. Its most visible project to date has been the painting of the Sprague oil tanks in South Portland. However, Art All Around programs are now temporary installations, with a more direct focus on communities.
A central piece of the project will be installed in Blue Note Park, which has long been seen as an underutilized public space in need of upgrading. He said the piece may use the alleyway that runs between Westbrook Commons. Another location could be the former end of Bridge Street leading to the new pedestrian bridge, soon to be renamed Vallee Square.
"We're thinking of a path around the downtown," he said about the locations.
Collins said he expects the Westbrook installation will be up for roughly a week. Some of the installations will be "canopies," hanging from above.
"It really is art all around," he said. "When you walk in, you will really be surrounded by it."
As for why the organization chose Westbrook, Collins said Westbrook stood out because of the recent level of activity that has been seen in the city, especially with the work of the Downtown Westbrook Coalition and Arts & Culture Committee.
"I found a remarkable receptivity," he said about planning the initiative in Westbrook. "It was a slam dunk."
Collins said Art All Around is already planning its program for next year, speaking with communities such as Saco and Rumford.
Volunteers and kids at My Place Teen Center set up this week for open art workshops for Art All Around, a project that will result in a weeklong art installation at downtown locations this summer.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
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The all time classic Sani Beach Hotel is part of the Sani Resort - the ultimate Mediterranean destination, offering superb comfort in an environment of exceptional beauty. Bordered by 7 kilometres of golden sand backed by beautiful pine woods, the hotel is renowned for its quality and range of facilities, services and entertainment.
There's so much to do at the Sani Beach Hotel, so you'll never have a dull moment. Enjoy having the use of two exclusive beaches, alternatively you can cool off in the large lagoon-style swimming pool with its dedicated children's area or take the plunge in the extensive indoor heated pool. For guests who enjoy a good workout, the fitness studio has a good selection of cardio machines whilst the water-sports centre offers an exhilarating mix of activities including water-skiing and para-sailing. For those who love a game of tennis or just a knockabout the hotel offers six clay courts, two of them floodlit, in the brand new state-of-the-art Sports Complex near The Sani Beach Hotel. You can also refresh those tired limbs with a visit to the spa which offers both sauna and steam rooms.
Take your pick from three restaurants for breakfast, where you'll find everything from fresh fruit smoothies to local Greek breakfast fare. When it's time to relax with a cool drink - whether a cocktail or a beer - you'll always find a chilled-out ambiance at Sani Beach Hotel. The Sani Beach Hotel now offers its widest choice of rooms ever, from doubles to junior suites and one and two bedroom suites. All rooms are spacious with each room offering an exclusive terrace, balcony or private garden. Light and airy, the accommodation has everything you could want to make your stay a real pleasure.
A free shuttle bus connects the Sani Resorts four hotels and marina where you will find shops, galleries, cafes and tavernas.
Save up to £310 per couple - a discount of up to £155 per person. Book by 28th February 2014 for stays between 1st May 2014 and 31st October 2014. The earlier you book, the higher the savings.
It is strongly recommended that all childcare services/facilities are pre-booked.
Eco promo rooms sleep 2/3 with air conditioning, safety deposit box, CD/DVD player, hairdryer, telephone, mini bar, a private bathroom with shower and a balcony or terrace. Double bedded rooms sleep 2/3 with garden or sea view, junior suites sleep 2/4 is pool front with garden view, junior suites sleep 2/4 with sea view, junior suites sleep 2/4 with beach front sea view and private garden and single rooms with garden view are also available at a supplement. Please note junior suites sleep either 3 adults OR 2 adults & 2 children. Extra beds are camp beds.
The Poseidon restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner with a large selection from the buffet to tempt all tastes. Gentlemen are required to wear long trousers to dinner in all the restaurants. Lunch can be taken at the Dolphin pool restaurant and snacks are served between 12.30-16.30 at the pool bar. Within the Sani Dine Around programme, meal vouchers cannot be used, it allows HB guests to enjoy their meals at many restaurants with their membership card and a reservation. The Verander restaurant (over 12 years old), reservations required.
£39 per person. Private taxi, local champagne and fruit in room, VIP ticket wallet and luggage labels and resort information. (Subject to availability)
£65 per person. Private taxi, access to UK airport lounge, local wine and fruit in room, VIP ticket wallet and luggage labels and resort information. (Subject to availability)
Taxi transfers included (unless otherwise specified)
We have more information on free taxi transfers.


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Winners of Evaluation Survey Prize Draw!
Well, we had a very successful and useful evaluation meeting yesterday. You'll be hearing more about it soon. But most importantly, Alison Cook of the Scottish Funding Council not only gave us her time and highly pertinent and useful questions and comments, she also drew the prizewinning names from the hat.
We had offered two £25 Amazon vouchers as prizes, with winners to be drawn from all the employability co-ordinators who filled in the SHEEN Sharing Evaluation Survey.
Well, the rainbow's end must have touched down over the Highlands yesterday, because the winners are:
David McCall (UHI Millennium Institute)
Jonathan Culley (University of Stirling).
Congratulations guys (you'll be hearing from me soon) and thanks to everyone who completed the survey- sorry we couldn't afford to give you all a voucher!


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Accommodation in Cungulla
Search for a place to stay
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Where to stay in Cungulla
What's Cungulla Like?If you're looking for a place to get away, look no further than Cungulla. Whether you're planning to stay for a night or for the week, the area around Cungulla has accommodations to fit every need. Search for hotels in Cungulla with Hotels.com by checking our online map. Our map displays the areas and neighborhoods around all Cungulla hotels so you can see how close you are from landmarks and attractions, and then refine your search within the larger area. The best Cungulla hotel deals are here with our lowest price guarantee.
Where are the Best Places to Stay in Cungulla?
Below are the number of accommodations by star rating in Cungulla and the surrounding area:
- • 11 5-star accommodations from AUD 100 per night
- • 75 4-star accommodations from AUD 84 per night
- • 31 3-star accommodations from AUD 57 per night
- • 7 2-star accommodations from AUD 17 per night
How to Get to Cungulla
Flights to Cungulla
- • Townsville, QLD (TSV), 24.3 mi (39.2 km) from central Cungulla


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Minimalist Logo Study
After completing some works geared towards personal branding, I decided to conduct a study on minimalist logos.
My focus was towards sticking with two letters (my initials) and Gotham typeface.
I ultimately drew from a variety of sources of inspiration.
Inspiration came from the phases of the moon, GQ magazine, Gucci, and other fashion brands.


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September 29 – October 9, 2017
Kashabba Tribe Ministries is honored to partner with the local church from two different areas of Kilimanjaro to impart and release the revelation of the Kingdom of God to the peoples of Kilimanjaro.
Through our friends, we've been invited by church leaders to come with a team to release the Kingdom of God and the revelation of Jesus Christ in much fuller measures. The plan is to have eight days of ministry with Training Seminars, Evangelism, Inner Healing Ministry, and open-air meetings so that these precious people will see, hear, and experience the power and love of our Living God. We will be hosting a Leaders Conference in West Kilimanjaro as we continue building the relational bridge between our Tanzanian and Kenya Masai friends. In February we sponsored a seminar in Kenya and had our West Kili friends join us there. This time, our Kenyan Masai friends will join us in Tanzania as it takes to foundations to support a bridge. During this time we'll also do door-to-door evangelism and minister in local schools during this time in West Kilimanjaro. In addition to this, we will also be ministering in several different ways in Kilimanjaro, whether in schools, the marketplace, or simple village crusade. Above all though, we will love on the wonderful people of Tanzania every chance we get. Be ready to be used by God to release His love and power to those in need of both!
This ministry trip will have something for everyone and be an incredible adventure. Whether it's power evangelism, village ministry, healing the sick on the grounds or in their homes, or simply loving on the hundreds of children who will come to be loved on, there is truly something for you. Consider joining us in the fall of 2017! Additional information is to come. Blessings.
KTM, March 10, 2017


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You Are Built To Be Kind
Let's take a few minutes this dreary winter Wednesday to remind ourselves that people aren't always the worst. In a neat little animated video published by the University of California, Berkeley, psychologist Dacher Keltner explains that we were essentially built to be nice. Keltner explains his own work using brain imaging technology, in which he's shown images of human suffering to people in the lab.


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Group B A/C: Hyundai i10 1.2
5 Doors, manual transmission, fuel efficient, AM/FM Stereo with CD Player or usb port, dual outside mirrors, power assist steering, cloth bucket seats, electric windows, central locking.
2 adults - 2 children
1 large suitcase, 2 small handbags
Select the Dates for Pick Up and Drop Off
is to provide our customers with reliable and in excellent condition cars with which they will have the opportunity, driving with comfort and safety, to explore Corfu's beauties and hidden treasures.
- Value for money
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25 Donzelot Str. , Corfu 49100 Greece
Tel: (+30) 26610 35237
Fax: (+30) 26610 35237
Ε-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.topcars.gr


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Register Now
In the Bay Area, your first home is likely to be a "starter home". Unless you're independently wealthy, it's unlikely that your first home will be your Dream Home. However, it is a great first step on the path to the home that you ultimately want to own. The general trend line for Bay Area real estate has been steeply rising for decades—in spite of periodic corrections. Please be aware that past results don't guarantee future results. Overall however, getting into a starter home to climb the "property value ladder" is a strategy to consider.
There are many variables that you will want to think about. Here are a few:
Starting down the path to home ownership, you want to know how much you can afford. It's going to be different for each buyer, and for each set of circumstances. Let's take a look at this calculator and get you started. Here are a few ideas for how to fill out the information in the calculator. Realize that it is an estimate and that you can play with the different fields to see various possibilities.
Here's a calculator that will show you the size of loan you can qualify for. The size of the loan can be adjusted by the amount you can afford for the down payment. The objective here is to get you thinking about what you can afford and ways you can afford it. Here are some hints for how you could fill out the answers to this calculator:
At this point, you get an estimation of your monthly payment...and most importantly, you get an estimate of the Tax deductible portion of payment. Multiply that number by the number of months you expect to be in the home in the year and you get an estimate of the amount of your mortgage interest deduction for income tax purposes. Now, let's move on to the actual qualification portion of this calculator. Here's some information on how to enter your data.
I'm sure that you probably learned a few things working with these calculators. It can be really eye-opening. If you'd like to talk about what you learned and discuss your options, feel free to give me a call.


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Thousands of schools currently listed in the Lombard area for teach
Edu Jump Start is a trusted website / app for finding schools in Lombard. With thousands of Lombard schools ready to serve you - searching for local schools is easy.
Edu Jump Start is a Property Managed by SaleSpider Media Inc.
Copyright © 2019 SaleSpider Media Inc.


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Easy Eating
Tall Guy and I have been eating according to the Whole 30 Program since January 2nd. We've got three days to go on this no dairy, no sugar (real or make-believe), no grains, no alcohol, and no legumes plan. As I understood it, the main goal for this program was to reduce inflammation and that, we achieved within the first week or so: no after dinner heartburn for Tall Guy, no gnarly knuckles for me.
Although we weren't looking for any big weight loss results, the fact that we are not supposed to weigh ourselves for the entire thirty days, has provided another benefit. When the main focus is what to eat rather than how much to eat, the entire process of shopping, cooking, and eating feels nourishing. This is the first eating plan/diet that I've ever tested (including vegetarian, the Zone and raw) where I feel as though I'm offering, rather than denying, food to my body.
I didn't pay much attention to this bold statement on the Whole30 website when I first read it:
We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact—the next 30 days will change your life. It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life.
Now that I think about it, I did pay attention. I read it and then pffft'd it aside with an "Uh-huh, sure." I do believe that limiting my gluten intake is what keeps the joints in my hands from swelling and aching. Now that I've been mindful of it, I can also appreciate that I've lessened the stress to other parts of my body as well. I feel more physical and mental energy but the fact that I'm busy giving myself gold stars instead of black marks every time I put food in my mouth…that is life changing. I get it.
One of my favorite dishes that I've tweaked and morphed over time, is the Kale Salad served at True Food Kitchen. All I do now is eliminate the cheese and bread crumbs and add roasted sunflower seeds and Goji berries. Tall Guy is new to cooking and yet he's fixed spaghetti sauce to go with the spaghetti squash he's learned to bake.
We'll be weighing in on Saturday morning but the scale won't be able to measure what we've gained.


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Oh how I want to go on an adventure!!
After I put together this cork wall picture using the cork map pieces from the Galileo Scrapbook kit, I started planning our next big trip! I'm dying to go somewhere crazy and fun!!
I love how the pictures and labels look on the map pieces and I love having a visual of some of our trips!
I used a framed canvas as the background for the cork map pieces (so I could hang it on our wall - and so I could spread the pieces out a little bit).
I typed up the names of the places we've visited and then stapled them to the photos. I've visited more places in Europe, but I kind of ran out of room (boo).
I used some of the kit embellishments to add a few little extras to the picture. I didn't want it to be overlay decorated or busy, so I kept it rather simple.
I LOVE how it turned out and now I have a crazy urge of wanderlust....hmmm...where to go next??


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Thoughts on CoverGirl Simply Ageless Foundation./
By now, I think you all know that Ellen DeGeneres is the spokesmodel for the CoverGirl Olay Simply Ageless Foundation. If you have been following closely, you should have noticed that many of you have had trouble opening the foundation. I had trouble opening it. Even Ellen had trouble opening it. I think it is about time to talk about how I feel about the foundation, and I hope you chime in with your thoughts too.
I initially purchased Simply Ageless in the shades Ivory and Classic Ivory, as I am usually one of the fairest shades in a foundation line-up. After applying, I quickly realized that these were both too light for me. I had purchased mine at CVS, where they have a fabulous return policy, so they let me exchange them for different shades. It is probably important to note that CoverGirl also has a 100% satisfaction guarantee with this foundation, so wherever you purchase, they will take it back for you - for any reason. So, this time I selected Creamy Natural and Buff Beige. Creamy Natural was the perfect shade for my skintone. I am keeping Buff Beige for when I faux tan.
I applied the foundation with the sponge provided and I noticed right away that it did not settle into my fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes or mouth. Not many foundations settle when first applied, so the true test would be to take a look at the end of the day. Simply Ageless did indeed hold up all day and never settled into my lines. I was very impressed. The coverage was sheer, but once I had set it with my MAC Studio Fix Powder, I was good to go. The next time I tried Simply Ageless, I applied it with a foundation brush and smoothed it out with my fingers. This gave me more of a medium coverage, which is what I look for in a foundation. Applying it this way, I also noticed that after a long day the foundation never settled or caked up around my lines and wrinkles.
My Mother, who hasn't worn a foundation in years because of the very reason that she is 65 years old and everything she tries only accentuates her wrinkles, was definitely intrigued by my explaining this to her. This is when I really noticed how well Simply Ageless works. The foundation seemed to glide over her face using the enclosed sponge, and it never settled into her wrinkles at all. He face instantly looked 10+ years younger - really. She refused to use powder, so I don't think the foundation lasted as long as it did on me, but it certainly did a great job. It made her wrinkles look almost diffused and left her with a soft glow.
Overall, you need to follow through and try this product. Especially if you are older or really have a concern about your wrinkles. While I really liked it for my skin, I loved it on my Mother - and she did too. Trust me - that speaks volumes!
Hopefully P&G will work on a packaging redesign - I cannot ignore that so many of us had problems opening it. But once past that, Simply Ageless is simply great!
Pick up Simply Ageless Foundation at your favorite drugstore or mass retailer for about $13.99. My local CVS price was $15.99.
For those of you have tried it, what do you think? I look forward to your thoughts in the comments.


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How to write better online job advertisements to attract better applicants
Every day, thousands of online job ads are uploaded for the droves of job seekers trawling the Internet in search of the perfect vacancy. They have a difficult time doing so – finding a job is a job itself! Part of the challenge is deciphering the story of each job advert. If they get it wrong and apply for a position they are not keen on, they end up going through an interview process to find out. And looking at it from the job seeker's point of view, it's easy to see how to craft a great job ad that will bring the right applicants to your inbox.
All hail the title!
By far the most important part of your job advert is the part that earns you the click. Job seekers cannot see all of your avert straight away – they search for it on websites such as Google and Adzuna and only see a title, salary, location and a shortened description. Sometimes, the company name or recruitment firm's name is mentioned as well. From that information, they will click further only if it sounds interesting.
So get your job title correct! Make sure it accurately describes the position, but also is specific. Seeing another job titled Project Manager doesn't tell one the industry or level of the position. A senior digital Project Manager thus may glance over it, even if it is the right job for him or her. Better online job advertisements show a clear and succinct business title.
Re-write the job description (please!)
Adverts that are clicked on then display all the text in the description and possibly some other information, such as job level, qualifications and experience needed and so on. This is not the place to copy and paste the job description written by the HR department! Those look so boring and contain obvious or cryptic sentences like: "Assist with knowledge sharing to colleagues".
Simply write a few short and clear bullet points, not hidden messages. Order them by importance and make them sound like you're the person doing the job, telling your friends at an event or party. If there is something special the new hire will have to have, include it there and at the start somewhere to avoid the wrong people applying.
Order your advert correctly
After getting the title and main search result page details right, make sure that once clicked upon, your advert shows up in a neat and concise order. First off, a sentence or two about the essence of the job is best. Then the main four or five requirements are laid out, giving the potential applicant enough information to decide to read further or not. This is where you want
After these two sections, a fuller, rewritten description can be given, followed by interesting details such as office culture, things about the firm, certain perks and other attractive selling points to entice the right candidate to apply. Much better online job advertisements include these details and will bring better applications.
Include salary details
While this is a touchy issue, research shows that better candidates apply when salary is available on the advert. This is probably due to the advert simply having more information for the job seeker to make a better application choice.
The main point is clear: the more information you give job seekers in the right order, the better they can judge if the position is for them. You may think that you miss out on applicants that you think are great, but they know that the role was not for them. This saves you loads of time and resources in a recruitment search.


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« November 2007 |
| January 2008 »
Happy new year to all! Sorry for the long-ish absence, but I was sucked into a Christmas vortex. I'll be back later and post more!
Posted by Lisa C. at 06:58 AM in Whining & Angst | Permalink
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Like most people who become parents, I had many lofty ideals, most of which, had I written them down on pieces of paper, would now be ripped into tiny shreds. My kid watches TV, eats sugar, I have used threats and coercion to elicit certain behaviors, I have lost my temper and yelled, etc. The list goes on.
As of today 4.5 years after becoming a parent, only two of the lofty ideals are in force: 1) I have never hit the Moosh in anger, and 2) I have not perpetuated the Santa myth.
Well folks, I think one of those mighty redwoods is about to fall. I have kept my personal obligation not to lie to the Moosh about Santa. I have never played up Santa, or pretended Santa was real. In fact, I think it's safe to say that until this year my sweet son had no idea who/what Santa was. I did not go out of my way to achieve this. In fact, this year he's been really interested in Christmas specials that play up Santa and it was no big deal. Lofty ideal intact.
Enter pre-K, and a whole slew of 4- and 5-year-olds who are all crazy about Santa. The teachers indulge them (of course - and I really don't have a problem with it) so there is now adult agreement that Santa is real and will bring presents on Christmas.
The last two weeks have been a constant theme of, "Is Santa coming yet?" "Not yet." "Is Santa coming yet?" "Not yet." "When Santa does come, will he bring me presents?" "Hm, what do you think?" "I think yes!!!!" etc., etc., etc., ad infinitum.
It is around this point that we start crossing "my line" of not lying about Santa. However, I feel like a big, crappy stick-in-the-mud for disabusing him of his enjoyment of Santa. He is 4 years old. It only seems right to let him enjoy his fantasy. So I had kind of relaxed about it, and while I'm still not all rah-rah-rah about Santa, I haven't been guarding my language and I've tried to let go of my ideals.
Until. Until.
Today we got into the, "Is Santa coming to my house?" and I was kind of only half listening and said, "Oh, sure honey!" without really thinking about it. See, we celebrate Christmas almost entirely at my parents' house. We don't even have a proper Christmas tree because I am a cheap ass and wanted to pick up a nice fake tree in the after Christmas sales this year. I have to work on Christmas night, so after I get home we'll be going straight to their house to celebrate and open presents. My sister had already planned to leave out an unwrapped "Santa" gift for him there, but he is clearly anticpating there being a present at his house, Christmas morning. Um.
You see, while slightly positive Santa based conversation is merely tiptoeing on "my line," me leaving a gift out at my house for my son from a mythical being takes such a giant leap over "my line" that the line is really no longer visible. It just makes my skin crawl. I hate the notion of it. But at the same time, there is the whole "stick-in-the-mud" issue. He's a kid. Kids love Christmas. Kids love Santa. He is four. It's not like I am torturing him or anything. But ugh. Ugh and yuck.
I have been a believer in letting other people believe what they want to believe for a very long time. I don't want to enforce my beliefs on him. It's inevitable, I know, that he will pick up on what R and I believe and either assimilate that or not, but I don't want to limit him in what he wants to do because it's his life, and it's his decision.
So, taking all that into consideration, what should I do? Should I participate in something that I think is dumb for the sake of my child's beliefs, or should I let my beliefs override his? I can't decide.
Posted by Lisa C. at 02:11 AM in I Love Being A Parent | Permalink
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They took pictures of the kids at the Reggio school a couple of weeks ago. It was like the 3rd day we were at the school, I totally forgot about it and just dressed him in what I normally would, and planned not to buy any pictures because they are usually prohibitively expensive.
The pictures came in yesterday, and I thought, "What the hell, I'll take a look." So I opened up the envelope and I swear to you, all the photos turned out beautifully. I mean they were gorgeous. Gorgeous in their gorgeousness.
Then I was like, well, maybe I'll just buy a sheet or two... but which ones to buy? I sorted through them for a few minutes while the Moosh whined and moaned (dunno what's up with him lately, but he is Mr. Whiny these days) and finally just decided to screw it and I bought the whole set.
I realize now what a total racket the whole school picture thing is. You take a parent, sit them in a room, and give them beautiful pictures of their beloved child, then sit back and watch psychology at work and count your money.
Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Posted by Lisa C. at 01:54 AM in I Love Being A Parent | Permalink
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After the serious let down of the previous school, I waited a couple of weeks to decide if I liked the Reggio school or not. Well after 2.5 weeks, the verdict is in, and Reggio wins.
I really think that the difference here is with the teachers. In the old school, there were a lot of rules and regulations, which initally drew me to the place, because I agreed with them and felt that the Moosh and I could operate well within those limits. Unfortunately I think what happened was that the teachers were heavily scrutinized and the facility was more interested in appearances than the happiness of the kids.
At the Reggio school, there are almost no rules and regulations, other than the obvious ones. It's clearly meant to be a free environment for the children. The teachers are warm and caring, as is the director. Last week when I kept the Moosh home one day, the director wouldn't let me off the phone before I promised to pass their love on to the Moosh and that I would tell him they would miss him and couldn't wait to see him the next day.
The teacher in the Moosh's class is brilliant. The first thing she did was to pair him up with another boy in a mentor/mentee type scenario, so the Moosh had a friend to look forward to seeing from the very beginning. Then as of this week she wanted to expand his relationship with the other children in the class, so she made a book for us to read at home with all the kids' pictures and names. She plays with the kids, and she always has a little cute story to tell me about the Moosh. She never phrases things as complaints (a major issue I had with the teacher at his old school), instead she approaches things with solutions (like the facebook).
I wouldn't go so far as to say that he loves school. He still doesn't like the nap, but since all child care facilities are required to have naps by law, and the Montessori school (the only non nap option I found for his age group) was prohibitively expensive, he is just going to have to learn to deal with the nap. he complains about it, but he does not act fearful about it like he did with the old school, so we are just going to roll merrily along. However, he does like his friends and teachers, so that's a plus.
I'm interested to see how his learning takes off as he gets more used to the school. I like the Reggio Emilia curriculum approach, and I can't wait to see if/when/how it helps him process information.
They are having a "holiday musical" on Thursday for the parents and his class will be singing "Jingle Bells." I honestly can't wait.
It has been such a relief to have him happier at school.
Posted by Lisa C. at 04:38 AM | Permalink
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We did end up at the doctor on Wednesday, only to discover that the Moosh had walking pneumonia and an ear infection! I was shocked... I mean, this is the kid who was bouncing around the living room not 5 minutes before we left for the doctor's office. He never ran a fever. She asked me if he had been complaining about his ear... and he hadn't. He'd complained a lot about his stomach, but never mentioned his ear at all.
I posted about the Moosh's awful runny nose back in the beginning of November. I had taken him to the doctor's office that same day and asked the nurse practitioner to give him a different antihistimine/decongestant because the stuff he was on just wasn't working and I was worried about him getting a serious illness. She pooh-poohed me and gave me the same stuff that hadn't been working for months.
Honestly after that I was reluctant to take him in with "just" the runny nose because nobody seemed that concerned about it.
I complained to the doctor, loudly, on Wednesday that I thought the nurse practitioner's incompetence was directly involved in the Moosh's current pneumonia (for fuck's sake), and made sure that she knew he needed something else to control the drainage. She started him on a one-two punch: Singulair and a nasal spray called Rhinocort. Lo and behold... 3 days later we are now free of the runny nose of doom. He seems a lot better, but I can't help kicking myself for just allowing that nurse practitioner to give him the same stuff that didn't work the first time.
Meanwhile I thought I had the same thing on Thursday, and ended up calling in to work because I felt so rotten. I think now it was lack of sleep and worry... I felt fine after a good night's sleep.
I truly hope this is the end of the runny nose of doom.
Posted by Lisa C. at 09:09 AM in I Love Being A Parent | Permalink
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When I got home this morning, I packed the Moosh's lunch, made his breakfast, and went to wake him up. He was way groggier than usual, and about 2 minutes after I'd gotten him out of bed R woke up and told me that he'd been up all night coughing. Fuck. No.
I immediately put him back to bed and called in to his school, then hopped into bed with him. He continued sleeping from 8 AM - 11 AM, then we got up for a few hours and went out to lunch, shopped a bit, etc. Then I had to plan Phase 2 of sleeping. My contingency plan for days like this is:
The funny thing is that my Dad is pretty much finished with work, except for one day this week... which just happened to be today. He was busy all day. The Moosh did not nap (I was really surprised about this, but there you go), so I moved on to Plan C, TV in the bedroom.
Thing is, we don't have a TV in that bedroom already. We have one TV that's hooked up to cable and our DVD player and that is in the living room. The other TV is our old 19 inch which currently resides in R's room. It is unused. We don't have an alternate DVD player, either. So I rummaged through our movie collection and found a VHS of Shrek. Becuase of said VHS tape, I did not purchase the necessary hardware at Target to hook up the DVD player to the old TV.
I moved the TV and the VCR into the bedroom and popped in the Shrek tape. I made the Moosh a nice snack and got him settled in front of the TV, then went off to change into my pajamas. Imagine then my surprise when I heard the Shrek tape start up.... in Spanish. Yes, folks, I had pinned my afternoon nap on the Spanish dubbed Shrek VHS.
Back into the car, braless and in pajamas, to buy the converter so that I could hook up the DVD player to the old TV. We used to have one but I have no idea what happened to it. I told the Moosh I would buy him a movie to go with the converter because he was upset about me going to the store in my pajamas.
At Target, again, I got the converter and seriously considered buying the cheapest DVD player they had to ease the installation process of our current DVD player, but in the end decided to save the $30. The Moosh got a Care Bears movie (blech) and we were out of there and back home by 4 PM. I ripped out the DVD player from the main set up and got it installed in the bedroom. Then I gave the Moosh his snack, and told him I was going to nap next to him on the bed and if he needed anything he could come and ask me and I would get it for him.
Plan C was... somewhat successful. You can't really sleep while also babysitting, and I found the movie to be quite intrustive to my sleep process. I was able to doze enough to get a second wind and wake up enough to make dinner and straighten up the house. When R came home I went back to bed and got another hour of semi-sleep before I left for work.
One thing I will do differently for the future: I am definitely buying a cheapo DVD player. I have not yet been able to hook the cables for the current DVD player to the TV because it's really a two man job, and I am not two people. Also I had forgotten how... tempermental the DVD shelf in the entertainment center is... suffice it to say that there was much swearing involved in this process and I do not want to do it again.
I gave R some extra medicine for the Moosh tonight, to give as needed, but if he continues to cough all night and not sleep then I forsee YET ANOTHER trip to the doctor in our future. He's only had a runny nose for 2 months, and despite my protests, the doctor's office continues to give him the same decongestant that doesn't work. We all need our sleep, though. Sleep not optional.
Posted by Lisa C. at 11:46 PM in I Love Being A Parent, Whining & Angst | Permalink
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Big signing expected for Toronto
I had an interesting chat with Howard Goldberg, a Florida-based agent watching Real Salt Lake's training session Monday morning. He was there watching Colombian central defender Julian Barragan train with RS for the day. Barragan is en route to Canada for a trial with Toronto FC, and RSL agreed to let him loosen his legs with them. Afterward, he said he was very impressed with the technical ability of the team.
The real news was who would be accompanying Barragan to Toronto. Joao Pinto, who played for the Portuguese National Team in the 2002 World Cup, is on his way to sign a contract with Toronto FC according to Goldberg. He said the contract was on the table, which would seem to be a great signing for Toronto. He's flying into Miami tonight at 11:30 p.m., and will be heading to Toronto on Tuesday morning. Pinto is a 36-year-old striker who was part of Portugal's "Golden Genertaion."
Goldberg also said another one of his players, Fernando Ayala ' a 20-year-old who was a member of the Under-17 National Team under John Ellinger in 2003 ' will begin a trial with the Colorado Rapids today here in Florida. He's confident he'll make the team. Ayala spent time in South America and Croatia in the past two years.


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Update/Kika's Recipe for Success-ipe
I'm coming off of a very busy weekend--I had a recording project that is now 50% done and a gig with my Pittsburgh chamber group. I have been teaching and working hard on getting a position at another school in DC. I got hired to work at the Sphinx conference this winter as an aide! I'm also running a fundraiser for Mind on Fire--donate here! I also celebrated early Thanksgiving with my family so that next week I can have regular Thanksgiving with ADB's family. I'll also be going to New York for a day or two. It is a lot, but the busier the better. This is my method for success--
-I have my iCal open on my computer at all times and I worked very hard to make sure that every calendar I have is synced with one another. Right now I am using just using the iPhone calendar app, but at a certain point, I realized that I was putting commitments on my computer calendar and they weren't making it onto my phone. I messed around with Google calendar until I fixed it. I cannot tell you how to do this, other than mess around with Google calendar and don't make a commitment and forget. I learned this the hard way and had to participate in a board meeting on the phone while riding the bus to Pittsburgh.
-I have a Moleskine planner that has a blank page for notes. I put every commitment in it, even if the commitment has passed. I check in with my planner once a week. I have found that I favor the calendar app, but every now and then someone will be talking to me on the phone and I have to write it down somewhere.
-Never let anything discourage you because a goal worth "goaling" is never easily achieved. Look for your teensiest win and use it a motivation for your next win. Don't give up. Just don't ever give up. Even if it's tempting and probably easier. Just don't do it. If you want it, don't give up. I know everyone says this, but I'm telling you. I have to fight the urge to quit about 100 days a year. It's natural and I also don't like doing hard things. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get when I have done the hard thing.
-Be in constant contact--it's better to be in touch and on top of your projects than it is to always be catching up. One of my old bassoon teachers once said that when you meet a challenge, you have to attack it. To me, that means--if you have to do something you don't want to do, ask for help and give it your all. Don't ignore it until thinking about it makes you want to barf. No barfing. If you can't do something, ask someone for help. I did not ask for help in math for 30 years. Now that I am married to a math person I ask for help constantly, but maybe I could have been a math person if I would have asked for help.
-Cherish yourself. Sleep sleep sleep. Just sleep. Do what you have to do to get the sleep. Even if it's three hours at night and an hour nap and then another nap. Hydrate! I like to think of drinking water as a way of caring for myself. I tell my students to treat themselves like an egg. You wouldn't throw an egg against a wall. You would carry it carefully in two hands and set it down gently and you would not say negative things to it. You are a precious and delicate egg. Treat yourself accordingly.
Okay I'm going to bed,


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Film finally opens next month (April 18)
The final trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been revealed – scroll down and click to watch.
British actor Andrew Garfield will reprise his role as Peter Parker in the web-slinging sequel, which will open in cinemas on April 18. Emma Stone will return as Gwen Stacy, while Jamie Foxx will play new villain Electro and Paul Giamatti is on board as the Rhino.
Classic nemesis The Green Goblin, meanwhile, as played by Dane DeHaan, will also feature in the film. Shailene Woodley had been due to appear as Mary Jane Watson, but her role has recently been cut from the film and MJ will now make her Amazing Spider-Man debut at a later date.
It was recently revealed that director Marc Webb, who has helmed The Amazing Spider-Man 2, will return to oversee a third installment in the franchise, although he has since confirmed that he will leave the franchise afterwards. A script has reportedly already been written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinker, and there are early plans to begin production on the picture this autumn with a scheduled UK release date of 27 May, 2016.


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My favorite part about being involved in the eco-fashion world is watching new and truly beautiful labels committed to conscious consumption emerge. I had the pleasure of working with one such brand this past spring on a visit to New York. Averti is a women's loungewear line based in Los Angeles which carries a European influence (including the more openly sensual and body celebrating mentality). When creative director Domenica Peterson asked me to model their latest collection for their look book while in NYC, I was beyond excited! I had been watching Dom's line evolve from super sexy lingerie to this easy breezy wearable fashion line for a couple of years.
What I love most about Averti is the quality. Each piece is beautifully designed and made so that if falls just the right way or hits at just the right place. Perfection. For hot summer days, I can't think of a better line to lounge in while looking dead sexy.
I had the chance to ask Dominica some questions about Averti and share them, as well as some of the pics from our shoot and their look book, below. Enjoy!
1.) What does Averti stand for and what does the brand embody?
Averti, meaning "to have you" in Italian, is a sensual clothing line that combines timeless elegance and comfort. It really embodies the idea of slow fashion. Averti pieces are not mass manufactured. We source fabrics based on their quality and touch, not their price, and put time and care into sewing each individual piece here in LA. For us, the joy is in the making and the goal is to make beautiful, artfully crafted pieces that the wearer will love and keep for many years. Averti is designed for those who seek something special and rare, who recognize exquisite quality, and who are inspired by the story behind what they're wearing. The Averti woman cares about people and the environment and has a confident, elegant sense of style.
2.) What has the process of starting a fashion label been like and what advice would you give to others who want to start their own line?
I've definitely taken an unconventional route. I grew up in a family of artists and made my own clothes starting at a young age, so creativity and craftsmanship have always been intrinsic to my life. After spending a year of high school abroad in Italy, I became interested in understanding complex differences in cultural perspectives and studied international development in college with a focus on social entrepreneurship. I knew I wanted to combine my studies with fashion and went on to work in fair trade and sustainable fashion doing PR and non-profit work before starting my own nonprofit (Global Action Through Fashion). When I finally settled in LA four years ago, I realized that I really missed working with my hands. I worked for a designer in Beverly Hills before heading out on my own making couture custom gowns. After spending hundreds of hours on each dress, I decided I wanted to make something less labor intensive and more accessible, thus Averti was born.
For those who want to start their own line, the biggest advice I can give is to just keep going! The process is slow and steady. Things I haven't done that would probably make it easier are getting solid startup capital and a good business partner. I started my company last year and until recently have sold exclusivvely through private trunk sales. I'm so grateful to have done things that way because I've been able to meet every customer and really understand who they are, what pieces they're drawn to, and why, which shapes my design sensibility moving forward.
3.) What influenced the current collection?
This current ready-to-wear collection draws inspiration from classical sensibilities and movement. I am exploring the way simple draping can accentuate the female figure or provide freedom for the female figure, exposing the back or hitting at just the right point on the natural waist. In motion, the pieces move beautifully. More than anything though, this collection is about touch and how it feels to wear the clothes. One woman told me "this shirt feels like water," which I loved. Feeling comfortable and beautiful in one's clothes, really, is the thing that inspires me most.
4.) Where do you see the label going next?
I've been playing with natural dyes lately and am very much looking forward to integrating that play into new designs (you can already see some hand draping in the current collection. I'm also excited to expand beyond just silk to use other beautiful and innovative sustainable fabrics that I've been sourcing!
You can view the entire look book and shop the new Averti collection on Averti.la. Many thanks to the awesome team who worked on this shoot! It was such a blast!
Photos by the extremely talented: Mark Leibowitz


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Obama's campaign turned politics into a science. But what if there are still some things in politics that money just can't buy?
Sasha Issenberg's latest article in Politico today
Clarity's Tom Bonier talks about unique challenges of analytics and field in down ballot races and local issues: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/campaign-science-dept-of-experiments-103671_Page3.html#.Uw9Gj3nDn4g
And a great summary on the work of the Ohio Democratic party and the Clarity Activist Score:
In the perpetual battleground of Ohio, the state Democratic Party—still spooked by the 2010 midterms, when all those enthusiastic Obama 2008 volunteers failed to show up—also began investing in analytics. The state party contracted Tom Bonier's new firm, Clarity Campaign Labs, to develop what it calls an "activist model" to identify potential supporters. Clarity received the names of 144,416 people who had volunteered through the state party in the past, with instructions to look for other Ohioans among the state's approximately 7.9 million registered voters who statistically resembled them. To find them, Clarity will use the same predictive-modeling techniques it uses to microtarget voters. In part, the results will help Ohio Democrats answer a tough post-Obama dilemma: "It's a question we ask ourselves regularly," says Liz Brown, the party's deputy executive director, "whether we have the volunteer capacity we need to get to 50 plus one or if we need to rely on paid workers to get there."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/campaign-science-dept-of-experiments-103671_Page4.html#ixzz2uWh4g7Fu


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I am no sunflower this week. I've been mad and sad all week. No real explanation or maybe too many explanations.
- Yesterday, I paid 69 cents for a cucumber and $1.15 for a red onion at the grocery store. Both were pre-tax amounts. What is wrong with this world?
- Every day, I pray a multitude of gratitude prayers asking God to help me deal with one woman who sits near me at my day job and makes eight full (no exaggeration) hours of personal phone calls every single stinking day and another woman nearby who coughs non-stop (again, no exaggeration) every single stinking day. My prayers remain unanswered.
- I think I've learned that one of my best friends is doing something questionable which concerns me, but about which I'm scared to say anything, because she's quick to rile and because more than one of my past friendships have ended on principle (mine).
- At a funny and interesting lecture/event last night, a woman behind me snored for about fifteen minutes. Another woman in front of me repeatedly cracked her knuckles throughout the whole evening.
- A new season of The Deadliest Catch started with drownings. It reminded me of a guy named Steve Hall of Rome, Georgia, whose blatant negligence on a kayaking trip caused two 15-year-old boys to drown two years ago. I guess it still haunts me because those boys were my son's age, and because two days after the boys were found dead in the ocean, Mr. Hall was, according to the local newspaper, "having fun" coaching his school's soccer team. But I digress.
- The owner of the company I sub-contract through on my day job emailed about a possible mid-contract cut in pay. The jury's still out on this one.
- I had two writing submissions rejected last week, one of which really stung.
- And I received neither emails nor phone calls from anyone who might care about any of the above.
Yes, too many explanations. Maybe next week will be better. I hope so! Hope. There it is.


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Monique LhuillierMiracle Gown
- Label Size:
- 0
- Street Size:
- 2
Monique LhuillierMiracle Gown
- Label Size:
- 0
- Street Size:
- 2
This listing has expired.
Custom Made wedding dress inspired by Monique Lhuillier's Miracle gown. This wedding gown is definitely for a show stopping bride! If you are looking for something unique and majestic, then this is the one! The workmanship on this gown is absolutely magnificent, the pictures do not do it justice — it is not only a gorgeous dress, but a true work of art. The bodice of the gown has the incredibly stunning hand beaded embroidery detail with pearls and Swarovski crystals! The skirt features individually hand-sewn laser cut Pinwheel flowers made of silk organza that add great texture and volume in a unique way. The skirt is also detailed and adorned with pearls and Swarovski crystals that add sparkle and classic glamour. The use of horsehair on the peplum overlay creates a billowing effect and makes this gown float down the aisle like a cloud. The light and airy feel of this dress is perfect for summer, but this dress would look just as spectacular at a frosty, ethereal winter wonderland wedding. Also, this is not your typical strapless bridal gown. The corset of the bodice (with sewn in padding) allows perfect fit for the bodice and will hold on its own without any need of additional support. The dress is very light, comfortable and simply perfect! It's eternal glamour in pearls, organza and Swarovski crystals are in perfect harmony with the modern and interesting addition of the textures of the flowers and the horsehair overlay! More detailed pictures of the dress are available upon request. Also, please do not hesitate to contact me at email@example.com for any additional questions or concerns regarding the gown. I am willing to negotiate the price for brides who are interested in making this majestic gown their own. The dress is considered to be size 0 for those who wear evening dresses size 0, but can be worn by women who wear size 2 as well. It was purchased in July of 2013 and is in perfect condition since it was ONLY worn for the 30 min ceremony and a few photos after.
Dry-cleaned in Beverly Hills by most elite dry-cleaning company and preserved in a box that keeps its original color.
Terms Of Sale: All Sales Final
Location: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Will Ship to: Anywhere at Buyer Expense
Payment Methods Accepted: Other


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We've been inundated with a number of "Clarity" remixes, too many to count or even get that worked up about. With the forthcoming "Clarity" EP from Zedd, it's been high time to hear the official remixes, right? While we're not sure where the Tiesto or Torro Torro versions are, we got a special preview of the trap version that Brillz did. And it's well worth a listen.
Foxes' vocal is epic on it's own, and Brillz makes sure it's front and center from jump. He builds the intro up nicely, so when the 808 snares ring out, there's nothing left to do but bow your head and turn up. He even rolls out some sick, drum & bass-inspired amen break fills. An all-around awesome take on one of 2012's biggest EDM singles.


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This week, we are releasing the paperback version of the award-winning international bestseller The 7th Woman edge-of-your-seat summer read. Combine a gritty police procedural, forensics and that je ne sais quoi only found in Paris and you get The 7th Woman by Frédérique Molay, who has been called "the French Michael Connelly." This book won France's most prestigious crime fiction award—the Prix du Quai des Orfèvres—going on to become an international bestseller. Now in paperback, it's coming to bookstores across the country this month. A serial killer is on the loose in Paris, stumping the city's top detectives. Chief of Police Nico Sirsky—who's got an ex-wife, a teenage son and a budding love story—races against the clock to solve the murders as they get closer and closer to his inner circle. Will he resist the pressure? With the suspense of the movie Seven and CSI-like details, it gives a whole new dimension to Paris. Paris mystery author Cara Black liked the "ratcheting tension" and NYT bestseller Robert Dugoni enjoyed the "lightning-quick plot"—he likened Sirsky to Renko in Gorky Park. This is a book for fans of police procedurals and forensics and mystery readers who enjoy international settings. It's grittier than Simenon, but the hero Sirsky works in the same mythic headquarters and is rather nostalgic about his predecessor.
"Molay uses meticulous police procedure and forensics to bolster gripping scenes of terror. Let's hope more installments from this series cross the ocean soon."–Booklist
"Well-drawn characters and ratcheting tension won't let you put the book down. I read this in one sitting." – Paris mystery writer Cara Black
"Frédérique Molay is the French Michael Connelly." –Jean Miot, Agence France Press
"A taut and terror-filled thriller with a lightning-quick, sinister plot. Inspector Nico Sirsky is every bit as engaging and dogged as Arkady Renko in Gorky Park."–New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni
"Author Frédérique Molay does a superb job of building the suspense in overt and subtle ways…Don't pick this book up unless you're planning to read for a while because, I assure you, you won't be able to put it down." – CriminalElement.com
"A slick, highly realistic, and impeccably crafted thriller. Likeable characters, outstanding pacing, and unexpected plot twists that keep readers guessing throughout…an extraordinary, hard-hitting novel." – ForeWord Reviews