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Thanks for visiting this web-site. We also invite you to view our other web-site Ray of Hope Ministries On-Line Bible Study www.rohmbible.wordpress.com
Recently we published the book shown below in the form of an e–book. We invite you to read, copy, or down-load it free at this web-site: http://www.pastorrayhopesfulfilled.wordpress.com/home.
A Spiritual Autobiography
How God fulfilled the faith-based hopes
of an ordinary guy from Jersey City
As I read an item in the newspaper today, I was reminded that this is the time of year when the advertising/entertainment industry is making decisions about what TV shows will be available for us to watch in September. Some familiar TV shows will be enthusiastically renewed for another year. Some will be renewed, but it is questionable if they will last much longer. And there are those which without a doubt will be cancelled, even some which had excellent ratings over the past year.
In this newspaper article, and others like it, there is usually a brief explanation as to why some shows with excellent rating will be cancelled. Sometimes it isn't that nobody is watching, but that according to the market research by the advertising/ entertainment industry, enough of the right people weren't watching. The right people being those who collectively are most influenced by and most likely buy the advertised products and services. The advertising/entertainment industry has further determined that currently the right people are those between the ages of 25-49. In these times a show which isn't reaching that age group in significant numbers is likely to be cancelled, even if the ratings for those age 50 and over are excellent.
The truth is that the advertising/entertainment industry at this time places a high value on the younger age group because that group spends a lot more money on the advertised products and services. The older age group spends a lot less and therefore is given little or no value by the advertising/entertainment. That might change in a few years if spending patterns within categories change.
As time goes by, I have become more and more aware that the advertising/ entertainment industry, and a lot of other industries, have placed me in that category of people who are not greatly influenced by, and therefore don't spend much money on, what they are advertising. That really annoyed me over the last few years, as more and more of my favorite TV shows were cancelled, until now there aren't many left that I enjoy watching, and only rarely do I discover something new that I consider worth watching.
To me that's bad news. But that bad news doesn't bother me anymore. That's because my faith is such that in the midst of bad news there is there is always and ultimately good news. There is always hope when things look hopeless, if what you are hoping for is in accordance with God's will and plan. The good news is that God can and does understand each one of us as individuals. In fact, God understood us as individuals even before he created us. All human beings were, are, and always will be created by God in the image of God. This doesn't mean we look like God in a physical sense, but we do have some of the characteristics of God. They might be tarnished and difficult to see, but they are still there. I believe the most important of those characteristics is the ability to love each other as individuals. If this were not so, Jesus would not have told us that the second greatest commandment, after loving God, is to love our neighbor. God has enough love for all of us, and all he wants is for us to accept his love and participate with him in sharing his love with each other (even the ones who cancel our favorite TV shows).
My message to you is that you always remember that God's love for you, and your value to God, is not based on what category the world places you in. We were all created with love by God in order to participate with God in receiving and giving love to him and each other. In the midst of bad news that's something to hope for. At the same time it is part of God's will and plan for all of us. And when what we hope for is in agreement with God's will and plan for us, individually and collectively, then God will surely fulfill those hopes. I know that's the truth, because I have experienced it in my own life (74 years), over and over again. God has demonstrated his love for me and everyone else and made it possible for me to love everyone else. At the same time God has made it possible for other people to demonstrate their love for me – not just as part of a category, but as a beloved individual.
Grace and peace, Ray


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It was a beautiful day for the new TS Royalist and Britannia to sail together
At 6pm on Sunday 5 June, P&O Cruises flagship Britannia and the Sea Cadets' new flagship TS Royalist met for the first time as the two ships sailed in procession down the Solent towards Calshot.
P&O Cruises parent company, Carnival Corporation, has long supported Sea Cadets, a national nautical charity that works with young people to help them find inspiration and confidence for the best head start in life. Established in 1856, Sea Cadets offers young people across the UK amazing opportunities for personal development by learning new skills and teamwork. Today, 14,000 young people based in 400 units in towns, cities and ports across the UK are challenging themselves and developing new skills, such as sailing, boating and rock climbing.
The new TS Royalist replaces the original TS Royalist ship, which was decommissioned in 2014 after 43 years' service. Having donated £380,000 towards the build of the new TS Royalist, sailing the Solent together marked the fantastic partnership between Carnival Corporation and the Sea Cadets.
TS Royalist will take over 30,000 youngsters on life-changing sea voyages
Carnival Corporation also supports the Sea Cadets' seamanship qualification scheme that will enable 14,000 Sea Cadets aged 10 to 18 the chance to explore a career in the maritime industry. 'Sea Cadets provides a solid foundation for youngsters,' says P&O Cruises senior vice president of sales and marketing, Paul Ludlow. 'It teaches them practical life skills which will stay with them throughout their journey into adulthood. These young people are our future and we should take every opportunity to invest in them and in their chance to learn and grow. I am delighted that we are able to play a part in this with our donation to their new flagship.'
Launched in Spain on 19 December 2014 and named by HRH The Princess Royal on Friday 29 May 2015, TS Royalist will take over 30,000 youngsters on life-changing sea voyages navigating British waters over the next 40 years. For the Sea Cadets, sail training and being part of a team that pulls together to navigate Britain's coastal waters offers an environment to explore fantastic life skills such as communication and leadership, as well as inspiring confidence.
You can support the Sea Cadets by donating online
Photo credit: James Morgan
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subset: commoncrawl


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The former Hollywood lighting director also unleashed his fury against the Royal Family as he accused them of influencing her decision to freeze him out.
Thomas Markle Snr, 74, declared he "just about reached the limit" with the Windsors and the Duchess of Sussex' "superiority" in a bombshell interview released from his home in Rosarito, Mexico, more than 5,000 miles away from Buckingham Palace.
Claiming he, as a father, should be shown more respect as he has given Meghan anything he could, Mr Markle told the Mail On Sunday: "She'd be nothing without me.
"I made her the Duchess she is today.
"Everything that Meghan is, I made her."
And in a clear attack against his own daughter who, he said, refuses to speak to him, he added: "What riles me is Meghan's sense of superiority."
Arguing the British royals are attempting to silencing him, Mr Markle continued: "I tell you, I've just about reached my limit with Meghan and the Royal family.
"They want me to be silent, they want me to just go away.
"But I won't be silenced.
"I refuse to stay quiet."
Mr Markle is said to have soured relations with the Royal Family when he staged paparazzi pictures ahead of Meghan and Harry's wedding on May 19.
And he further worsened them when he broke with protocol as revealed private conversation with Prince Harry during a broadcast interview.
In an interview with ITV Good Morning Britain's host Piers Morgan, he claimed the royal told him he is "open to the experiment of Brexit" and believes Donald Trump should be "given a chance".
But despite these fractures with Buckingham Palace, Mr Markle demands Meghan shows him some gratitude.
Speaking bitterly about the better relations the Duchess has with her mother Doria Ragland, he said: "Oh, she's a mummy's girl now, and Doria gets a lot of the credit.
"But Meghan seems to have forgotten that she lived with me up until Doria and I divorced, when she was six, and even then I was still a big part of her life.
"When Meghan was 11, she moved back in with me up until she was 17 and went to college.
"I was having my good years then, making good money, and could afford to give her the best, with a good school good education, good home.
"She became the woman that she is today thanks to everything I did for her.
"And did I get any recognition for it?
"Any thanks?
"She doesn't even speak to me now. How cold is that?"
Kensington Palace told Express.co.uk it would not comment on Mr Markle's remarks.


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Industry benchmarking is worthless activity unless the others in your industry are the best. If you compete with mediocre companies you will only achieve mediocrity.
If you want to be the best then look to the companies that are the best. Want to be great at customer service? Look to Ritz-Carlton or Nordstrom. Want to be great at efficiency? Compare your performance to McDonalds. Want to be great at innovation? Compare yourself to 3M. Want to be great at marketing? Measure yourself against Nike or GE.
It doesn't matter if you are a B2B tractor supply store or a luxury hotel. Your customers are comparing the experiences you provide with the best and worst experience they have had. They don't care about the industry. They care about the experience.


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Posted: Aug 14, 2019 01:27 AM MDT
Updated: Aug 14, 2019 01:27 AM MDT
Davy Crockett is born, George Orwell publishes his classic novel, the Berlin Wall claims its first victim, Bill Clinton admits to an "improper physical relationship," and Michael Phelps sets a new Olympic mark, all on this day.
Take a look at some tips to keep both your furry friend and your wallet happy.
The Panama Canal opens for business, "The Wizard of Oz" comes to Hollywood, World War II comes to an end, and "3 days of peace & music" starts up in Bethel, N.Y., all on this day.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's sloths Chalupa and Bosco welcomed their new baby in May this year. Monday, the zoo announced its name: Bean!
KRDO has big plans for a new studio! Sunday we began disassembling our old set and assembling a temporary set. We'll host our newscasts at this temporary set until construction of the new set is completed in the coming months. You can take a look at the progress in our photo gallery.


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Wearing Free People Shirt, American Eagle Jeans, Banana Republic Flats (similar here).
I'm a total sucker for neutrals, as in, my closet is every color of the rainbow that is black, grey, white and camel. But I'm currently in love with this shirt...I've worn it at least half of this past week. All of the maples are flaming red right now and it makes me feel like I get to dress up even a little bit as brilliantly as the trees. This shirt is also a mixture of silk and chiffon, which adds a little flair to an otherwise "bummy" outfit. As it gets colder I want to pair it under a loose knit and some heeled ankle boots.


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I think the wet spring and late fall this year has made for more autumn leaves than usual -- I've never seen a pile as big as the one we raked on Friday. All three of my girls could jump into it at once, and they're not little girls anymore!
If you have a treeless yard and don't have access to leaves in abundance, why not ask around? People who bag them for removal are often delighted to share, and it's always a good thing if garbage trucks don't have to create even more fossil fuel emissions because of all the leaves going to the dump. I can count on neighbours and extended family members to keep my composter supplied for the year! Leaves also make great moisture-retaining and weed-reducing mulch for perennial beds if they're wet down and packed so they don't blow around -- given a year or three, they turn into compost on their own, and they cost nothing, unlike bags of wood chips. Giving some thought to how you can put your carbons to use instead of trucking them away makes for a much happier environment all around, and I don't know about you, but I'm all for it!
P.S. For more Simple Suggestions, look here.


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Back in half an hour
With Spring weather rolling in on the back of these long, bright days it hardly feels like any trouble at all to head down to the ocean for a little afternoon ice fishing. The fish were biting furiously and a rotating cast of neighbours and friends took turns pulling out small and large cod alike from a set of communal fishing holes.
As we arrived we saw a friend standing proudly over her favourite spot with around two dozen fish stacked up. The fish had just stopped biting, but she wisely predicted that they'd be back in half an hour. Like clockwork the lines started jumping thirty minutes later and everyone was pulling the wrigglers out of the water. Everyone except me, of course! I put in a good hour or so of jigging but somehow came up short. In one close call, my catch snapped the line and writhed back into the water - hook and all - just before I had it in my hands.
Fortunately, David and Nelly kindly shared their haul and so I've got a couple of beautiful fillets in the fridge now to fry up for lunch tomorrow.


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Paris-Gare de l'Est Hotel entirely redesigned by Axel Schoenert architectes. Opening July 2015!
Axel Schoenert architectes was commissioned by Paris Inn Group to refurbish the Paris-Gare de l'Est Hotel, an area of 9,000 sq m. The modernized four-star hotel will open in Paris this July 2015 with 206 bedrooms.
Zsofia Varnagy & Axel Schoenert have redesigned the entire hotel, from the architectural reconfiguration of the spaces to the interior design, putting their mark on even the smallest details. Made especially for the hotel by the duo of designers, the furniture line is in harmony with the architectural concept, which embodies spring's energy brightness and provides a pure wellbeing moment in the heart of Paris. In Paris' 10th district, opposite the Gare de l'Est and two steps away from the Gare du Nord, the hotel is enviably located in a fast up-and-coming neighbourhood, at the crossroads of Europe.
- Axel Schoenert
Axel Schoenert founded the franco-german agency Axel Schoenert architectes with the support of his wife Zsofia Varnagy, in 1999 in Paris, and developed its activities in architecture, interior and furniture design. With an expertise in new built construction as well as complex refurbishment, the strongly multicultural team works in France and worldwide on offices, hotels, restaurants, spas, housing, public and cultural buildings.
In March 2015, his restructuration of Puteaux City Hall in France has won the ArchiDesignClub Awards 2015 in the category Interior / Public & tertiary.
- News
This month, Axel Schoenert architectes starts working on three new building sites in the CBD of Paris :
> new headquarters of the Mutuelle Nationale Territoriale in the 9th district
> Hôtel Beauchamps, near the Champs Elysees
> Hotel Vendôme, in the Latin Quarter


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Dando: "We never did anything 50/50, like a band, a duo. We helped each other out on our albums. We've never written together, but we're going to try. We should really make up a name up for it, but I guess Juliana & Evan is good enough."
It's becoming clear from the recent run of interviews with Juliana and Evan that there is more to it than just a few low key acoustic shows from the pair. They have a positive influence on each other and appear to be at the embryonic stages of a new project, if not a fully fledged musical duo for the future. Yay.
The latest feature can be found at the Boston Herald.


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Guest Reviews | Key West Hotel Reviews
We came down to the Keys to attend a friends wedding during a peak time of the year. When I booked the room at the Chelsea House Hotel, I did not really have a lot of information of the location. Even though it was for one night I was very impressed with the service and accommodations my wife and I received. You really exceeded what we were expecting to find. I look forward to a longer stay at Chelsea House the next time I travel to the Keys. Thanks again.By: Octavio Ruiz April 25, 2016
5 / 5 stars


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Hotel Cristal 2
Situaded by Coruña´s promenade from your rooms you will be able to see some wonderfuful views!
We are mainly orientated towards the sea overlooking some of Coruña´s important monuments like the Domus or Hercules Tower as well as the most important beaches in Coruna Riazor and Orzan.
Rooms with private bathroom, parking, satellite TV, heating, buffet breakfast,... these are some of our services!
Because of two kilometres of beach, will surround you with water from the Atlantic Ocean, accompanied by a wonderful promenade that goes round nearly the whole of the city.
You will enjoy the beautiful beaches riazor and , orzan, by the promenade where there are tourists and people everyday.
Please note :
Cancellation Policy : 3 days.
Payment accepted on arrival : cash, Visa or MasterCard.
Check-in time/Check-out time : 12:00.
Breakfast not included.
Taxes included.
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
Hotel Facilities & Policies
- 24 Hour Reception
- Breakfast Not Included
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Elevator
- Telephone/Fax Facilities
- Internet Access
- Key Card Access
- Taxes included
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 3 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
Must-Read Hotel InfoThis property has specific Terms & Conditions.
Please note :
Cancellation Policy : 3 days.
Payment accepted on arrival : cash, Visa or MasterCard.
Check-in time/Check-out time : 12:00.
Breakfast not included.
Taxes included.
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
Avenida San Roque de Afuera S/N,
La Coruna
We are overlooking the beach, a few metres from los Rosales shopping centre, cinemas, and Carrefour supermarkets.
Located Near
We are facing the sea!


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It was exactly 11 months ago when Mobile Police Officer Justin Billa was shot and killed trying to help capture a man who killed his wife. Today, Officer Sean Tudor was killed when serving a warrant for a young man who the MPD had been trying to arrest for a while. He leaves behind a wife. The suspect was arrested and charged with capital murder. This guy was trying to fake his kidnapping or his death to avoid jail time. His mother was even trying to help him and she too was arrested.
RIP, Officer Tudor.


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16 May 2018
Local communities that are worst affected by suicide are being given funding to develop suicide prevention and reduction schemes, with the West Midlands region receiving cash for the healthcare partnership covering Coventry and Warwickshire: Better Health, Better Care, Better Value.
The investment, announced last week by Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Public Health England (PHE), and NHS England marks the start of a three year programme worth £25 million, that will reach the whole country by 2021. It forms part of the government's commitment to reduce suicides in England by 10% by 2021 and will support the zero suicide ambition for mental health inpatients announced by Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt in January of this year.
Currently one person every 90 minutes dies by suicide in the UK and approximately two thirds of these are not in contact with mental health services. The number of suicides in the West Midlands region (2014-16) is equal to a rate of 10.0 per head of population, slightly above the 9.9 rate for England. However Warwickshire has the highest rate in the region, at 12.2 per 100,000 people, with the rate for male suicides at 19.0 – significantly above the national figure of 15.3 and the highest rate for the region. Meanwhile the rate of female suicides in both Coventry (5.0) and Warwickshire (5.6) is higher than the England average of 4.8 per 100,000 people.
The funding, which has been allocated to eight STPs (Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships) with a high level of need, will help to ensure people know high quality confidential help is available within their community. It will include targeted prevention campaigns for men, psychological support for people with financial difficulties, better care after discharge, and improved self-harm services for all ages.
Paul Sanderson, PHE West Midlands Health and Wellbeing programme lead for mental health, said: "High rates of suicide among middle-aged men indicate their reluctance to seek help in tough times. Planned investment for Coventry and Warwickshire will compliment established local area prevention plans; helping to reduce the stigma associated with suicide and encourage middle-aged men to reach out to access support in times of crisis."
Sharon Binyon, Medical Director of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust and Mental Health Lead for Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: "We are delighted to have secured this funding which will help us build on existing plans with our partners in local authorities in Coventry and Warwickshire. A key element of our focus will be men who are experiencing mental health issues and we will further develop our existing suicide prevention campaign 'It Takes Balls to Talk'. In addition, we aim to deliver new evidence based mental health awareness and suicide prevention training in our communities. This will run alongside developing a network of champions to drive our ambition towards zero suicide."
The funds are set to improve suicide prevention strategies, signposting and raising awareness through to improving quality for safer services and will help drive better surveillance and collection of data on suicide, attempted suicide and self-harm. It builds upon major work from all local authorities to put multi-agency suicide plans in place, and work for a close join up between health services, public health teams and the voluntary sector.
Jackie Doyle-Price, Minister for Mental Health, said: "Every single suicide is a tragedy – which is why this funding is so vital. Working with the Samaritans and others in high risk areas, we will make sure people get the care they need as early as possible, because that is what saves lives. All local areas are developing suicide prevention plans and this work will support our 'zero suicide' ambition in mental health inpatient units."
Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive at Public Health England, said: "Suicide destroys lives and is devastating for the loved ones they leave behind. We need to do everything we can to offer more help to people in distress and this is a big step towards that."
Claire Murdoch, NHS England Director for Mental Health, said: "The NHS is committed to improving mental health services and increasing people's access to help, when they need it the most. Working closely with families, councils, government and charities like the Samaritans, the additional funding and suicide prevention plans confirmed today will mean more people in crisis, in some of the most under-served parts of the country, will be able to get the crucial support they need."
Working closely with those who have been impacted by suicide and those with national expertise, including the Samaritans, the areas to receive funding this year have been identified due to their high level of need and will focus on particularly at-risk groups such as men and those who self-harm.
The areas set to receive funding are:
Ruth Sutherland, Samaritans chief executive officer, said: "Suicide is an urgent and complex issue with three times more people dying by suicide than in road accidents. We welcome these measures as an important first step, targeting those who are most at risk of taking their own life. We will continue to work with the Government to help ensure its funding supports multi-agency working to achieve strong prevention measures in all local areas in order to reduce deaths by suicide."
The £25m investment over three years is in addition to significant investment in mental health as part of the NHS' Five Year Forward View for mental health to deliver accessible high quality care. This includes expansion in crisis care for all ages, children and young people's services and services for pregnant women and new mothers which should also support a reduction in suicides.
More information can be found on the NHS England website.


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Why Investing On Property Is A Smart Choice?
There are innumerable avenues in which you can invest your money. Some of them such as stocks, shares and bonds are popular beyond question and a lot of people invest in them with ...Read More »
Friday , 23 August 2019
All Copy Rights Reserved @ 2015 wechengdu.org


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David Tait
David Tait lives in Guangzhou, China, where he works as a teacher. His poems have been widely published in magazines and anthologies including Ambit, Magma, Poetry Review and The Rialto and his pamphlet Love's Loose Ends won the Poetry Business pamphlet competition (as judged by Simon Armitage) in 2010.
Tait first began writing at Leeds University when taking an undergraduate creative writing module taught by Amanda Dalton. He has since attended workshops and writing days, as well as an MA in Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was "House Poet" at Manchester Royal Exchange for the Carol Ann Duffy & Friends poetry series between 2010 - 2013.
In 2014 Self-Portrait with The Happiness was Shortlisted for the Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize and also received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors.
When I fell in love with you
I never knew our dance
would be this conga,
these swaying hips of pendolino
— 'Kenilworth'
Winner of the 2010/11 and 2014/15 International Book & Pamphlet Competition
'If the pastoral is not dead, it is at least badly wounded, these upsetting poems remind us. Instead, the scene is a vast polluted city, where nothing grows but anxieties. This poet disturbs us with his content and pleasures us with his stark language and thoughtful formal designs. Put on your face-mask, and dig in.' - Billy Collins
'Careful and concise poems, like glimpsed scenes and small, intense dramas, full of knowing detail and telling lines. Tender but shrewd.' - Simon Armitage
'There's a kind of 'tough love' at work in these poems – a lyrical, romantic yearning shot through with the poet's clear eye and wry humour. I think of them as tiny, poised narratives of lost words, remembered places and the unravelling of love. This is a memorable, assured collection – I'm certain David Tait is one to watch.' - Amanda Dalton
'An impressive debut, a sequence of clever love poems, smoothly poised between the extravagant and the real in perfect observations of love and loss like 'Elsewhere' and 'Cory and the Winter.' - Andy Croft, Morning Star
'These 'loose ends' weave together in such a way that at the end of the first, second, even third reading (and this pamphlet is certainly worth coming back to), the reader is left with a sense of intimacy with the text and it's subjects, and yet at times one cannot help but feel as unsettled as the lovers in [the] first poem of the collection, 'Elsewhere':
When it is over we say we love each other.
But look how cold the air is;
How our words uncoil above us.
Many of these poems are so universally intimate that the reader cannot help but fall in love with both the subject and the language of the poem.' - The Stand
'Although these are all love poems, Tait avoids cliché and often coins bright phrases like: "icy stars chirped through the cold –" ('The Peacock in their Shed'), "the air ratcheted with pheasants" ('North York Moor'), "a testament of love to rust in the rain" ('Luzhkov Bridge'), "the sliding belt of train" ('Cory and the Summer'). The title 'Self-Portrait with Headtorch' epitomises his talent for spotting bright details against dark backgrounds.' - Andrew Sclater, Magma
'David Tait's Self-Portrait with the Happiness moves with great skill from Lakeland Fells to the 'hefty rain' in Guangzhou, from a sonnet written in the snow to phones that 'rattled our pockets with voicemails'. While he holds nothing back in these poems of love, not-love and longing, the writing is precise and controlled, the tone starkly believable.' - Imtiaz Dharker
''What can we offer but love – / love and wonder' is the question which permeates the poems of David Tait's Self-Portrait with The Happiness. This is a book which merges self-awareness with undisguised frankness ('As for beauty: I think I've experienced/ that moment in life that will flash/ before me at the end') on the 'hammerthrow' of falling in love. Familiar with both midnight and the 'cool gloom' of dawn, Self-Portrait transforms those liminal spaces we all pass through – cigarettes at dawn, roadside lay-bys, the Gare du Nord, broken down cars and launderettes – into something strange and sacred.' - Anthony Wilson
David reading at Lancaster Spotlight
Award-winning poet David Tait's new collection, The AQI, is about living and breathing in China
The AQI is about day-to-day life working in China, cultural differences and the tackling of homophobia.
Although David has been working as a teacher in Guangzhou and Nanjing, China, for the last five years, he describes "home" as currently both Nanjing and Lancaster. David also describes himself as in a state of 'exile pending' from the UK. In his words, 'how can you call the UK your home if you can't move your family there due to prohibitive immigration policies and a government and media that demonises anyone who isn't British?'
Written from the perspective of an outsider to both the UK and China, The AQI explores a life lived behind such barriers as language, homophobia, and China's incessant smog.
'I think the poems that tackle homophobia and the later poems in the final section feel more conciliatory than the sections in my pamphlet, Three Dragon Day. I've lived here a while now, so have a clearer understanding of how things work, which in turn has an impact on the writing.'
The title, The AQI, refers to the Air Quality Index, used to measure particulate matter air pollution, which is used as a metaphor or underlying image -- not least the face mask -- throughout many of these poems. Despite being a serious health threat, this smog is now a normal occurrence in day-to-day life in China.
'The air pollution is something massive that affects all who live here, particularly the migrant workers, many of whom work outside in it,' says David. 'Everyone is weary of the smog but generally most people have known nothing else, so they are used to it. It's not really reported in the media so a lot of people don't know about it.'
But The AQI does more than enlighten us to the critical threat of air pollution. These poems are a necessary wake-up call and refuse to let the UK's distance from China shelter us from this interminable pollution.
'Everyone blames China and runs headlines criticising their country while wearing clothes made in China, sat in offices where most of the things were made in China, typing angrily on a MacBook that was assembled in China. No one is more complicit in China's air pollution problem than the consumer, which is why there are no poems in this book blaming China for the problem.'
Furthermore, The AQI revitalises poetry, and provides powerful evidence that there is still an important and perhaps as-yet overlooked place for poetry in contemporary politics.
'It seems increasingly difficult to have a sensible debate out-loud – with poetry you can express your ideas clearly and with style and your readers are able to read a poem and make their own minds up. It's quite hard to shout down a poem's opinions.
'Lyric poetry isn't dead but it does need to stay relevant. It can only do that by engaging with new and challenging subject matters. From my perspective, it's ridiculous that no one really writes about poverty or air pollution or homophobia in the UK. So, when you start to think like that, why wouldn't you?
'For a long time we've sort of been told "don't write political poetry, don't be didactic, no one wants to read it." But we can write politically without writing "you need to think this". I wonder if we have been self-censoring for too long.'
Even so, The AQI still finds its own beauty in amongst this air pollution, consumerist politics and homophobia.
'Just take a look at Monet's pictures of smoggy London when he visited and painted there. Just because something is bad for you, doesn't mean it can't be weirdly beautiful.'
The AQI will be published on 1st October 2018.
David on his work
I had the good fortune of attending a Creative Writing module as an undergraduate
run by the poet Amanda Dalton and was infected by her energy and enthusiasm. A
few years later I found myself taking the plunge and writing much more regularly. I
joined the Leeds Writers' Circle, attended a few courses at Ty Newydd and Arvon
Centres and applied for an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan
University, where the support of amazing tutors and fellow students gave me a great
deal of self-belief and confidence. I became the House Poet at Manchester Royal
Exchange for the Carol Ann Duffy & Friends Poetry Series, which gave me the
brilliant opportunity of reading poems alongside some of the best poets in the world. I
then also heard the news that my pamphlet "Love's Loose Ends' had won the Poetry
Business Pamphlet Competition.
ii) Which are your favourite poets and poems?
I enjoy reading poems much much much more than I enjoy writing them, so it's
impossible for me to say who my favorite poet is. In no particular order (other than
alphabetical) poets I love include Simon Armitage, Elizabeth Bishop, Alison
Brackenbury, Colette Bryce, Niall Campbell, Billy Collins, Natalie Diaz, Maura
Dooley, Mark Doty, Christy Ducker, Carol Ann Duffy, Suzannah Evans, Jessica
Greenbaum, Frank O'Hara, Geoff Hattersley, Ted Hughes, Kirsten Irving, Phillip
Levine, Yang Lian, Thomas Lux, Maitreyabandu, Bill Manhire, Andrew McMillan,
Kei Miller, Kim Moore, Edwin Morgan, Helen Mort, Frank O'Hara, Vidyan
Ravinthiran, Kay Ryan, Peter Sansom, Sylvia Plath, Clare Shaw, Han Shan, Jo
Shapcott, Jon Stone, Matthew Sweeney, Michael Symmonds Roberts, Charles Simic,
James Tate, Fred Voss, Ocean Vuong, Ko Un…. the list could go on pretty much
iii) Where do you mostly write? What do you do instead of writing?
I mostly write in my head. It's through rehearsing the poem in my head that
determines how the poem comes out when written and it often happens that when I'm
teaching or running or staring into the foul soul of a PowerPoint presentation that a
poem's shape, content and structure all come into being. When the poem eventually
gets to the paper stage it's normally pretty much as I want it to be. I only redraft my
poems maybe two or three times before I feel they are ready to head out into the
world, though some poems I make a point of not sending out at all.
iv) A paragraph about one of your collections
It took me about 8 years to write Self-Portrait with The Happiness, so I was extremely
nervous when I sent the final proof email back to my publishers. I also wrote the
entirety of the book before moving to China, where I now live. I've lived in China
since March 2013, so I think that the new pamphlet 'Particulate Matter' feels very
different as it was written over a much shorter period of time and within a different
country. The way I write has definitely changed, and it's strange for me to write
politically and about subjects such as air pollution, which previously I felt small
affinity with.
v) What are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on improving my Chinese by using poetry, pairing new
pictograph and ideographs with small poems to try and help me remember new
characters. I'm hoping to gather these together one day to help others learn Chinese.
The Air
A text from the embassy: the air today will not be good.
If possible I should stay indoors.
If possible I should wear a mask.
Today is my day off. I sit and watch the air roll in.
The skyscrapers lose their sure angles.
The skyscrapers could almost be whales. I think of Ahab
hurling his pipe. The air buffets against my window.
It is colder inside than outside. The air pants
against the glass. Handprints begin to appear.
Now it's just me. The air mimics the voices of traffic
and hawkers. The traffic and hawkers are drenched in the air.
The walls are starting to sweat.


text: 0707 Election Update Statement dated Friday 7 July 2017 In today's Media Conference, I want to give you some progressive updates on polling across PNG during the 2017 National Election. Today, I want to address on the media three issues which include Progress of Polling, Progress on Counting and Request for Extension of Polling Dates PROGRESS OF POLLING Polling across the country is progress well according to the gazettal notice and are near completion. Individual details of progress of polling will be given to you. Most electorates have completed polling, and pre-counting checks are underway. In three provinces, counting in their respective electorates has started. They are; Hela, Chimbu and NCD. Other electorates will follow suit when they are ready by this weekend. Polling is delayed some LLG wards, like in Western, Gulf, Western Highlands and Enga. Western Highland and Enga have actually started polling now in some parts. Let me remind the country that counting under the LPV system takes a while but we will manage that and try and get the result out as soon as possible. As you know, polling is scheduled to end tomorrow, Saturday 8 July July. There is a still a risk that some places may not be ready, and they are likely to be given an extension. I will give extension to those wards within the electorates who are facing difficulties to poll and complete as long as we are still within the Polling and Counting periods. Election process is moving forward. Counting has started in more than 10 per cent of areas now and will get going in earliest next week. I am also pleased to announce that a dedicated website for preliminary results of the 2017 election has gone live. It is available here: http://results.pngec.gov.pg. But let me stress, that until writs have been returned, all results are progressive and provisional. Results will not be considered official until the signing and returning of the writs. The new, interactive website is part of PNGEC's commitment to improve and modernize our results system. It is part of our commitment to increase the transparency and efficiency of the election. Results will be published there and in our Media Centre until the writs are returned on July 24. All Counting Centers will use computer tablets to record and transmit results via scanned copies of official results forms to the PNGEC. Counting officials will use the tablets in addition to the manual process involving the results forms. The results will then be verified by the PNGEC using an online verification system. This will compare results with polling data, including the number of voters and number of issued ballots, to ensure the figures are accurate. As I said, the PNGEC will not publish any results until they are validated. PNGEC will therefore be able to publish more information earlier on than in previous elections. This includes voter turnout, progress of polling, and progress of counting and progressive results. This information will be available for each election. When data becomes available, the PNGEC will regularly update the results website. The PNGEC will release progressive results per election as follows: during the first preference count, progressive totals will be made available every 10 counts; during distribution of preferences, progressive totals will be made available after each exclusion. The website will display polling and results statistics for each electorate through an interactive map of PNG. The PNGEC is operating a Support Desk with trained officials who will provide technical and procedural support to electoral officials as needed. I realize there is a lot of information there. You'll be receiving a full press release on this. What the changes represent. Let me say, we are releasing more progressive results to avoid the speculation and arguments that we have seen in recent elections. We all know the logistical challenges of holding an election in this country. The 2017 election has had its own problems, and there may be some issues before the writs are issued on July 24. Let me assure you once again that the Electoral Commission has operated independently, and with the interests of the people of Papua New Guinea as its guiding principle. We will persevere and continue to manage this election, despite any challenges over the coming weeks. I urge you to be patient. We all want to progress. I would like to remind all stakeholders and individuals that they; too share the responsibility of making sure this election proceeds fairly and responsibly. They should avoid defamatory, disrespectful or threatening behavior to other candidates, election officials or this Commission. There are some encouraging signs. Compared with previous elections, the 2017 National Election has seen a marked reduction in violence so far and I commend the people of Papua New Guinea for showing maturity and resilience. Democracy is a journey and PNG has clearly moved forward in this regard. PROGRESSIVE UPDATES ON POLLING AND COUNTING Highlands Region Hela Province Hela Province has completed polling. They have already started counting in all electorates and the provincial seat. Hela Regional - Counting for Hela Regional has already started. Southern Highlands Province - Polling in all electorates in Southern Highlands province is completed. SHP will go into counting on Saturday. Enga Province - Polling in Enga province started today, Friday 7th July 2017 after some delays. Polling progressing well. Western Highlands - Other electorates in Western Highlands Province polled yesterday, Thursday, 6th July while Hagen Open Electorate is tomorrow, Saturday, 8th July 2017. It's one day polling so they should complete by tomorrow. Jiwaka Province - Jiwaka went to polls on Wednesday, 5th July 2017. Jiwaka wanted to change some polling place at Singorok Barracks. After some serious confrontation, I permitted the polls to be conducted in two new locations. Changes to the new location were justified because innocent people fearing their lives from being attacked were raised and people were refusing to come to vote. Police and the Election Manager were advised to give their reports to justify the changes. Jimi Electorate, teams were inserted today. Eastern Highlands Province - Polling in Eastern Highland is complete in all electorates. Eastern Highlands provinces will start counting tomorrow, Saturday, 8 July 2017. Momase Region Morobe Province - All polling in Morobe Province is be completed by Friday, 7 July 2017. Counting will commence on Monday, 10 July 2017 for all electorates in Morobe Province. Lae Open Electorate - Polling in Lae conducted and completed. Counting will commence on Monday, 10 July 2017. Madang - Polling progressing well in all electorates in Madang except for Bundi LLG in Usino Bundi Electorate, Arabaka LLG and Josephstaal LLGs in Middle Ramu. The Election Manager has requested extension of the polling dates due to geographic locations, disputes and arguments over roll and security situations.These LLGs started late and may complete by Friday, 14 July 2017. Meanwhile Madang Open Electorate should finish their polling today, Friday, 7 July 2017, Rai Coast, Sumkar, Bogia and other parts of Usino Bundi and Middle Ramu should be completed today. Counting for Madang will start on Tuesday, 9 July 2017 after sorting out returns and reports. East Sepik Province - Polling progressing well in East Sepik Province. Polling should end tomorrow, Saturday, 8 July 2017. Last teams being monitored to complete polling are; two teams in Tunap Hustein LLG. They should complete by this afternoon. Counting will start on Tuesday, 11 July 2017 for ESP. Sandaun Province - Polling progressing well and is winding down in all electorates. Polling should end tomorrow, Saturday, 8 July 2017. Counting date is not yet set but hopefully by next week mid-week. New Guinea Islands Region Manus - All polling completed. Poll allowance paid on Wednesday, 5 July 2017. Counting venue is ok. Counting will be at Sahat Hall. Counting is set for Monday, 10 July 2017. New Ireland Province - All polling completed. Counting set to start on Saturday, 8 July 2017. East New Britain Province - All polling in ENB is completed. Counting is set for Sunday, 9 July 2017. Venues are paid expect for St. Mary Vuvu Secondary School hall. West New Britain Province - All polling completed. Counting will start on Sunday, 9 July 2017 for two electorates and the Regional seat at the Catholic diocese hall. Autonomous Region of Bougainville - All polling completed except for Tinputz which will be completed today, Friday, 7 July 2017. 14 ballot boxes held in Tinputz was released on Wednesday, 5 July 2017. 24 ballot boxes held in Bana Constituency in Buin. OBEC George Manu negotiated with the service providers and they have released the boxes. Counting for North Bougainville, South Bougainville and Regional will be in Buka. Counting for Central Bougainville will be in Arawa. Counting for AROB will be on Monday, 10 July 2017. Southern Region NCD - Port Moresby Polling for all electorate in NCD was completed on Friday, 7 July and three locations extended to Saturday, 8 July 2017. Counting for NCD Regional seat started yesterday after at 7.30 pm. Counting in progress. Moresby South Electorate - Counting for Moresby South will take place at Kila kila Secondary School today. Moresby North East Electorate - Counting for Moresby North East Electorate will take place at Sir John Guise Stadium today. Moresby North West Electorate - Courting for Moresby North West Electorate will commence at Lita Flyn Sport Complex today. Central Province - Polling in all electorates progressing well and smoothly in all teams in Central Province. No major incident reported. Counting for Central should commence on Monday, 10 July 2017. Milne Bay Province - All polling completed except for the team at Murua LLG in Godigodi. Godigodi is remote and they should complete polling today, 7 July 2017. Two major problems for Milne Bay are bad weather and poor communication. Counting for Milne Bays will start on Monday, 10th July 2017. Northern Province - Ijivitari Urban complete. Oro bay complete. Afore last day today, Sapia complete, chopper to pick up teams this afternoon, Tufi started late so should be complete on Saturday. No delays. Sohe Electorate - Tamata all team complete. Teams are returning today. Kira LLGtwo teams completed. One team arrived yesterday while one team to be picked up today by chopper. In Kokoda, four team completed. The other five teams should be completed today. Higaturu LLG in Sohe started late with two teams to be completed today and six others tomorrow. Counting will start on Tuesday, 11 July 2017. Gulf Province - Kerema Urban LLG completed. Central Kerema and Lakikamu LLGs completed. Others are still in progress. Kikori Electorate still in progress. Counting date is not set yet but definitely next week. Western Province - North Fly polling is complete. Middle Fly polling is in progress. Normad LLG completed, Lake Murray LLG completed and Balimo Urban LLG completed. Gogodala LLG polling in progress and Bamu LLG polling still progressing. Teams were deployed late due to bad weather. South Fly - All of South Fly still in progress except for Daru Urban – completed. South Fly requested for extension. Reason is due to bad weather and late deployment of teams. Extension Requested After tomorrow, which is the closing date for Polling, I will be making some extension to allow teams to complete their polling. Three provinces likely to be affected are Madang, Gulf and Western Provinces. I am also looking out for Milne Bay and West Sepik province if specific requests are going to be made. Madang Province Usino Bundi Electorate - Bundi LLG Middle Ramu - Josephstaal & Arabaka LLGs Gulf Province - Teams in Kikori area Western Province Middle Fly Electorate - Bamu LLG South Fly Electorate - Teams in South Fly ALPHONSE MUAPI Media Consultant


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This is the pleading look of a toddler who really really wants his toy truck back. I may or may not have taken it away and put it on my head to get him to look at me. He was very busy. And very cute. I gave him his truck back. I mean, seriously, can you say "no" to this face??
Pleading - Lake Jackson, TX child photographer
in children


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'I know of few artists whose work communicates such a sense of joy in life as that which comes from these beautifully quiet, very modest and English paintings, so accurate in their evocation of the changing moods and feeling of nature. The landscapes …show that in his use of colour and simplified shapes he has found a personal and eloquent language, perfectly suited to its purpose; and an important part of that purpose is the expression of wonderment and delight in nature.' (Ian Mayes writing in a review of David Gommon's 1975 exhibition at St Catherines' College, Cambridge)
The exhibition opening at The Art Stable on 4th March has an intriguing history and a rooted Dorset connection. David Gommon's son, Peter, contacted The Art Stable a couple of years ago regarding his collection of paintings by his father, many of which were images of Dorset. We were delighted to see a body of such high quality work from the mid twentieth century which still felt so fresh and interesting. Since then we have been displaying individual paintings in the gallery, with enthusiastic response, and are delighted now to be presenting a full exhibition of his work.
To begin with, David Gommon painted the landscapes of Dorset in real time, having fallen in love with the county in the 1930's on a cycling trip away from Battersea, where he grew up. He would stay with the Pooley family in Hartgrove, just 10 minutes drive from The Art Stable. Some of these early paintings would have been exhibited at the Wertheim Gallery, where he held his first solo exhibition when he was only 19 years old.
Subsequently, David Gommon was taken up by Lucy Wertheim and exhibited in her influential gallery during the 1930's, alongside Barbara Hepworth, Robert Medley, Henry Moore, Cedric Morris and Christopher Wood. His early work was influenced by the Neo Romantic group of artists that emerged in the 1930's which included Paul Nash and Graham Sutherland.
It was during that first trip to Dorset that Gommon experienced what Ian Mayes described as an 'elemental bonding' between the young man from Battersea and the English landscape. He went to Chesil Beach and recalled being 'overwhelmed by the revelation of beach, the sea, the sky!' One stormy night Gommon and a friend, staying in a beach hut on Chesil Beach, sat listening to Uncle Vanya on a battery wireless. Gommon remembered that the sound of the rain 'intensified on our wooden roof - but the voice from the radio continued 'and you and I, uncle, dear Uncle Vanya, shall see a life that is bright, lovely, beautiful. We shall rejoice.'
That idealistic world was to come to an end with the outbreak of the Second World War, during which he stopped painting altogether. After the war, settling in Northampton, he taught at the Grammar School and began painting again. Dorset remained an important imaginative part of his life and he returned to it again and again in his paintings with images of that landscape, developing an eye for what lay beneath the surface, the forces that had formed it and a sense of its history. Thomas Hardy was a particular interest and his shadowy figure appears in some of the paintings.
Gommon's later watercolours paintings in the 70's and 80's became increasingly bold and his colours stronger and brighter, similar in feel to David Hockneys more recent landscapes, as seen in his recent retrospective at the RA.
Gommon exhibited regularly during his life time and has work in a number of public collections including the Whitworth, Manchester, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, The Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, The Towner, Eastbourne, Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand and Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.


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Previously disadvantaged candidates will be given preference.
This is an outstanding opportunity for a Mid-weight Marketing Manager to join the team at a leading fashion retailer's Cape Town office. In this exciting role you'll take the lead from the Senior Marketing Manager, working in collaboration with Marketing and Business/BU colleagues, to translate the Business problem/strategy into an executable Marketing communication plan with a 12-month view across the end to end customer journey. You'll be responsible for owning and driving the end to end delivery of the plan. You will partner with relevant BU and Marketing teams for on-time delivery of the Marketing strategy and plans taken to market. Focussing on the CP and key deliverables, managing risk and relationships across partners. Don't miss out on this sought-after opening at a sought-after company – apply today!
- Drive the agreed positioning of the FB brand to the market, in a way that focuses on driving profitable sales and customer engagement/market share.
- Partner the business area you work with to proactively solve business challenges with Marketing solutions, working collaboratively with colleagues and the business area to provide appropriate solutions.
- Support the brand to achieve its strategy and goals, understanding product and how to take that product to market to the target customer.
- Present and deliver the agreed strategic Marketing vision and direction to key business units and stakeholders in the business.
- Attend, understand and interpret market and business trends as appropriate for your area and share and cascade insights with colleagues and your team.
- Keep up to date with new opportunities to ensure that the brand stays ahead of the game, both locally and on a global perspective.
- Responsible for building a brand and taking it to market working in collaboration with colleagues, your line manager and teams across Marketing and the business area accountable for.
- Working with the Marketing Manager provide and cascade an integrated Marketing and comms plan into your teams, and a clear detailed brief to Creative and relevant colleagues using the Project Manager link for delivery, risk management and tracking.
- Check that all relevant digital and online opportunities have been considered, working in collaboration with your Marketing Manager and Digital and Online colleagues as input into your Marketing and Comms plans and detailed brief to target customer needs and new business opportunities.
- Utilise all relevant customer data and research from Customer colleagues and working in collaboration with them, use Insights and data as input into your Marketing and Communication plans and detailed brief to target customer needs and new business opportunities.
- Deliver and drive the achievement of business goals and targets through the agreed compelling and engaging customer communication.
- Grow existing customers and acquire new customers through brand building in line with the BU and Marketing strategy and plan.
- Assist in influencing and changing customer perceptions through Marketing communication in line with the Marketing strategy, customer insights and an understanding of the customer journey and what channels are relevant to the customer you are targeting.
- Attend key operational meetings to ensure key elements across the piece are coordinated and understood in totality for execution.
- Drive partnership with buying groups to ensure alignment of product strategy, merchandise cycle and Marketing strategy.
- Drive the integrated communications plan and briefing process, leading and engaging with key stakeholders and areas of specialisation across 360 areas within Marketing including Agency, VM, Direct, Digital/Online, PR, Social Media.
- Oversee the end to end process from Marketing into Agency working in collaboration with Project Management and colleagues to ensure the team run with on-time efficient delivery to objectives, using the Project Manager link for delivery, risk management and tracking.
- Ensure that the overarching communication objectives and big ideas are understood by the teams executing them to deliver an integrated plan across all channels and touch points.
- Drive key elements of the communications approach such as media planning, brand positioning from concept to execution.
- Drive the execution process and ensure approval process from a brand perspective is adhered to.
- Be proactive in thinking, problem solving and driving best results per campaign objective.
- Ensure timeous delivery of Marketing inputs into the buying group merchandise cycle.
- Act as the primary Marketing point of contact into the business and product groups where agreed with the Marketing Manager
- Work closely with the product business units to ensure deep alignment of trade and product objectives.
- Take a "can-do", proactive approach to "make it happen", working with the Buying Groups, Trade Forum, Sales Management, Stores, the Agency etc.
- Engage in all key and relevant aspects of the business, including trade planning, online, sales management, product reviews, IT process, in relation to delivering the 360 integrated plan where relevant to your area
- Manage and maintain annual brand budget for given area of responsibility.
- Ensure effective cost management in delivering to the integrated plan: manage variances in actual expense against budget set.
- Conduct PIR's to measure and assess efficacy of campaigns.
- Accountable for relationship and stakeholder management with key areas, such as the PR, direct Marketing, visual merchandising and product groups/Agency/Social Media/Online.
- Work proactively across teams and functions, to optimise integration opportunities.
- Influence internal and external stakeholders, peers and team members where necessary to ensure delivery of the Marketing plan.
- Raise issues and concerns timeously and in a professional manner, and manage expectations in line with Values and Strategy
- Build and maintain effective relationships with key 360 partners including Agency, VM, PR & Corp Comms, Direct, Loyalty, Digital, Online, Social Media, Store design and Packaging.
- Proactively manage relationships with product/buying groups.
- Drive and encourage a motivating and positive working experience across business stakeholders and Marketing.
- Complete IPM discussions with direct reports according to IPM timelines.
- Ensure that team members deliver according to the critical path.
The successful candidate must have/be:
- Relevant Diploma or Degree in Brand Marketing
- Solid (5-7 years) of Marketing skills and experience in Retail / Brands / Agency/PR
- Fashion Retail Marketing experience essential
- Solid technical knowledge and awareness across all elements of Marketing including all relevant Digital Media channels and is up to date with innovative Business and Marketing solutions
- 360° Media understanding and ability to brief into a creative agency
- Digital, Social Media and online experience in taking brands to market is advantageous
- Experience in using customer insights optimally to drive a relevant Marketing strategy and plan
- Analytical skills to interpret Customer data and insights and sales and turnover and then translate this into Comms Strats and operational plans
- Passion for retail, the product, brand and customers
- Ability to translate a Marketing and Comms strategy into integrated operational plans, clear briefs and deliverables
- Creative thinker and ability to evaluate creative work
- Commercial acumen: demonstrates commercially-led Marketing delivery and understanding, as well as understands the macroeconomic environment
- Collaborative team player: willing to work cooperatively with others, within a team and across departments, towards a common objective
- Planning, organising and prioritising skills
- Ability to understand local and international trends and stays up to date with the competitor landscape
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
- Problem solving ability, assertive and resilient
- Emotional intelligence
- Professional, respectful and courteous in line with the brand values
- Leadership, mentor to the team driving the right culture and behaviours
- Agility, adaptive and flexible in your approach to work
- Influencing and negotiating skills
Should you not receive a response within 2 weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.
JOB REFERENCE CODE: #Mich1333
Salary: Negotiable


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Family law can cover a wide variety of cases. Click on the case type for more information.
Divorce. When a husband and wife in Nebraska seek a divorce there are a variety of issues that must be addressed, including children, support and property.
Financial Issues. Financial issues in a divorce case are only half the issues if you have children, but many times they are the most complicated.
Child Custody. Child custody is a factor for divorces, paternity cases and modification of previous orders.
Modifications. After a final order in a paternity case or divorce case is entered, it may later need to be modified. What can be modified is usually limited to the children and support.
Protection Orders. Protection orders run separately and sometimes in parallel to other family law cases. However, they have serious consequences and should not be ignored.
Military Divorces. Military divorces present a variety of legal issues that not all attorneys, members or spouses are aware of. Contact our office to understand military cases.
Uncontested Divorces. If you believe you have all of your issues worked out and just need a few questions answered, paperwork prepared and help with hearings, give us a call for an economical divorce.
High Net Worth Divorces. If you have a high net worth or salary, we will address your specific needs and possible unique solutions to your case.


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Come enjoy some Holiday Cheer with RVA.js! This is our annual holiday party and RVA.js will PAY for everyone's first beer (Sorry No Growlers). You just have to RSVP. We will catch up right after work on December 19th (Tuesday) at 6PM
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: December 16The Hour of Code
Later Event: December 20One Million Cups: Holiday Expo


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Domain Name – Terms & Conditions
Avdec, Onmedia are trading names of Avdec Ltd.
7 Winghouse Lane
Tel: 07930 287287
Domain names must be paid in full prior to registration, are not guaranteed and subject to confirmation. A full refund will be made for all unsuccessful registrations.
Avdec does not accept liability for any special or consequential damages that you may suffer as a result of domain name registrations.
Avdec gives no warranty that the Internet Domain Name requested will not infringe the rights of any third party, and you agree to indemnify Avdec in respect of any such infringements.
Avdec acts as an agent for naming authorities and the contract for a domain name registration is between you and the naming authority and you are bound by the terms and conditions of the naming authority.
By requesting or renewing a domain name you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of both Avdec and the relevant naming authority.
Nominet require us to make you aware of the following and only apply to Nominet registered domains.
- We charge £20 + VAT per domain name which covers a 2 year period, this is also the renewal fee. We do not charge for cancellations, changes of registration or transfers (change of IPSTAG only) except where Nominet charges us a fee. This cost will be the Nominet wholesale fee plus a £25 administration both plus VAT. We will email the contact of the account, 60, 30 and 1 day before your domain name is due to expire to ensure you have time to decide if you would like to keep the domain name. Should you wish to keep the domain name, you simply need to ensure Avdec Ltd receives full payment before the renewal date. If you do not wish to renew please advise before the renewal date. If you do not respond the domain name will not be renewed and will be suspended 30 days after the expiry date and cancelled after a further 60 day grace period.
- Our maximum response time for complaints is five days.
- All customer complaints are handled by a director of Avdec Ltd. There is no escalation procedure within the company. Therefore if you are unsatisfied with our response you can escalate your complaint to Nominet directly by following this link http://www.nominet.uk/resources/complaints


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Join us for this duo of workshops that will guide you on the path to wellness through the principles of movement, erasing pain, and healthy eating. Begin with a two hour therapy ball workshop using the Yoga Tune Up® method to RELEASE pain, RELIEVE tension, and RESTORE ease in the body. TAKE HOME TWO tension-releasing Therapy Balls and the skills to use them for DIY self-care. Suitable for any level of fitness- no experience required! Then, learn how a healthy, plant-based diet is a wonderful complement to any exercise routine with a two hour cooking demonstration and sampling of the chef's delicious creations. Return home with the tools and knowledge to support a healthy lifestyle. Led by certified Yoga Tune Up® instructor Loretta Zedella and natural foods Chef Mark Zedella.
Franklin Park Conservatory-Yoga Mat to Place mat
**This same workshop is offered
Saturday, April 9 at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany
Chef Mark Zedella, "The Duke of Fork", is a natural foods chef and cooking instructor specializing in health-supportive, plant-based cuisine. He is a graduate of the International Academy of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado, earned a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Foundation, and completed the Plant-Based Professional Certification program with the Rouxbe Cooking School. Chef Mark is focused on transforming lives through food, advocating for changes and improvements in the food system all the way from seed to plate. His motto is "Cook Well, Eat Well, Be Well."
Loretta Zedella is an experienced yoga teacher and a certified Yoga Tune Up® instructor with over thirteen years of yoga teaching experience. She has been teaching yoga since 2002 and teaching at Ohio Wesleyan University and Dublin Recreation Center since 2004. She is respected by students throughout the area for her practical yet light-hearted teaching methods. Loretta specializes in using yoga therapy balls and therapeutic movement to help us each reveal ease of body and peace of mind. She has shared these workshops with thousands of people at many varied locations including Franklin Park Conservatory, Dawes Arboretum and many yoga studios. Her light-hearted motto, "You knead these balls" Here serious motto, "Reveal Ease of Body, Reveal ease of mind"


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Size-Com shall never give any data of its users to any other third party, including individuals, companies, other websites etc., nor shall Size-Com make this information available to the public by sharing it or giving it away for free. Size Com will not contact you directly as a result of gaining any information or personal details from you if you opt out of us contacting you.
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Hang your keys! Hang your necklaces! Hang your Loofah! Hang your hat!
Whatever you hang, wherever you decide to stick it- it will look super cute, and help you stay organized on your busiest days.
"Hey Maia! Where are the car keys?" ..."Oh, they're on the adorable heart hanger in the corner where I always put them."
sold out
Clean surface, peel off sticker back, place anywhere that helps you stay organized!


text: This is what happens when my friend gets a couple drinks in his system and a microphone in his hand. There is nothing is better than spending Christmas eve with a bunch of your closest friends as you all sing some of those time honored classics like Frosty the Snowman. Sorry for the poor quality video, but chances are if you are watching this clip it is not for the cinematography.


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We Love New And Old Technology!
Repairing technology since 1995
No matter if your Mac/Windows/Linux/Unix we just love computers, Mobile Pc Care is dedicated to the successful repair and recovery of your computer system & Mobile Technology=smart phones & tablets.
If your system is running slower than it should be, suspect that you've been infected by a virus or believe something's just not working as it should, Mobile Pc Care can help with upgrades, virus removal and technical support. We offer data recovery, software repair and networking services as well.
Knowing that you've invested a lot of your time and money, we treat your system like it's ours...because we love computers and we love the experience they provide us.
Contact Us:
Mobile Pc Care:
Calimesa: CA, 92320
Telephone: 951-452-3273
Areas Of Service:
Most Cities In The Inland Empire:
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Today is August 20, 2019 -
Jews have been in America since colonial times. After millennia of persecution and anti-Semitism, promises of religious freedom resonated with early settlers as they resonated with late 19th century immigrants and post-Holocaust immigrants. Today, America is home to more than five million Jews, about 40% of the world's Jewish population.
Judaism has thrived in the United States. We have synagogues, schools, centers, and communities. Jews have thrived, with unprecedented wealth and prosperity. It's certainly not all perfect, and we have a lot of work to do, but this weekend, let's celebrate our freedoms and our democracy in this great country.
Exploring the Capital District of New York? Have you just relocated? Click here for more information!
Click here to browse our photo galleries, download podcasts, watch videos, and more!


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Souffle Potatoes- Hello everybody, welcome back with ZetiraKitchen! Today i will share about How to Make Souffle Potatoes. The souffle is a cake that uses a lot of egg white which is whipped until it is so stiff that it is light and fluffy. when it is still in the oven, the souffle will expand upwards on the lips of Ramekin and when it comes out of the oven the souffle will drop and deflate. This food is from France. And gonna perfectly if dishes when cold autumn days. Now, we make potato souffles that use potato to baked. The potatoes will be smooth and warm in your mouth. And the seasoning melted with cheese that you enter into mashed potatoes. So let's to make it!
- 300 gr Potatoes
- 85 grchedar cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp parsley powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp butter then melted
- 90 ml fresh milk
- sufficiently salt
- sufficiently paprika powder
- 1 tsp bread flour
- Apply melted butter to the ramekin bowl, then flatten with bread flour.
- boil the potatoes until tender. Then peel the boiled potatoes and chop it.
- Put the potatoes in the bowl and mash it.
- Add grated cheese, mix well.
- seasoned with salt, black pepper, and powdered parsley. Then pour butter and fresh milk. stirring until mixture.
- Take yolk egg then put into potato mixture and stir again.
- Beat the egg whites using a mixer at high speed until stiff. Pour half the egg white into the potato mixture, stirring gently until evenly mixture. Then add the remaining egg white stir until blended (do not stir too long in order to isn't deflated again).
- Pour the mixture into ramekin, sprinkle with powdered peppers in over of mixture.
- baked for 15-17 minutes. Until it expands and the color is golden.
- Your Delicious Souffle Potatoes can be serve. Enjoy it while warm.


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Inspired by the legendary Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer this sticker offers a simplified and stylised rendering that would look awesome on any guitar hard-case, flight case or pedal board.
- Stickers are available in 3 sizes:
- Small (67mm x 102mm)
- Medium (92mm x 140mm)
- Large (141mm x 216mm)
- Removable, individually die-cut vinyl
- Ideal for smooth flat surfaces like laptops, journals, windows, etc.
- 3.2mm white border around each design


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How to Choose the Correct NEMA Enclosure for Your Application
Ever wonder how to choose the correct NEMA enclosure? Understand the importance — or irrelevance, in some cases — of drip edges, stainless steel, mounting feet, air conditioners and more. Don't waste money but don't be cheap. There's more to NEMA than meets the eye, as you'll find out here.Explore posts in the same categories: UL508A, UL508A Panel Shop
Tags: control panel enclosure, NEMAYou can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.


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"Our mission is to be the client's first choice for air conditioning services"
"Delivering solutions of outstanding quality and service through working faster, simpler and together"
Carrier Service is the specialist services division of Carrier Air Conditioning and supply air conditioning and refrigeration services to all industry sectors.
Carrier operations maintains service excellence with strong communication channels, industry leading technicians, continuous improvement of contracts and a highly experienced management team. The Carrier service delivery model maintains a reputation for high customer satisfaction throughout the UK with a loyal team of Carrier employees.
Carrier Service employ over 100 technicians operating out of 7 regional branches providing local solutions throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.
Carrier provide added value by working closely with you. Our Technical Staff will assess you by providing enhanced solutions to suit any changing requirements at a reduced cost wherever possible. Carrier's world leading service and product offering provides Carrier clients with a total in house solution for contract enhancement.
As a service partner Carrier Service will provide a progressive, high value, maintenance service which compliments your portfolio.
Apex – Commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment – www.apexonline.co.uk
DMS Controls – Bespoke building management solutions – www.dmscontrols.com
Optimum Maintenance Systems Ltd – Experts in servicing, maintaining and repairing large chillers – www.omsaircon.co.uk
Cooling is vital to ensure comfortable conditions for customers and staff on London's new Elizabeth Line, part of the colossal Crossrail...Read Case Study >
Three high-performance Carrier AquaForce® 30XW HP 500kW chillers were selected for a ground source district cooling and heating project for...Read Case Study >
Three high performance Carrier AquaEdge™ 23XRV screw chillers helped PwC's Embankment Place building achieve what is believed to be the...Read Case Study >
Carrier is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
© Carrier Corporation 2019
Designed and Built by Piranha


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Data Protection
How does TwoGo protect my privacy?
Refer to the TwoGo Privacy Statement for more details on how we protect your privacy.
The TwoGo calendar entries are standard meeting requests in your calendar. Use the standard calendar functionality to decide for yourself who has access to your calendar. TwoGo responses to your ride intents will automatically be set as private.
These are anonymized values. When there is a small sample size during reporting, for data protection reasons we have to make sure anonymity is maintained even if someone has additional knowledge of the user. For example, when you see statistics about an anonymous user with a home address in Town X, if you know that there is only one colleague who lives in Town X, you can instantly work out the identity of the anonymous user. Therefore, whenever a report contains data about fewer than 5 users, some values are anonymized and either replaced with a series of asterisks or left blank.
Mobile app access rights
Which access rights do the mobile apps require and why?
TwoGo only requests access to those interfaces it strictly requires. For example, those that enable you to upload a photo if you want, or those that enable the app to function - such as determining whether a mobile Internet connection is available as the app needs to communicate with our servers to create a ride intent. The privacy guidelines clearly define exactly how we deal with user data: We neither process data nor pass it on. If we did not adhere to these guidelines, this would be a breach of contract – which is exactly what these directives are to guard against. Furthermore, as government employees also use TwoGo by SAP, the application was subjected to and passed stringent tests from the data protection officers of the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse.
Which access rights does the Android App require?
If you own an Android phone version 6 or later, you can set the access rights for the app yourself. In the app, for example, if you want to upload a photo of yourself, you can set whether the app is allowed to access the photos at that moment. Once you have granted access rights, you can also withdraw them later in the App Manager. During the installation process TwoGo asks you about each access right individually, instead of forcing you to agree to them automatically by default. We have adapted the Android version of TwoGo to the new features in Android 6, in order to give you the best possible control over your data. The following list explains the access authorizations and for which functions they are required.
- Take pictures and videos:
Needed to retrieve a picture of yourself or your car and upload it to your profile or car details.
- Find accounts on the device / Read your contacts:
Needed to read in your user data during registration via the app to pre-fill as many fields as possible.
- Access precise location (GPS and network):
Needed to access the GPS module if you have activated the "Share my location" function.
- Read phone status and identity / Directly call phone numbers:
Required to call the driver / passenger of a shared ride from within the TwoGo app.
- Receive text messages (SMS):
Required to automate the verification of the telephone number in your user profile (the PIN is read from the SMS and entered directly into the confirmation field of the app).
- Send text messages (SMS):
Required to send a text message to a driver / passenger of a given journey (for example "I'll be 5 minutes late", etc.)
- Read the contents of your USB storage:
Used for phones that cannot edit images in memory, but have to temporarily store them on the SD card after saving them. These images are deleted from the card after processing.
- Push notification or data update if your user objects change in the TwoGo system (for example, if you use the calendar or the web UI in addition to the app), or a ride is matched, updated or canceled
- Optional notifications in the following situations:
- X minutes before driving
- Updating the app
- Checking for updates to devices that do not have Google Cloud Messaging (such as Amazon Kindle)
Other app capabilities
- Control vibration:
Optional vibration alarm when creating, changing or deleting a trip.
- Prevent phone from sleeping:
Disable sleep mode when you open the map to track the driver / passenger's position.
- Receive data from the Internet:
Needed by TwoGo to read or write the data from www.twogo.com.
- View network connections:
Needed to determine if the phone or tablet has an Internet connection. So, whether actions that require server communication can be performed.
- View Wi-Fi connections:
Required to determine if the phone or tablet has a Wi-Fi connection. So, whether actions that require server communication can be performed.
- Change network state / Change Wi-Fi state:
Only used for automatic tests.
- Read logs:
Required by the SAP Performance Library, which we must implement as part of the Performance product standard. That is, The TwoGo app does not use this access in live mode.
Which access rights does the iOS app require?
If you have an iPhone or iPad, these access rights are optional and can be managed at any time in the settings of your mobile device.
Contacts Needed to store rider data in the iOS address book. The iOS app never reads data from the Address Book. There are two situations where the app accesses the address book:
- If after the shared ride you want to explicitly use, save or store the contact data of the driver / passenger in the address book. Before this access however there is an additional request asking whether you would like to allow TwoGo access to the address book.
- When selecting an address, you can call up the address book explicitly and select the address of contacts from it. Before this action there is also a request asking whether you want TwoGo to be allowed this access.
Photos Required to upload an image from the iOS photo gallery to your profile or car details.
Camera Required to retrieve a picture of yourself or your car and upload it to your profile or car details.
Location Services Required if you want to share your current location just before the scheduled meeting with your driver / passenger via GPS. Also required if you want to select Current Location when creating a ride or a favorite location.
Notifications Required if you want to receive push notifications as a red symbol on the app icon.


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The Select Guest
meet | natasha koifman
Featured 9.4-9.10.17 | As you must know by now, we love nothing more around here than a true Boss Babe. And as a New Yorker, I personally love nothing more than a true Boss Babe who has also made it her signature to wear only black. Yes, that's right. Only. Black. Clothing. All the time. So when I read about PR queen Natasha Koifman and her decision to go #nkallblackeverything, I knew had to learn more. So here's the deal: She was a journalist in New York for several years before starting her PR firm NKPR, which was the perfect platform for her to combine her two passions: shining a spotlight on stories of substance and supporting causes that are making a difference around the world (Her motto: "Don't Just Talk. Say Something" might be the greatest piece of writing I've ever experienced); She has worked with some crazy major brands (Mulberry, Kiehl's); and, since beginning her career, she's sworn by an all-black uniform which has landed her on the pages of Marie Claire, ELLE and Canadian Living. So you can see why I needed to get my hands on her selects. Now you have them, too. Welcome to Natasha's week.
Social media has become an important part of PR and the way we tell stories.
I have a Bert Stern photo that he took of Marilyn Monroe from the "Last Sitting", taken six weeks before her death
My fashion is #NKAllBlackEverything! I'm the most comfortable in all black and have made it my signature style.
I just got engaged to my love. Anthony Mantella. We've been thinking about where we might want to get married. Some initial thoughts are a remote island somewhere …
When it comes to your overall wellness, I think it's simple: Calories in, energy out. There's no magic to it.
I love the culinary culture in Toronto and New York, and I'm always happy to provide restaurant suggestions.
Doing my part in doing good for the world motivates me. It's inspiring to see people give back in their own way.
more about natasha
Natasha Koifman is the President of NKPR, which she created in 2002 to combine her two passions: sharing stories of substance and championing important causes.
Recognized as one of Canada's most powerful and innovative women in public relations, Natasha has been honoured with awards from the Women's Executive Network (WXN), Notable magazine, BizBash and others.
A sought after speaker and commentator on public relations, marketing, popular culture and fashion, Natasha writes a regular column for Huffington Post and is a frequent contributor to Entertainment Tonight Canada and Newstalk 1010 radio.
Believing strongly in giving back, Natasha is the Chair of the Board for Artists for Peace and Justice Canada and on the advisory board in the USA. She also supports various other charities working to improve the lives of others.
Natasha divides her time between Toronto and New York City.


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"Snatch the pebble from my hand," implores the martial arts master of his young apprentice. "When you can, it will be time for you to leave."
Those lines are from a 1970's American kung fu television show, but achieving proficiency at the hands of experienced mentors is playing out today in "dojos" around the world—though this time it's not about delivering powerful karate kicks, but rather about helping young people learn how to create powerful lines of software code.
IBMers Sean Callanan, Lorenzo Cipriani, Brendan Murray and Niambh Scullion, all based in Ireland, coordinated a global team of volunteers supporting the CoderDojo effort, helping young people, between ages 7 and 17, learn how to code.
The children, called ninjas, develop websites, apps, programs, games and explore technology through the CoderDojo Foundation—a global network of volunteer-led, programming clubs.
"Dojo" has come to refer to a training place for martial arts, but in the "CoderDojos" the weapons of choice are HTML, JavaScript and Rasberry Pis.
Mentoring in the cloud
"In 2013, IBMer Fred Raguillat, asked me to help him set-up a CoderDojo at IBM in Dublin," recalls Sean Callanan, an IBM software architect in Ireland's capital city. "We established the first IBM CoderDojo in a few weeks, though getting a steady group of kids and parents every weekend took a little longer."
While having in-person gatherings to present ideas and work together on projects was and continues to be important in CoderDojo, a technical solution presented to help ninjas, mentors and other CoderDojos collaborate around the world.
The director of IBM lab in Dublin suggested the idea of remote mentoring. "I helped on the technical side to identify the best solution, along with Brendan Murray," says Sean. "We engaged an external learning company and together with CoderDojo.org ran a proof of concept using IBM SmartCloud Meetings."
Brendan Murray, an IBM senior technical staff member in Ireland and CoderDojo mentor, says "We published the call for volunteers and almost instantly received 100 signups. When we ran the pilot with nine dojos in Ireland, Romania, Italy and the UK, it was a little chaotic, but very successful—it showed that it was possible."
IBM SmartCloud Meetings helps connect ninjas, parents and mentors to the CoderDojos.
"The approach of CoderDojo is not necessarily to teach the children, but to create a space where they can learn and most of all have fun," says Sean. "At the start I thought I had to solve the problems for the children, but the challenge is to not solve problems for them—the goal is to help them solve the problems for themselves and when to do, they grow."
A locally driven global presence
In Ireland, IBM volunteers in Galway are working at dojos with 300 students, while 26 IBM volunteers support dojos in Dublin.
However, participation is global. Sean, Brendan, and Lorenzo organized and coordinated over 90 IBM volunteers around the world to serve as on-site and virtual mentors. There are IBM-led dojos in Brazil, Kenya, Scotland and the United States, while other IBMers participate in existing dojos in other countries including Belgium, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
The IBM Ireland team has also helped create dojos in Nigeria and Slovakia, to name two. In fact, establishing and running a CoderDojo was enhanced when members of the IBM Ireland team streamlined the process in a document called "Start Dojo."
The CoderDojo Foundation has credited "Start Dojo" with helping grow the number of global clubs from 250 in 2013 to 580 at the end of 2014.
Snatching the pebble
Brendan tells of a ninja named Conor who developed a mobile app to help tourists enjoy a local arts festival. Since then, Conor has upgraded the app for another festival and developed a backend database for a more turnkey approach. "At 12 years old, he has programmed more than many college students!" says Brendan.
In another story, Sean is proud of a quiet young girl whose confidence has grown over her two at the Dojo. "A few months ago we gave mentor t-shirts to the children who were helping others," Sean says, "and she was the first to get one—she was over the moon."
The "Coolest Projects Awards" is an occasion for kids to showcase their ninja skills. Taking place in Dublin, the event gives coders a chance to submit projects that reflect their creativity and skills with computer languages and hardware.
Niambh Scullion, a business analyst for social program management solutions at IBM, is part of the implementation team for the Coolest Projects Awards, which showcases the creativity of CoderDojo ninjas and emphasizes participation rather than winning. She is also a co-founder and mentor in CoderDojoGirls@DCU and says that "in my own CoderDojoGirls session, there are some brilliant projects being developed for Coolest Projects 2015."
Twenty IBM volunteers and an IBM Community Grant supported the 2014 Coolest Projects Awards; participation has grown from 15 students to 250 last year, with plans for 500 in 2015. Examples of projects from young people include an anti-bullying website and the "CoderDojo Rock Star" game to teach musical instrument skills.
Girl power!
In 2012, of all the ninjas at the CoderDojo at Dublin City University only three were girls. Niambh and two of her fellow mentors decided to do something about that and in April, 2013 formed CoderDojoGirls to promote technology among young girls.
The difference with CoderDojoGirls is the content is focused on what girls like to do and helps them build confidence.
"The excitement and the chattering amongst the girls when they're building their sites or showing their friends some new thing they did, is infectious," says Niambh. "I am always humbled by the support the girls give to each other."
Niambh is proud of all her CoderDojoGirls; among them, 11 year old Niamh won last year's App Category at the Coolest Projects Awards for her "ReCharge my eCar" app, and another, nine year old Ciara has built an app to help her raise money for a charity she runs; this year Ciara is developing an app to help her grandfather with Alzheimer's.
Some of the older girls are now about to enter college. Niambh says that, "It's great watching the girls who started out as members in CoderDojoGirls grow to become incredible developers. In a few short years, they will be starting out on their engineering careers."
In 2014, Niambh was honored as one of the Top 100 Women in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) in Ireland.
Sean says that the "CoderDojo happens because we have a group of people who come together." And Brendan adds that the volunteers bring the right attitude: "If you just go for broke, you may have different levels of success or even fail spectacularly, but you will have tried at scale and that is enormously valuable."
For both boys and girls, Niambh says, "I am always in awe of the kids and their creativity. My biggest desire is that throughout their lives they always stay creative!"
Brendan, Lorenzo, Niambh and Sean, along with more than 90 other IBM volunteers who worked with them on CoderDojo projects, are recipients of the 2014 IBM Volunteer Excellence Award. Licenses of IBM SmartCloud Sametime have been granted to the CoderDojo Foundation to facilitate remote mentoring. A new IBM activity kit "Kids Code!" was created, and along with Bluemix tutorials, has been shared on the foundation's website. Within IBM, there is a CoderDojo@IBM community where over 240 IBMers from around the world are collaborating on various CoderDojo related activities.