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We are pleased to introduce the 13 award categories for this year's SSJAs as follows:
*Applicants can only submit one entry per category, however there is no limit on the number of categories that can be entered
*Work does not have to have been published to be submitted. If work has been published students should submit their original copy (not a version subbed by a professional journalist)
*If two students have worked on a story, joint entries can be accepted
*For rules and regulations see our full Terms and Conditions
Student Journalist of the Year Award (sponsored by the Scottish Newspaper Society)
For the outstanding student journalist of the year, all nominations should be from course tutors or lecturers with examples of the student's work and a supporting statement on why they should be shortlisted.
Student Publication of the Year (sponsored by the Scottish Newspaper Society)
For the best publication (newspaper or magazine) which is created and produced by students. This category can only be awarded to a publication that is produced in print form. A supporting statement should be submitted outlining why your publication should be shortlisted.
Student Website of the Year (sponsored by Glasgow Live)
For the best student website of the year. Submissions must include a link to the website, alongside a brief explanation of why your website deserves to be shortlisted.
News Story of the Year (sponsored by Scottish Sun Radio)
For the best news story written by a student journalist for print or digital. The applicant should submit a brief explanation outlining why the story deserves to be shortlisted.
Sports Story of the Year (sponsored by Frame Agency)
For the best student sports story of the year. This category will accept all sports related writing, including breaking news stories or features.
Arts and Entertainment Story of the Year (sponsored by the NUJ)
This category recognizes the best piece written by a student journalist on the following subject areas – performance arts, television, theatre, pop culture, music & film.
Feature of the Year (sponsored by No.1 magazine)
For the best feature created by a student journalist on any platform. This piece should include at least one interview and evidence of the candidate's own research.
Column of the Year (sponsored by News UK)
For the best column, opinion or first person reflective piece. This award is applicable to both online and print format. This does not have to be a regular published column
Scoop of the Year (sponsored by the Scottish Sun)
For the best exclusive story, sourced by the student, which has the potential to create impact in terms of driving up readership or provoking public debate.
A brief explanation outlining why the story deserves to be shortlisted should be included.
Podcast of the Year (in association with BBC Scotland)
For the best original and creative podcast produced by a student/group of students. Entries should be between 10 and 12 minutes and should be submitted with a brief outlining how they would be developed for a series.
Mobile Journalism Story of the Year ( in association with BBC Scotland)
For the best digital story produced by a student journalist. The multi-media story should include video footage uploaded, where possible, from a mobile phone of between 60 and 90 seconds.
The submission should also include images and/or infographics. The story should have been uploaded to a digital platform.
Broadcast Story of the Year (in association with BBC Scotland)
For this category you must submit an original broadcast piece produced by a student journalist. This could be an original news story or your own take on a current topic and should show evidence of your own research.
The broadcast story should be no longer than two minutes.
The Calum Macdonald Memorial Award (sponsored by the Daily Record)
We are proud to be running this special award for the 7th year. This accolade is in memory of the exceptional journalist Calum Macdonald, who sadly died in 2008 aged 32. Calum produced outstanding work for both the Daily Record and the Herald before he passed away, earning national recognition and respect. In his memory this award recognizes journalism which has either made a difference to society or shows evidence of investigative work.
The piece/s must be submitted by a tutor, with a 200 word explanation regarding why the student should be shortlisted.


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An idea popped into my head as I pulled into the garage this morning. It was literally like one of those light bulb moments followed immediately by the thought, "Huh! Why didn't I think of that before?!"
When these thoughts get in my head, I have to act on them immediately. So an old shelf unit that used to be full of stuff I rarely touched is now in the family room to hold the vintage-looking phonograph/CD player/cassette player, which also takes an AUX cable and connects to devices via Bluetooth.
I then set up another table in my office to create a U-shaped desk layout. Now I have work-from-home space, personal computing space, and a writing/crafting space where others can also possibly hang out and do homework or bring a laptop and edit photos with me.
I rearranged furniture once again! It happens.

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm Brenda Mangalore.
I create art that's about connection to ourselves, and to each other.
Art is like faith and love, chaos and structure. There is beauty in the mess!
And if we let it, it can be an anchor of self-expression
in our spaces and in our lives.
You may be celebrating a big life milestone, or simply want your space to reflect more of what you feel and believe in a way that's beautiful and creative.
This is my calling:
To inspire ambitious & spiritual women to live a life of JOYFUL PURPOSE in connection with creativity - with YOUR Muse.
I want to create art that strikes a chord in your heart, and resonates with you on a sublime level, beyond words.
My work may simply click with you aesthetically, or you may find deeper meaning there. There's no wrong way to connect with it!
So trust your intuition. What do you see? How does it make you feel?
This isn't just my story – it's also yours.
Whether bringing art into your home, or giving it to another, you can commission me to create a piece just for you, or buy one of my prints.
I'm known for multi-layered colourful abstract paintings, and intricate free-form black-and-white typographic drawings.
There is a process to putting "you" in every custom piece. We work together to dig deep and make something with meaning.
Because art should be more than just something pretty to look at.
I've always had a love affair with the visual world, with a deep passion for colour and light. I am interested in the truth, our inner emotional landscapes and practicing living a life that is both fully present AND full of faith.
I believe that we should surround ourselves only with things that are immensely useful or beautiful. There is so much beauty in this life, we should embrace it completely — including the lessons & the painful scary.
I practice this (as much as I can) in partnership and intimate relationship with the divine — God, Jesus & Spirit. I love all three. Whether that's the meditative drawings of favourite Bible verses or painting colours chosen by the partnership of my intuition and my spiritual practice.
My faith (as well as my life as a wife & mother) are a big part of the inspiration behind my work. You can read more in my articles on my work and musings on life, love and faith on my blog.
But for first dibs on new products & art, I share that only with my amazing Brenda Mangalore Fine Art members. Along with free goodies!
Fancy Artist Statement
I paint multi layered, mostly abstract, acrylic paintings.
Sometimes my paintings are a whisper of colour, soul & imagination, inviting you to explore and discover hidden details. Sometimes they are a chaotic struggle as the abstract nature battle with organic & figurative forms.
My work is shaped by change, experimentation & questions raised in my daydreams and spiritual practice which involves meditations on life and our inner landscape. The depth and subtlety of colours, play of pattern and detail are born from my past as a designer; consciously designed to evoke visual & emotional reactions.
On the other hand, I also strive to allow intuition and the inspiration of the moment to take over. My intuition is honed by my Christian faith and a daily practice to listen to the divine (sometimes called a prayer). Life is a dance of chaos and (attempts of) control – gifting us our unique perspectives which add a richer tapestry of experience to our inner landscape. This dance is reflected in my practice to allow the painting to emerge naturally, surrendering to surprising changes along the way. Like a memory of a dream filtered by emotions & intuition.
Layering free flowing colour with organic shapes and symbols means the process of creation is another facet of the story. A story of change and the capriciousness of life, while still seeking windows of understanding or just anchors to contain the chaos.
My love of detail can also be found hidden in my works, like the whispers from our heart or the still quiet voice of God. Reserved only for those who pause to take a closer look.
My drawings are also the result of free-form intuition working with my trained desire for planned design. The intricate abstract details are drawn freely, purely from a semi-subconscious level; a mirror of the exploration and meditations in my painting practice.
These abstract lines also seek some containment among the chaos by forming the silhouette of recognisable shapes in letter-forms. Consciously and thoughtfully designed with typography and hand lettering to directly inspire & encourage the viewer. Providing relief with a direct message among the chaos of detail and secret words among the abstract details.


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Top 5 Things To Do in Zipolite
Being that it is a unique beach town (you won't find any salt water taffy or boardwalk here), I decided to list off the top 5 things you can do in Zipolite to really enjoy your experience. Don't get me wrong, I could lay on this beach for a week straight and not get bored at all. But I know some of you like a little bit of action and adventure in your trips, so I thought I'd let you know a few points of interest that will make you fall in love with Zipolite the way I did.
1. Receive the best, and most thorough massage of your life at Espacio Shanti. After laying on the beach for a few hours, I decided it was time to make my way to this gorgeous spot, situated amongst the beach bar, hotel huts, and the lush forest. I signed up for an hour massage, but it quickly turned into an hour and a half healing process. Muscles I did not know existed were reached, and the tightness and bad juju was rung out by my masseuse's able hands. The windows in the room were cracked open, and I could hear the birds in the trees, and a slight breeze kept me cool and refreshed the entire massage. Since Zipolite is also a hotspot for yoga retreats, I also detected a very soothing Shakti breath that was used to breathe life and length into my tissues. If you don't check out Espacio Shanti, you have missed a MAJOR part of Zipolite.
2. Free your mind of any and all body issues and self-consciousness by posing for an epic freedom photo. In my earlier post, Get Your Free On, I detailed just how freeing taking my very own freedom photo was. A freedom photo is a picture one takes to help them feel free, a lot of the time it is partial or full nudity. I'm not talking pornography either. This is tasteful, artistic, and serves as a way to drop one's inhibitions and feel "free" of body conformity. Zipolite, being a "playa nudista", is a great place to give this a try, and find your confidence again.
3. Hire a driver and beach hop to nearby Mazunte, Puerto Escondido, and other public beaches. When I travel, I don't really like to drive myself around. Call me crazy, but I do not like catapulting myself down a dirt road in a giant tin can while other drivers are doing so with potentially different rules of the road than what I'm used to…no thanks. Enter Arturo Martinez Tours, and more specifically, his comrade Omar. Omar picked us up in a large, air conditioned SUV, and whisked us away from our resort, while other tourists were loading into a van emblazoned with the resort name on the side (talk about blending in). He drove us down the coast of Oaxaca, giving us history lessons on the region, showing us the countryside, and stopping the car for us to hop out and take pictures of our journey. We snaked our way through Mazunte, famous for their all natural ointments and crèmes, meant to remedy everything from sunburn, to mosquito bites. We ended up stopping and spending our day in the unbelievable Zipolite, but could have continued on to Puerto Escondido, a bonafide "surf" town with a great big reputation for having amazing beaches. It's like playing Pokemon beach…you just gotta check 'em all out!
4. Breathe in and out, align your chakras, and get all loosey goosey with a yoga class. This place is famous for it, drawing people to the tiny town for yoga workshops and retreats. Why not find your center where the pro's go to perfect their art? While I did not get the chance to try a class myself, I already have plans to head back and enjoy a class with Espacio Shanti, followed up by one of their luxurious chocolate body scrub massages. And no, I cannot believe I live a life in which I can do those things back to back. #blessed
5. Go nude! Give it a whirl. In the end, it may not be your thing, and that's cool (hey, I only go topless, so this is a judgment free zone), but you just might find the lack of tan lines to be the best thing about your trip! And like they say, when in Zipolite, do as the free birds do.
Whether you are a beach bum or a yoga enthusiast, I have no doubt you will enjoy Zipolite. When you visit, you can soak up the sun, exercise your hippie vibes, and have the most relaxing vacation of your life. Fresh coconut water included.


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Welcome to Oasis Academy John Williams
Sixth Form study is probably the most exciting time in anyone's school career. You have the opportunity to choose those courses you most want to study. You also have much greater independence, both academically and socially.
Oasis Academy John William's Sixth Form is especially exciting. Students are able to enjoy our excellent accommodation, including top quality study facilities, that will help you to develop the personal study skills so essential for A Level success and beyond.
The start of our Sixth Form coincided with the opening of our brand new building in September 2010 and since then we have gone from strength to strength with our cohort increasing in number each year. As you will see from some of the student comments, our state of the art facilities and industry standard technology ensure that we offer something unique.
A specialist team of academic and pastoral staff will be available to support your decision-making. These decisions will have important consequences on your future study and career options and we will give as much guidance as necessary in this important transitional period.
This year we recorded our first set of Sixth Form results. We are very proud of the 100% pass rate and also our excellent 64% 'B' Grade or better. Most importantly our students are happy here, making the most of the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer. Students also welcome the support they get from the Head of Sixth Form, their Learning Mentors, the subject teachers and the students who have already embarked on their courses.
As you consider your options after GCSE I'd like you to consider what we offer you and also what we expect from you as a Sixth Form student.
We will offer you:
- A very wide range of advanced courses, with outstanding records of success
- A friendly, supportive environment
- Opportunities to involve yourself in sport, performing arts, clubs, social activities and a very wide range of trips and visits
- Outstanding new facilities
- A welcome to all students who are capable of benefiting from advanced level courses
We will expect you:
- To want to achieve the best grades possible
- To involve yourself in the school community
- To support the younger students in the school
- To enjoy the Sixth Form
Enjoy the process of making your course choices and shaping your future.
I look forward to meeting you and ensuring that you are successful in the next stage of your educational journey.
Kath Cooper, Director of Sixth Form
How to apply
If you want to apply for courses, you will need to contact Oasis Academy John Williams directly.


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Our customer support team
Paul Walker
Having worked for original British manufacturers of computers: Elliott Brothers, Ferranti, ICL, and Computer Technology, Paul Walker joined Inmos, where he championed the communication links of the Transputer.
He founded 4Links in 1993 to promote the link technology, and established a market in the space industry. He is grateful to his colleagues and to the many customers and suppliers of 4Links.
He hopes that he is worthy of ESA's citation of 'The Grandfather of SpaceWire'.
Spencer Saunders
General Manager
Before joining 4Links Spencer previously worked at ARM initially developing IP, then managing the development platforms group for prototyping and validation and finally directing their hardware acceleration capabilities for IP validation. He then moved to Mentor Graphics to architect and managing their new FPGA prototyping hardware development.
This has given him the skills to take a concept, create a business case, extract requirements, then manage the engineering and operations teams to put it into production.
Dennis Gross
Sales and Marketing Manager
Dennis Gross joined 4Links in June 2013 bringing with him over 30 years of Sales and Marketing experience in the Space, Aerospace, Defence and Video Broadcasting Industries.
Dennis' knowledge and understanding of worldwide Space Companies brings and supports new strategies and growth for 4Links.
Over the 30 years Dennis has worked for Raytheon, Austin Semiconductor, Plessey and LOGIC Devices.
Dr. Roger Peel
System Architect
Roger Peel has a background in distributed computer architectures and concurrency. His deep understanding of SpaceWire networks enables him to develop and support the 4Links range of test equipment.
Roger contributed his hardware and software expertise to ESA's N-MaSS research project on Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery for SpaceWire.
Roger has attended the ESA SpaceWire Working Group meetings for several years, and sits on the committee that defined SpaceWire 12C Revision 1.


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sticky & sweetJanuary 5, 2007 at 10:42 am | Posted in cooking, family, recipes | 1 Comment
have you ever made your own maple syrup?
my dad made delicious pancakes so many saturday mornings throughout my childhood and youth, and my dear mom would always make the syrup to go with them. she would pour it steaming hot into this old, warped tupperware container (probably supposed to be for salad dressings or the like) with a little spout on the lid…boy, i couldn't wait to get my hands on that! i always thought it was so neat that she MADE the syrup; as i got older, i of course was interested in learning how to do it, as well. who would've thought it was so easy? (but i still can't manage to make it taste "just like mom's.")
Pour 1 c. BOILING water over 1 c. sugar and 1 c. (packed) brown sugar. Add 1 tsp (or so) of maple flavoring and stir until your arm almost falls off. :)
doug made breakfast for dinner the other night (at my request–my favourite!!), and after he whipped up some scrumptious cakes–including throwing in nutmeg, among other things!–i made some syrup to go with them. he has always said he doesn't like the homemade syrup, but he did this time! i think it helped that after stirring (a LONG time), i put the bowl in the microwave for a few minutes…it really helped to dissolve the sugar a little more.
what about you? have you ever made your own maple syrup? :)
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Cryotherapy's popularity is on the rise as more people become familiar with the once obscure wellness modality. Cryotherapy was originally developed over thirty years ago to treat rheumatoid arthritis and has been extensively tested and researched in Europe and Asia ever since. In the United States, Cryotherapy has enjoyed increased exposure from celebrities and athletes who rave about its many benefits. Now that Cryotherapy has hit the main stream however, it's important to understand the science behind cold therapy and how it benefits you.
Longtime UFC commentator, comedian, and philosopher, Joe Rogan is a regular user of Cryotherapy and often speaks about its benefits to his millions of listeners. Here, Joe sits down with Dr. Rhonda Patrick (see her amazing scientific breakdown of Cryotherapy studies here) to discuss some of the benefits of Cryotherapy as well as the misinformation that is often attached to new health trends. Whether you are already a Cryo enthusiast or just becoming familiar with it, check out this 23 minute vid on the benefits of Cryotherapy.
Then check out some Cryo at CHILLFIT!


text: We are a sports medicine company which coordinates and provides medical care at large sporting events such as triathlons, obstacle course races, cycling races, volleyball tournaments, etc. We are growing. Our team is composed of medical personnel, logistics personnel and warehouse personnel and drivers. We are seeking part-time workers only.


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Welcome to Rocket Training Ltd (Wirral)
Rocket Training Limited is a leading provider of training and education operating across Merseyside (Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Wirral). Rocket has two learning centres based in New Ferry on the Wirral and Kensington in Liverpool. We offer Study programmes as well as Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships in the following vocational areas:
- Motor Vehicle Engineering
- Retail
- Business Administration
- Customer Service
- Horticulture
Rocket Training Limited has close links with employers, and is able to offer all learners work experience as part of their Study Programme. Many young people gain employment through this work experience. Our strong links also mean that there are many opportunities for Apprenticeships throughout the year.
For any further information please contact us on 0151 259 1556 or via our website www.rockettraining.co.uk
About us
Rocket Training has a long history of working with young people and we take pride in the fact that we have helped many young people progress into employment over many years. Young people tell us that they like being at Rocket because it's not like school and we try to support and develop everyone that joins one of our courses.
You may start on a Study programme which will develop your skills and confidence to progress to other options like Apprenticeships. You can follow a Study programme for anything from 6 weeks to 12 months depending on what you want to do next.
Rocket has a Business Development team who are responsible for finding work experience opportunities and Apprenticeship vacancies for all our young people. This team will work with you to prepare you for work and guide you into work opportunities. Our team of tutors will develop your skills and confidence so that you are prepared for work experience and employment.
Facilities available
Both Rocket Centres in Liverpool and the Wirral have rest facilities for all learners. A small canteen is equipped with drinks and snack machines and an area to eat food.
Additional support
When you join Rocket you will have an initial assessment and an individual learning plan will be developed for you by your Personal Tutor. Your Personal Tutor will support you throughout your programme and help you with any problems or issues that you may have. Your plan will be reviewed on a monthly basis by your Personal Tutor. Your Personal Tutor will work with you and other tutors to make sure that you achieve your plan. Extra support is available from a Support Worker if you experience difficulties with the programme or in general.
Learner success
Rocket Training has much to celebrate and many young people have gone onto succeed in employment and further learning. The examples below are some of our recent successes:
Well Done Jordan!
Jordan Westhead started with Rocket on our pre Apprenticeship course. Whilst on the course he grabbed the opportunity to gain work experience with Kennan Doyle Solicitors. The employer was so pleased with Jordan that they have now offered him an Apprenticeship in Business Administration. The employer liked having the option of work experience before employing Jordan, and are very pleased with their new employee!
Heather Rockets to Success!
Heather Woodward started with Rocket on a Foundation programme and quickly progressed to a level 2 Apprenticeship employed by Rocket. She completed her Apprenticeship in September 2013 and is now following a level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. Heather says ' my job has helped me develop confidence and the ability to communicate with all sorts of people. I enjoy working at Rocket and meeting new people and I'm really pleased to be given the opportunity to develop my skills further through an Advanced Apprenticeship'.
James 'Motors' to Employment!
James Harrison started with Rocket in October 2012 wanting to be a car mechanic. James picked up knowledge and skills in the Rocket centre but also had the opportunity to develop his skills through a work placement with MEM Autos. He impressed the employer so much that they offered him employment and an Apprenticeship. James says ' I made the best ever decision when I joined Rocket- the staff have taught me new things and supported me by finding me work experience. I worked hard on my placement and it has paid off'!
Nice Job Alan!
Alan Pearson had been out of work for some time before enrolling at Rocket. After following the pre- Apprenticeship programme and learning about working in business, Alan went on a work taster at Cobley's Solicitors. 'The work taster was really beneficial because I developed practical skills which built on the theory that I learnt at Rocket. This really helped my self confidence' says Alan. Alan is now employed by Cobleys and is following an Apprenticeship in business.
Success for Aimee!
Aimee Maltby completed GCSEs and spent some time in 6th form before deciding that she wanted to 'learn and earn' through an Apprenticeship. She joined Rocket and after a short time started a work placement with Vitaflo. She was quickly employed by the company and is following a Business Administration apprenticeship. Aimee says 'I have gained more confidence since joining Vitaflow. I feel like I have developed my skills since I started'.
Jiquara Impresses at Opulence!
Jiquara McConville started at Rocket in August 2013 and quickly progressed to a work placement with Opulence. Within a short time Jiquara had impressed the company so much that she was offered an Apprenticeship. She is now a key member of the team at Opulence dealing with customers in the shop and online. Jiquara says ' I am very happy with the speed in which I gained employment. I am enjoying my Apprenticeship very much'.
How to apply
If you want to apply for courses, you will need to contact Rocket Training Ltd (Wirral) directly.


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Michael P. McKeon represents boards of education, municipalities and private-sector employers across Connecticut in both federal and state courts on both the trial and appellate levels, as well as before federal and state boards and commissions. Mike is a member of the School Law Section of the firm's Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits Department. He has established new case law in Connecticut in the areas of special education and Title IX, and the favorable decisions he has obtained have been cited by courts across the country and have been reported in The Hartford Courant, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The Connecticut Law Tribune, as well as in television news reports.
Mike is a frequent speaker on education and employment law issues, including on the national level at both the National School Boards Association's and the Council of School Attorney's annual conferences. Mike has also repeatedly spoken at the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education's annual convention on a variety of education-law issues -- including special education law, gender equality in student athletics, and both gender and disability-based student harassment - and has presented on transgender student legal issues for the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, on special education and related issues at Connecticut Council of Administrators of Special Education forums, and regularly conducts training for school personnel on sexual harassment and on education-law issues. Mike has also authored articles for a number of publications, including The American School Board Journal, The Connecticut Law Tribune, The CABE Journal, and The Fairfield County Business Journal, and regularly posts for Education Law Notes, the firm's school and education law blog.
Mike has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law and in the University of Bridgeport's Department of Education's doctoral program, and was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Missouri prior to attending law school.
Representative Experience
- Persuaded the United States District Court to throw out a State Department of Education hearing officer's decision that was adverse to the school district and to deny in its entirety the parents' demand for attorneys' fees and related relief.
- Obtained the entry of summary judgment in the United States District Court on behalf of a school district and district administrators on a broad array of free speech and equal protection constitutional claims as well as on federal and state statutory race discrimination, free speech, and whistleblower claims brought by a former teacher.
- Following years of litigation, Attorney McKeon had an attorneys' fees lawsuit brought by parents of a special education student dismissed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and upon its subsequent adjudication in the United States District Court, the federal court rejected the parents' claims in their entirety.
- Attorney McKeon was interviewed by a Connecticut news station as an expert on the issue of Title IX following the issuance of the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights' findings in response to student complaints of gender-based discrimination against Yale University.
- Attorney McKeon won in the Connecticut Appellate Court, which upheld his successful argument in the Connecticut Superior Court that a former personnel director was collaterally estopped from bringing his contract claims against the school board that had eliminated his position. Attorney McKeon had previously prevailed in the United States District Court and before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on the plaintiff's age discrimination lawsuit, after the school board's prior counsel advised the board that the case could not be won.
- Attorney McKeon was appointed to serve as an independent hearing officer in a hearing requested by the parents of a student seeking identification under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Attorney McKeon has also served as a hearing officer in a number of school districts in various matters brought pursuant to Section 504, FERPA and in both student residency and student expulsion hearings.
- Attorney McKeon persuaded the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the federal trial court's entry of judgment on all 36 counts of a lawsuit brought by two teachers against the school board, the superintendent of schools and their principal, alleging multiple First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, and Title VII claims of gender and race-based discrimination, as well as allegations of negligent hiring and supervision.
- In a case of first impression in Connecticut, Attorney McKeon obtained a decision in the United States District Court, establishing the right of school districts to conduct their own evaluations when assessing whether students are eligible for special education services, a determination which was subsequently affirmed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Following a two-week federal jury trial, the court granted Attorney McKeon's Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law in a race discrimination case brought pursuant to Title VII, a decision Attorney McKeon successfully defended when the plaintiff appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- After persuading the United States District Court to grant a new trial and thereby nullify a jury award in excess of $500,000, Attorney McKeon won the two-week retrial, prevailed when the plaintiff appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and persuaded the United States Supreme Court to deny the plaintiff's Petition for Certiorari.
- In a case of first impression, Attorney McKeon successfully resolved a federal class-action lawsuit, including winning perhaps the first Connecticut decision on the issue of substantial proportionality, brought under Title IX, in which the class plaintiffs claimed that a school board and a number of its administrators had deprived female students of equitable athletic opportunity and benefits and in which a softball coach alleged retaliation.
- Following a bench trial in a food allergy case in which the plaintiffs were demanding that the school board Attorney McKeon was representing be ordered to provide indefinite home instruction, the United States District Court entered judgment in favor of the school board, a decision which Attorney McKeon had upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Attorney McKeon successfully intervened on behalf of a school board in a strike by bus drivers against a bus company, which strike had deprived the district's students of transportation. As a consequence of Attorney McKeon's injunction action, the strike was resolved and transportation resumed.
- Attorney McKeon brought an unprecedented suit on behalf of a school board and its individual members against the municipality in which the school district was located, when the municipality enacted an ordinance which would have usurped the school board's independence and removed the then-present board members. The court granted Attorney McKeon's request for an injunction in its entirety, invalidating the ordinance and enjoining the election the municipality sought in order to replace board members.
- In a police brutality case brought against members of a municipal police force following the apprehension of a felon, the police officer that Attorney McKeon represented was the only defendant against whom a verdict was not returned.
- In a case of first impression in Connecticut, Attorney McKeon obtained a Honig v. Doe injunction, the United States District Court prohibiting a physically dangerous, emotionally disturbed student from returning to his public school.
- Attorney McKeon obtained the entry of judgment on behalf of a school board and a number of its administrators, in a multi-count Title IX sexual harassment action that a high school student had brought in the United States District Court.
- Following a two-week jury trial, the Connecticut Superior Court granted Attorney McKeon's Motion for Directed Verdict on behalf of a former superintendent of schools and a former assistant superintendent of schools against a former director of grounds and maintenance, who had brought a whistleblower and related claims against them following his termination.
Professional Affiliations
- Connecticut Bar Association - Education Law Committee, Labor and Employment Law Committee
- Hartford County Bar Association
- Connecticut and National Councils of School Attorneys
Honors & Awards
- Selected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers list from 2014 - 2016 in the areas of schools & education and employment litigation


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Parenting Styles, Part I: The Baumrind Model/
Over the next several weeks, we will look at three different models of parenting styles. We begin today with the Baumrind model. Developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind characterized three dominant parenting styles, and recorded their outcomes.1
Baumrind's three parenting styles are authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative. Social development researchers Maccoby and Martin updated the Baumrind model to include an additional style called neglecting.2
Maccoby and Martin also updated the model by defining two dimensions: demandingness and responsiveness. Demandingness refers to parental control, supervision, and maturity demands. Being demanding can instill confidence in a child's ability to grow capabilities; it can make him believe he can make an impact. Responsiveness refers to parental warmth, acceptance, and involvement. Being responsive can instill confidence in a child's ability to grow relationships; it can make a child believe he matters. Both "matter" and "impact" beliefs were discussed in a recent post.
The authoritarian parenting style is high in demandingness but low in responsiveness. Authoritarian parents expect rules to be obeyed without question, and often under threat of punishment. The needs of the child are not considered in authoritarian homes.
The permissive parenting style is low in demandingness but high in responsiveness. Rules are generally not enforced in permissive homes. Permissive parents indulge the whims of the child.
The neglecting parenting style is low in both demandingness and responsiveness. Rules are not enforced, and no consideration for the needs of the child are given.
The authoritative parenting style is high in both demandingness and responsiveness. Rules must be followed in authoritative homes, but the reasons for rules are explained and the specific needs of each child are considered. Children are encouraged by authoritative parents to learn and think for themselves and to develop a sense of autonomy.
Let's say a child has strewn toys about the living room and now it is time to clean the room. The authoritarian parent may lay down the law and command the child to do it under threat of punishment. The permissive parent would probably assume the role of toy cleaner, while the neglectful parent would just ignore the mess, as well as the child.
The authoritative parent would instruct the child to clean the room and give the reasons why. Perhaps the family is expecting guests later, or the toys are a trip hazard to someone, or they risk being broken by the vacuum cleaner that is about to pass through. If the child protests, the parent might respond by asking the most important question in family dynamics: Why? The parent may learn that the child doesn't know where to start and needs some instruction which can then be provided. Or the child may complain that cleaning is not fun. In that case the parent may decide to get creative and come up with a cleaning game, or may just decide to impose fair consequences by limiting future toy use until good cleanup habits are established. Or the child may explain that some of the toys are involved in play still in progress, and then the parent can decide whether it is acceptable to have everything cleaned up except for the building blocks, at least until the castle is finished.
For a parent wishing for a clean home relatively free of conflict, the authoritative approach is certainly the more difficult route. More expedience can be found with the authoritarian or permissive parenting styles. And for parents willing to sacrifice a clean home, the neglectful approach may be adopted as the most expedient. The most expedient ways to get what you want in the short term, however, often do not produce the best long-term outcomes.
Parenting Style Outcomes
These four parenting styles have been correlated with countless child and adolescent outcomes over the years. For this discussion, the only outcomes of interest are those that can be mapped to the terms of the well-being cycle.
The well-being cycle is a four-step cycle introduced in the book The Optimal Life Experience, and appearing in a recent post. It describes the path by which people may lead themselves to lives of meaning, fulfillment, and well-being. See Figure 1.
In short, people who believe themselves to matter, and to be capable of making an impact on their condition, develop emotional intelligence skills in order to live up to their beliefs. They use those skills to exercise virtuous behaviors, which facilitate relationship growth and the building of capabilities. Those burgeoning relationships and capabilities then reinforce the beliefs of matter and impact.
The outcomes of self-esteem, emotional health, good behavior, school grades, and social skills have been selected to map to the well-being cycle. Self-esteem maps to matter and impact, emotional health maps to emotional intelligence, good behavior maps to virtuous behavior, school grades maps to competence, and social skills maps to relatedness. A summary of the relative rankings for each of these five outcomes against all four parenting styles appears in Table 2.
Like any evolving area of study, there are research papers with conflicting conclusions and interpretations. There is debate about whether the correlations shown in Table 2 are sufficiently understood to assign causation. There are unknown effects of having two parents utilize different styles with their child. There are potential differences between the outcomes for boys and girls. There are questions about the effect of changing parenting styles during a child's development. There are disagreements about what constitutes optimal results in different cultures.
Because we are interested in global trends and general insights, the level of granularity needed to explore these issues is not within scope. Table 1 presents a high-level view of the correlations. I did not, however, want to continue without first acknowledging and disclosing that there are a lot of complexities underneath the simple-looking entries in Table 1.
Mapping Parenting Style Outcomes to Matter and Impact
Self-esteem is the attitude toward whether one believes in his competence to have positive interactions with others, to form healthy relationships, to manage negative interactions, to develop the capabilities to meet challenges, and to deal with adversity. Self-esteem encompasses the beliefs that one matters and can make an impact. The self-esteem outcomes in Table 2 therefore map to the matter and impact term of the well-being cycle.
Children raised by authoritative and permissive parents are likely to have higher self-esteem. Children raised by authoritarian and neglecting parents are likely to have lower self-esteem.
Mapping Parenting Style Outcomes to Emotional Intelligence
Emotional health is being used to map to the emotional intelligence term in the well-being progression. Again, some presumptions are in order because the current literature landscape lacks comprehensive studies linking emotional intelligence to Baumrind parenting styles. In the research cited, it wasn't emotional health that was actually measured, but lack of emotional health. Specifically, signs of anxiety, tension, and depression were measured. These are exactly the type of outcomes that people with high levels of emotional intelligence are inoculated against. So the people with higher incidences of these maladies can be presumed to possess less emotional intelligence, and those with lower incidences of these maladies can be presumed to possess more emotional intelligence. Using these presumptions as a guide, children raised by neglectful parents are less likely to have emotional intelligence than children raised by authoritarian, permissive, or authoritative parents.
Mapping Parenting Style Outcomes to Virtuous Behavior
Good behavior is being used to map to the virtuous behavior term in the well-being progression. Good behavior is an indirect measure of virtuous behavior. An indirect measure is necessary because there are not yet reliable methods of measuring virtue, let alone studies linking any such measurements to parenting styles. In fact, it was bad behavior such as cheating, tardiness, theft, weapons possession, drug use, and trouble with the law that was actually measured. Presumably, those with higher rates of bad behavior did not achieve those scores by exhibiting virtue. Conversely, those with lower rates of bad behavior were presumably more likely to have cultivated and exhibited virtuous behavior. Using these presumptions as a guide, children raised by authoritarian or authoritative parents are more likely to exhibit virtuous behavior than children raised by permissive or neglectful parents.
Mapping Parenting Style Outcomes to Relationships and Capabilities
Social skills include measures of popularity, number of friends, and the ability to make friends. This column quite plainly maps to the relationships element of the 'relationships and capabilities' term in the well-being cycle. Having better social skills, children raised by permissive or authoritative parents are likely to be better equipped to build relationships throughout life than their peers raised by authoritarian or neglectful parents.
School grades are being used to map to the capabilities element of the 'relationships and capabilities' term in the well-being cycle. School grades were selected because the modern scholastic environment provides a wide range of opportunities for children to express capacities and experience continual growth. And school consumes more of many children's time and attention than any other single endeavor. It makes sense that those who excel in this environment are more likely to build capabilities throughout life. In fact, that is one of the things the education system is designed to do: expose children to the range of things most likely to serve as the foundation for how they will express capacities as adults. Be that as it may, academic success is still a relatively narrow measure when compared to the available domains in which competence may be exercised. For this reason, I believe academic success to be a suboptimal measure to link to the capabilities element in the well-being cycle, but the best one available. Using academic success as a guide, children raised by authoritarian or authoritative parents can be presumed to be more likely to build capabilities than children raised by permissive or neglectful parents.
Overview of Parenting Style Outcomes
We have now examined every parenting style outcome appearing in Table 2. Taking all five outcomes into view, the overall assessment of parenting styles favors a combination of high responsiveness and high demandingness. The neglecting parenting style, with low responsiveness and low demandingness, correlates with poorer outcomes across all the areas linked to the well-being cycle. The authoritarian and permissive parenting styles, each a mixed bag of responsiveness and demandingness, results in a mixed bag of outcomes. The authoritative parenting style, with high responsiveness and high demandingness, is the only one that correlates with the better outcomes in all five areas. High responsiveness and high demandingness appear to be the key parental characteristics that enable a child to traverse the well-being cycle and create an optimal life experience.
But there is a problem. While the authoritative category includes parenting practices that foster good outcomes, it also includes parenting practices that do not. In other words, the Baumrind typology gives us a gross indication of where to find favorable parenting practices, but it is not precise enough. We need to carve out the parenting sweet spot from the authoritative quadrant.
For that, we turn to self-determination theory and its model of parenting styles. That is where we will pick up in the next post.
1 Diana Baumrind, "Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior," Genetic Psychology Monographs 75, no. 1 (1967): 43-88.
2 E.E Maccoby and J.A. Martin, "Socialization in the Context of the Family: Parent–Child Interaction." in Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 4: Socialization, Personality, and Social Development, 4th ed., eds. P.H. Mussen and E.M Hetherington (New York: Wiley, 1983), 1-101.
3 Lucy C. Driscoll, "Parenting Styles and Self-Esteem" (senior thesis, Scripps College, 2013).
4 Susie D. Lamborn et al., "Patterns of Competence and Adjustment among Adolescents from Authoritative, Authoritarian, Indulgent, and Neglectful Families," Child Development 62, no. 5 (1991): 1049-65.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
How to Properly Cite this Article: Brian Vondruska, "Parenting Styles, Part I: The Baumrind Model", The Kind of Parent You Are, accessed [date], https://www.thekindofparentyouare.com/articles/parenting-styles-part-i-the-baumrind-model.


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Sounders Insider
Salt Lake takes 3-0 advantage as series shifts to Seattle
Those Sounders FC playoff problems continued tonight, as Real Salt Lake opened their two-game, aggregate-score series with a dominating 3-0 win.
"We're lucky we didn't lose six-nothing," coach Sigi Schmid said. "We were well served by only losing three-nothing. We played not well and I thought Real Salt Lake played very well. A bad time for us to choose to have a bad game. Obviosuly they had a very, very good game. Hats off to them."
The result actually represents the score halfway through a 180-minute competition. So the Sounders will have three goals to make up Wednesday when the series resolves at CenturyLink Field.
These were the No. 2 and 3 clubs during the MLS regular season, with Seattle finishing 10 points ahead of Salt Lake. However, RSL dominated their first playoff before a crowd of 17,066 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Only missed chances and some diving Kasey Keller saves kept the game scoreless until deep into the first half.
RSL finally broke through in the 41st minute. Chris Wingert had found space in the penalty area and sent the ball to the far post, where Alvaro Saborio nudged it in.
Referee Mark Geiger ran to the sideline to discuss possible offside with his lineman before awarding the goal.
Soon thereafter, Geiger whistled to an end what had been a bad first half for the Sounders, who put no shots on goal compared to five by Salt Lake.
Still, the second half somehow started worse, with RSL dominating early. Seattle was fortunate to survive a three-shot sequence in the 47th minute with Keller making two point-blank saves, but not being able to control either. The treat ended as Andy Williams sent the second rebound over the bar.
However, Salt Lake pushed it to 2-0 in the 53rd minute, when Javier Morales rolled a ball across the penalty area, and Saborio back-heeled it just inside the far post.
Ned Grabavoy added one from close range in the 88th minute.
The winner of this series will go on to the Western Conference final Nov. 6 against the winner of the New York-Los Angeles series, which begins Sunday.
Seattle is now 0-4-1 in MLS playoff games and they have been outscored by a total of 7-1.
I'll add more quotes in new posts below. Here are the unofficial stats:
Scoring Summary:RSL - Alvaro Saborio (Chris Wingert) 41'RSL - Alvaro Saborio (Javier Morales) 53'RSL - Ned Grabavoy 88'
Real Salt Lake -Nick Rimando, Robbie Russell, Nat Borchers (Luis Gil 84), Jamison Olave (Chris Schuler 32), Chris Wingert, Kyle Beckerman, Andy Williams, Will Johnson, Javier Morales (Ned Grabovoy 79), Fabian Espindola, Alvaro Saborio.
Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Reynish, Arturo Alvarez, Collen Warner, Paulo Jr.
TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Saborio 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 12 (Saborio 3); FOULS: 11 (Olave, Russell, Williams, Saborio 2); OFFSIDES: 4 (Saborio, Espinolda 2); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Morales 4); SAVES: 0.
Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller, James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kenedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez, Lamar Neagle (Erik Friberg 60), Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez (Roger Levesque 77) Sammy Ochoa (Mike Fucito 63), Fredy Montero.
Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Meredith, Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Nate Jaqua.
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Fernandez 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 0; FOULS: 11 (Gonzalez 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7 (Fernandez, Friberg 3); SAVES: 9 (Keller 9).
Misconduct Summary:RSL -- Fabian Espinolda (caution) 30' SEA -- Osvaldo Alonso (caution) 54'SEA -- Fredy Montero (caution) 90'SEA -- Erik Friberg (caution) 93'
Referee: Mark GeigerReferee's Assistants: Joe Fletcher, Steven Taylor4th Official: Silviu PetrescuAttendance: 17,067Time of Game: 1:50Weather: Clear and 50 degrees
77th minute: Still 2-0, RSL. And RSL still having far the better of it.
Seattle has made its three subs: Friberg for Neagle, Fucito for Ochoa and Levesque for Fernandez.
53rd minute: GOAL Salt Lake. Really nice backheel by Saborio on assist from Morales. RSL, 2-0.
Second half: ... has begun. (Or second quarter, depending on how you want to look at two-game, aggregate-score match.)
Halftime: RSL, 1-0. Shots 9-6, RSL. Shots on goal, 5-0 RSL.
41st minute: GOAL Salt Lake. Saborio -- at the far corner of goal -- nudges in a cross/pass rolling across the goalmouth. Referee Mark Geiger checks with his linesman for offside before awarding goal. RSL, 1-0.
32nd minute: RSL defender Olave out with injury. Meanwhile, Friberg jogging sideline for Seattle.
20 minutes: Still scoreless, but game opening up. Header by Neagle misses. Then Keller has to get down for a punch save on the other end.
First 10 minutes: First few minutes just feeling out. But Real Salt Lake getting the far better of it lately.
Kickoff: Game has begun. Sounders in rave/rave; RSL in red/red.
RSL was hoping for a sellout, but it's not even close. Full sections open in the upper deck.
Lineups: Here's Sounders: GK: 18-Kasey KellerRD: 7-James Riley CD: 31-Jeff Parke CD: 34-Jhon Kennedy Hurtado LD: 12-Leo Gonzalez RMF: 27-Lamar Neagle CMF: 3-Brad Evans CMF: 6-Osvaldo Alonso LMF: 15-Alvaro Fernandez FW: 17-Fredy Montero FW: 19-Sammy Ochoa
Bench FW: 2-Mike Fucito DF: 5-Tyson Wahl MF: 8-Erik Friberg DF: 20-Zach Scott FW: 21-Nate Jaqua MF: 24-Roger Levesque GK: 35-Bryan Meredith
For RSL: Starting XI: Rimando, Russell, Borchers, Olave, Wingert; Beckerman, Williams, Johnson, Morales; Espindola, Saborio. Reserves: Reynish, Schuler, Grabavoy, AAlvarez, Warner, Gil, Paulo Jr.Gates open: We're an hour before kickoff, and the gates have just opened. One left-upper-deck corner on the side of the field that will face the TV camera is full of Sounders fans. Very impressive as always. I also noted a few rave green jerseys around Temple Square downtown today.
Pregame: It's a beautiful day in the Salt Lake basin, slowly turning into a nice but chilly night.
Very big game between Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake kicks off at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (it's an hour later at Rio Tinto Stadium). The game will be broadcast on Fox Soccer and the usual radio outlets. And we'll be giving pregame, in-game and postgame updates here and on Twitter @donruiztnt.


text: "; _cf_contextpath=""; _cf_ajaxscriptsrc="/CFIDE/scripts/ajax"; _cf_jsonprefix='//'; /* ]]> */ Pictures of 5243 Moore Rd in Suwanee Access Every Home Instantly! Free Access in Seconds Name E-Mail Phone Number(will be used as your password) Continue to Homes ›› Already a Member? Login ›› X CLOSE Member Login Login E-Mail Login Phone Number(your phone number is your password) Login Now ›› Create an Account ›› X CLOSE firstname.lastname@example.com Favorites Recent Homes Sign In Home Search Homes Search All Homes Search Condos / Townhomes Search Neighborhoods Search Schools Featured Homes Homes Just Listed New Homes Foreclosures Basement Homes Finished Basement Homes Golf Course Homes Waterfront Homes Short Sales Sell Your Home Contact Us Menu HOME SEARCH SELL CONTACT GO BACK SEARCH ALL HOMES SEARCH CONDOS / TOWNHOMES SEARCH NEIGHBORHOODS SEARCH SCHOOLS FEATURED HOMES HOMES JUST LISTED NEW HOMES FORECLOSURES BASEMENT HOMES FINISHED BASEMENT HOMES GOLF COURSE HOMES WATERFRONT HOMES SHORT SALES Search Gwinnett County Suwanee None Moore Rd 5243 Moore Rd Pictures of 5243 Moore Rd Pictures of 5243 Moore Rd in Suwanee, GA courtesy of keller williams rlty atl. part Those Kunkels call for more info404-314-5565 Ask a Question Send to a Friend Schedule a Showing Request More Info None Homes Our Financing Partner John Ragland Jr./Denise Wolcott Senior Loan Officers Lic. 28473/33225 Office: 770-335-6373/404-697-1414 Direct: 678-775-2727 Supreme Lending 1960 Satellite Blvd, Ste 1100 Duluth, GA 30097 Apply for a Loan Contact Us Those Kunkels firstname.lastname@example.com direct. 404-314-5565 Office Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners 1960 Satellite Blvd Suite 1100 Duluth GA 30097 office. 678-775-2600 Quick Links Search for Homes List with Us Search All Neighborhoods Read Our Blog Contact Us All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program of the Georgia Multiple Listing Service (GAMLS). Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than the Georgia Multiple Listing Service (GAMLS) are marked with the Broker Reciprocity logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers. Each brokerage office is independently owned and operated.Site updated Aug/21/2019. Website by Mega Agent Websites © 2019 - Site Map - Agent Login


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Madonna drops a remix of her song, "Love Profusion," with the help of Ralphi Rosario. The four-minute clip was uploaded on YouTube.
The music video for "Love Profusion" opens with Madonna walking on a sand pathway. She stretches out her arms a couple of times while singing the words love profusion again and again.
In the next scene, Madonna appears to be swimming in the ocean. Images of buildings are also shown. Madonna reappears on the screen, and she's walking on the road right in front of the buildings. Subsequently, 56 seconds into the clip and Madonna returns to the beach. She starts walking on the sand again.
Rosario's remix of Madonna's song is obviously more upbeat than the original version that was released in 2003. "Love Profusion" is featured in the singer's American Life album. Madonna's vocals are stunning in both the original and remixed version of the track.
The other songs in American Life include "Hollywood," "I'm So Stupid," "American Life," "Nobody Knows Me," "Nothing Fails," "Intervention," "X-Static Process," "Mother and Father," "Die Another Day," and "Easy Ride."
Who Is Ralphi Rosario?
Rosario is a founding member of the popular Chicago DJ group Hot Mix 5. Years after joining the Hot Mix 5, Rosario branched out into music production and remixing. In 1986, he released his first collaboration with Vince Lawrence under Bang Orchestra called Sample That! A year later, he released You Used to Hold Me.
Other than Madonna, Rosario has also remixed tracks by Culture Beat, Ricky Martin, Katy Perry, Gloria Estefan, Kylie Minogue, Taio Cruz, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and more.
Madonna's Daughter's Ad Campaign
Meanwhile, Madonna was recently linked to Lourdes Leon's new ad campaign pictures. Earlier this week, Madonna's daughter appeared on the ad campaign for Converse and MadeMe by designer Erin Magee.
In the photo uploaded via MadeMe's Instagram account, Leon is seen wearing an all-yellow ensemble. One publication dubbed her attire as the "new cool woman's uniform."
Another photo featured Leon showing off her armpit hair. She is wearing a white tank top, yellow sweat shorts, and black Converse sneakers.
Leon is the eldest of Madonna's six children. Her siblings are David Banda, Mercy James, Esther Mwale, Stella Mwale, and Rocco Ritchie. Only Leon and Ritchie are her biological children.
Madonna's Kids' Adoption
Last year, Madonna opened up about her kids' adoption.
"I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family," said Madonna.


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"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all; how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32
The words "If God is for us, who can be against us?" should be ever before us as we step into the new day that is full of weeds. Those words should be on our bathroom mirror, above the coffee maker, on the refrigerator door and stuck to that box of Krispy Kreme donuts that is really just a box of glazed weeds. Like you and me, these four Haitian children open the door to our world and find weeds along our pathway trying to choke the truth out of our day and tempt us that we are alone and without Hope. Our Triune God is on our side. He is the ultimate weed killer and since He is on our side, who can possibly stand against us. I am closing with the words from the hymn 'If God had not been on our side' that were written by Martin Luther in 1524.
"If God had not been on our side and had not come to aid us, the foes with all their power and pride would surely have dismayed us; for we, His flock, would have to fear the threat of men both far and near who rise in might against us. Their furious wrath, did God permit, would surely have consumed us and as a deep and yawning pit with life and limb entombed us. Like men o'er whom dark waters roll their wrath would have engulfed our soul and, like a flood, o'erwhelmed us. Blest be the Lord, who foiled their threat that they could not devour us; our souls, like birds, escaped their net, they could not overpower us. The snare is broken; we are free! Our help is ever, Lord, in Thee, Who made'st earth and heaven."
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay


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Council Leader Confirms Funding For Sevenoaks Grammar School
Kent County Council ("KCC") Leader, Paul Carter, appeared on BBC South Eastern News on 19th October discussing the Sevenoaks grammar school proposal. He stated that he had met with the Head and the chair of governors of a grammar school "in this very room, this week," where they "discussed the possibility of that school being the sponsor of an annexe in Sevenoaks", that "everything is going very well," and that "money would be set aside for a grammar school in Sevenoaks."
Reacting to the news, Sevenoaks Grammar School Campaigner, Sarah Shilling, said:-
"In the week that Sevenoaks children found out their 11 plus results, it is great to hear from the Leader of KCC that the Sevenoaks grammar school plan is progressing well, and that funding will be made available for the school. 1,150 Sevenoaks children in years 7-11 currently attend out-of-district grammar schools and so, with a growing population as well, new grammar school places are desperately needed in Sevenoaks."
"I understand that a number of Kent grammar schools are interested in becoming the sponsoring parent of the Sevenoaks grammar annexe, and that private discussions between KCC and these grammar schools are progressing well. I hope to hear definitive news from KCC in the near future."
I am also pleased that the Knole Academy is going ahead with its new building project on the Bradbourne campus. Once the building is completed in 2014 or 2015, it will then be possible for Knole to vacate the KCC-owned Wildernesse campus, leaving the way clear for the KCC-funded grammar school annexe to occupy this site."


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Contact(s): Nathan Nye, DNR Poynette Area Fisheries Biologist, 608-635-8122 or Pete Jopke, Dane County Water Resources Planner, 608-224-3733
MADISON -- The Dane County Land and Water Resources Department in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will host a public information meeting on plans to remove carp and restore the fishery of Mud Lake in the Town of Roxbury. The meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Roxbury Town Hall, located at 7161 Kippley Road.
Mud Lake is a 51-acre lake located in northern Dane County near the border of Columbia County. It has a maximum depth of 5 feet. Fish include panfish, largemouth bass and northern pike. Consistent with recommendations made in the 2014 Fish, Crystal and Mud Lakes Management Plan, Mud Lake will receive a rotenone treatment in the winter of 2018 to reduce common carp populations. Carp have a negative impact the aquatic plant community that has resulted in poor water quality conditions, with common blue green algal blooms. The treatment, which was originally planned for 2017, had to be delayed due to connectivity between Fish and Mud Lakes. The issues were resolved in the spring of 2017 and the project is now moving forward.
Dane County Parks and DNR fisheries staff have been monitoring Mud Lake the past five years and plan to treat Mud Lake with rotenone in the winter of 2018. The treatment will take two to three days to complete. Rotenone is a botanical pesticide that has a long history of proven effectiveness in rehabilitating shallow lakes. Additional information on restoring the fishery and long term management will also be discussed.
For more information about the upcoming meeting, contact Pete Jopke, Water Resources Planner, Dane County Land and Water Resources Department, 608-224-3733 firstname.lastname@example.com or Nathan Nye, DNR Poynette area fisheries biologist, 608-635-8122 firstname.lastname@example.com


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Insomnia and Medical Marijuana/
Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Those who toss and turn restlessly night after night may suffer from a condition called insomnia. Insomnia can be a condition all on its own (primary insomnia), or it can caused by other conditions or ailments (secondary insomnia). While the condition may come and go, it is significant because it can affect people of all ages and it is estimated that 10-30% of people suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives. Whaxy stresses the importance of getting a good night's rest in an article about medical marijuana and insomnia, saying "because sleep is so critical to a healthy body - especially for those suffering from a severe or terminal condition - lack of good rest can exacerbate one's condition or simply prevent improvement."
Currently, there are a variety of pharmaceutical drugs available to those who suffer from insomnia, but those medications can have unwanted side effects. Cannabis could potentially be considered as an alternate therapy because it is not habit forming and it doesn't exhibit negative side effects. Few studies exist in the U.S. on the efficacy of cannabis for insomnia, but one study from the UK found that 20 mg THC was able to reduce the time required to fall asleep by more than an hour in patients suffering from sleep deprivation. Another study found that 160 mg of CBD helped patients gain significantly more sleep.
For more information on the use of medical marijuana for treating insomnia, and for suggestions on strains that may work better than others, read this article by Whaxy: http://bit.ly/1JKZqK5


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PACAS participated in the World ATM Congress (WAC), held in Madrid, from 7 to 9 March 2017. PACAS was invited to the public workshop on the "SESAR 2020 Exploratory Research: Human Factors supporting Automation in ATM". The workshop presented different SESAR Exploratory Research projects analysing human factors issues in highly automated ATC environments, and proposing solutions to mitigate potential adverse effects.
Martina Ragosta provided a presentation on the project, describing its objectives, preliminary results and next activities.
The event represented a great opportunity for close interactions with manufacturers, operators and all other stakeholders that may be interested in the topics of automation and human performance. We thank all speakers and participants for the valuable exchange of information and also for creating a fruitful spirit of cooperation!
The World ATM Congress is the reference international platform for the global civil and commercial ATM industry, hosting the most important stakeholders of the ATM field, including ANSPs, regulatory agencies and the major international industries of the civil aviation to discuss the future trends and developments of air traffic management. It combines the large-scale exhibition with demonstration sessions and world-class conferences and workshops, organized by SESAR JU, CANSO and ATCA.


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Organic veg boxes
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Live life on the veg
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choose an organic box
We're mad about veg – it's at the core of everything we do. We've been growing it since 1987 and offer all sorts of veg, fruit, grass fed organic meat and more, fresh from our farm, delivered free to your door. Everything we grow and sell is organic. Come and live life on the veg with us.
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Discover our organic online farm shop.
Bread, cereal, organic deli and chocolate. 100% organic and meticulously sourced.
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More from Riverford
friday 5th july 2019
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friday 5th july 2019
More from Riverford
We're excited to announce the launch of our Facebook community group, Riverford Tribe.
A hub for box customers to chat carrots, sustainable living, veg centric recipes, life with a veg box and much more. A place for fellow veg fanatics & like-minded ethical eaters to come together.


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Deposit Policy
I require a deposit for ALL appointments, no exceptions, no matter what. Usually for smaller tattoos the deposit is $50, and for larger tattoos the deposit is $100. The deposit is taken off the tattoo price once the tattoo is completed. If it is a multiple session tattoo, the deposit rolls over and is taken off the price of the final session once the entire tattoo is completed.
If you don't show up to your appointment, are late to your appointment, or if you reschedule without 72 hour notice, you will lose your deposit and will be required to leave an additional deposit to reschedule.
Your deposit holds your time slot in my schedule. It insures you that I will not be taking any walk-ins or booking any appointments that would interfere with your appointment time. It insures me that you wont flake, be late, or reschedule last minute (all of which screws up my schedule and finances for the day). I usually spend several hours on average drawing for each tattoo. For someone to not show up for something I spent hours preparing for them is a big waste of my time. Keeping the deposit helps make up for only a fraction of the time and effort I could have spent on a punctual, paying client who respects my time.


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And it was known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; so as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
Acts 2:22 You men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs...
Matthew 28:15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
2 Samuel 2:16 And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together...


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A big job interview can be one of the most stressful things you will do in your professional life.
So much is riding on such a short amount of time. Your future earnings, your home and where it is, your lifestyle, how you and your family live and how your kids are educated – and of course your retirement. No pressure – just don't screw it up.
Being able to keep your cool and stay calm is vital. Expressing yourself clearly in a confident and relaxed way will give you the best chance of getting that life-changing job.
Here are some tips on how to keep your cool during a job interview:
Come prepared
Research the company, the industry, and the job role. Brainstorm possible questions and prepare your answers to them. Consider strong stories to back up your points. Write out some questions to ask your interviewer. Coming prepared to your interview is the key to feeling confident.
Arrive early
Get to your interview early and collect your thoughts. Go through your research and notes. Take a deep breath and concentrate on what is to come. Switch off your phone. Arriving late will cause you to become even more stressed and will give the wrong impression.
Have a conversation
Think of the interview as a conversation between two people, not an interrogation. This will make you feel more relaxed and confident. Remember that the interviewer wants you to do well; they are on your side.
Take your time
Do not rush to answer every question immediately. Take a few seconds to think about what you are going to say before answering. A good answer said slowly is better than a worse answer said quickly.
Don't let mistakes trip you up
In a high pressure, high-stress situation like a job interview mistakes are inevitable. Interviewers understand this. If you make a mistake correct it immediately and move on, try to forget about it and carry on with the interview. A perfect interview is rare, if not impossible.


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Homer Curtiss, 2nd C.H.A., August 7, 1864
Ward 10, Stanton Hospl., Wash'n, D.C.
Sunday August 7h AD. 1864
Dear Friends at Home,
I am still confined to
my bed, having to lie on my left side, with my
head in my left hand, "raised to the height of
of my left fore arm", as Casey would have it.
A dull place rather is a hospital and all
the kindnesses and attention shown one, makes it all
the more so. For there is no chance to rouse a little
anger to find fault or scold one. 12 days here
and all I have heard from my world was contained
in Lucies letter of the 2d inst. I hope Fannie has
not directed to the Corps for I doubt it would
get there in month if ever. I wrote to Capt.
Hosford the day before I wrote you per Atlantic
but have no word from him on his Corps.
We are not very full here now, though
fuller than when I came. There are 35 beds in the Ward
13 of which are empty. Only one has died
in it since I came, he was badly wound in the leg
[page 2]
Aug 15th Monday morn
I am not gaining very
fast, am quite confined to my bed, but hope
to be out of it in a week. Since I wrote the 1st
page I have received a letter from Frank and 1
from you at home both enclosing $20.00. Have
heard from no one else. I would like
F. to send me $20.00 more before the end of the month
I dont believe he can hate so bad as
I hate to send for it. But there seems to be no
other way. O if I could get paid, even in part
it would relieve both him and me, but there will
not be any chance until our rolls are made out
and that may not be this 2 months yet.
Lucy will you get a large envelope very large]
if possible and if not do up strongly in a bundle
my Commission, Muster in Roll, Discriptive List
and Order of Discharge and send to me
I have not anything in my possession now to
show that I am anything more than a private
as Capt took my sabre + belt. If there are any
blank "Final Statements" in that box send them
in the package. This time I write lying flat on my
[page 3]
Another thing Lucy - you are prone to be
flowery in your directions. Of course
you directed Frank's letter. It seems
to me that that last line besides being quite
superfluous is really dangerous as it might
have sent the letter a wild goose chase after
the Regt. I have seen just such instances.
I would prefer that you always direct
"Lieut. H. S. Curtiss" the rest as circumstances
require. "A word to the wise +c."
As soon as I get able I intend to inundate
you with letters, besides writing to Frank, Alice +
Theo, but I guess you have got enough of this
and I shall return on none of those in the style.
Write Fannie my address please. I cannot well
My best love to you at home and my hearty
respects to Mr Bassett who I like better every time
you write of him -- I have had almost nothing
but milk pass into my stomach in a week seems
some like the time I had when Pa died, only I have
very little pains now. I dont suppose I have slept 12
hours since I came here, but I guess that is
no matter, for when sleep is necessary, it will come
Original Format
Other Media
," Linda Lear Center Digital Collections and Exhibitions, accessed August 22, 2019, http://lc-digital.conncoll.edu/items/show/1445.
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text: Social Pro DailyInstagram Is Tinkering With Hashtags That Aren't Displayed in CaptionsIt is also testing a geofencing capability for posts and StoriesBy David Cohen|September 20, 2018 Is Instagram testing a way to take some of the clutter out of captions?3dts/iStockShareBy David Cohen|September 20, 2018 ShareInstagram appears to be testing two potential new features: the ability to add hashtags to posts without having those hashtags appear in the captions, as well as the option of setting specific locations where posts or Stories can be seen.Developer and blogger Jane Manchun Wong shared screenshots of the features in two tweets, and Instagram declined to comment or provide further details.The first tweet displays what appears to be the ability to add an unlimited number of hashtags to posts.Instagram is testing the ability to add hashtags to posts without including it in the post caption pic.twitter.com/OhQn0xcCuw— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 20, 2018 Wong also shared the resulting Instagram post, in which the hashtags were not displayed. View this post on Instagram After stormA post shared by Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) on Sep 19, 2018 at 9:46pm PDT The feature appears to be a way for Instagram accounts to have their posts surface in searches for specific hashtags, without having rows of hashtags cluttering the bottom of their captions.Wong's second tweet displays a way for Instagram accounts to limit the locations where their posts or Stories can be seen.Instagram is testing geofencing posts and stories.It allows creators to limit the specific countries where their content will be visible. pic.twitter.com/rRE24BPnkj— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 20, 2018 Dami Lee of The Verge speculated that this could be a way for brands to avoid having their content appear in regions where they do not conduct business. Sharehttps://adweek.it/2OFvoSJ copy David CohenDavid Cohen is editor of Adweek's Social Pro Daily. Adweek Adweek


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Innovative Partnerships Improve Services for Crime Victims
May 23, 2011, 03:58 ET
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This op-ed is by Joye Frost, Acting Director, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.
On May 25th, almost 1,000 practitioners from across the country converge in Austin at the sixth National Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Training Conference. This biennial training event, sponsored by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), demonstrates how federal funding and resources, coupled with local, tribal and state innovation, are reshaping our Nation's response to victims of sexual assault.
Statistics on sexual assault are staggering. A 2006 study funded by DOJ showed 18 percent of women and 3 percent of men experience some form of sexual victimization during their lifetime. Victimization rates of some populations, such as individuals with developmental disabilities and Native American women and children, are even higher. The mental health consequences of sexual victimization are sobering. While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is typically associated with combat exposure, the estimated risk of developing PTSD for rape survivors is 49 percent, while 17 percent of women who are raped attempt suicide.
While the statistics are challenging, we know community responses to a sexually victimized child or adult make a difference. Over 30 years ago, women protested the abysmal treatment of sexual assault victims, established rape crisis centers, and trained nurses, typically called Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), to provide compassionate, expert forensic medical exams. Building on successful efforts of victim advocates and SANEs, communities use the SART model, a multi-disciplinary, coordinated team response, and make victims' needs a priority, hold offenders accountable, and promote public safety. SARTs adapt easily to the needs of any community and core members typically include victim advocates, SANEs, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and forensic science personnel. Victim satisfaction is higher when SARTs are involved. SANE and SART responses enhance the quality of victim health care, improve the quality of forensic evidence, and ultimately lead to increased prosecution rates.
Texas is a leader in changing the landscape for victims of sexual violence. One of the first three SANE programs in the nation began in Amarillo, Texas, in 1979. In 2004, the Austin Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit developed its motto "We Believe" as part of a national public awareness campaign to address victims' fear of not being believed or being blamed for their victimization. The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault was the first state sexual assault coalition to develop a Cultural Awareness Certification program for service providers. The Existe Ayuda (Help Exists) Toolkit, a resource for practitioners nationwide who work with Spanish-speaking sexual assault victims will premiere at the SART Conference on May 25th by Arte Sana, a Latina/o advocacy organization in Dripping Springs, Texas.
As a native Texan and the Acting Director of OVC, I am proud of OVC's role in supporting organizations like these in Texas and across the Nation to ensure that crime victims of any age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or ability receive lifeline services and support. OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund, established by Congress in 1984 as a major source of funding for victim services. Since 1987, OVC has distributed over eight billion dollars directly to the states to serve over 67 million crime victims, including millions of adult and child victims of sexual violence. Not a single dollar comes from taxpayers; instead, the funds are criminal fines and penalties collected from convicted federal offenders due to the diligence of DOJ employees and federal court personnel. OVC retains some funding to support cutting-edge training and technical assistance, including the SART Conference. First held in 2001 in San Antonio, the SART Conference returns to Texas 10 years later and closes this year with a public forum on Friday, May 27th at 3 p.m.. The speakers include Lynn Rosenthal, the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, and other national, state and local leaders, including Susan B. Carbon, Director of DOJ's Office on Violence Against Women. On-line information on the public forum and the SART Conference is available at http://www.sartconference.com/Conference.php.
Joye Frost is a 1972 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She began her career serving crime victims as a Child Protective Services Worker in Hidalgo County and was designated by President Barack Obama as the Acting Director of OVC on January 20, 2009. For more information about OVC, visit www.ovc.gov.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs


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I have agreed (maybe foolishly) to play basketball with a group of mothers from my children's school. Our team's experience is limited to watching our kids play and an odd game of basketball or netball twenty or so years ago.
Having watched and scored my children's basketball games for the past ten years, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the game. Turns out that it is:
- Far more exhausting than the kids make it seem
- Far more brutal
- The hoop is a lot smaller than it appears
After a hard played 20 minutes our team limped off court, struggling to comprehend that we had only just completed the first half of the game. Watching and playing this game were really totally different experiences.
In the second half we lost a player after she provided the soft cushioning for an opponent who fell on top of her, leaving our player badly bruised and batted!
This experience has given me a new found respect for the energy levels of our kids and a wake up call that, whilst I may be an expert on how the kids should play the game when I'm a spectator, the same can't be said when I'm actually the one playing the game.
Our aim was for the opposition to not double our score, which we managed to achieve. At the final siren we all gathered together happy to have played our first game whilst discussing appropriate triage for the numerous muscle strains, bumps and bruises.
They say you shouldn't judge a person until you have walked a mile in their shoes – well now that I've run more than a mile in basketball shoes I plan to take a back seat on giving my kids pointers on how they can play basketball! Forty minutes on the court has proved to me that the game is harder than it seems and that at the end of the day, you are just there for some exercise and fun!
(Picture courtesy of digitalart, freedigitalphotos.net)


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"I'd like to thank our community partners for all the work they've done in recruiting local businesses to apply for eBay's Retail Revival Program," said Mayor Andy Schor. "We are extending the deadline for applications to ensure that as many local businesses as possible have the opportunity to learn about the benefits and to apply to be a part of this transformational program."
Business owners looking to apply to the program should be based in the Lansing area, identify ecommerce as a key part of their growth strategy, offer a range of inventory and demonstrate a commitment and readiness to grow their business. More information and a link to the application can be found here: www.ebayinc.com/Lansing.


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1 photo each week showcasing inspiration/innovation/curious orientation
Don't you just love rediscovering your old music? I first came across J. Tillman when he was the opener for Phosphorescent at the Cedar Cultural Center back in 2010. His bittersweet melancholy on albums like Year in the Kingdom is perfect for long sleepless nights and certainly deserves more recognition. Tillman's new material under the moniker Father John Misty takes a 180 from his previous releases, but that may not be a bad thing.


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The Bethlehem Christian Academy Lady Knights basketball team fell in the GISA Region 1-AAA tournament to Holy Spirit Prep 38-24 Monday night.
Olivia Morgan led the team with seven points while Kara Maxwell finished with five points.
The region tournament is being hosted this season by The Heritage School in Newnan.
Lady Knights fall in region tournament
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"Hey everyone! I've got cocaine and birthday cake!" – Erasmus, Ideal Home (2018)
Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd starring as two gay cowboys. It's like a modern day Brokeback Mountain (2005), but not as Oscar worthy and a bit funnier than you'd first expect. Still, even Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd can make the occasional bad movie. Well, in Rudd's case it's more than occasional. Even then, he's a great actor, and I'm sure it's films such as Ideal Home which get him the recognition he well and truly deserves.
As expected, both the chemistry and performances of Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd are stellar. They've got some extremely great chemistry together which is what surprises me the most. The two leads are from proportionately different backgrounds. Coogan is a comedic legend with some old school tropes, whereas Rudd is fairly new to comedy in that regard. I don't count Role Models (2008) as a comedy, mainly because it wasn't very funny. Still, Rudd is a very talented actor and out of him and Coogan he definitely seems to be the funnier of the two. Maybe that's because his character has a little extra depth than Erasmus, played by Coogan. Coogan has always been a great character actor when he himself writes the role, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
Comedy is a very difficult genre to review as it is primarily subjective. With Ideal Home though, there are a few jokes that are abundantly unfunny. The opening half of the film is an odd mix and match of seeing which jokes stick. Most of the time the joke really doesn't work and it's never really expanded upon. There are of course those rare few one liners and one off jokes that need no explanation. Of course, many of those jokes come from blatantly obvious stereotypes. None of it really comes down to smart writing or a unique style of comedy. But that's not to say there aren't a lot of funny bits to the film. There are some oddly niche jokes about topics such as Jeffrey Dahmer in there for no particular reason. It's funny because it's off topic and bizzare.
Obviously there are a few stereotypical jokes in there, primarily harmless and often quite funny. Erasmus is portrayed as a violent eccentric with a tendency to lose his temper, whereas Rudd is rather calm in comparison. It's surprising how much we get out of these two characters when the direction of the movie is so plain and basic. Even then, comedies never really have any specific editing style, they're all very pastiche of age old comedies from decades before. It's a consistent formula that only a niche few break the mould of.
Some of the jokes do bomb, as expected. Many a comedy movie has been enjoyable up until a certain point where that one poor joke stops it from being perfect. That for me is a lengthy joke where Steve Coogan just reads the menu to a Taco Bell. The joke here is meant to be that, a professional chef is dining in a fast food restaurant. But it's not all that funny, especially when you realise it's just Coogan putting on a weird American accent and pronouncing things wrong. It was jokes such as this, the ones that were predictable from miles away, that really began to whittle away at my patience. Something about it was so bland that it made the film more dull than anything else.
In regard to its tone and direction, there's nothing special. What confuses me is that, around act two of the film, it becomes a sort of weird drama. There's some nonsense thrown in about Paul Rudd having a heart attack but then not, and from there you can see they'd began to run out of ideas. It's not an established plot point, nor is it one that ever comes up again. It feels solely like filler, more than anything else.
However in regard to drama and more serious, underlying tones, the film is very solid. The strain a child puts on a relationship is tried and tested throughout the movie going from exacerbating high to extreme lows. Rudd and Coogan do a convincing job of selling this angle, and it's one of the better parts of the film. Jack Gore plays Bill, the kid causing the commotion in their lives for the better half of the movie. What surprises me most is that, Gore is quite a good actor. Those that have read my reviews before will understand now that child actors are, for the most part, terrible at what they do. It ruined Stand By Me (1986) for me, so it's surprising to see that it does remarkably well here.
And that lacking style of comedy is a shame, especially with prominent involvement from Coogan. Coogan has proven himself to have a very successful style of comedy, and it's a shame that it doesn't really get any light throughout the movie. Sure, he has one or two exceptional lines throughout, but for the most part they aren't anything memorable. Maybe it's because nobody really plays that memorable of a character. In years to come this film won't be up there with Philomena (2013) or Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2014). But at the same time, it won't be as forgetful as What Maisie Knew (2012) or A Cock and Bull Story (2005). It's very run of the mill.
Comedy is unique to everyone. There will be people who loved Ideal Home and those that hated it. But what's worrying is that comedy should never give a feeling of nothing when it's finished. That's exactly what I felt when I concluded my time with this movie. Nothing. No real reason or message to reflect on. Comedy doesn't always provide that of course, but it should at least provide some incentive to revisit. With this movie, there's nothing of the sort, and you'd be hard pressed to convince me into giving this movie a second watch. With movies like this, inconsistency can be a directors worst enemy, and that seems to be the case here. There are definite sparks of creativity skimmed throughout, it's a shame it's never pieced together.
Still, it could have been a lot worse. I don't regret watching this movie but at the same time it's not as if I'd be dying to watch it again. A very run of the mill comedy with the expected tropes and punchlines. Coogan and Rudd have some genuinely brilliant chemistry together, so I would hope they work together in the near future, just on something a bit stronger than this. It's really nothing great though. There's a handful of delightfully funny moments, but aside from that there's very little to be desired.


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20, 21, & 22: Lighting the Open Data Hacking Torch Early
In March 2017, I attended a hackathon by the name of hackBCA. HackBCA is one of the largest hackathons for high school students, welcoming hundreds of students from Bergen County Academies and beyond to create solutions to our world's problems. At the event, I met three participants who shared their wisdom with me. They were Adam Papenhausen, a BCA junior who created an app that virtually replaces the need to write by hand; Liam Rahav, co-director of hackBCA 2018 and participant in about 20 hackathons to-date; and Chirayu Jain, organizer for hackBCA and Space Apps Next Gen, a global high school series of hackathons in association with NASA's annual International Space Apps Challenge.
Listen to what they had to say about the high school hackathon experience and about being some of the world's youngest inventors.