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Does the frequent filibustering and other political dramas at the Legislative council indicate an underperforming government that does not work overall? Civic Party legislator Dennis Kwok addresses these concerns whilst detailing insights to paint a more accurate political reality in these chambers, and shares his views on the future of democracy in Hong Kong
By Nan-Hie In
The rise of filibustering and other dilatory tactics at the Legislative Council (LegCo) in recent years highlight much dysfunction in Hong Kong politics. As a result, many members of the public and industry observers alike have criticized the less productive lawmaking body for stymieing the progress of the city.
However, LegCo legislator Dennis Kwok argues that such criticism is unfair. While he acknowledges that the obstruction maneuvers by radical lawmakers must be addressed, it's only a small part of the bigger picture and shouldn't be used to show that the system doesn't work. In reality, many bills get passed.
"The media doesn't always report on more mundane matters in what I call the real work that LegCo does on a daily basis because they are not sexy topics," says Kwok, who was elected three years ago as one of the youngest lawmakers then.
During his tenure as a representative for the legal sector of the functional constituency, more than 90 legislations and subsidiary legislations have been passed or around 30 laws per year. Those include air pollution reform measures including the air Quality Amendment bill, plus a HK$700 million injected into special education needs for mentally and physically handicapped children.
Additionally, numerous complex infrastructure projects have secured approval.
"Over the past three years, over 90 infrastructure items have been passed in the finance committee involving more than HK$42 billion worth of infrastructure projects, including the controversial incinerator [in Shek Kwu Chau], the landfill extension, and a host of other basic infrastructure projects such as the building of roads, schools and hospitals."
At a recent AmCham event, the lawmaker shared a more comprehensive view of the inner workings of the city's legislature to show a fuller view of current political reality. The legislative councilor also addressed various political concerns, including the much talked about electoral reform plan.
Slow but Necessary
A dominating view by the executive branch of the legislature is that LegCo could be more productive in green lighting measures. But there is a good reason behind the slow progress. "We could be more efficient in some respect but on some issues [that are being tabled], we have to ask questions before we vote yes," Kwok says, adding that this is the duty of effective legislators.
That includes addressing concerns over mega-infrastructure works that have been marred by delays and astronomical cost over-runs, an increasingly frequent pattern seen at LegCo. The high-speed rail link for the West Kowloon project, for example, which was originally budgeted for HK$25 billion for the whole project in 2009, is now exceeding the original budget by a whopping HK$90 billion. Likewise, more financing for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is being tabled now. LegCo originally approved HK$30 billion for the project, but this year the government made a bid to the legislature for further funding for its completion – to the tune of HK$5.4 billion.
"Questions will be asked on what happened. I know construction costs are rising but you cannot keep having over-budgets for infrastructure projects," he says. "We are not saying no to economic development. All we are asking is: why there is so much extra public expenditure that has to be spent?"
Dealing with Stall Tactics
The frequent filibustering at the legislature has often erupted at the finance committee during sessions about infrastructure projects. He joins a chorus of criticism on the obstruction tactics by opposition lawmakers, which have contributed to project delays and increased construction costs as a result.
"It is bad politics and ineffective in terms of trying to do what you want to do, but the radicals don't realize that and they are still filibustering," he says. The legislator says the situation is not improving as the legislature has grown accustomed to this behavior.
Previously, Kwok proposed closure motion procedures to be adopted at LegCo, but the idea failed to generate enough support. "The pro-establishment lawmakers would not have it because they like the present arrangement with the filibustering dealt by the president, unlike in most parliaments and congress around the world with closure motion procedures, whereby two thirds of [legislative] members agree to closure then they close," explains the legislative councilor. Currently, LegCo's president Jasper Tsang has the power to end filibustering as he sees fit.
However, Kwok, who is also a founding member of the Civic Party, says the public can shape this predicament through the upcoming general election in 2016 when voters decide who gets elected into the legislature.
"You can vote for a radical if you feel so angry about the government, or vote for a moderate who will ask sensible questions, does their job properly and does not resort to filibustering tactics all the time," he says.
Political Reform in Hong Kong
Dominating media headlines and many conversations amongst Hong Kong people lately is the June 17th vote in LegCo on the method of electing the Chief Executive in 2017.
The electoral package proposed by the government drew much controversy for its pre-screening processes. That includes how candidates vying for the top job must get enough votes by a Beijing loyalists-filled nomination committee. Many activists and pro-democracy lawmakers derided this framework, which they believe does not offer genuine universal suffrage.
Kwok says the proposal will likely be rejected once it reaches the legislature. All 27 pan-democrats have publically stated their refusal to endorse the package, which needs a two-thirds majority from the 70-member legislative council in order to take effect, as detailed by the city's constitution. Kwok cites recent public polls by the Chinese University of Hong Kong that show an even split on this issue.
If the proposal does get passed somehow, Kwok expects unrest from the community. "You will see a second wave of the Occupy Central movement that will probably be more fierce than the one you saw last year," he says.
The lawmaker cautions against this move. "A lot of people would feel cheated, that somehow the democrats or the government have passed this proposal despite a clear voice out in the community that they do not want this package passed."
Kwok believes a better way of resolving the impasse is to let the Hong Kong people decide the city's democratic future through the next legislative election in 2016.
Voters can decide through the ballot boxes on which way they want to go, as this theme will be the signature political issue on the candidates' campaign to get elected.
"Every politician would have to go out there and explain his stance to the Hong Kong people on why he or she voted yes or no [to the electoral proposal], and the Hong Kong people will have to decide if they agree with the democrats [or not.]"
He adds that the results of this election will say to Beijing and the local government what the public wants. The lawmaker considers the general election of 2016 as the most important election since the handover, so he encourages permanent residents to register to vote.
But what if a large number of democrats do get elected to the legislature in 2016 and Beijing still refuses to back down from its edict in August 31, 2015, which ruled out open elections by 2017 with the restrictive framework? "Never say never in politics," says Kwok. "Under Article 45 of the Basic Law, they still have the constitutional duty to bring a constitutional package acceptable to the Hong Kong people."
The lawyer is optimistic that things will change. Universal suffrage is the biggest problem in the city, so the candidates running for Hong Kong's highest post will have to address the issue.
"I don't buy any of the talk that if you vote this package down that no chief executive will ever re-open this process. It is politically impossible."


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Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Models Own HyperGel Polish | Naked Glow
9 comments:
I've been meaning to get the Coral Glaze one! I love it so much.ReplyDelete
Phoebe-Cate xReplies
I really want the coral one now, I had better get in quick with my next 3 for 2 before it finishes! xxDelete
Pretty Gloss ♥ beauty, makeup & a bit of life..
bloglovin' | twitter | pinterest | facebook
This looks like such a pretty colour! I wish I'd picked up a few more of the Hypergel ones when I made my last order.ReplyDelete
Catherine, xo // Lady Liquor Vintage
Love the colour, I may have to get down to Boots and take advantage of the 3 for 2 deal! I love Models Own polish!ReplyDelete
I love Models Own, although I haven't heard about or seen this range out, that's a lovely neutral colour, it would be perfect for work when I can't go too wild. I'll look out for this, thanks.ReplyDelete
I've been trying to resist buying any of these but have been thinking of getting this one and the white one (actually is there a white one? I'm not sure now!) to use as bases for nail art. I'm also very tempted by a couple of the new speckled one's xReplyDelete
Becky @ The Little Blog of BeautyReplies
I think there might be a white one, you're right, it would be great as a base for nail art! Send me some photos if you give it a try! xxDelete
Lovely colour, I've just bought the pink shade which I'm excited to try out :)ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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A huge well done to everyone who took part in sports day today. You all did really well.
Sports Day
Onomatopoeia Pop Art
Millie's Brownies
Massive well done to Millie, we're all so proud of her for doing so well in her cooking. As she did so well we all had a go at making her brownies and they were delicious.
Opening Ceremony
Rio Carnival
Due to sports day being cancelled, we, and the rest of Key Stage 2 ventured into the hall for a Rio carnival costume creating session. Here are some of our snaps.
USA Day
Today we got dressed up as various people from the USA and Mr Dale had a lot of fun with his new green screen taking photos.
International/Olympic Week
We started our Olympic Week this week and we have chosen to represent the USA. Check back later in the week to see some of our art, PE and various other activities we will be doing!
iMovie Science Experiments
Here are our first attempts at presenting a science experiment like we have seen on YouTube. We have also had a really good first go at editing videos together in iMovie. Here are some of the best ones.
Blowing things up!
This morning we mixed bicarbonate soda with vinegar to cause a chemical reaction by having the solid and liquid particles mix to cause a gas which blew up our balloons. Some of us didn't get it right and those people soon realised they didn't. Can you work out who didn't attach their balloons properly?
Members of Class Five will be posting about what they have been doing in class recently.
July 2016


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Etisalat Group, Cisco prepare for IoT future
White paper provides road map to 2020 for Etisalat Group to sustain leadership in IoT
Etisalat Group, in collaboration with Cisco, has outlined its vision for the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) in a white paper.
Titled, 'Evolving the Service Provider Architecture for the IoT Era', the white paper provides a road map for how the service provider network will need to evolve to meet customers' needs and adapt to the growing IoT market and maintain Etisalat's position as a leader in delivering next-generation technology advancements to the market.
The white paper offers operators with a road-map and practical approach that paves the way for the evolution in its capabilities and future network architecture needed to realise the potential of IoT. Moving forward, this will involve managing a diverse network infrastructure, as access technologies continue to develop. It also highlights how service providers will need to invest new technologies and advanced networks to ensure the necessary capabilities are in place.
Hatem Bamatraf, chief technology officer, Etisalat Group International, said: "Etisalat has been at the forefront in creating new technology breakthroughs in the UAE and the IoT is in our DNA. We believe that the IoT is vital for regional development and have made a commitment to build best-in-class IoT capabilities to bring to the market. The whitepaper in collaboration with Cisco is an initiative that is aligned with Etisalat's 2020 technology vision. Our shared vision identifies IoT as a key priority for Etisalat Group, to maintain its position as a leader in delivering next-generation platforms and services to the market."
Abdelrahman Ibrahim, CTO of Global Service Provider, Cisco Middle East, added: "The Internet of Things is profoundly disrupting business and commerce and shaping the future outlook for service providers. Etisalat Group has been working closely with Cisco to bring IoT-based solutions and the unprecedented opportunities they present to the markets in which it operates.
"Together we are examining the building blocks of an SP architecture that can capture the full potential of IoT by delivering exceptional next-generation user experiences. Our collaboration will help define the future architecture that can be adopted by telcos in the region, building on our expertise in SP architecture transformation and our holistic vision for the IoT."
The white paper identifies current and potential activities where IoT will have an impact. These include: healthcare, fitness and wellbeing, manufacturing, agriculture, utilities, extractive industries, surveillance, logistics, transportation, retail and finance, as well as new applications related to smart cities.


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Confusing Capitals
|Get ready to use your brain.
Answer the following questions– you have 3 minutes, and you can't use the internet.
1. What is the capital of The United States of America?
2. How many capitals does South Africa have, and why?
3. What's the capital of Canada?
4. How many states are there in the USA?
5. What's the largest city in New Zealand?
6. How many provinces and territories are there in Canada?
7. What's the capital of California?
8. Fill in the blank: Toronto is the capital of ______ .
9. Fill in the blank: Sydney is the capital of ______ .
10. What's the largest city in British Columbia?
OK, time's up! Pencils down! You can read this post to find the answers to the quiz.
Today we're obviously going to talk about capitals. I know that this topic is technically geography, not language, but geography is related to culture, and culture is related to language. Plus, I really like capitals, for some reason. I guess I'm just a nerd.
I wanted to talk about this because many English-speaking places have "strange" or unexpected capitals. This isn't the case in many countries. In lots of places, the largest city is also the capital: think of Berlin, Germany; Paris, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bangkok, Thailand; San José, Costa Rica; and many other examples. Today we'll look at a capitals in English-speaking areas, including many places where the largest city isn't the capital. Next Friday we'll continue this topic and look at the British Isles, since they're a lot more complicated than the countries we'll look at today.
I'm from the U.S.A., so we'll start there.
The largest city in the U.S. is New York City, New York, followed by Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, none of these cities is the capital of the country, and none of them is the capital of their state, either! In fact, the capital of the U.S. is only the 24th largest city in the country.
|Washington, D.C., with the Washington Monument and the White House. (Image)
If you've been studying English for a while, then you probably know that the capital of the U.S. is Washington, D.C. ("District of Columbia"). Washington, D.C. is a city, not a state, but people often confuse it with Washington state. Washington, D.C. is on the east coast between the states of Virginia and Maryland, and Washington state is on the west coast, between Oregon and Canada. Washington, D.C. is home to the federal government, and it's where there executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government have their main offices.
|Casa Bonita restaurant in Denver, Colorado. This isn't the official capitol building, but it should be.
In addition to having a national capital, each of the United States' 50 states also has a state capital. For example, I used to live in the state of Colorado, and the capital of Colorado is Denver. Denver is also the largest city in Colorado, but in many states (33 to be exact), the largest city isn't the capital. You can look at the lists in the links above to find more information about each state. By the way, I mentioned the country's five largest cities above, and said that they weren't state capitals. The capitals of each of those states are Albany, New York; Sacramento, California; Springfield, Illinois; Austin, Texas; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
|A panoramic view of Sacramento, the capital of California (Image)
These two countries are often grouped together because they are close geographically, but don't forget that they're two separate countries!
Australia's national capital is also commonly mistaken. Many people think it's Sydney or Melbourne (Australia's two biggest cities), but it's actually Canberra. Australia is made up of 6 states and two territories, and each state and territory also has a capital. The biggest difference here is that in each of the states and territories, the capital city is also the largest city in that area.
New Zealand's capital is Wellington, but its largest city is Auckland.
|A view of Wellington, New Zealand. (Image)
South Africa is a very interesting case, since it technically has three capitals. The largest city in the country is Johannesburg, but it's not one of the capitals. Instead, each of the three capital cities houses a specific branch of the government. Cape Town is the home of the South African parliament, and is therefore the legislative capital. The judicial capital is a city called Bloemfontein. Finally, the executive branch is in Pretoria, which also makes the city the de facto national capital.
|Oh, there's Ottawa! It's even got the little star and everything!
Canada, the world's second-biggest country in terms of area, is made up of ten provinces and three territories. The three largest cities in the country are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, British Columbia; but the national capital is actually Ottawa, the fourth-largest city in the country. Of these four cities, only one is a provincial capital: Toronto. The capitals of Quebec and British Columbia are Quebec City and Victoria, respectively. You can check out the list of other provincial capitals and the largest cities. In most other provinces and territories, the largest city is also the capital.
This is a picture of me in Vancouver. It's the largest city in British Columbia,
but not the capital. That would be Victoria.
So, that's it for now. I hope this post was interesting for you. I'm personally a big geography fan so if you ever want to talk about capitals and countries, send me an email!
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
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Modesto in Stanislaus County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Modesto – Stanislaus County Seat
founder who was too modest to permit
the use of his name, hence "Modesto"
Adamsville – 1854, Named after Doctor Adams, the only physician in the area.
Empire City – 1854-1855, Original city completely destroyed by floods, the present Empire being slightly north of the original city.
La Grange – 1856-1861, Originally "French Bar" named after the French miners who settled here to mine gold.
Knights Ferry – 1862-1871, Named after Captain Knight who built the first ferry crossing the Stanislaus River.
Modesto – 1871-Present, Following a heated county election held on Sept. 6, 1871, county citizens voted to make Modesto the County Seat, by a majority of 455 votes.
Arthur W. Seeger
Noble Grand Humbug
Estanislao Chapter No.58
E Clampus Vitus
Dedicated April 1, 2004
Clamper Year 6009
Credo Quia Absurdum
Erected 2004 by E Clampus Vitus, Estanislao Chapter No.58.
Topics and series. Government & Politics • Notable Places. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list.
Location. 37° 38.43′ N, 120° 59.855′ W. Marker is in Modesto, California, in Stanislaus County. Marker is on "I" Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located on the grounds of the Stanislaus County Offices. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1100 "I" Street, Modesto CA 95354, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Modesto War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); The Guns Are Silent (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Modesto War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); The Paper Boy (approx. ¼ mile away); The McHenry Mansion (approx. ¼ mile away); Silent City (approx. one mile away); Modesto Pioneer Cemetery (approx. one mile away); Grand Army of the Republic (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Modesto.
Also see . . .
1. The History of Modesto. Even from its earliest days, Modesto has been a community dedicated to growth, progress and the quality of community life. Modesto became the end of the Central (Submitted on May 31, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.)
2. Historic Modesto. Follow the history of Modesto from "Early History" to the 20th Century by clicking on the appropriate links. (Submitted on May 31, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California. This page has been viewed 1,311 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 31, 2009, by Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California.


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Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926 / Prague / Czech Republic)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Take me by the hand;
it's so easy for you, Angel,
for you are the road
even while being immobile.
read more >>
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Vero Beach has affectionately been known as the place "Where the Tropics Begin" for its unique flora featuring a variety of botanical species that scarcely exist farther north. From the world famous Indian River citrus to Lakela's mint, beautiful orchids, live oaks, Royal Poinciana trees and coconut palms, Vero Beach has made a name for itself with unrivaled natural and imported beauty and diverse plant life.
From 1932, when pioneers Waldo Sexton and Arthur McKee founded McKee Jungle Gardens, hundreds of thousands of visitors have visited this immaculate slice of Florida. In addition to the incredible plant life, many enjoyed seeing a variety of animals such as tropical birds, alligators and monkeys at McKee, one of the original Florida tourist attractions. While the former 80-acre park has been transformed into a mixed used residential development, about 18 acres have been restored as McKee Botanical Gardens and serves as a wonderful homage to the former glory years of the park. If you were ever fortunate to see the towering site of the Royal Palm cluster in the center path of the park, you will surely understand that paradise on Earth does exist!
In addition to the strong agricultural background, Vero Beach also has a well-known and fondly remembered tie to the sports world – Dodgertown – the Winter Home of the Dodgers. First from Brooklyn, then from Los Angeles, Vero Beach played host to the iconic team that America loves. Local schools would let kids out early to see the springtime Grapefruit League classics featuring Dodger greats such as Jackie Robinson, Steve Garvey, Sandy Koufax and many others. Seats were hard to find when Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson and the boys in pinstripes came to play their west coast rivals. Thought to be the premier venue for spring training in its day, Dodgertown remains and is occasionally used for youth sports or local concerts.
While the legacy of the Dodgers is well-know, another facet of Vero Beach's history – and one that is directly tied to the Dodgers – is not! Did you know that Vero Beach had a Naval Air Station in 1942 and was home to over 1,400 navy airmen and marine core personnel? The station also had over two-hundred and fifty aircraft used for training and simulated bombing runs. In fact, when the Navy vacated after the war, a local business used the availability of the barracks to lure the Dodgers to town in 1948. The site was also instrumental in luring Piper Aircraft to Vero Beach in 1957. Piper has been one of the largest employers in the area for nearly six decades since.
While these anecdotes are fun to remember, they help to weave the fabric of this quaint and unique seaside town we know as Vero Beach. As written by Jimmy Powers in the New York Daily News in the late 1940s: "The Dodgers have an excellent rookie camp in Vero Beach. Vero Beach is much farther north than Miami, as a result too decent and too quiet for the hoodlum element to bother with. Its streets are clean. Its citizens are highly respectable. It has great civic spirit."
Indeed to this day, in the place "Where the Tropics Begin", some things never change!


text:
Kristen Manieri
In the many self-improvement and positive psychology books I've read over the years, one common finding has appeared again and again: true contentment in life comes from our ability to cultivate gratitude.
At the advice of these authors, gurus, and sages, I've embarked on writing daily gratitude lists, scrawled on notepads and in fancy gratitude journals. I've encouraged the sharing of gratitudes at dinner with my family, used gratitude apps and reminders, and made impromptu lists in my head to emotionally transition from frustration to peace.
It works, which is why I am such a huge fan of gratitude. Gratitude and I go way back.
But last December I had a thought. What if I was shortchanging my experience of gratitude by keeping it all to myself, closed into journals and limited to my husband and two kids?
It was time to level up my gratitude practice.
To Amazon I went, ordering 365 thank you notes, arriving in packs of 36 and 48, and splashed with flowers and polka dots in a kaleidoscope of colors. With January 1 on the near horizon, the plan was set. I would write one thank you note every day for the next 365 days with an aim to upgrade my sense of gratitude by the end of 2018.
It worked!
Over the course of the past year, I've sent thank you notes to colleagues, family, and friends. I've penned my thanks to restaurant owners, service workers, mail deliverers, a cardiologist, and an airline pilot.
I've written notes of deep appreciation to authors of books I've loved. I've thanked people for gifts, invites to parties, and acts of kindness. I've expressed thanks for new business, for making introductions, and for wise advice. I've thanked my parents for their parenting, my friends for their friendship, and my work team for their hard work.
A few months into this project, I shared the experience with a friend who, while delighted by the idea, was perplexed. "How do you know who to send a thank you note to each day?" he asked. "It's simple," I explained. "I just mentally scan through the day before and find one person I interacted with to send my thanks to."
Surely, when we look through the previous 24 hours we can find one human being that touched our lives. Maybe it was a journalist who wrote an article you loved, or the plumber who not only fixed your leak but was punctual and courteous.
Maybe it was the manager at your grocery store who was glad to special order those crackers you love so much. Or the extra effort your child's teacher puts into her curriculum so her students are engaged and excited. Or the fitness instructor that makes your sixty minutes of exercise not only tolerable but, actually, kind of fun.
This project taught me to notice that every single day we are touched by the people we interact with if we allow ourselves to be.
We interact with dozens, maybe hundreds, of people every week, sometimes virtually, sometimes invisibly, but there is a connection and an impact that can be acknowledged. We're not islands. We live in this world with billions of other people, most of them just trying to do good and be good. What a gift it is to send someone thanks for their goodness.
I've learned so much about the art of saying thanks, and here are a few key takeaways.
- On a practical level, it helped to have a supply of stamps and cards on hand so there was nothing stopping me from writing a note each time the opportunity arose.
- The act of writing a thank you note is so different from typing an email or tapping in a text. It's slower, more thoughtful, and more heartfelt. It invites pause and reflection as the pen patiently waits at the paper until the right words start to flow.
- Making it a daily practice, perhaps the last thing you do before you go to bed or the first thing you do in the morning, creates a ritual. After 365 days, this habit is firmly implanted in my life.
- No act is ever too small to deserve acknowledgment. In fact, no act is needed at all. Some of my favorite notes to write were the ones that thanked someone for simply being in my life.
I'm very aware that writing letters and notes is an old-fashioned art belonging to a culture of civility and courtesy that is slowly disappearing from our society. But imagine if thank you notes made a comeback. The impact would be immeasurable.
We live in an age when retro is cool and vintage is vogue. I think we're poised to welcome back some old-school social mores.
It's time to have a thank you note revival. I'm in. Are you?


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Over the weekend, Solange Knowles was back to her signature pattern-play, as she had us reading the fine print at the Pitchfork Music Festival, hosted at Union Park in Chicago, Illinois.
Her intricately patterned Clover Canyon Fall 2013 ensemble, painted with gold mythological stallions and decorative icons, had 'Solange' written all over it.
I love the warm vibrancy that the songstress brought to these separates, finishing the look with another incarnation of the on-trend white pump: sling-backs by Alexander Wang.
Her 'fro seems to have officially made its big and bold return, too.
Credit: Style.com & FameFlynet


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Although its cultural, religious and historical sites are reason enough to visit Italy, Italian cuisine is also responsible for much of the country's appeal. Each year, devoted foodies worldwide visit Italy to indulge in signature Italian cuisine, such as aged balsamic vinegar, a nearly unlimited variety of cheeses, olives and prosciutto. Many visitors also enjoy the interactive appeal of cooking classes, walking tours and educational culinary opportunities offered throughout the country.
Taste Florence
Taste Florence offers a variety of culinary tours in Florence and, at the time of writing, plans to expand into Venice and Rome. The daily walking tours are approximately 3 ½ hours in length and offer participants the opportunity to experience Italian food like a local. Tours are presented in English and led by an American-born guide, which eliminates any language barrier. The tour visits several local eateries, a pastry shop, gelateria, a wine shop and the local food market. Members of the tour are provided samples at every stop, as well as a brief education on Italian wine and an extensive tasting class on balsamic vinegars. Taste Florence Florence, Italy +011-39-388-169-6835 tasteflorence.com
Good Tastes of Tuscany Cooking Classes
For a more interactive experience, Good Tastes of Tuscany Cooking Classes offer a choice of formal cooking classes, tours or wine tasting experiences. Cooking classes are presented in an authentic 13th-century Italian villa and offer a choice of single or multi-day classes, as well as a seven-day program. Visitors can also choose from a number of tours, which can feature a visit to an olive mill, tours of small vineyards or the opportunity to experience local cuisine in many popular Italian towns and villages. Good Tastes of Tuscany Cooking Class Connextions Group Inc. 2825 East Cottonwood Pkwy. Salt Lake City, UT 84101 801-405-0700 +39-392-935-9587 (from within Italy) tuscany-cooking-class.com
The International Kitchen
In addition to extensive educational and tour opportunities in both France and Spain, The International Kitchen offers a wide range of culinary tours and classes throughout Italy. Visitors can choose from single-day classes or various complete culinary vacation packages, some which offer the opportunity to stay in an authentic Italian castle, learn from an award-winning chef or experience a local food market. The International Kitchen offers tours and classes in many different areas of Italy, including Tuscany, the Lakes Region, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Umbria. Among the vast array of choices, a culinary vacation at The Villa San Michele School of Cookery outside Florence is a perfect example of the unique opportunities offered by The International Kitchen. The International Kitchen 330 North Wabash, Suite #2613 Chicago, IL 60611 312-467-0560 theinternationalkitchen.com
Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
Photo Credits
- italy image by Nikituk from Fotolia.com
- Attribution: John Menard; License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license


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LIFX Mini White 800 Lumens Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb A60 E27
The LIFX Mini White Wi-Fi LED bulb is a compact white light engineered to be the perfect, everyday light. This entry-level smart light modernizes your household lighting experience via connectivity to the LIFX app on your iPhone or iPad. Whether it's a single light or part of an entire network, each LIFX mini integrates Wi-Fi technology for seamless, hassle-free connections to other HomeKit-enabled devices.
Compact form with wide spread of light
Simple set up
Integrated Wi-Fi and LIFX Cloud connectivity
A beautiful warm shade of white at 2700K
Perfect ambient lighting at 800 lumens
Dimming control
Free, intuitive iOS app
22.8 year lifespan based on three hours use per day
Consumes only 9 watts at full power for energy efficiency
Works with with Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, and more
What's in the Box
LIFX Mini White 800 Lumens Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb A60 E27
User manual
Tech Specs
Other Features: HomeKit Compatible
Internet Access: Internet Access Required
Power Source: AC
Height: 4.13 in./10.5 cm
Length: 2.36 in./6 cm
Width: 2.36 in./6 cm
Weight: 5.12 oz./147 g
System Requirements
Operating System: iOS 9 or later
Requirements Other: Wi-Fi
Manufacturer Information
Part Number
UPC or EAN No.: 9347403000925
Note: Apple's One Year Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Non-Apple branded products may have the benefit of a manufacturer's warranty provided by the product manufacturer - Please see your product box and literature for details. Rights under the product manufacturer's warranty are in addition, and not instead of, any rights that you have under consumer protection laws.
iPhone Models
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPad Models
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (4th generation)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad (7th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation)
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (1st generation)
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad Air 2
- iPad (6th generation)
- iPad (5th generation)
- iPad mini 4
Apple TV Models
HomePod Models
- HomePod
iPod Models
Answers from the community
Can l schedule this model to say come on at 6pm and go off at 11 pm using HomeKit?
- Asked by Tony G from Christchurch
- on 12/02/2019


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Sunday, April 1, 2012
Signed at the Alamo
1 comment:
I think you would be surprised. We have a strong military spirit here in San Antonio. I am so very proud to have a son who is a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan. There was never any question as to whether the Army was the right path. Something my ancestors, who served this country in every conflict since the American Revolution, passed on to all of us. To shirk that duty is unthinkable. I volunteer at the reenactments held yearly on the Anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. It doesn't matter that Bowie, Travis and Crockett are actors with the San Antonio Living History Association. When the Mexican army storms the north wall and the defenders begin to fall, it makes me weep. Every time. We need more Americans with that kind of spirit and dedication to their beliefs.ReplyDelete


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Introduction: Chain Mail Hand Flowers
Girls, need to add some flare to your Renaissance Festival costumes? Hand Flowers are interesting and very versatile and will give your costume fantastic character. They are easy to make and inexpensive and can be whatever colors you choose. In staying with the Reniassance theme I chose colors that frequently show up in the era. Gold, mankind's all time favorite, and a richly blue.
Step 1: What You Will Need
IMPORTANT: To avoid mathematical confusion, this list is only for making one hand flower. If you wish to make two then double the materials and repeat the instructable.
- 60 blue 10mm aluminum jump rings*
- 42 gold 10mm aluminum jump rings*
- At least 6 small jump rings
- Lengths of matching chain
- Pliers for the small jumprings
- Cutters for the chain
*ring count will vary with the size of your hand flower so be sure to have extra in case you need to largen it for a proper fit.
Step 2: The Triangle
First, make what you see that is colored in the picture. Start with the single blue ring and add two gold rings to it. Continue this process adding rings one at a time until you have a triangle, seven rings across by seven rings deep.
Step 3: The Base Chain
In this step we are making the colored bracelet piece of the hand flower. Start with four blue rings in a gold ring.
Then put one gold ring through the two right blue rings making it look like the first gold ring and add two blue rings before closing. Continue this pattern until your chain is long enough to go around your wrist.
Step 4: Connect the Bracelet to the Triangle
Add the two together with a single row of rings. Make sure the blue rings match and are laying the same way and that your triangle is centered on the bracelet.
Step 5: Chains
To complete the hand flower (and to prevent it from moving when you wear it) use matching chain to decorate it, connecting it to the chain mail with small jump rings. Make it the way you like or stay with this simple design. Be sure to put the hand flower on and measure the chain while you're wearing it or your measurements may be off.
Step 6: Clasps and Closure
If you choose you can add a lobster claw for a clasp, or simply use string. Or, as I did, just join the two sides with a chain mail ring, making an unbroken chain mail pattern (picture). Please note, this method could lead to throwing the hand flowers across the room out of frustration. It requires help putting them on, so if you have no one around to help find a way that works for you.
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5 Discussions
This is really pretty and I love the look of it just connected to itself to clasp it! I can only imagine how frustrated it would make me trying to put it on :) Is there a certain place you like to buy your jump rings?
I bought these particular rings at Joann's fabrics in Georgia. They're Darice brandname. I don't have a certain place I just shop around and see if I find anything I like.
I made these for my friend because she wanted something different to wear to the Renaissance Festival. I had already made a rather heavy chain mail shirt for myself and she wanted to match my audacious aura and yet still be girly. These seemed to be a great sollution.
Really you can use the general knowledge taught in this instructable (and on the net) to make whatever design you want. Be creative; that's what instructables is all about! :D
Cool, cool. I wasn't sure if there were only specific ones you liked to use or just whatever :) You should enter this into the Holiday Gifts Contest!


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Natural Evolution on Health
"Natural Evolution on Health" will address the topic of medical marijuana and its relevance in today's world. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Dave Hepburn, a leading authority on the intriguing world of cannabis and one of the top "mdutainers". Dr. Hepburn is an award winning syndicated columnist to more than 100 newspapers across the United States and Canada. He can be seen on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) Canada on Buy.O.Logic. He is the author of the hilarious "The Doctor Is In(sane)" which was nominated for several book awards. He is co-host of the popular national radio program "Wisequacks" heard weekly across Canada.
Enjoy this exclusive evening with Dr. Hepburn. Appetizers, cash bar and mingling with the hosts of the 10 sponsored booths. plus a silent auction. Dr. Dave will present from 7:00pm to 7:45pm with Q&A till 8:00pm, afterwards people can stay and mingle from 8:00pm – 9:00pm.
Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre; Greater Forest Lawn 55+ Society; Bow Cliff Seniors; West Hillhurst Go-Getters, Good Companions and the Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens' Association are collaborating to raise funds to support our like-minded goals of inspiring adults to stay active and involved.
This spacious banquet hall can seat up to 270 guests and accommodate up to 340 guests in a cocktail reception setting. Beautiful commercial kitchen available to accommodate your preferred cuisine and your choice of caterer. A full service bar equipped with fountain soft drinks, wine glasses, high ball glasses and ample serving space. Our stage can seat your head table, podium and state of the art sound system. With tables and chairs included in the rental, it is perfect for your next big party and corporate event. Look no further as this facility has it all.
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If you're creating a website for a marketing agency, or to promote your marketing services online, then this varied collection of WordPress themes will provide plenty of inspiration and options.
Many of these templates are multi-purpose themes, which include multiple demo versions that cover a wide range of uses. This means they can not only be used to create a marketing company website, but also a whole host of other types of site. Therefore, if you are including web design as part of your list of services, picking the right theme here could save you lots of time and effort, when it comes to deploying sites for your clients.
Other popular features included in some of the themes in this collection include drag and drop page builders that make it easy to create custom layouts and designs for your site; slide show builder tools that allow you to add animated sliders to your content; support for the best eCommerce plugins that give you the ability to charge for your services and products directly from your website; and many prebuilt page templates for a wide range of purposes.
It's also safe to assume that all of these themes are fully mobile responsive to cater to your visitors on the go, as well as being able to take advantage of the latest high-resolution retina desktop displays. Purchasing a commercial theme also ensures you get access to a good level of user and customer support to help you make the most of your theme as well as help you out should something go wrong.
These themes have all been built to help you generate more leads and business from your website, so really it just comes down to which one has the design and appearance that best matches your brand or business.
LandKit is a creative new marketing WordPress theme with a landing page builder tool.
The LandKit theme from the SoCanny team has an impressive selection of varied website demos. So if you're looking for a marketing theme to promote your consultancy services, a digital product, a webinar, or your crowdfunding campaign, LandKit could be a good option. The other demos include an app showcase homepage design, a lead generation landing page, and a SaaS website template to name just a few. Regardless of what type of website you want to build with WordPress, it's highly recommended you check out the different LandKit demos.
If you do decide to use this marketing WordPress theme for your project, you'll be able to use the one-click demo importer tool to almost instantly start work on your new website. You can also effortlessly customize the colors of this theme while still ensuring the different elements of your website work well together rather than clashing, thanks to the primary and secondary color palette options. Other customization tasks, such as uploading your company logo, changing fonts, and more, can all be carried out through the intuitive user interface of the LandKit theme.
When it comes to creating custom landing page designs and unique content layouts for the rest of your website, LandKit doesn't disappoint. Thanks to the included Hybrid Composer tool, you can use this lightweight yet powerful visual page builder to produce high converting landing page designs that are tailored to your products and customers. In fact, with over 70 page builder elements to work with, this tool certainly won't limit your creative freedom at all. Other elements like the 12 header styles and portfolio builder features will help you get the look of your website just right.
LandKit is a powerful website creation tool that easily earns its place in this collection of the best marketing WordPress themes.
SEO WP is a theme that's been purpose-built for anyone creating a website for a social media or digital marketing agency.
While this theme has been created for a specific niche, it's still a very flexible tool for developing professional looking websites. With SEO WP, out of the box, you get access to wide array of header styles and layouts for your website. This immediately makes it easy to give the first area of your website your visitors will notice a unique and bespoke look.
Moving down the page, your homepage layout can be equally customized to meet your needs, before finishing off your design with a custom footer configuration. If you are looking for an affordable off the shelf theme, but still want to stamp your own unique personality on your website, then SEO WP and its many settings and configuration options will be of interest to you.
Furthermore, to really help you give your site an original design, this marketing WordPress theme includes the premium Visual Composer page builder plugin. This popular tool allows you to go far beyond what is currently possible with the traditional WordPress post editor. You can now start building some impressive layouts for your content – all through a drag and drop user interface.
It's well worth pointing out that this affordable theme package also includes a library of professional images and icons that can be used throughout your posts for no extra cost.
Whether you are searching for a theme that looks great right out of the box, or one that is ready to be fully tweaked and customized, SEO WP could be just what you are looking for.
Divi is the flagship theme from Elegant Themes and it's a tool that can be used to build any type of website.
If you choose this theme, you get access to a large library of prebuilt page layouts that can be deployed to your site in just a few clicks. These templates cover essential pages for any website, such as the about page, the contact page, and many more, as well as lots of marketing focused ones, such as landing page templates, sales page designs, and a selection of high converting homepage layouts.
However, as we detailed in our hands-on Divi theme review, you aren't limited to the prebuilt layouts. The integration of the impressive Divi Builder page designer tool means you can edit any of the included templates or create your own from scratch with ease.
Divi is one of the most popular WordPress themes available. However, thanks to its page builder tool, giving your website a unique look and feel isn't a problem.
It's worth mentioning that when you purchase Divi, you also get access to all of the other themes from Elegant Themes. For a few dollars more, you can upgrade and get access to their impressive email optin form and social media sharing plugins to really help you grow your business.
Optimize has been created especially for digital marketing, SEO, and social media marketing agencies and freelancers.
If you want to attract the high-caliber clients your business deserves, then you need a high-quality website built with a theme like Optimize. To help you get the right look and feel for your marketing website, Optimize includes 12 distinct homepage designs. Although all of these homepages designs have been built for creating marketing websites, they each have a slightly different focus. For some businesses, the SEO agency homepage might be the best option, for another type of project, the analytics-focused homepage could check all the boxes.
As you'd expect from a theme built for marketing and search engine optimization agencies, Optimize includes full support for all the best WordPress SEO plugins. This can help ensure your content ranks prominently in the search engines. Due to this, not only will your site be easily found by your target audience, but also it will be a clear demonstration of your SEO abilities.
To help turn your website into an effective lead generation machine, Optimize includes a good selection of page templates to help you publish case studies and other content. This content can then be used to explain how you work and what you can do for your clients. There's also a useful selection of infographic elements that can help your content stand out on the page and appeal better to your audience.
Optimize has the right design and feature list to help you create a professional and effective website for your agency.
SEO Crawler
SEO Crawler is a WordPress theme for digital marketing agencies that specialize in search engine optimization and social media marketing.
The three pre-built SEO Crawler homepage layouts give you a great opportunity to choose the right design for your SEO agency website. Each of the three designs has a bold and stylish appearance that will immediately convey to your potential clients and customers that yours is a reputable agency offering credible services. By using the homepage slider, you can use the popular slideshow format to display the key information about your services and agency.
As your visitors scroll down the homepage of your website they'll see all the elements you'd expect to find in a marketing WordPress theme. Depending on which of the three demos you choose and how you configure it, this could include a grid that lists your most important services or attributes accompanied by an attractive icon; a form to request a free call back, quote, or report; and links to the best pages on your site. There are many more useful elements on the SEO Crawler demo homepages that really need to be seen to be appreciated.
SEO Crawler isn't a marketing WordPress theme that's only focused on helping you create a powerful homepage for your website. The content templates for the inner pages of your site have all been designed to a high standard. In the package, you'll find designs for publishing case studies, the details of your service plans, landing pages to promote your services, team member profiles, and much more.
SEO Crawler includes all the pre-built content your marketing website will need, plus a drag-and-drop page builder for carrying out customization work.
Off the Shelf
Off the Shelf has been described by its creators as the online marketing theme so it's a worthy addition to this collection.
After activating this theme on your WordPress website, you get a growing list of website templates to choose from. Each purpose built template can be applied to your site in just a few clicks, giving you a solid foundation for your own content. The marketing agency demo site should be of particular interest and is well worth a closer look.
Under the hood, you'll find all of the latest tried and tested features. This includes a drag and drop page builder tool, unlimited color and layout options, full WooCommerce support for adding an online store to your site, and multiple header styles to choose from.
Off the Shelf has been built with one goal in mind: to convert your visitors into clients.
TopSEO has all the features you'd expect from a high-quality marketing WordPress theme.
From the animated slider in the homepage's header to the social media icons in the footer, the default TopSEO demo has everything you need to create a marketing agency website with WordPress. The six other demos have all been built for marketing and SEO agencies too. Among the demos, you'll find a selection of useful page templates and layouts that can be mixed and matched to help you create a custom website.
In fact, when it comes to demonstrating your marketing credentials, TopSEO has a library of case study templates. These templates make it easy to publish your accomplishments in style, making it easy for potential clients to understand how you can help them.
Personalizing TopSEO is straightforward. After importing the demo content in just a few clicks, you can open the WordPress Customizer tool and start making changes to many aspects of your website. Fonts, colors, and layout options are just some of the areas of your site you can modify through the live front-end customizer interface.
TopSEO also includes a useful set of page elements. These elements can be inserted into your content to make your articles look more interesting and engaging. Examples of the TopSEO elements include pricing tables, call to action buttons, icon boxes, and much more.
If you're new to WordPress and building websites in general, TopSEO comes with a library of tutorial videos to help you get started.
Digitax is a fast-loading digital marketing WordPress theme with lots of useful features.
The developers of this theme have made a real effort to ensure that any websites built with Digitax load as quickly as possible. Of course, you will need to ensure that you've chosen a quality web host, but if you have done so, you shouldn't have to worry about your choice of theme unnecessarily slowing down your website if you decide to install Digitax.
Despite this focus on site speed, the Digitax templates certainly aren't lacking in design features. The layouts include stock photos and images that are in keeping with the typical style of a digital marketing website. There are also some subtle but eye-catching animation effects in use, that hopefully help to grab the attention of your visitors as they scroll down the page.
To help your website not only promote your services but also generate leads for your marketing agency, Digitax comes with a ready-made opt-in form that you can use to persuade and allow your visitors to get in touch. By offering them something in exchange, you can encourage your visitors to submit their details and join your sales funnel.
There are also pre-built call-to-action elements included throughout the Digitax templates. If you want to customize any of these features of this theme, you can use the supported Elementor page builder plugin to do so. This popular and powerful tool can be used to customize almost every aspect of a WordPress website, so if you'd like to ensure that your marketing site has a unique look, don't overlook this off-the-shelf theme.
Like many of the best WordPress digital marketing themes, Digitax has full ecommerce support. Thanks to this, if you want to take full or partial payments for your services via your website or carry out any other financial transactions, this theme and the WooCommerce plugin and its add-ons should be able to make it possible.
Digitax has an eye-catching design that can be used to help you create a website that's sure to impress your target audience.
Marketplus comes with lots of prebuilt modules and layouts that can be mixed and matched to help you get the right look for your website.
If your SEO agency or digital marketing portfolio needs a revamp then Marketplus aims to be the all-in-one solution you are looking for. With a quote request form displayed front and center, your prospective clients won't have any trouble finding out how to get in touch with you.
Thanks to the homepage design of Marketplace, presenting your unique selling points above the fold isn't a problem. However, you are free to easily reconfigure the default homepage layout to better match your vision if needs be.
To help you further in the theme customization process, the Marketplus WordPress theme includes the commercial Visual Composer plugin. This tool alone retails for $28, not only saving you money but also giving you a powerful drag and drop page builder tool to work with. You'll find the premium Revolution Slider plugin in the package too.
Marketplus includes a long form homepage layout that gives you plenty of opportunities to sell your services and land new clients.
X is a mammoth theme that can be used for almost any purpose; so no matter what type of website you are building, there's a template and layout included for you.
However, as this is a collection of the best marketing themes for WordPress, how does X compare to the competition in this category? Well, the answer is very well. Thanks to many prebuilt layouts and templates that are included with this theme, you shouldn't have any trouble building a website to market the services offered by your digital agency.
X also includes the custom-made Cornerstone page builder tool. This means you get access to a bespoke tool that has been built specifically for this theme. This allows you to get really creative with your post and page layouts. Cornerstone also includes an impressive library of elements, which can be inserted into your layouts with ease. A sample of these page elements includes accordions, buttons, rotating cards, icon lists, pricing tables, and much more. You can get the full lowdown on X in our theme review, however, it's safe to say this theme isn't lacking in features or usability.
X might be one of the best-selling WordPress themes around. However, thanks to all the prebuilt templates and demo content included in the package, as well as the bespoke page builder tool, you'll easily be able to create a website that stands out from the crowd.
If you aren't afraid to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in, mastering X will enable you to build any style of website with WordPress.
Marketing Pro
Marketing Pro is an all-in-one digital marketing and SEO agency WordPress theme.
With multiple website demos to choose from, Marketing Pro is a versatile option in the WordPress marketing themes category. Thanks to the variety of these demos, this theme should work well for many projects, including individuals offering their services as freelancers and consultants, as well as large organizations that want to create a website for their digital marketing agency.
If you want to create a digital marketing blog that shares the latest advice, tips, and news from this industry, then Marketing Pro is a good choice. Also, if you have a product or service you'd like to promote, rather than your agency itself, then there's a demo that was built for this purpose too in the Marketing Pro portfolio.
Whether you decide to use this theme to create a marketing blog or you want to add a blog to your agency website, you can use the library of blog post templates to present your content in the right way. The masonry grid blog template will display your posts in an attractive format, while the individual blog post templates give you lots of options each time you publish a new article.
There are also six different header layouts to choose from when setting up your website as well as some pre-built opt-in forms that can help you generate leads for your services, agency, or products. Thanks to the handy shortcodes, you can insert these email signup forms into your content whenever you need to, all in just a few clicks. Simply connect your WordPress website to one of the many supported email marketing services and you can start generating new leads for your business with this theme.
Marketing Pro is highly customizable, too, thanks to the inclusion of a premium page builder tool.
SEO Business
SEO Business is another purpose built theme that can help online and offline marketing agencies create professional websites.
SEO Business could be a good choice if you're looking for a theme that's ready to go, right out of the box. Some of the other themes in this collection offer you a range of demos and homepage layouts. However, if you don't want to invest too much time in evaluating a selection of demo options, SEO Business comes in just one format.
After you've used the one-click importer tool to populate your WordPress website with the SEO Business theme content, you'll just be left to add your own text and images. However, if you do want to make any changes to your site, you can. Whether you want to carry out cosmetic modifications such as changing fonts and colors, or more structural changes such as page layout redesigns, then you can either use the theme options control panel or the integrated drag-and-drop builder tool.
Other features of SEO Business that can help you create a professional marketing website includes a library of content templates, a selection of useful shortcode elements, a portfolio and completed projects publisher, and two powerful slider plugins to help you create interactive presentations and whiteboard sessions. There's also a custom form builder that makes it easy to design your own contact and online quote request forms.
If you need to get your new marketing website online today, then SEO Business is more than up to the challenge.
Foundry comes with multiple design concepts and page layouts to help you build a bespoke website for your marketing business or agency.
There's over 20 homepage concepts on offer, each of which can be applied to your website in just a few clicks. You will also find multiple menu styles to choose from, so that even your site navigation can have a custom look. The Google Fonts service has also been integrated into the theme so that you have over 900 typefaces to choose from, while the inclusion of the Visual Composer plugin means you will never be short on elements to insert into your posts and pages.
With Foundry, you get so many options to make use of, that the hardest part of building your website might be making a final decision on what to include.
Tower made a big impact upon its recent release and quickly became the best seller that month over at the busy ThemeForest marketplace.
This means plenty of feedback, user reviews, and comments have been left about this marketing theme and nearly all of it has been positive. The high volume of sales has also given the developers an extra incentive to schedule even more features for future releases of the Tower theme. Furthermore, having such a large user base has helped root out any latent bugs or plugin incompatibility issues that might have evaded the pre-release testing.
If you do choose the Tower theme, you get access to over 20 prebuilt demo versions that can be applied to your WordPress site in just a few clicks. While these demos cover a wide range of site types, there are a few that would be ideal for use on a marketing and consultancy website.
No matter which demo version you choose, the prebuilt designs can be tweaked and customized using the included Visual Composer page builder plugin. You can also use the theme options control panel to make more basic changes, such as those affecting the site colors, typography, and layout settings.
If you are interested in a multipurpose theme such as this, be sure to check out the different demo versions that are on offer from Tower.
Seosight is a WordPress theme built for creating websites for digital marketing agencies.
If you want to promote your digital marketing services online, then the Seosight theme definitely deserves a place on your shortlist. Although built primarily for agencies offering digital marketing services, individuals and small teams can also use this theme to promote their services online.
As the name of this theme suggests, you can use Seosight to promote your search engine optimization services as well as your social media marketing services and all of the other ways you help businesses market themselves online. Due to this focus of Seosight, this theme has a suitable design that should immediately make it clear what the purpose of your website is and what areas your agency specializes in.
You can see for yourself how your website could look if you choose this theme via the Seosight demos. If you do check out the demos, you'll see that the pre-built templates use lots of relevant images to help give your agency website a look that's in line with the main design trends within this industry. This includes stylish stock images, creative icon sets, and more.
Along with the useful homepage template, Seosight also comes with templates for all the other pages your digital marketing agency website might need. This includes different layouts for describing the services you offer and multiple case study templates for sharing the details of how you've helped previous clients.
While the templates do look good, you can change them as much or as little as you like. Thanks to the included premium WPBakery Page Builder plugin, you can open all of the templates up for editing as well as use the WordPress Customizer interface to make lots of changes to the overall design and style of your website.
If you want to generate more leads for your digital agency, Seosight can surely help.
Fortuna is another feature packed multipurpose WordPress theme that just so happens to be perfect for use on a marketing website.
If you want your homepage to really make an impact on your visitors, then this theme could be a great option. When using Fortuna, you can easily add a full-screen slideshow to your homepage that takes up all of the room above the fold.
By using a striking image and a few words of carefully crafted text, you can increase the chances of your one-time visitors becoming clients, customers, or subscribers. As the user moves down the page, you can draw them in with animated effects, well placed images, and testimonials from happy clients.
Fortuna includes a good selection of premium plugins, demo content, and layouts to really help you get the most out of WordPress.
Avada really can be used for any purpose and thanks to its unique blend of carefully crafted page templates, you can have your new website up and running in no time at all.
Now on version 3, Avada has been going from strength to strength and is only getting better and better. With over 150,000 sales so far, there is no chance of this theme being discontinued any time soon. This means you can buy with confidence knowing that this product will be supported for the foreseeable future and beyond.
In short, you get access to multiple prebuilt demo sites, a vast library of page templates, a custom page builder tool, countless shortcodes and page elements, as well as an impressive level of support for a wealth of third party plugins.
Avada has rightfully been described as the Swiss army knife of themes and once you take a closer look at the full list of features and capabilities, you will probably agree.
Yamato is an ideal choice if your company or business has more of a corporate focus.
Yamato checks off all the boxes on the criteria list for a multipurpose WordPress theme. This includes a full-screen layout, a homepage slideshow, icon lists, a call to action banner, animated effects, meet the team profiles, skill graphs, and client lists.
However, it's worth pointing out that Yamato isn't theme design by numbers and does have its own character and personality to help separate it from the competition. This comes in the form of a muted and serious appearance, which helps make it an ideal candidate for anyone shopping for a more corporate theme for their online presence.
With Yamato, you get access to a full library of support videos and online documentation to help you set this theme up correctly and get the most from this WordPress marketing template. Therefore, if you are looking for a little extra support, this theme won't leave you stranded.
Jupiter is another popular multipurpose WordPress theme that is ready for any occasion.
Despite being released in 2013, Jupiter hasn't been neglected by its creators. Instead, it's been steadily updated and improved to the point where it's now on version 4.4.4. Version 5 is on the way. Therefore, if you've got any concerns about building your business website around a theme that might get abandoned, Jupiter and its long shelf life should help you allay those fears.
If you do decide to view the demo version of Jupiter, you will encounter a theme that doesn't give away its age. On the contrary, you will experience a theme that looks up to date, featuring many of the latest web design trends, including eye-catching full-screen video background.
With the current version of Jupiter, you get access to a growing library of prebuilt page templates and layouts that span six categories: agency, creative, education, food, health, and eCommerce. Therefore, if you are planning to build your marketing website with this theme, you will be well served with options.
The developers of Jupiter have made a real effort to ensure that their theme loads quickly and judging by the page speed scores, they've done a good job.
Verko makes great use of the popular one-page homepage format to help you explain all of the services you provide in a single location.
After you've hooked your visitors with the benefits you can offer them, your potential new clients can explore the rest of your website in more detail. This could include the attractively presented portfolio section, your custom designed about page, your contact page, all of which can be created with any one of the many prebuilt templates included in the Verko package.
However, if you'd like to mix things up a bit, Verko does come with a nice selection of layout modes and options. This means you aren't at all limited to just the one-page website format and can instead choose something more traditional or even go out on a limb and get really creative with your own custom design.
While Verko is versatile, if you plan to build your website on the one-page format, then this theme is well worth a closer look.
Scalia includes some great looking portfolio page templates so if your sales funnel includes highlighting your best client work, then this feature should be of interest to you.
As well as the well-designed portfolio sections, you also get a strong selection of gallery templates to choose from, alongside eight impressive blog post and archive layouts. This is another mix and match theme that can be compiled in any number of ways to help you complete your project in the right way. The visual Composer plugin is included in the package so that you can fine tune any of the included layouts or create your own from scratch.
Scalia offers plenty of options for customization and personalization making it a good choice for anyone who wants total control over their WordPress theme.
BeTheme includes the Muffin Builder 3, a tool that lets you combine wraps to build the perfect page layouts for your WordPress website.
The individual wraps that make up your page layouts can each have their own custom layout, comprised of rows and columns. This allows you to give your pages an advanced design that just isn't possible with the standard WordPress post editor. Once you've built your flexible layout, it can then be populated with a wide range of items and elements.
If you'd rather not built your own layouts, then you'll be pleased to know there are over 130 premade layouts to choose from, each of which can be installed with just one click. Some of these layouts are perfect for creating a marketing services website, including the default layout, the copywriting template, and many of the one-page designs.
With BeTheme, you will be spoilt for choice, so just make sure you are in a decisive mood when setting up your website with this theme.
Juster could be a great choice if you are after a more minimal look for your website as opposed to some of the other more all singing, all dancing themes out there.
That's not to say that Juster is lacking in features, more that its focused on giving your content more room to breathe and isn't afraid of some well-placed whitespace. You still get multiple header layouts to choose from, as well as plenty of content and sidebar configurations to make use of. Not to mention, the useful premium plugins that are included in the package.
Amongst all the prebuilt layouts and features you get with Juster, there are some nice templates on offer that are perfect for communicating with your visitors. This includes a selection of coming soon and under maintenance pages as well as a clean and clear blank page template for promoting a product or making an announcement.
Juster is a versatile theme that is ideal for a wide range of projects, including building a marketing services homepage.
Haswell is focused on ensuring your mobile visitors get just a positive, if not better, user experience than their desktop counterparts.
While all of the themes featured here are mobile responsive, there are different ways to implement this usability requirement. Haswell does it really well and includes mobile friendly menus throughout, not to mention some well-set breakpoints for a range of mobile screen sizes.
With Haswell, you also get access to all of the most popular theme features. This includes multiple prebuilt layouts, bundled commercial plugins, video backgrounds, many custom header layouts, and a whole lot more.


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As in, only 5 more days left of The Wash's Cart Sale!
We have a few more goodies to show you tonight, but you are running out of time if you haven't been over to the Cart Sale yet! There are only 5 more days and then these deals will be gone. You know the drill by now – everything is 10L or less, there are tons of carts from 75 designers filled with stuff, we have clothing, accessories and shoes for men and women, we have home decor, we have build components, we have all kinds of neat things. If you visited the Cart Sale already, definitely take the time to come back and have a second look around – many of the vendors have put out new items, so you never know what you might have missed the first time around.
Note: External Appearance is selling the shapes, not the full avatars.