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Saloni Floral Silk Dress
Saloni's dress has us dreaming of days spent in the sun. Designed in a vibrant pink floral silk, the dress is cut to hang close to the body and features puffed sleeves and delicate buttons through the center. Whether you dress it down with sneakers or pair with a strappy heeled sandal, it's sure to make a statement.
From the closet of @TheNYBlonde
- Condition: Very Good.
- Fit: Slim fit midi dress. Floral printed silk. V-neckline. Puffed sleeves. Ruffled hem. Button-fastenings through center.
- Composition: 100% silk.
At Dora Maar we believe that the definition of luxury truly starts with the craftsmanship of each piece. We celebrate the time and artistry that has gone into the creation of a luxury item. Upholding the heritage of luxury is at the cornerstone of Dora Maar and as such we pride ourselves on having one of the most in-depth and rigorous authentication processes. We guarantee that all items sold, sent, and received on Dora Maar are authentic and genuine luxury pieces.
Inspection Process
Each item goes through a multi-step inspection process by our team, which includes a trained panel of fashion historians at every step of the way. We inspect all goods for appropriate brand markings, date codes, serial tags and hologram stickers.
Our authentication process is unique to Dora Maar and independent of any brands. Brands on our site are not involved in the authentication of the products being sold, and none of the brands sold assume any responsibility for any products purchased from or through the website. Brands sold on our site are not partnered or affiliated with Dora Maar in any manner. However, we will fully cooperate with brands and state and federal agencies seeking to track down the source of stolen or counterfeit items, which includes revealing the contact information of consignors submitting counterfeit goods.
Fake and Counterfeit Goods
Dora Maar has a zero tolerance policy for fake or counterfeit merchandise. If we suspect, for any reason, that a submitted item is not authentic, we will contact the consignor asking for further proof of purchase to establish the authenticity. Items that Dora Maar determines are fake will be immediately removed from Dora Maar's inventory.
At this time, all Sale items are final sale.
For all domestic, full price items, Dora Maar accepts return request via email within 10 days of receiving your parcel. All returns must be received back within 21 days. Please do note that you are responsible for all return shipping costs, which will be deducted from your refund. The return shipping cost is $10 for domestic packages. All international sales are final sale.
Please make sure your items are returned in unused condition and with all Dora Maar tags still attached. Returns that do not adhere to our return policy will not be accepted and will be sent back to you.To ensure that your item(s) will be accepted by our returns team, kindly follow the below return process:
- Ensure that all Dora Maar Tags and Designer Tags (if applicable) remain intact and that the product returns back to us in the same condition as described on the product page.
- A written formal return request must be emailed to email@example.com during the return window. We ask you that include your order # in the subject line of the email.
- Once the return request has been initiated, you will receive a pre-paid return label that you are requested to utilized when returning your parcel back to Dora Maar. Dora Maar is not responsible for any items returned back outside of return policy or employ a different return label. Additionally, Dora Maar is not responsible for any parcels that do not appear as scanned by UPS.
- Upon receipt of the return, you will receive a refund to back to your original method of payment within 5-10 business days
- All handbags and jewelry are final sale
All orders shipping to a United States address ship via UPS. An additional $7 fee will be applied to orders shipped to Hawaii and Alaska.
For all shipments within the USA, local and state sales tax will be charged on all orders (where applicable). Orders placed on Friday will be dispatched to UPS by the following Monday.
|Shipping Type
|Delivery Time
|3 – 5 business days
|Expedited 3-day
|3 business days
|Expedited 2-day
|2 business days
We ship to select countries. All international orders outside of the United States ship via UPS Worldwide Expedited. We cannot deliver to P.O. Boxes, Freight Forwarding addresses, Army/Fleet Post Office addresses and select U.S. Territories.
International Shipping Rates and Delivery Times are based on the delivery destination.
|Delivery Time
|Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico
|3 – 5 business days
|Europe and Middle East
|4 – 7 business days
|Asia Pacific, Australia
|4 – 7 business days
If you have any questions about shipping, kindly contact The Dora Maar Client Experience team at email@example.com. We strive to respond within 24 hours.
Prices displayed on our site are exclusive of taxes. Kindly note that, at this time, all countries are shipped to on a DDU (Delivery Duty Unpaid) basis and that the client is responsible upon delivery for any import duties, value added tax (VAT), goods and services tax (GST),customs fees, and any other tax that are additional to the Dora Maar retail price. These additional Tax and Customs fees are dictated by the country you are shipping to and payment of these fees is necessary for delivery. Payment is usually collected at delivery.
Due to extraneous factors, such as customs clearance, delays in delivery may occur. Items made of exotic materials and skins are unable to be shipped outside the US. At this time, all international sales are final sale and no returns can be accepted.
As soon as your package has shipped, we will notify you via email of the dispatch and will include the tracking number, so that you may follow the journey of your parcel. Kindly allow 24 hours from UPS's initial scan to see movement on the tracking number.
All Dora Maar packages are insured by UPS while the package is in transit until the time that it has been delivered to you. To ensure a secure delivery, packages over $700 will require a signature upon delivery.
At this time, we accept consignments only from within the United States.


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ROCKFORD — More than 1,000 students are expected to turn out this weekend and Jan. 25 to try to earn a spot in the highest performing academic program in the region.
Like it does every year, Rockford's Renaissance Gifted Academy is looking for new students and will offer open testing to any child in kindergarten through ninth grade living in the Rockford School District.
The students can be current public school students or attend private school.
Program leaders are calling it an ideal time to take the test. Last year's expansion of the middle school into Thurgood Marshall School has freed up space at Washington Academy to add classrooms if more students make the cut.
On top of the 78 slots that will be opening up in first grade when those students move on to second grade, Washington Principal Jim Parker estimates he'll have an additional 31 openings in second grade next year.
Washington students tested in the 99th percentile on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test last year. Marshall students tested in the 98th percentile. The average ACT score among academy high school students is 29.5.
"We take the scores as the icing on the cake," said Michele Beach, the Rockford School District's director of gifted, honors and advanced placement. "To us, what makes the program is providing a nurturing environment for kids who love learning."
Betsy Blyth of Rockford thinks the academy will be a good fit for her 11-year-old grandson, Ryley Kuhn.
Blyth attended an informational meeting for parents earlier this week. Ryley's been asking about the program, she said, after hearing about it from a friend.
"I think it would give him more stimulation and challenge him more in his academics," Blyth said.
Parent Kristin Royster plans to bring her son, Caden, to the test, as well.
"We really like the school where he is," Royster said. "It's a private school. ... The only drawback is the small population. This is a larger school with more diverse students. I think it would broaden his experiences."
Joan Schiffer's 10-year-old daughter took the test once before and is ready to try again.
"Really, it's her idea," Schiffer said. "She has friends here, so she wants to test again to see if she gets in.
"It's a very successful program. ... Why not give your child every chance to succeed?"
New this year
About 1,200 students take the eligibility test each year, Beach said.
In an attempt to reach out to children whose parents may not bring them in for testing, the district started offering the test to entire grade levels during the school day.
It tested third graders last year. This year, it's testing kindergarteners.
The test administered at school is a nonverbal ability test only. Students testing at or above the 95 percent mark will be offered a spot in the academy.
Because of the timing of the kindergarten test, most parents won't know that score until after Jan. 25.
Some parents may opt to test their children Jan. 25, just in case, Beach said. It's not a big deal to test more than once.
Beach's best advice to parents is this:
"The best thing to tell your kid is that we're going to go in and work on some puzzles, and you're going to have fun. Most of the kids enjoy themselves and leave the room with big smiles on their faces. ... Do everything you can to make the student comfortable and relaxed. There should be no pressure. Don't make a big deal of it."
Corina Curry: 815-987-1371; email@example.com; @corinacurry

subset: commoncrawl


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WASHINGTON -- Drug and device companies have just a month remaining to comment on a proposed rule that would require them to report all financial relationships with doctors.
As reported last year by MedPage Today and again Monday by the New York Times, the "Physician Payment Sunshine" provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), require that drug, medical device, biologic, and medical equipment manufacturers that produce any products covered by Medicare or Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program must report all payments made to doctors and hospitals.
The government will post the financial relationship information on a public website where patients and anyone else can check what ties to the medical industry a given doctor has.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will accept comments on the proposal until Feb. 17, 2012, and will respond to them in a final rule to be published later this year.
The law requires disclosure of payments for food, entertainment, gifts, consulting fees, honoraria, research funding or grants, education or conference funding, royalties or licenses, and charitable contributions.
Medical companies, as well as group purchasing organizations (GPOs), will also have to report stock ownership and investments held by doctors.
Under the sunshine provisions in ACA, companies that violate the reporting requirement could face fines of up to $150,000 for failing to report money and gifts to doctors and up to $1 million for deliberately failing to report "transfers of value."
There is widespread support for collaboration between doctors and industry but at the same time a number of recent MedPage Today/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports -- including a series on spine surgery -- have illustrated the slippery ethical slope that such relationships may foster.
The drug industry, meanwhile, has said it welcomes increased transparency but would like to know how, exactly, the information collected will be used.
"We have long supported transparency of physician payment information through the Sunshine provision and look forward to contributing to the public comment process," Matthew Bennett, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) said in a statement. "We continue to urge CMS to provide additional guidance about the ways in which context will be used regarding published physician payment information."


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Discipline Checklist: Clowning
Clowning is an inappropriate attention-getting device that, unfortunately, is successful much of the time for the attention-seeking student. To deal with such behavior, consider which of the following you would or wouldn't do:
Avoid public reprimands of student clowning; instead, try one of these responses:
- Move toward a clowning student without making eye contact.
- Give a private warning of impending isolation from the group within the classroom.
- Isolate the clowning student to the rear of the classroom for a short time (1-5 minutes) after only one warning.
For repeated incidents of clowning, schedule a private conference with the student during recess or lunch.
Present rationales for doing the clowning outside of the classroom, and discuss alternative ways of getting attention (class plays, show-and-tell time, or a few minutes of stand-up comedy at the end of the day).Make a written, signed contract for improving behavior.
Include incentives and the possibility of being excluded from fun activities if the clowning continues.
Enlist class support in ignoring a student's inappropriate bid for attention.Say, "Please don't pay attention to his/her nonsense. We're in school and we have quite a bit to do. Don't let _____________ steal your time."
Excerpted from Discipline Checklist: Advice from 60 Successful Teachers.


text: Amplified Speaker Packages OEM Speaker Replacement Kits Radio Replacement Kit 1999 Pontiac Bonneville Car Audio Upgrades The 1999 Pontiac Bonneville is a full-size automobile which was built by Pontiac from 1957 to 2005. Here at HifiSoundConnection.com, we have a full size selection of 1999 Pontiac Bonneville Car Audio Upgrades and Packages that will suits your car audio needs. These products are made at its finest by the leading names in car audio products today. Feel free to browse at HifiSoundConnection.com and purchase your very own Car Audio Upgrades at its lowest prices ever!


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In pro wrestling, a chair shot is when you hit someone with a metal folding chair, usually in the head area. You'll see one of those in the Saints Row the Third clip, along with all manner of open-world madness. Since it's out today, you can get your gangstafied crazy on right now.
You can contact Evan Narcisse, the author of this post, at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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03 April 2013 | News | By BioSpectrum Bureau
Medivation and Astellas Pharma plan to conduct an interim analysis for the Prevail clinical trial in 2013
Singapore: Medivation and Astellas Pharma have established an updated interim analysis plan for the Prevail trial, a global phase III clinical trial evaluating Xtandi (enzalutamide) capsules in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have not yet received chemotherapy.
The planned interim analysis for the Prevail trial is expected to occur in 2013. In addition, the protocol-specified number of radiographic progression-free survival (PFS) events have been exceeded, and the primary PFS analysis will occur at the time of the interim analysis for overall survival. Medivation is conducting this study under its agreement with Astellas.
Dr Lynn Seely, chief medical officer, Medivation, said that, "As we did with our Affirm trial, we have evaluated recent industry data announced in the prostate cancer disease area and updated our analysis plan for the Prevail trial. We've shared our updated plan with the US Food and Drug Administration who are in agreement with our approach. We plan to conduct the PREVAIL interim analysis in 2013."
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-national phase III Prevail trial met its enrollment goals in May 2012 at sites in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, Russia, Israel and Asian countries including Japan. The Prevail trial includes 1,717 patients who have progressed following treatment with a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analog drug only, as well as patients who have progressed following treatment with both an LHRH analog drug and an anti-androgen drug.
The study co-primary endpoints are radiographic progression-free survival and overall survival; secondary endpoints include time to first skeletal-related event and time to initiation of chemotherapy. The trial is designed to evaluate enzalutamide at a dose of 160 mg taken orally once daily plus standard of care versus placebo plus standard of care.


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A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
1623 - 1666
Historical Period:
The Early Modern Period
Clarke studied law before joining the New Model Army as an assistant to the Secretary of the General. He participated in the invasion of Scotland and served as secretary of the Army of Occupation of Scotland. After the Restoration of the monarchy he was knighted and served as Secretary at War in 1661. He was mortally wounded in a sea battle against the Dutch in 1666.


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - What's Your Favourite Scary Movie? Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in What's Your Favourite Scary Movie? Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Film and Cinema View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message Pamela12Joined: 29 Jul 2009Posts: 5 Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:29 pm Post subject: What's Your Favourite Scary Movie? Well, I'm going with the Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves starrer DEVIL'S ADVOCATE._________________Biggest Marketplace for concert Tickets Back to top peterteacherJoined: 13 Apr 2009Posts: 86Location: Australia Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:44 pm Post subject: The Devil's Advocate was quite scary in the middle, but not by the end. The American version of The Ring is still the movie that freaked me the most. Just the first scene when suddenly it flashed back to the girl dead in the room with the terrified, hideous face. It just took me by surprise because at that part I thought there was a lull in the horror. The only time I ever shouted aloud at the cinema was in Mel Gibson's Sign. I would've been fine except my girlfriend sitting next to me suddenly screamed and grabbed my leg, causing me to jump a mile! More recently I saw the Descent; pretty good horror/action._________________Try some mini, on-line adventure games to help your English at: www.gameenglish.com Back to top marmara34Joined: 09 Nov 2009Posts: 5 Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 3:08 am Post subject: A Nightmare on Elm Street. When I watched this movie I was a child. In that time. Back to top charactereducationJoined: 07 Jan 2010Posts: 21Location: USA Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 11:19 pm Post subject: The scary movie I like the most is The Dolls._________________Character Education Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Film and Cinema All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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I have not had time to go too deep into the engine yet but what I see at first glance is the 1.7.4 version is like stepping back in time a couple of years.
My second impression is that this 1.7.4 release is a total shambles and the lead developer should not have allowed this to be released in this broken state - the forums are already filling up with reports of broken content, the latest being Tomcat and so I advise not to install this version or 'downgrade' to this version unless you absolutely require the latest component versions.
To get an indication of what's in and what's out try and compare the readme_en.txt files of 1.7.3 and 1.7.4 versions and don't be surprised if you think you have become a time traveler just arriving back at the year 2008.
1. If you download the 7z (7zip) or the zip archive versions
we are now back to this from being able to do that among other useful things in Wiedmann's setup_xammp.bat file.readme-en.txt file wrote:Please do not use the "setup_xampp.bat" for an USB stick installation!
2. No installing on a drive on your PC as a portable app. like you could with 1.7.3.
3. No port checker in 1.7.4 !!!
Use CurrPorts Utility that was the underlying app used in the xampp-portcheck.exe file:
Or, copy the xampp-portcheck.exe from your 1.7.3 version to a temp folder then into the 1.7.4 folder after installation.
Works for me.
In fact I would not uninstall 1.7.3 but simply rename the folder to xampp173 and run the setup-xampp.bat file to relocate the installation. You will have the best of both worlds then.
4. The MySQL Admin button in the XAMPP Control Panel in 1.7.4 has been disabled.
In earlier versions it used to point to MySQLAdmin with often disastrous results and many support request - so it is back in the earlier version state of being made useless.
In 1.7.3 the MySQL Admin button used to open phpMyAdmin the preferred GUI for MySQL but alas no more - you will have to open it manually by typing http://localhost/phpmyadmin.
5. The New XAMPP security concept section in the apache\conf\extra\httpd-xampp.conf file has be changed and will now only allow access to the XAMPP files and folders from the local loop back address 127.0.0.1 - this will cause issues for those of you on a LAN and/or using local IPv6 addresses.
Again it would be possible to copy the section from a 1.7.3 httpd-xampp.conf and replace the entry in the 1.7.4 httpd-xampp.conf file to allow access from the LAN and/or local IPv6 addresses.
The Windows HOST file will have to include the entry 127.0.0.1 localhost or the IPv6 entry and requires checking for this manually as the setup-xampp.bat file no longer sets these values.
6. Most of the issues that were solved in 1.7.3 are back like those that were evident pre 1.7.3/1.7.2 releases - thanks Wiedmann.
7. No eaccelerator as it has been accidentally omitted.
8. There are no bells and whistles in the setup_xampp.bat file like there was in the copyright source code of the 1.7.3 version.
9. Tomcat is broken and will give an error when trying to start it as per the readme-en.txt file.
10. In this release MSMTP has gone and in it's place is the 2008 version of fake sendmail, so this alone will create the old issues to return here especially is you decide to downgrade to this 1.7.4 version.
You may be able to install and use MSMTP if you wish, info from this link:
11. There is no Zend Optimizer as mentioned in the readme_en.txt file, is there even a Z O for php 5.3x yet?:
If you want to add more retrograde differences here in this open topic then please feel free.
If you find any improvements you like then they too could be posted here - I don't expect many except for the component version upgrade improvements.
1. There are 3 source code folders in the \xampp\src folder that will please the XAMPP Control Panel hackers.
All I can see now is a massive increase in support issues in these forums from people who are stepping up from 1.7.3 and older versions to this 1.7.4 version plus the many absolute new users who come across the old issues - advanced forum searching will now become an absolute must do, as there are many solutions for the older issues already recorded and will relieve the expected and inevitable work load on our forum voluntary support providers.
It seems obvious that when developer and forum moderator Carsten Wiedmann left the XAMPP playground he took his new ball with him and now we are left to play with only the now shabby and well worn old one.
Or as we say here locally, "he childishly spat the dummy".
This 1.7.4 version is the result of allowing developers of open source offerings to slip in their own closed and copyright source content, then leave and take the source code and files away with them - it's akin to someone taking out the bottom card of a stack you just spent hours building, only to have them all come crashing down in a heap.


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Tag Archives: Stained Glass
Autumn is such a picturesque time of year, the leaves change, colorful crops are harvested and the air becomes crisp and clean. Capture some of the season's highlights with this stained glass activity that both you and your Little Pnuts will enjoy making together.
What You Will Need:
- Transparent Contact Paper
- Glue Stick
- Colorful Ribbon
- Natural Items Collected from outside; leaves, twigs flowers & sticks.
Spend an hour outside with your Little Pnuts collecting things that symbolize Autumn, fallen leaves, twigs, sticks, flowers etc. If you have time you can even gather them while out on a nature scavenger hunt to add a bit more fun.
Prepare your materials. Cut 2 equal size squares from the contact paper. Keep the backing on the sheets until you are ready to assemble.
Select your ribbon and measure out 4 pieces that are in equal length to each of the four edges of your contact paper. This will be the frame.
Carefully pull off the backing from one of the sheets. Have your Little Pnut place the items they found carefully on the sticky side of the sheet. Work through the exercise with your Little Pnut having them think about how they'd like to arrange each piece. Would they like to arrange by colors? Do they want to arrange by shape? Do they want to create a pattern?
Once they've decided the placement of their items you'll need to remove the backing from the second sheet of contact paper. Carefully line up the edges and slowly place the second sheet sticky side down on top of the arrangement. Be careful not to get air bubbles between the sheets but if they do occur simply try to rub them out with the tip of your finger.
Have your Little Pnut put glue along the edges of the 4 pieces of ribbon and carefully place them along each edge of their stained glass, framing their artwork.
Lastly, find a window with good light that comes from the setting sun to capture the colors of their stained glass coupled with the Autumn light and hang.
Happy Playing!
Developmental Milestones:
This activities focuses on the following Developmental Milestones for your Little Pnuts:
Fine Motor Skills, Focus and Concentration, Color Recognition, Shape Recognition, Hand-Eye Coordination, Strategic Thinking, Cognitive Development, Speech Development and Creativity.—Melissa Pia Bossola Beese, founder of LittlePnuts.com


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Stunt Performers from "Skyfall" and "Game of Thrones" are Recipients of the Honors for Outstanding Action Performances by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 27, 2013) - The stunt performers and coordinators from "Skyfall" and "Game of Thrones" are recipients of this year's Honors for Outstanding Action Performances by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles, it was announced today from the "19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R)" red carpet by Screen Actors Guild Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams and Awards Committee Member Scott Bakula. The announcement was made on the live "19th Annual SAG Awards Red Carpet Show," webcast on tntdrama.com, tbs.com and People.com which streams until 8:00 p.m. (ET) / 5:00 p.m. (PT).
The Stunt Ensemble Honors commend work within the stunt community during 2012 and recognize stunt performers and coordinators. Nominees that were chosen by their respective SAG Awards(R) film and television nominating committees - each consisting of 2,100 SAG-AFTRA members from around the country, randomly selected anew each year - were announced on Dec. 12, 2012. Balloting procedures to choose the final recipients were sent to more than 100,000 eligible voting members of SAG-AFTRA on Dec. 31. Voting closed on Friday, Jan. 25 at noon (PT). Results were sealed by the Guild's official election teller until Williams and Bakula announced them on the SAG Awards red carpet. The recipients are:
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Hussain Adbullah
Arsha Aghdasi
Mahsa Ahmadi
Gillian Aldam
Lucy Allen
Scott Armstrong
Gary Arthurs
Amir Badri
Lee Bagley
Cody Banta
Carly Barnes
Lloyd Bass
Nikki Berwick
Mustafa Beyter
Dani Biernat
Nellie Burroughes
Michael Byrch
Annabel Canaven
Justo Usin Carrera
Boris Martinez Casel
Tracy Caudle
Nick Chopping
Ben Collins
Ben Cooke
Rob Cooper
James Cox
Talila Craig
David Cronnelly
Eugenio Jiminez Cubillo
Clive Curtis
Zarene Dallas
Inci Demirbas
Ümit Demirbas
Rick English
Bradley Farmer
Elaine Ford
David Forman
Vladimir Furdik
Halil Ibrahim Gezer
Saied Gholamie
Andy Godbold
Oliver Gough
Jean-Pierre Goy
Evangelos Grecos
Richard Hansen
Bobby Holland Hanton
Dee Harrop
Elliot Hawkes
Rob Herring
Mark Higgins
Jason Hunjan
Rob Hunt
Dusan Hyska
Rowley Irlam
Martin Ivanov
Cressida Jade
Tolga Kenan
Paul Kennington
Géza Kovács
Görkem Kün
Maurice Lee
Andy Lister
Jan Loukota
Kevin Lyons
Robbie Maddison
Marc Mailley
Kai Martin
Tina Maskell
Belinda McGinley
Morteza Megdizadeh
Angela Meryl
Casey Michaels
Peter Miles
Gareth Milne
Sian Milne
Mark Mottram
Alim Muzaffer
Brian Nickels
James O'Dee
Justin Pearson
Ian Peed
Heather Philips
Gary Powell
Greg Powell
Tilly Powell
Dominic Preece
Charles Ramsay
David Rea
Gino Rea
Kai Fung Rieck
Tom Rodgers
Yunus Emre Sagukkanli
Diz Sharpe
Mark Slaughter
Curtis Small
Andy Smart
Mark Southworth
Marvin Stewart-Campbell
Roy Street
Gabor Szeman
Mens-Sana Tamakloe
Rocky Taylor
Arran Topham
Vi-Dan Tran
Sam Trimming
Emre Ugantas
Fatih Ugurlu
Cuco Usin
Tony Van Silva
Ami Verge
Rudolf Vrba
Damien Walters
Vincent Wang
David Ware
Calvin Warrington-Heasman
Marlow Warrington-Mattei
Reg Wayment
Paul Weston
Alistair Whitton
Martin Wilde
Belle Williams
Donna C. Williams
Sarah Lochlan Williams
Annabel Wood
Ben Wright
Liang Yang
Roger Yuan
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
Rob Cooper
Jamie Edgell
Dave Fisher
Dave Forman
Paul Herbert
Michelle McKeown
Sian Miline
Jimmy O'Dee
Domonkos Pardanyi
Marcus Shakesheff
CC Smiff
Mark Southworth
NOTE: Credits for the Stunt Ensemble Nominees are not final. All names are subject to verification.
The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(R) presented by SAG-AFTRA will be produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards(R), LLC. For more information about the SAG Awards, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about, "like" us at facebook.com/sagawardsofficialpage, follow us at twitter.com/sagawards, follow us SAG Awards on Google+ at google.com/+SAGawards, on Instagram by following @sagawards, and on Tumblr at sagawards.tumblr.com.


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Practitioner Search
ANTA Practitioner Search - Acupuncture
Our unique directory allows you to find suitable Natural Therapists and Complementary Medicine practitioners in your area.
ANTA's Scope and Standards of Practice
To view ANTA's commitment to the delivery of quality health care, public safety and promoting informed choices read our Scope and Standards of Practice.
Choosing a Therapist
For more information read our Guidance on Choosing a Therapist.
Which Therapy is best for you
Many different forms of therapy can help with the same health problem, and yet some practices specialise in treating specific conditions. Information has been gathered to help you decide on which therapy is best for you.
Simply click on the links for more information.
- Acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
- Ayurvedic Medicine
- Chinese Herbal Medicine
- Chiropractic/Osteopathy
- Counselling
- Homoeopathy
- Myotherapy
- Musculoskeletal Therapy
- Naturopathy
- Nutrition
- Oriental Remedial Therapy
- Remedial Massage Therapy
- Shiatsu
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Western Herbal Medicine
It's your choice, Naturally
Use our search facility to find what you're looking for on the ANTA website.
The Natural Therapist
Issue: 32 No.1 | March 2017
Advertise on ANTA's website today or in the Natural Therapist journal and reach out to Australia's growing Natural Therapies community.


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The Felicia Fun is certainly on record as one of the most Jalopnik vehicles ever created by a major manufacturer. Caminofied goodness? Check. Eastern European heritage? In spades, friends, in spades. And there's nothing un-fun about it. It doesn't matter if it's as slow as a house. It doesn't matter if we'd have to push it around ourselves. We'd just duct tape a ghetto blaster to the rear wing and get our daily workout by pushing it up hills while listening to Whodini's Escape on cassette. Reader Peter sent us this photo — with love — from Budapest. We obviously have the best patrons on the planet.
El Skodamino! The Felicia Fun! [Internal]


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Farewell to the legendary Kombi
VOLKSWAGEN Kombi fans raise a glass. It's time to bid farewell to a legend.
Volkswagen has announced it will end production of the Kombi van in 2013 - 63 years after it was introduced to the world market back in 1950.
The only existing VW Kombi production line in the world is in Sao Bernardo del Campo, Brazil, where the vans, which haven't been significantly updated since the late '70s, are still built by company subsidiary Volkswagen do Brasil. Company head Thomas Schmall told UK magazine Car and Driver that by the end of next year, Kombi production would finish up after 56 years of continuous manufacturing.
The demise of the Kombi T2 (as it is known in Brazil) comes courtesy of stricter safety rules being brought into place, which require all new cars to be fitted with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and dual front airbags, come into force on January 1, 2014.
But as one senior source told Car and Driver, the move was also part of a cultural shift for the brand: "At some point, you are the brand with the old cars."
UK magazine Autocar quotes VW Brazil's product development boss, Egon Feichter, saying that the Kombi would need to become "a new car" if it were to meet the new criteria. According to Feichter, that's something the brand apparently isn't willing to invest in, because to replace the Kombi with an all-new version wouldn't make financial sense as "you can get two Kombis for the price of one normal car".
In recent years Volkswagen has confirmed it is working on a modern day interpretation of the Kombi. The Bulli concept van was said to be a precursor to that car, but VW says it has put the project on the back-burner due to tough times in the European economy.
The Kombi was not the only "old" Volkswagen still being built and sold as a new car long after Germany discontinued the original model.
Volkswagen plants in Mexico and South Africa used to build original versions of the Beetle and Golf, but production of those models has stopped in recent years. The company still builds an older version of the Passat for the Chinese market, although that will be replaced by a more modern version soon.
The Sao Bernardo del Campo plant still rolls out 251 examples of the Kombi every day.


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We're a chatty country, the good ol' US of A. We like to talk about ourselves and our families and our friends and our opinions — most definitely our opinions. About what we love and what we hate and what makes us angry.
Our Protestant founding fathers would be appalled by all of this emoting.
And they'd be even more appalled by what I'm going to say next, which is that I think we need to ditch the WASPy aversion to talking about money ("If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it, darling!") and instead start discussing our finances more openly.
I don't mean chatting about stocks and investments, or about what we paid for a car or an expensive pair of shoes — the latter qualifies as bragging, and it's not very interesting on a date or at a cocktail party.
I'm talking about money talk that can actually help and inform you. Salary talk. The stuff we're not supposed to talk about right after we're finished not talking about politics or religion or all the other topics that keep showing up in our Facebook
For some reason, the taboo about money has held strong for centuries, and while attitudes are changing in some demographic groups — more on that later — I think it's time to give it the boot, once and for all.
When I moved to New York from Boston 12 years ago, I was shocked by how often people — not even close friends, but casual acquaintances — would ask how much I paid for rent. At first I would just laugh, hoping they'd take the hint and change the subject.
But they didn't. They kept asking. And after a year or so of living in Manhattan — yes, it took a year for the surprise to wear off — I started to realize that people weren't being rude when they asked. They were being direct. They just wanted to know what the market was like, and where they stood on the scale: Were they getting a good deal, or at least paying a fair rate ("fair rate" in Manhattan being a relative term), or being bilked?
And just as I came to appreciate the gorgeous transparency of the question as it applied to real estate, I realized the same applies to talking about salaries. This goes for everyone, but especially women. We're more likely to shy away from the kinds of conversations that would help us the most. A survey of graduating professional students by Linda Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University, author of the book "Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation," depressingly found that only 7% of graduating women tried to negotiate their first job offers, whereas 57% of the men did so.
"It's a myth to believe that if you keep your head down, stay quiet, and just do a great job, then someone will notice and reward you handsomely with exceptional compensation. Totally untrue," says Tory Johnson, CEO of Women for Hire, a recruitment services firm. "Not speaking up costs all of us countless mortgage payments and fancy shoes. We simply take what's offered, as if we're supposed to be thankful for anything."
Of course, then there are the times when women do negotiate, and it backfires spectacularly, as a recent New Yorker article by Maria Konnikova found. The article cites four different studies in which women interviewing for jobs were penalized for asking for higher compensation — even when the interviewers were women. Simply put, people didn't like the idea of women asking for "too much," and viewed it as aggressive and unappealing.
This is bleak news for women who might have thought pay parity was simply a matter of asking for it.
But this only makes the case for pay transparency stronger. When you've done the research and have the most relevant, accurate information about what you can expect to be fairly paid, that's half the battle.
Sound crazy? In Sweden, Finland and Norway, everyone's personal income and tax information is regularly published online in the ultimate act of transparency (although I'm not sure how anyone is able to get any work done, given the glorious snooping opportunities).
Of course, while many employees might be nodding their heads in agreement with this idea, there's a pretty good chance their companies will not. Easy to see why, of course — keeping salaries hush-hush benefits companies, but not most workers.
Many companies across various industries actually have clauses in their employee contracts that prohibit discussion of salary and benefits with other employees; others, including Apple, have reportedly conveyed the same message in their orientation programs, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.
But these companies might be surprised to learn that such policies aren't legal, as the company Flex Frac Logistics, a trucking and freight shipping company, recently learned when an unfair labor practice case ruled against them. The National Labor Relations Act actually contains a provision that allows all employees to basically talk salary shop with each other without fear of punishment or termination.
OK, so maybe you're a manager who doesn't want a full-scale employee riot on your hands after someone finds out that Jim in the cubicle next to them makes 30% more despite having the same job title. A reasonable concern. But one way for companies to combat this — and I'm not trying to sound like a Pollyanna — is to pay employees fairly in the first place, and for companies to regularly conduct internal assessments of pay practices to ensure that they aren't using discriminatory policies.
If your pay structure makes sense, there's no problem. And when companies have Human Resources departments that support employees, workers will feel comfortable having a place to go to voice their concerns.
While those above the age of 35 might still feel squeamish about the idea of discussing salary with friends and co-workers, there's one group that probably doesn't: millennials. This group, made up of those born in the 1980s and 90s, has come of age using social media, where sharing personal information is common, if not the entire point. Millennials have a different perception of privacy, and of what they are and aren't willing to discuss, and they're more likely to challenge traditional conventions if they don't make sense to them.
Companies might want to get ready — there's soon going to be a whole lot of talking. And unlike previous generations of workers, which tended to do their whispering at the water cooler, these new, younger workers are more likely to be chatting about it on Twitter
Mackenzie Dawsonis a contributing editor at the New York Post. She covers motherhood, workplace issues, and pop culture, and has a column, Motherland, at nypost.com.
More from MarketWatch:
10 things Generation X won't tell you
How to fly on a private jet for under $200 per person


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In today's installment of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Uncle Jesse wants to know if there's a special day that you set aside each week to partake in a little interactive entertainment, if you know what he means.
Does anyone have a 'gaming day'? One day of the week that no matter what is going on in your life, you always seem to end up playing video games on that day. I didn't intentionally choose a day and schedule time in for it, but I've noticed that Saturday night almost always results in me playing games until I can't keep my eyes open. I know I'll be dead on Sunday morning since I have a little girl that wakes up at 5:30am, but I MUST! Doesn't she know that I was up until 1:00am playing Dues Ex? How inconsiderate!
So do you have a day, scheduled or not, that you can always have time to game on?
About Speak Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have a forum on Kotaku called Speak Up. That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best Speak Up posts we can find and highlight it here.


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Jason Reitman's Reservoir Dogs Rocks the LACMA House
One of the great things about Jason Reitman's "Live Read" series for Film Independent at LACMA is that the all-star sessions are never filmed or recorded for Internet posterity. It's all about the audience surrendering to a live-performance moment. To bring that point home last night, curator Elvis Mitchell donned a pair of sunglasses and jokingly warned that anyone caught using a Smartphone in the audience would get a painful, personal visit from Laurence Fishburne.
Fishburne (pictured), seated center stage, was riveting as Mr. White, cranking out the first pair of Reservoir Dogs reading highlights: the injured-partner-in-the-car scene with Mr. Orange (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and the soulful significant-others discussion with jewelry store heist organizer Joe (Chi McBride). Bookending the all-black cast last night was Reitman, stage-left, who reads the script scene set-up info, and his Young Adult co-star Patton Oswalt, stage-right, who donned several comic relief hats as a radio DJ, policeman and more.
Terrence Howard put his own, seductive spin on the role of psychopath Mr. Blonde, played so memorably in the film by Michael Madsen. He also got one of the biggest laughs of the night when he came to page 59 and, in response to Reitman's stage direction, told the audience, "I wasn't ready to die yet." Reitman quickly adjusted, expanding Quentin Tarantino's words to indicate a longer, drawn out death scene.
Rounding out this delightfully profane Black History Month celebration at the Bing Theater were Anthony Mackie (Mr. Pink), Anthony Anderson (Eddie Cabot) and rapper Common (Mr. Brown). In his introductory remarks, Mitchell recalled how he and other members of the African-American community were fascinated, upon Reservoir Dogs' original release, by how "black" every character in the movie sounded. Last night, that was truer than ever.
[Photo: Featureflash/Shutterstock.com]


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The Story Behind the Man
Tom Brokaw, a well-respected and trusted figure in U.S. broadcast journalism, is best known as the managing editor and sole anchor of NBC News. In this role, he produced and reported documentaries and extended expertise in breaking news events and election coverage. Brokaw's distinctive style and charm made him a well-recognized star of television news through the 1980s and 1990s. During this time, he was credited from his work in various film appearances, television appearances, radio appearances, and several bestselling books. Brokaw also won every major award given in broadcast journalism, including a Peabody Award, two duPonts, and several Emmys and is also known for his charity work.
Early Life
Born on February 6, 1940 in Webster, South Dakota, Brokaw was the eldest of three sons. He was the son of Eugenia "Jean" Nee Conley, who worked as a sales clerk in a post office, and Anthony Orville "Red" Brokaw, descendant of Huguenot immigrants Cathernine le Fevre Broucard and Bourgon Broucard. Brokaw was named after his paternal great-grandfather, Richard P. Brokaw, who founded the town of Bristol, South Dakota, as well as a small hotel and first structure of Bristol, known as the Brokaw House.
Brokaw's father worked as a construction foreman at the Black Hills Ordnance Depot, or BHOD. As a foreman for the Army Corps of Engineers, he helped construct Fort Randall Dam. This type of work caused the Brokaw family to frequently move during Tom's young childhood. The family lived in a small residual community in Bristol, Igloo, as well as Pickstown, before settling in Yankton, South Dakota. Brokaw attended Yankton Senior High School where he became the governor of the South Dakota American Legion Boys State. He accompanied then South Dakota Governor Joe Foss to New York City. The duo made a joint appearance on a television game show. This appearance was just the beginning of a long-lasting relationship with Joe Foss, who would later be featured in Brokaw's bestselling World War II veterans' book, The Greatest Generation.
Tom Brokaw was admitted to the University of Iowa after finishing high school. Brokaw soon dropped out after he majored in what he called "beer and co-eds". This advice came from his guidance counselor who insisted he take a break. However, he went on to attend the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Although he struggled with his studies, Brokaw went on to earn a B.A. degree in Political Science in 1964. While attending university, he married former Miss South Dakota and author, Meredith Lynn Auld. Together, the couple had three children, Jennifer, Andrea, and Sarah. His early life was a big influence on his future career.
Broadcasting Career
Brokaw had an early obsession with reporting and politics, even staying awake until one A.M. as a young child to see the results of election nights on the television. This would prove useful in his career as a broadcast journalist. After graduating university in 1964, Brokaw accepted work at a broadcasting station, located in Sioux City, Iowa. This position was followed by job offers at broadcast news stations, KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska and WSB –TV in Atlanta, Georgia. KNTV offered a salary of $90 per week, in which Brokaw refused. He asked for a salary of $100 per week, which was accepted by the station.
He stated one of his primary reasons for joining the news industry was his strong desire to travel. Brokaw's love for politics also came into play as more opportunities opened up for the young reporter. In 1965, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia to cover the civil rights movement. During this time, Brokaw was able to cover a story on Martin Luther King, while serving as anchor and editor of the Georgia station, KMTV, 11:00 news. Coincidentally, Dan Rather, future anchor of CBS News, was also covering the civil rights movement at this time.
In 1966, Brokaw joined the NBC News team, reporting from California. He also continued to anchor the 11 P.M. news for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. NBC was impressed with the talents Brokaw displayed at KMTV. Only one year after beginning his new job, Brokaw started his career as the Los Angeles station anchor. However, the acceptance of this new job was only after turning down the offer – twice. Brokaw was not impressed with his NBC assignment. He desired to work as a correspondent in Washington, D.C. From the west coast, Brokaw eventually moved to Washington where he became NBC's White House correspondent in 1973, during the Watergate era. He also continued to anchor the Saturday editions of NBC's Nightly News.
In 1976 and 1980, Brokaw covered the Democratic and Republican conventions as one of NBC News' team of floor reporters. He also covered the election primaries in the race between Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter. He soon became the host of NBC's Today Show in its 24th season. In California, he was the given the opportunity to cover Ronald Reagan's campaign to run as president in 1980. Brokaw also had the opportunity to interview Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, earning him an Alfred I duPont-Columbia University Award.
On April 5, 1982, Brokaw became the co-anchor with Roger Mudd in Washington on NBC Nightly News from New York. However, NBC News president, Reuven Frank, concluded that the duo-anchor program wasn't working. In 1983, Frank decided to select Brokaw to be the sole anchor of NBC Nightly News. The NBC Nightly News, starring Tom Brokaw, first aired on September 5, 1983. During this time, Brokaw covered events, such as the EDSA Revolution, Challenger disaster, Hurricane Andrew, fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Loma Prieta earthquake. In 1982, Brokaw was the only anchor to report directly from the fall of the Berlin Wall.
By the fall of 1987, Brokaw had achieved a number of high profile successes. As anchor, he conducted the first one-on-one American television interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In December of the same year, Brokaw moderated a live, television debate from Washington. This debate included all declared candidates for the Presidential nomination from both the Democratic and Republican parties. He also moderated the first ever debate among the Democratic candidates for President in December of 1991. During the mid 1990s, Brokaw covered the Oklahoma City bombing which occurred in 1995. He later went on to broadcast from the crash site of TWA Flight 800.
From 1993 to 1994, Brokaw and Katie Couric hosted a prime-time news magazine, Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric, before becoming part of the multi-night Dateline NBC program. During this time, Brokaw also created reports for 60 Minutes. From the live attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Brokaw once again joined Katie Couric and Matt Lauer at the scene. By 9:30 A.M, the group had followed the live attack on the South Tower of the World Trade Center. They continued to anchor throughout the day, until after midnight. Following the collapse of the second World Trade Center tower, Brokaw observed the following: "This is war. This is a declaration and an execution of an attack on the United States".
Brokaw continued to broadcast until long after midnight for the following two days. Several weeks later, a letter that contained anthrax was addressed to him. This became part of the 2001 anthrax attacks that were present in the United States. Brokaw was not harmed with the anthrax-infected letter, however, two other NBC News employers were. Brokaw extensively covered the wars throughout the countries of Afghanistan and Iraq. He traveled to both areas, witnessing the NATO struggle against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and the new fall elections of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
In 2004, Brokaw was the first anchor to report from Normandy for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. He conducted exclusive interviews with former French President Jacques Chirac and President George W. Bush during his visit. On December 1st, 2004, with more than 21 years of broadcasting journalism experience, Brokaw stepped down from NBC Nightly News. He was 64 years of age. He was replaced with Brian Williams who became the seventh anchor of the thirty minute Nightly News television program. Due to Brokaw's popularity, the station had a million of ten million viewers.
Over the years, while anchoring for NBC Nightly News and Today, Brokaw reported on over 25 separate documentaries. The subject of these documentaries ranged from the war on terrorism, race, AIDS, gangs of Los Angeles, literacy, Bill Gates, the evangelical movement, and immigration. These were typically made into long-form documentaries known as Tom Brokaw Reports. He also collaborated with NBC News' Peacock Productions for Discovery's documentary Global Warming: What You Need to Know with Tom Brokaw. This documentary landed an Emmy award. He also collaborated with several two-hour documentaries that aired on the History Channel. These included KING and 1968 with Tom Brokaw. He has also discussed his opinions on global warming during discussions with the Yale School of Forestry.
In 2006, Brokaw reported on issues of poverty and race in Separate and Unequal. The documentary was awarded a RTNDA/Unity Award. It gave an honest look at the progress made 40 years after the civil rights movement and what issues still persist today. In late 2006, Brokaw reported on the issue of illegal immigration in the documentary, In the Shadow of the American Dream. The documentary thoroughly explored the economic realities, political controversies, and social consequences of dividing the country.
Brokaw returned to primetime in 2005 for the first time since leaving the anchor desk. In his in-depth report, called The Long War, Brokaw reported on the war of terrorism. He traveled all around the war, visiting Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi, France, Arabia, and Washington, D.C. He interviewed intelligence experts, world leaders, and those who were directly affected by the events of September 11th. These reports were compiled in his documentary, The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat in July of 2005.
Soon after in September of 2005, Brokaw reported on the religious revolution that was sweeping the country. This documentary was known as In God they Trust. December of 2005 brought about his fourth documentary for the year, To War and Back. This final documentary took a comprehensive look at the issues that occur when young men go to war. It examined the physical and emotional aspects of war, such as losing friends, getting hurt in war, and coming back home to family and work.
In 2003, Brokaw received an Emmy for Outstanding Interview in his report America Remembers: 9/11 Air Traffic Controllers. In 2004, he received his second Peabody award for his documentary, Tom Brokaw Reports: A Question of Fairness. This report uncovered the issue of affirmative action from the controversy that surrounded the University of Michigan, as well as the affirmative action policy. The report provided details about the continuing struggles regarding race and fairness for higher education in the United States.
Brokaw reported in several documentaries of international importance. The Road to Baghdad examined the path to a possible war between the United States and Iraq. The documentary came from the point-of-view of half a dozen people directly influenced from the center of the crisis. The Lost Boys was yet another story about the ongoing war going on in Sudan. The documentary focused on how the war forced the "lost boys" out of their villages during the 1980s. The Lost Boys documentary won a National Press Club Award.
Brokaw was awarded an Alfred I. DuPont Columbia University Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalist for his documentary called, Why Can't We Live Together. The story focused on the hidden realities of racial differences in the suburbs of America. In 1989, his first Peabody award for To Be an American, examined the American tapestry. It answered important questions, such as who we are, how we got to where we are now, and what it means to be a United States citizen. Along with his extensive broadcast journalism recognitions, Brokaw wrote many essays, articles, and commentaries for several well-known publications. Some of these include The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, National Geographic, Men's Journal, Life, and Outside and Interview.
During his 21 year span as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, Brokaw received numerous honors. Some of the most prestigious included the Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award. Brokaw was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, Tom Brokaw received the highest honor from the Association of the U.S. Army, Records of Achievement Award from the Foundation for the National Achieves, and the George Catlette Marshall Medal. He was the first journalist to ever receive such a medal.
From recognition of his devoted service of bringing exclusive news stories and interviews to the attention of the public, Brokaw was the recipient of the West Point Sylvanus Thayer Award. In 2003, NBC Nightly News was rewarded with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast, representing four consecutive wins for the program in this category. Brokaw continues to work with NBC News and plans to be part of the NBC family for years to come. Today, he occasionally appears on NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, and self-made documentaries.
In 1998, Brokaw became a best-selling author with one of his most famous publications, The Greatest Generation. The book was inspired by the large amounts of mail that he received from his first authored book in 1999, titled The Greatest Generation Speaks. Brokaw's third book, An Album of Memories, was published in 2001. A forth best seller, A Long Way from Home was published in November of 2002, and gave a reflective look of the American Heartland and how it was to grow up in such an era.
In his fifth best-selling book, BOOM! Voices of the Sixties, he shares a series of reflections from his career experiences. This gave an in-depth look at his over 50 interviews with a wide variety of politicians, artists, business leaders, activists, and journalists. The book also features remembrances of less-known figures, including Vietnam veterans, health care pioneers, civil rights activists, war protesters, environmentalists, and an interview from the daughter of a former Mississippi segregationist governor.
After leaving the anchor chair at NBC, Brokaw remained a Special Correspondent. His duties included providing periodic reports for the Nightly News program. He also served as an analyst during the 2008 presidential election campaign with NBC. In addition, he moderated the second presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama during the campaign. Brokaw created several documentaries for the History Channel and Discovery Channel during the 1990s and 2000s, including a eulogy for the state funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford.
On June 13, 2008, Brokaw announced the death of NBC News Meet the Press moderator and Washington Bureau Chief, Tim Russert. Only a week later, he announced that he would serve as an interim host for Meet the Press. In December of 2008, Brokaw was succeeded by David Gregory. Currently, Brokaw serves on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also part of the International Rescue Committee and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Brokaw serves as a member for the Howard University School of Communications Board of Visitors and a trustee of the Norton Simon Museum, University of South Dakota, the American Museum of Natural History, and the International Rescue Committee. He has also given several commencement addresses for various university graduating classes around the country.
Today, Tom Brokaw and his wife Meredith live on their 5,000 acre ranch in Montana. They also spend time in New York. Their three daughters are now grown, currently in their 20s, and have successful careers of their own. Although Brokaw is now retired from broadcast journalism, he still has a strong passion and curiosity about the world. He admits to having an aggressive journalistic style. He felt it necessary to uncover every aspect of the stories that he documented, including who was involved, where it occurred, why it occurred, and the outcomes. He remains intrigued with how events unfolded and how these events would play out with the Democratic and Republic parties.
Brokaw remains one of televisions most well-recognized figures in broadcasting journalism. His career as sole anchor lasted from 1983 through 2004. Throughout his career, Brokaw provided news readers with live coverage of important events all over the world, combining news stories and entertainment into one. One of an entirely new generation of television broadcasters on three national networks, Brokaw created change during his time on air. Even when the Internet didn't exist, he served as a daily source of news for millions.


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Just a one-minute walk
from the Palais des Festivals and the Convention Center
between the Croisette and rue d'Antibes,
just steps from the beaches, marinas
and casinos. Hotel America means memorable
stays in the heart of Cannes, an "international village" on the French Riviera.
Conception, Design, photos :
Alexandra Maze
Photos :
Christophe Ichou
Production :


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In Cherry Hill NJ red oak flooring provides a warm touch of tradition to any room. Oak is the most popular variety of hardwood flooring today, and has been for many many years in North America and Cherry Hill NJ is no different. Over 50% of all the hardwood flooring available today is an oak species.
Oak flooring comes in two varieties: white and red.
Red oak flooring has a warm, pinkish hue with prominent grain lines. Like white oak flooring, it can be finished with a clear sealant or stained to nearly any shade. Because red oak is so porous, the stain will go on smoothly and easily for nice, even color.
When selecting hardwood red oak flooring, you'll be able to choose from a variety of widths and grades. Everything from wide planks to narrow strips, consistent graining to visible imperfections … the countless styles of red oak flooring can be a bit overwhelming but your design associate at Floor Coverings International in Cherry Hill NJ will look at the décor, the color choices and many other factors in giving you their final product recommendations.
Contact the experts at your Cherry Hill NJ Floor Coverings International to compare choices and discuss what flooring is best for you and how to get it professionally installed.
You might also be interested in:
· Hardwood flooring Cherry Hill NJ


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United Kingdom provides US$23 million in additional funding to help build safety net systems in the world's poorest countries
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2013 – The World Bank announced today that financing for social safety net programs in low-income countries has reached a record high. Bank support for building safety nets from the International Development Association (IDA) – the Bank's fund for the poorest countries -reached $769 million last fiscal year, an eight-fold increase over the past decade. Overall Bank financing for safety nets in both low- and middle-income countries totaled $6.7 billion over the past three years.
"Every year, safety nets in developing countries lift over 50 million people from absolute poverty," said Keith Hansen, World Bank Acting Vice President, Human Development Network. "The Bank is committed to helping countries build effective and affordable safety net systems needed to end poverty, build shared prosperity, and protect access to health, education, and other basic social services."
The Bank-managed Rapid Social Response (RSR) Program has been supporting efforts in low-income countries to construct and assemble critical building blocks for safety nets and related social protection systems, leading to enhanced country capacity, effectiveness, and efficiency in protecting their people from poverty and economic shocks. Since the creation of the RSR in 2009, the Russian Federation, Norway, the United Kingdom (UK), Australia and Sweden have contributed a total of more than US$70 million to support 83 projects in 42 countries that together have an estimated 1.6 billion poor and vulnerable people. The RSR has played a catalytic role in 15 of 22 IDA-eligible countries that have started plans for comprehensive safety nets. Today the UK announced an additional £15 million (US$23 million equivalent) in support of the RSR.
"What happens across the world matters more than ever for the UK, and our support for the World Bank's RSR Fund means we are investing in jobs, opportunities, and peace. It will help governments in developing countries start to develop the strong economies and strong societies of the future," said Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State for International Development.
At least 60 percent of people in developing countries – and nearly 80 percent in the poorest countries - currently lack effective social safety net coverage to protect them against sudden shocks and chronic poverty.


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BlueLinx files registration statement for rights offering to stockholders, expects to utilize estimated net proceeds of US$38.8M to repay indebtedness under US revolving credit facility
January 10, 2013
(press release)
– BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC), a leading distributor of building products in North America, today announced that it plans to commence a rights offering of common stock to its stockholders which, if fully subscribed, will produce gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $40 million. The Company expects to utilize the estimated net proceeds of the rights offering of approximately $38.8 million to repay indebtedness under its U.S. revolving credit facility.
As of December 29, 2012, debt outstanding under the Company's revolving credit facilities was approximately $171.4 million and excess availability under these facilities was approximately $86.6 million. After giving effect to the rights offering and the application of the estimated net proceeds therefrom, debt outstanding under the Company's revolving credit facilities as of December 29, 2012 would have been $132.6 million and excess availability would have been approximately $125.4 million. Substantially all of the Company's remaining indebtedness of $209.6 million as of December 29, 2012 consists of mortgage indebtedness which is an obligation of the Company, but not an obligation of its operating subsidiary; the operating subsidiary is the counterparty to substantially all of the Company's trade payables and other ordinary course liabilities. In addition, such mortgage indebtedness is secured by real property owned by the Company which the Company believes has a current fair market value in excess of the related mortgage debt.
Cerberus ABP Investor LLC ("Cerberus"), the Company's majority shareholder, has indicated that it intends, subject to the exercise price of the rights being set at an acceptable amount, to exercise all of the rights issued to it and to subscribe for the maximum additional shares pursuant to the over-subscription privilege that it would be entitled to purchase. However, such indication is not binding, and Cerberus is not legally obligated to do so.
The Company is conducting the rights offering because, as the housing market and general economic conditions continue to improve, the additional capital raised in the rights offering would allow the Company to participate more fully in these improving conditions. The Company's sales depend heavily on the strength of national and local new residential construction and home improvement and remodeling markets, which are showing signs of significant improvement. Moreover, the government's legislative and administrative measures aimed at restoring liquidity to the credit markets and providing relief to homeowners facing foreclosure are beginning to show positive results. The overall housing market and economy are also improving, which is expected to lead to a considerable increase in residential construction and, to a lesser extent, in home improvement activity. If the Company and its industry continue to recover from the historic housing market downturn, the Company expects its sales to improve and therefore its need for inventory and its accounts receivable to increase. This increase in working capital is expected to use some of the Company's current excess availability under its revolving credit facilities. While the Company believes that the amounts currently available from its revolving credit facilities and other sources will be sufficient to fund its routine operations and capital requirements for at least the next 12 months, it is conducting the rights offering to provide it with a stronger liquidity position and allow it to more fully participate in the improving housing market. The Company believes that this stronger liquidity position will also give the Company an advantage over many competitors that have less liquidity and less or no access to additional capital, and therefore may not be able to fully participate in the opportunities that arise in a growing market.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement covering the transaction, and the distribution of rights and commencement of the rights offering is expected to occur promptly following the effectiveness of that registration statement.
The Company plans to distribute to its common stockholders non-transferable rights to subscribe for and purchase up to $40 million of its common stock. In addition to being able to purchase their pro rata portion of the shares offered based on their ownership as of the record date for the rights offering, stockholders may oversubscribe for additional shares of common stock. The Company anticipates that the record date and the subscription price will be determined at or about the time that the SEC declares the Company's registration statement effective.
About BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., operating through its wholly owned subsidiary BlueLinx Corporation, is a leading distributor of building products in North America. Employing approximately 1,900 people, BlueLinx offers greater than 10,000 products from over 750 suppliers to service approximately 11,500 customers nationwide, including dealers, industrial manufacturers, manufactured housing producers and home improvement retailers. The Company operates its distribution business from sales centers in Atlanta and Denver, and its network of approximately 55 distribution centers. BlueLinx is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BXC.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to our proposed rights offering and our outlook on the housing industry. All of these forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by our management that, although believed by BlueLinx to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of BlueLinx' control that may cause its business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties may include, among other things: completion of the proposed rights offering; changes in the supply and/or demand for products that it distributes, especially as a result of conditions in the residential housing market; general economic and business conditions in the United States; the activities of competitors; changes in significant operating expenses; changes in the availability of capital, including the availability of residential mortgages; the ability to identify acquisition opportunities and effectively and cost-efficiently integrate acquisitions; adverse weather patterns or conditions; acts of war or terrorist activities; variations in the performance of the financial markets; and other factors described under "Risk Factors" in the Company's preliminary prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed by the Company in connection with this offering and in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BlueLinx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectation or otherwise, except as required by law.
Registration Statement
The Company has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Company, or our information agent for the offering, Eagle Rock Proxy Advisors, LLC, will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling toll free (855) 612-6975.
To review a filed copy of our current rights offering registration statement, click on the following link: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1301787/000118811213000077/d30066.htm
* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.


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Gwen Stefani was seen taking her 5-year-old son Zuma to school in Studio City, CA on Tuesday (September 10). Gwen is reportedly pregnant with her third child with husband Gavin Rossdale. Gwen and Gavin are also parents to son Kingston, 7.
Gwen Stefani takes her son Zuma to school
Posted by Alisa on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 / Labels: Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Stylish Moms


text: It is a necessity for every organization to present the employees with the PF account. Each time someone changes their job, they have to change the PF account number. Now, this is a daunting task and involves lots of paperwork. Thus, to ease the hassle a new format of Universal Account Number or UAN will be launched this year.


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Gene Dilution in German Shepherd Dog – Blue and Liver Dilution
Blue German Shepherd Dogs and Liver German Shepherd Dogs
The blue and liver GSDs had been the rarest genes once upon a time that have always captured breeders' attention. Fortunately these genes are not as rare as it used to be some years back. The search volumes for the blue and liver GSDs in the Internet have been on a rising, which is gives an indication that people are looking for these genes more these days, either for puppies or to get information about the blue and liver German Shepherd Dogs. There are actually two possible dilutions for the black color in German Shepherd Dogs - "Blue Dilution" and "Liver Dilution". Here's just some information about these rare German Shepherd genes – the recessive blue and liver gene.
Colors of these German Shepherds are different from the regular ones that we usually see in the dog shows. They are real striking in appearance, if bred correctly. If not bred well, these dilutions usually come with blues and brown nose, while the standard requires the nose, nails, eye rims and lips to be black strictly.
Patterns of Blue Dilution in GSD
The blue gene in German Shepherd Dogs actually turns the pigmentation of both skin and coat into bluish or steel grey, which is usually very dark. The tan area, on the other level, remains almost the same tan markings as we see in regular shepherds. Sometimes the tan ground may take a faint silvery tint. In the German Shepherd Dog breed, there are great chances of the blue gene to occur in any pattern and type of coat. This finally dilutes the black pigment.
Patterns of Liver Dilution in GSD
The liver gene affects the dog's pigmentation in almost the same way. The liver gene in German Shepherd Dogs dilutes the black pigment, thereby turning both the coat and skin into liver brown color. Like the blue genes this also dilutes the eye pigmentation by giving the eyes a wrong tint – silvery-yellowish-brown color. The liver gene can come in any pattern alike the blue one. The tan markings seem almost the same as in the regular GSD.
In either of the two dilutions the dog looses it black pigmentation, which is replaced by either blue or liver pigments. Remember the gene that gives color and the gene that gives pattern are two distinctive genes. This ensures a good chance that either dilution can come with three different patterns, viz. solid color, two-toned pattern and agouti. Both these dilutes in German Shepherd Dogs are seen with two-toned pattern and agouti, more commonly than with solid colors. Solid blue and solid liver German Shepherd Dogs are rare of the rarest genes in the world. In most cases the liver and blue German Shepherd Dogs comes with liver-brown and blue noses respectively. Both these gene dilutions in German Shepherd Dogs affect the eye pigmentation too!


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Assumptions are helpful things. They provide us with a shortcut on decision-making, a way to justify our actions and a way to filter out the voices of those who disagree with our approach. They make life a little easier—unless of course, they are wrong.
Each year, Advisor Impact talks to investors across the United States, Canada and the U.K. as part of its Economics of Loyalty research. The results challenge some long-held assumptions, which go something like this: "If I can understand what drives client satisfaction, then I can do more of those things for my clients. If I do more of those things, my clients will feel great about the client experience. If they feel great, they will tell their friends and family. And, if that happens, I will grow my business." The shortcut assumption is that if I focus on creating client satisfaction, I will grow my business.
In fact, our research highlights a tenuous relationship between satisfaction and referrals, but a very strong relationship between engagement and referrals. It also highlights the fact that the drivers of engagement and satisfaction are different. That means that seemingly innocuous assumptions might stop us from focusing on those activities that will truly drive growth.
Not satisfied to simply point out the potholes in the road ahead, Advisor Impact initiated an advisor-level study, speaking to more than 600 advisors, many of them Investment Advisor and AdvisorOne.com readers, on how best to execute the drivers of engagement. Clients can tell us what is important; the advisors who have successfully executed these strategies can help us do something about it.
The study culminated in the Engagement Roadmap, a model that highlights a tactical approach to both driving and leveraging engagement.
The Four Drivers of Client Engagement
The Economics of Loyalty identified 24% of clients as being engaged, which we define as those clients who are the most satisfied, the most loyal and who provide almost all referrals for advisors. The Engagement Roadmap picks up on the drivers of engagement and identifies the four activities that are most closely connected to creating that deeper level of commitment.
Step 1: Just Ask
The Engagement Roadmap begins with the most fundamental driver of engagement: giving clients a voice. Asking for feedback creates a sense of ownership and binds advisors and clients more closely together.
Ninety-four percent of advisors felt that feedback was critical to engagement. Of those who said they were using feedback very effectively, 73% used a written or online survey, 67% asked clients informally how things were going and 22% indicated they had used an advisory board. Whatever method you choose, use the opportunity to understand:
- Overall satisfaction on specific aspects of service
- What is most important to your clients
- What activities or communications they value the most
- What clients need and expect from the relationship
- If clients are interested in other services
- If clients have provided a referral
Advisors who felt they had an effective client feedback plan in place were differentiated less by how they asked than by how they used the information. Eighty percent of respondents actively followed up on client feedback in some manner.
Question No. 1 for advisors: Do you have an effective process in place to gather consistent and objective input on what your clients value, need and expect?
Step 2: Get the Fit Right
Most advisors readily agree that if the fit is not right—be that personality, values or style—there is a limited chance the client will ever become engaged. In fact, nearly 90% of advisors said ensuring that prospective clients met their definition of the ideal was "somewhat important" or "very important." Despite that, less than a quarter of respondents indicated 75% or more of their clients met that ideal.
The Engagement Roadmap points to the five core activities to ensure that you are executing on this driver of engagement:
- Define your ideal client.
- Set minimum standards for prospective clients based on that definition.
- Create a defined process, typically a set of questions to ask during the discovery process, that will allow you to assess fit.
- Define a process to comfortably communicate to those prospects who do not fit.
- Define a process to assess your existing clients and determine if you will take action on those where there is not a good fit.
When describing the characteristics of the ideal client, as many advisors (69%) selected "shared values" as "minimum assets." What differentiates those advisors who have implemented a successful process to assess fit is that they can connect their definition of the ideal with their onboarding process. They have found ways, informal or otherwise, to ensure that the client is right for them and they are right for the client.
One particularly telling finding: 80% of responding advisors said they were willing to walk away if the fit was not right.
Question No. 2 for advisors: Have you defined what characterizes your most successful relationships and linked that to a process to assess fit among prospective clients?
Step 3: Create a Deeper Connection
While engaged clients often describe their experience as intangible, like a deep personal connection, a sense of being guided or a sense of trust, those descriptions have tactical foundations. They do not happen by accident. Connection requires a meaningful client experience that is defined, communicated and measured.
The Engagement Roadmap points to the following core activities to create deeper connection:
- Segment your clients based on the value they deliver to the business.
- Define your service offering by segment, including frequency of contact, range of services and client appreciation.
- Analyze your capacity to ensure that you can deliver on your defined service standards.
- Communicate your plan to clients.
- Create a tracking process to ensure that no client falls through the cracks.
About two-thirds of advisors say they segment clients based on value, with the vast majority focusing on assets (83%) and revenue (78%). Assessing fit is about uncovering the deal-breakers. Segmentation, on the other hand, simply helps you define value in order to structure a meaningful and profitable client communication plan.
What differentiates advisors who have successful communication plans is not only that they have defined annual contact goals (76%), but that those goals are tied back to client expectations. There is no one way to communicate with clients. Client input should help you determine if they value client appreciation events or activities (about half of successful advisors do them), if workshops are meaningful (about 40% of successful advisors do them) or if a written summary of action items from a review meeting will be helpful (nearly 70% of successful advisors do them).
Question No. 3 for advisors: Do you have a clearly defined client experience, by client segment, that is meaningful to clients and profitable to deliver?
Step 4: Take the Lead
Engaged clients describe their advisors as "leaders," i.e., they provide guidance in making difficult decisions. According to our research, advisors who are leaders are (by client definition) those who are proactive, who provide reassurance and who keep clients focused on the long term and making the difficult decisions associated with doing so. A majority (87%) of advisors say they are "somewhat effective" or "very effective" leaders. The most recent client data in the Canadian market suggests this number is overly optimistic.
The Engagement Roadmap points to the following core activities to support leadership:
- Clearly define the role you will play with clients as it relates to their financial lives, considering the scope of your role across other professionals and the family, as well as how you would define strong leadership.
- Refine the client review to ensure you are actively focusing on the relationship in addition to the plan or portfolio.
- Conduct relationship reviews that will communicate and reinforce the role you play in the lives of your clients.
There is a perception gap between the advisor and client on the issue of the advisor's role. While a majority of advisors feel they play a central role in their clients' lives, many clients see that differently.
Question No. 4 for advisors: Do you have a clear sense of how your clients define leadership and the activities that will support that positioning?
Leveraging Engagement
In addition to considering how they might drive greater engagement, many advisors are rightly focused on how they can leverage their already engaged client relationships.
We know, from the Economics of Loyalty survey, that client satisfaction and client loyalty are not closely connected to referral activity. In fact, we know that being comfortable providing a referral is not closely connected to referral activity nor is asking for referrals. We also know that a small percentage of clients—your engaged clients—are providing virtually all of your referrals.
The research shows that clients refer to help a friend or family member. This simple fact further supports the notion that our fundamental assumption that our clients refer to help us grow our business is, at best, wrong. At worst, it may harm our relationships.
Advisors report that their clients are very comfortable providing referrals, with more than 70% of advisors indicating that half or more of their clients would refer. They are right; in fact, more than 80% of clients say they are comfortable providing a referral. The reality is that advisors said they only received, on average, nine successful referrals in the last 12 months.
While low, these numbers reflect the investor research, which clearly demonstrates that virtually all referrals come from a small subgroup of engaged clients. If nothing else, it is clear that if advisors are asking for referrals, that message is not getting through.
Question No. 5 for advisors: Do you have a defined process to leverage engaged client relationships to drive referrals?
Putting It All Together
Client engagement sits at the intersection of what is right for your clients and what is right for your business. Engaged clients are the most satisfied and loyal, and they drive virtually all of the referrals in your business. To that extent, engagement matters. The Engagement Roadmap takes those facts, drawn from client research, and asks for the next step. What are the specific tactics that will directly impact engagement and growth, and how can the 600 advisors we spoke to help you think about execution? But don't wait: one step forward is all it takes.


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Developers! Facebook Really Wants Your Lifestyle Apps.
As every good nerd knows, a platform is only as good as the apps it hosts.
No one knows this better than Facebook, the social giant home to thousands of socially integrated apps plugged into its "Open Graph" network. The problem is, it's not about amassing an enormous cache of apps for the sake of having a lot. Facebook needs its partners to build the best apps, worthy of featuring in the company's App Center repository.
"We can't succeed — and we're really not an interesting product — without a strong developer community around us," said Sam Lessin, Facebook's director of Identity Products, at a South by Southwest event on Sunday.
Games were Facebook's clear breakout hit (hence, the rise of Zynga). Then came the onslaught of music, news and video apps. Now, Facebook is heavily promoting a new class of apps — so-called "lifestyle" apps.
The company is working closely with developers creating apps for actions like reading books, sharing which movies you just watched, and blasting out what your recent fitness stats are to your friends.
Basically, it's Facebook's way of fostering more sharing inside its network. Otis Chandler, CEO of the well-adopted social reading app Goodreads, told me that apps in the lifestyle category — like reading, for instance — are more likely to be shared among users, hence Facebook's increase in promoting apps like Goodreads (among others).
For that promotion, Goodreads gets a much-desired bump in traffic. Since the company launched its Facebook app in January of 2012, Chandler's company has grown from 6.5 million users to upward of 15 million. (Though not all of that growth is a direct result of the Facebook app, mind you.) That's a nice signal for other developers in the space looking to build successfully on top of Facebook.
Let's be clear, though — Facebook isn't in the goodwill business. The better and more engaging the apps its developers build for the platform, the more sharing and activity Facebook will see throughout its entire network. That means happier users, more engagement and, yes, more use of Facebook's monetized products.
There's a caveat here. Facebook has courted app developers before, and then left some of those developers out in the cold entirely with large shifts in the company's overall platform strategy. Take Washington Post's Social Reader, for instance: WaPo launched its app in a grand way at Facebook's F8 conference a year and a half ago, to much fanfare. But after Facebook dialed back the traffic hose to WaPo's app, WaPo shuttered development on the app entirely.
Facebook would say that this is an example of iterating quickly — or "moving fast and breaking things, if you will — trying out strategies to see what works and what doesn't. Perhaps that's fine if you're Facebook, but not if you're a company pouring cash into building your app on top of Facebook's platform.
If you want to go down that discussion rabbit hole, take a peek at my conversation with Facebook's VP of Partnerships Dan Rose from our Dive into Media conference last month.
Will Facebook stay the course on pushing lifestyle apps as hard as it has lately? I'm sure the developers hope so.


text: THANKSGIVING COMBINES MYTHS, TRADITIONS AND TRUTHS Nov. 22, 2011 Chris Lewis Over the centuries Thanksgiving in America has meant many things to many people. But, did you know that this traditional day of thanks is full of myths and half-truth, says Chris Lewis, an American Studies instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder. CUT 1 "The story of the first Thanksgiving is accurate. Its larger place in American culture, however, is much more interesting. The assumption somehow that as a result of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, America is going to celebrate Thanksgiving year in, year out, up until the present is simple wrong. (:20) There were a few harvest celebrations, even Thanksgiving celebrations in colonial America, but they weren't regular and they weren't annual." (:28) It wasn't until 1863 that Thanksgiving became an official national holiday, says Lewis. CUT 2 "The major origin of Thanksgiving, the modern Thanksgiving ritual, is Abraham Lincoln's declaration of a day of thanksgiving during the civil war in 1863. (:12) The object of that day of thanksgiving was to celebrate Union victories and to pray for the Union troops in the field." (:20) But even then, says Lewis, the Thanksgiving celebration we know today didn't become a tradition until the early 1900s. CUT 3 "By the early 20th Century it becomes commercialized. One of the things I think that really strengthens it is both the Depression and World War II. (:09) Rituals and celebrations like this bring the country together and as a result they become engrained in our collective imagination. So after Word War II America regularly celebrates Thanksgiving. It's part of this larger holiday." (:26) What is considered to be the first Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth Plantation in1621, between the Wampanoag Indians and the Pilgrims, was not the celebration of thanks as we think of it today, says Lewis. Instead, it was a celebration of the annual harvest and it most likely took place late summer or early fall. CUT 3 "It's a celebration of a harvest by the Indians and Pilgrims. It would happen, not in our traditional Thanksgiving, but earlier in the harvest season, probably mid to late September. (:14) And the often-told story of the Pilgrims and the Indians celebrating and befriending each other is more myth than truth, says Lewis. The two groups tolerated each other out of necessity. CUT 4 "The Wampanoag want to help the Pilgrims, not because of some simple liking of the Christian English-Americans, but because they wanted to make a military and political alliance with them. (:14) They're led by a chief called Massasoit. Now he allies with the Pilgrims because he's afraid of the growing strength of a competing tribe. The competing tribe is called the Narragansett. (:27) And the Pilgrims need the help of the Wampanoags because they, in fact, come during the wintertime and they barely get their crops after surviving a difficult winter." What Lewis finds interesting is that the major origin of the holiday, the Civil War, is not associated with the war and a divided country but rather an obscure unity between Indians and New England settlers. CUT 6 "Our Thanksgiving holiday is a kind of cultural ritual that embodies both real history and real people but with cultural symbolism and mythology. (:15) We're not really celebrating the real actors and the real characters, we're celebrating or re-enacting a union between Indians and English peoples that we would like to think somehow symbolizes the hope of American society and the hope of freedom and unity in that society." (:37) Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November because that is the day Congress declared, in 1941, to be the official day to celebrate Thanksgiving. -CU-