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Radio Ga Ga
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Queen drummer Roger Taylor wrote this song. When it charted, all four members of the group had written at least one Top 10 hit either in the US or UK.
Roger Taylor wrote this as a critique of radio stations, which were becoming commercialized and playing the same songs over and over (and this was before radio was deregulated, allowing companies to own multiple stations in a market, resulting in more corporate ownership, less competition and generally bad radio).
Taylor claimed that he was inspired to write this after watching MTV. He noticed that lots of kids were watching the channel instead of listening to the radio.
The video is based on the 1926 movie
, directed by Fritz Lang. Queen had to pay the German government to use clips of it in the video.
A number of electronic devices were used on this song, including a LinnDrum drum machine and at least three synthesizers: a Roland Jupiter 8, a Fairlight CMI and an Oberheim OB-Xa. Roger Taylor also added some Simmons electronic drums. Roland VP-330 vocoder was used to create the robotic vocals.
Originally, this was "Radio Ca-Ca," which was something Roger Taylor's part-French son Felix exclaimed one day in trying to say the radio was bad ("radio, CACA!). The phrase stuck with Taylor and inspired the anti-commercial radio themes in the lyrics.
Taylor liked the title, but the rest of the group objected and asked for a re-write. As a result, it went from a song condemning radio ("Ca-Ca") to praising it ("Ga Ga"). Interestingly however, even in the final recorded version, the phrase "Ca-Ca" is present - maybe as a compromise for Taylor?
Queen stole the show at Live-Aid when Freddie Mercury, battling laryngitis, got everybody in Wembley Stadium singing the chorus of this song.
The extras in the video got the clapping sequence right on the first try, but it took practice for the members of Queen to get it down. Director David Mallet was surprised the extras picked up the routine so easily, considering they'd never heard the song, which hadn't yet been released.
Suggestion credit
Jonathon - Clermont, FL
The rock band Electric Six recorded this on their 2005 album
Señor Smoke
. In the video, their lead singer Dick Valentine is shown as the ghost of Freddie Mercury appearing in front of his grave, which caused controversy amongst Queen fans. Valentine was quick to stress that it was meant in tribute, not to denigrate the group - the band were massive Queen fans.
Suggestion credit
Logan - Troy, MT
Lady Gaga took her name from this song. Born Stefani Germanotta, she started using the moniker when she needed a stage name. Who came up with the name is a matter of dispute, as her former producer Rob Fusari claims that he originated it, while the singer says it was given to her by her co-workers in her burlesque days.
When director David Mallet was coming up with the concept for the music video, he wanted to stray from the usual performance pieces full of guitar solos and drum fills. "And even [guitarist] Brian May agreed to that," Mallet told the documentary series
Video Killed the Radio Star
. Freddie Mercury suggested the
concept, but Mallet wanted to make sure the band still played a key role in the clip. "So we built that funny car and them flying through the air, and used the wide shots from
... All I was trying to do is find some way of fitting
into a different setting, and I thought, what if we make the whole video a period - wartime, for instance, or semi-wartime, and it would tie it all together. And it did."
Some critics feel the choreography in the hand-clapping scene is a reference to Nazis, an idea that Mallet dismisses: "It didn't really have any bearing on Nazi rallies at all." Roger Taylor added: "That section was meant to sort of portray the mind control of the workers in the movie
An extended version was released as a 12" single at the same time.
More songs from Queen
More songs with videos that were based on movies
More songs with some lyrics that are gibberish
More songs that musical performers are named after
More songs featuring hand claps
More songs with methods of communication in the title
More songs with videos directed by David Mallet
More songs that used a LinnDrum or LM-1 drum machine
More songs from 1984
Lyrics to Radio Ga Ga
Queen Artistfacts
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Comments: 34
Prashant from Kathmandu
"We hardly need to use our ears, how music changes through the years"..... No one could have said it better than Freddie Mercury.
Kramo from Toronto, Canada
What an insipid piece of crap.
George from Melbourne, Australia
If you grew up in the 80's (assume 70's) doing your school work these lines resonate a lot "I'd sit alone and watch your light, my only friend through teenage nights" love it. On a side note, kaka in Greek means sh*t/p** whatever. So if there were objections from the band or manager/record company, I assume it was meant to be "Radio kaka" but translated to "Radio ca-ca" to remove the reference to the Greek meaning yet still implied the meaning and got changed to "Ga Ga". So is this video of "car car" could be the 2 year old is saying "radio" in then "car car". The video shows war pictures and their only means of information for families back in those days was via a "radio". So have no idea what "dan, old forge, PA" is on about. Thoughts?
Dan from Old Forge, Pa
Is there intelligent life on this planet, besides me? People, listen to the w-o-r-d-s and watch the v-i-d-e-o! The beginning of the video shows Freddie in a flying car, did this not instantly hit you as odd? That is a rhetorical question, because I don't think you dolts have enough wit to even wonder about why the hell they are in a FLYING CAR! Anyhow, here's another very peculiar scene, notice when the black and white ends and color takes its place? No, great, 0 for 2. In this scene Freddie is the child, and just take a guess what the masks are for. Wow, how sad. OK, they turn the radio on and it is aglow, a message is coming through the radio at the time and it is of imminent nuclear destruction. This is why there is a huge light that comes into the room as they take cover. Freddie is in the flying car as an adult singing of the time when the "radio" told him all he needed to know! Our society, our race as humans, is a sad one. People are like sheep, they follow the rules, work 8 hours a day five days a week and they follow a prescriptive routine. This is NO WAY TO LIVE! Open your eyes people, we are here for now, enjoy L-I-F-E and learn how to think!
Neil from Melbourne, Australia
Radio Ga Ga is also the name of a community radio program that I host each month in Melbourne, Australia. We celebrate the really great music of the 60's, 70's and 80's - when radio made us laugh, it made us cry, it made us feel like we could fly.
Please feel free to visit my web site - radiogaga.org.au to find out more and listen via the streaming facility.
Laura from Plymouth, United Kingdom
electric 6 made a very bad version of this song
Kenny from Clydebank, Scotland
One of their best. The Radio Ga-Ga video is brilliant. Freddy looks determined, and on a mission. Great personality! I remember the tribute concert; there were lots of moustached Freddy lookalikes in the audience - a fine tribute to a well-loved singer.
Russ from Plainville, Ct
I've been a huge Queen fan forever and I was happy to see Roger finally get a hit (overdue) but I have always been embarrassed by the lyrics. Roger has always had terrific music and awesome vocals but he loses it on the lyrics, in my opinion.
Beryl from New York, Ny
I read the first comments regarding this song. It seems like it annoyed a few people at first. I did not know this song at all until I saw a tribute to Freddy and Live Aid, etc. It is very exciting when everyone in the audience participates in the chorus. That is always a turn-on. It shows such unity. For five minutes and 48 seconds, everyone is in agreement.
David from Near Melbourne, Australia
I was just listening to it yesterday and noticed what a nice melody it has - and the lyrics are good, apart from the chorus, which is still annoying. I too have flicked the station when it came on before but like it 100% better now.
David, Australia via Belfast
Stefano from Rome, Italy
Though a Queen fan, I found this song somewhat annoying. But I must admit its great live impact.
Jonathon from Clermont, Fl
I like this song. At first, I used to change off it all the time, then I watched the one from Live Aid, and it became a favorite after I watched the music video for it. I also like their costumes in the video.
Ben from Nyc, Ms
Say Queen And PR. Taylor sang this. His voice has preserved very well.
Calum from Edinburgh, Scotland
Lots of praise for a popular song here. I have always found it to be annoying. Actually, having said that I heard it on the radio (of course) and decided to give it a good listen. It went up a good 83% in my feeble opinion, but still has me switching channels. Sorry!
Amy from Dallas, Tx
Does anyone do the hand clapping thing when the video plays? lol
Nathan from L-burg, Ky
The video shows a few clips from past Queen Videos from Bohemian Rhapsody,Don't stop me now , tie your mother down,a few live performances, and last back to the current video.
Chris from Charleston, Sc
The chorus for the song is typed wrong on this site. It's actually:
"All we hear is Radio ca-ca
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga"
Katie from Somewhere, Nj
I love how everyone clapped along at Live Aid. It was just perfect, and if you watch the video, EVERYONE in the stadium is doing it. It's amazing that there were tons of fans there coming to see all sorts of different bands, and they can all get together on this one. Freddie really was the king of the world. I didn't know he was battling Laryngitis though... weird since you can't tell at all. His voice was flawless, which is why everyone says Queen stole the show- they were perfect. No microphone feedback, no off-key songs, no wrong notes, nothing wrong with the cameras (ie when The Who played), nothing getting out of control and running over (ie U2's performance of "Bad")... it was just perfect. I've heard that as Bob Geldof was busy figuring out stuff for the rest of the show and organizing stuff, he stopped and noticed that this band was playing better than anyone yet, and he asked "Who is that?" and then he had to just stop and listen for a few minutes.
Bryan from Melbourne, Fl
One Comment...WTF?
Jeanette from Irvine, Ca
i think this song is just a LITTLE too long. just a little. but its still awesome.
Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, Sc
This song is cool. I have a friend who loves Queen and it's one of her favorites.
Alicia from Tamaqua, Pa
LOL STEPH! I love this song! The video is something else...but in a good way! Freddie really used his imagination for this one. I love the parts in the song where they clap. All of the ppl that were in this scene suprised Queen when they knew where and when in the song to clap. They seem to have rehersed without the band knowing. Its just a great video and song! Well done Roger, well done!
Freddie from Orlando, Fl
Radio Ga Ga came from Rog's 2 year old son Felix who continuded to say "Radio Poo Poo!" while listening to the radio. As Roger put it, "I thought that sounded good, so I changed it around a bit and came up with 'Radio Ga Ga'. The song came after I'd locked myself in a studio for three days with a synthesiser and a drum machince."
Brandi from Enon, Oh
I heard the song was sopposed to be how out of style that the radio was but freddie mercury helped change some of the lyrics around to make it the exact opposite
Kent Lyle from Palo Alto, Ca
Up through 1980, Roger sang all of his own songs, either with lead vocals or prominent support vocals (Sheer Heart Attack). Afterwards, Freddie sang virtually everything. They may have been catching on that all of their hits were songs sung by Freddie.
Jp from Kelowna, Canada
Ya its cool at Live Aid that every fan was clapping exactly right and every one of them knew the song. I highly recommend the Live Aid DVD. Its unbelievable.
Kevin from Bridgeport, Ct
At Live Aid, everybody in Wembly Stadium clapped in unison at the right moment of this song.
Andrew from Dublin, Ireland
This is a great and funny song!!!. Has anyone heard Electric six's version of it?.
Steven from San Gabriel, Ca
While Queen was on break, some reporters from a radio station came to Roger's home for an interview. Roger's 3 year old son, Felix, was walking around, and when he heard the radio was coming he said: "Radio, Poo Poo". That inspired Roger to write this song. The song became soon an anthem for Queen fans, where they would clap their hands along. The video feautures clips from the old film 'Metropolis'. This song is considered by some, as a protest against MTV.
Tiffany from Dover, Fl
Radio Ga Ga was one of the the most funniest songs I've ever heard and it was featured in a ballet performance aired on Bravo!
Dave from Cardiff, Wales
When boy-band Five covered "We Will Rock You", they purloined the dance from "Radio Ga-Ga" in the video for their version, as "We Will Rock You" did not have a dance of it's own
Patrick from Conyers, Ga
The second verse of the song relates to the golden age of radio, when radio was not just a medium for music and talk shows; but when we listened to shows featuring famous comedians, dramas, etc. The part about wars of worlds invaded by Mars relates to "War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells. Orson Wells read this story on the radio in the 1930s, and when he did so, it caused panic throughout the U.S., showing that at the time, radio was a very powerful medium.
Ken from Yorkton, Canada
The band invited members of their Official Fan Club to paricipate in the video. The members had to apply for the rights to be in the video and were picked at random. Then the lucky winners gathered at a studio and were the crowd that the band were in front of.
A few other Queen video's after did the same thing. ("I Want to Break Free" and "Friends Will Be Friends.")
Tom from Trowbridge, England
When the video was released, some people thought that the saluting in the chorus was the Nazi salute.
see more comments
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Although PSHE is no longer part of the national curriculum for primary schools we believe that a continuing focus is vital so in all aspects of school life we aim to promote the personal and social development of the children.
We aim to give the children a basic knowledge and understanding of health matters both as they affect themselves and as they affect others.
The Governors of Nonington C.E. Primary School believe that sex education should:-
- Be an integral part of the learning process that begins in childhood and continues into adult life.
- Be for all children, regardless of special needs relating to physical, learning or emotional difficulties;
- Encourage the exploration of Christian values and moral issues so that children will develop the ability to make informed and responsible decisions;
- Foster self-esteem, self-awareness, a sense of moral responsibility and respect for, and understanding of, the Christian principles of family life;
- Provide a suitable vocabulary for discussing sexual matters and to enable this discussion to take place without embarrassment in an individual, group or class situation.
The school will provide relevant and appropriate sex education in science lessons, with due regard to the emotional and physical development and maturity of the children. For younger children the settings will primarily be of an informal nature in group or class discussion as the occasion arises. Formal aspects will be covered as appropriate by material from either the National Curriculum or Health Education requirements or recommendations. Specific sex education is provided for Year 6 children and is set firmly in the context of section (c) and (d) above. Specific information about physical development, particularly menstruation, is provided by the school nurse. It is expected that the children will take part in the on-going sex education which the school provides. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the activities relating specifically to sex education.
Multicultural Education
We believe it is essential that children should develop an understanding of a variety of cultures. We aim to help children grow into people who respect and care for all people.
Environmental Education
We aim to develop our pupils interest in the environment. Through various curriculum areas we introduce pupils to plants and animals and their habitats. Pupils use their immediate area to learn about the environment. They learn about the difficult decisions behind the development of land and are encouraged to think carefully about the problems of pollution and the use of resources.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
How to Cut a Watermelon into Sticks
An easy tutorial to teach you How to Cut a Watermelon into Sticks.
Cutting it this way makes it easy for little ones to manage and great for potlucks. If you've ever wondered how to cut a watermelon into sticks, this will teach you how.
It's a little embarrassing to admit that I've never cut a watermelon the traditional way. I had somewhat of a watermelon aversion until a couple months ago. Growing up I always remembered it being warm and mushy and haven't really loved it ever since. I recently gave it another go and turns out nothing beats crisp, cold watermelon on a hot summer day.
I recently bought a watermelon and remembered my friend Kaela cutting it into sticks. I've always left the watermelon cutting to my husband. Part of me is terrified my knife will slip and I'll cut my hand off. Start off with your watermelon and a sharp knife.
Mine was round and not terribly big so I started off slicing it in half. Then you take one half and make about 2-inch slices going in one direction.
Then take your knife a carefully cut 2-inch slices going in the other direction. This is the technique similar to my Bloomin' Onion Bread.
The very ends you will discard but the rest will be these beautiful sticks!
There are a couple of tricks if you have a really big watermelon. If you're watermelon is huge, then your sticks are going to be super long. You can remedy that by cutting a section out as shown above and then cutting with the method I discussed.
Enjoy! Hope this helps!
If you've enjoyed How to Cut A Watermelon Into Sticks the easy way, you'll love these tutorials:
How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream


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Wrigley's Candystand Is Sweet on Nintendo's Wii
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is riding Nintendo's Wii wave with the launch of a free web portal offering games users can play on their Wii consoles.
Without any contact with Nintendo, the gum giant is linking its popular adver-gaming site, candystand.com, to the hugely successful game console through Nintendo's Wii browser.
6,000 visitors in 24 hours
Wrigley recently rolled out a microsite at wii.candystand.com that can be accessed through Wii's Internet Channel, which launched in beta in December. The Internet Channel is a version of the Opera browser designed specifically for Wii to connect to the internet wirelessly or through Ethernet. Within 24 hours of launching earlier this month, wii.candystand.com had already attracted 6,000 visitors and a slew of positive blog reviews, according to Scott Tannen, director of global digital marketing at Wrigley.
"We've made a strong commitment to using games as a great way to build relationships and, as one of the top internet entertainment destinations, we have to be on top of the trends," Mr. Tannen said.
Candystand, introduced in 1997, draws between 4 million and 5 million unique consumers a month, most of them "bored office workers," Mr. Tannen said. These 20-something gamers are subjected to Wrigley's brand messaging by way of games such as Orbit Video Poker and branded basketball-court choices for the game H.O.R.S.E. that include Winterfresh and Big Red. But that's a small price to pay for free access to 65 high-quality games during long, tedious conference calls. (Mr. Tannen acknowledged he had seven such calls on a recent day, during which he could be found accessing the site.)
Formatted for TV screens
Wii.candystand.com, which clearly states that Wii and Nintendo are not Wrigley trademarks and are being used without affiliation or endorsement by Nintendo, is the first branded site that's linked to the Wii browser and offers content formatted for TVs rather than computer screens.
Mr. Tannen said he has increasingly seen consumers enter the internet through the Wii browser in the month since it was introduced and "felt the need to be there quickly. We're all gamers, and we take this space very seriously." So far, he said, feedback from consumers has been "unbelievable." Wii's wireless, motion-sensitive Wiimote brings a new dimension to the Candystand experience.
Keeps Wrigley cool
What does all that mean for Wrigley? Ideally, more loyal consumers. Without giving hard data, Mr. Tannen said Candystand's longevity and success shows it is "moving the needle and driving Wrigley's business." Offering games that tie to the Wii web-browser technology means Candystand can continue to look cool and keep Wrigley top of mind with consumers as they play away.
Nintendo declined to comment on Wrigley's use of the Wii name or on other marketers who might similarly look to ride the Wii wave.


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Leverage industrial IoT (IIoT) solutions to drive innovation, improve your business outcomes and build a smart, connected enterprise.
The IIoT is being used to reshape industries and competitive landscapes, because market leaders have recognized its ability to improve business outcomes. If you're seeking to better understand who is using the IIoT, and how it's transforming their business, we encourage you to consult our complementary State of the IIoT Market report.
This report surveys the emerging IIoT market, and defines IIoT platforms with specific must-have capabilities. Gartner's Magic Quadrant also designates PTC as an IIoT visionary, based on the highest ability to execute and the furthest completeness of vision.
"ThingWorx has brought all our systems together and makes the data from those actionable for our workers. We've been able to improve the quality of our products, while increasing efficiency and productivity across all of our facilities."— Matt Cook, CIO, Woodward
To deliver the best IIoT solutions, PTC has partnered with global industrial technology leaders. Together, we're helping our customers redefine how they integrate data, control assets and host their solutions. You can use our partner finder to locate additional PTC partners here.
Delivering industrial innovation
Combining the best IIoT and automation technologies with deep industrial expertise, PTC and Rockwell Automation will elevate your smart, connected operations.
Accelerating digital transformation
PTC and Microsoft remove barriers separating OT and IT systems—transforming your field service operations and providing scalable, global cloud hosted IIoT solutions.
What is ThingWorx? ThingWorx is the market-leading choice for industrial IoT solutions, built on an end-to-end platform and boasting a complete set of must-have IIoT capabilities. ThingWorx can be configured to meet your hosting requirements, whether you need on-premise IoT, cloud-based IoT, or IoT at the edge. ThingWorx Apps can accelerate your IIoT projects, from local pilots to global production. Click here to explore ThingWorx, or select a capability to learn more.
Want to learn about how IIoT can transform your business? Have questions about the ThingWorx platform? Curious about subscription pricing? Get in touch.


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For years, Seattle has been among the country's top 10 cities for Labor Day travelers, according to Priceline's hotel bookings. Seattle even snagged Priceline's No. 2 spot for most-visited city for the holiday weekend three years ago.
But that was then. This year, Seattle has plummeted from its once lofty perch to a middling 21st place out of 50 ranked cities. What happened? Has Seattle lost some luster for vacationers? And what's the No. 1 Labor Day spot for tourists?
To answer those questions, check out Priceline's top cities for the holiday in the photos below, and see who beat out Seattle. Then see the slideshow about goofy things that Seattle tourists do, which hopefully has not deterred visitors from coming here.
Seattle loves tourists, of course. They're great for the economy and they remind us of what a beautiful city we live in. But that doesn't mean they're not ripe for a little teasing:
Now that we're done goofing on tourists, here are a bunch of reasons why Seattle is great for them:
Visit seattlepi.com's for more Seattle news and follow us on Facebook. You can find Vanessa Ho on Twitter and Google+, and email her at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Glover's Reef Atoll
Glovers Cove © tobze
A World Heritage Site located just 28 miles (45km) from mainland Belize, Glover's Reef Atoll is one of only four atolls (ring-shaped reefs made of coral) in the western hemisphere, and a truly mesmerising place to visit. The partially-submerged coral island, which is also a marine reserve, is 20 miles (about 32km) long, and is home to the richest variety of sea life in the Caribbean. The atoll is ringed with white sand beaches, dotted with coconut trees, and its interior lagoon boasts more than 800 coral patches with pinnacles rising above the water's surface.
While Middle Caye and North Caye are uninhabited, there are luxury resorts along Southwest, Northwest, and Long Cayes. Active types can spend all day diving, swimming, snorkelling, and fishing in the turquoise-blue water; Glover's Reef is ideal for scuba diving, and visitors can catch a glimpse of abundant marine life that includes eagle rays, bonefish, groupers, brightly-coloured reef fish, and even whale sharks (usually seen between April and June).
If you're not in the mood to be active, the atoll is also the perfect place to just lie on the sand and do nothing at all. One thing is for sure: with its pristine setting, and relative obscurity, Glover's Reef is an undiscovered gem and a honeymoon destination to put all others to shame.
Website: www.glovers.com.bz


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As if the title does not already tell you enough about the band, Chicago-based Cardiac Arrest's latest release Vortex of Violence is indeed violent. The aggression is consist throughout the entire release and the anger never lets up from the opening riffs to each death-soaked verse belted out. Quite honestly, this is one of the most brutal death metal albums that I have heard in a while.
Drawing much inspiration from classic death metal bands, Cardiac Arrest brings you their take on the death metal scene. You owe it to yourself to check this band out as they grow stronger with each release.
Following up the bulldozer that was 2010's Haven for the Insane, Chicago-based death metal purists Cardiac Arrest return with their highly-anticipated fourth full album. Aptly titled Vortex of Violence, Cardiac Arrest once again demonstrates what true death metal is all about with a vicious and relentless assault of grinding intensity and neck-snapping aggression. Continually pushing their sound to new levels of extremity and excellence, Vortex of Violence is the mark of a band whose primary goal is to write music that will not only outlive, but absolutely crush any trend that attempts to pollute the genre of death metal. 2012 sees Cardiac Arrest poised to rip the coveted Chicago death metal crown off the head of any and all challengers.
Vortex of Violence Track Listing:
01. Portal of the Damned 03:08
02. To Their Graves 03:43
03. Relentless Pursuit 03:10
04. Conjured Beings 05:17
05. Primitive Lunacy 03:59
06. Vortex of Violence 03:43
07. The Depths of Despair 06:28
08. Ritual Plague 03:53
09. Subject to Torture 03:13
10. Sacrifire 04:07
11. The Last Thing That You See 06:58


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Source: Visit Finland
Travellers between Europe and Asia via Finnair can Stop Over in Helsinki for no additional airfare for up to 5 days.
Launched in April of 2016, there's now a quicker and easier way for Chinese customers to schedule their stopovers in Finland and discover two destinations during one trip. Over 12 million travelers go between Europe and China annually and now these travellers will be able to quickly and easily book a stopover for their connecting flight to or from Helsinki on the recently launched http://Finnair.com/stopover website.
StopOver Finland offers a wide range of suggested activities that are easy and fun to plan whether staying for 5 hours or up to 5 days. Only half an hour from the airport, Finland's capital city, Helsinki, is consistently ranked as a top ten most-livable city by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Livability Rankings year after year. Helsinki offers a unique coastal environment with world-class dining, captivating Art Nouveau architecture, and a design district where 200 of the city's best artists, designers, and creative agencies are based. Shopping lovers will appreciate world famous brands like Marimekko fashions and Iittala glassware. Helsinki is also home to four Michelin star restaurants, perfect for culinary enthusiasts.
Experience life as a local by immersing yourself in Finnish sauna culture. An invigorating process of immersion in alternating hot and cold baths energizes and detoxifies the body and soul. A central part of the culture, sauna is a family activity and a part of daily life as whole families visit together including children and the elderly as well as a popular place to meet friends and hold business meetings. Finnish Sauna is a perfect way for travellers to care for their wellness as part of the StopOver experience.
Visitors to Finland love the friendly and easy-going lifestyle of the country and the unique combination of sophisticated urban living and incredible natural beauty. The appreciation of the outdoors is a Finnish national pastime and travellers can easily spend a day cruising through the Finnish archipelago made up of 315 small islands or exploring one of Finland's 38 national parks offering a taste of unspoiled rivers, forests, and lakes. Finland is a source of some of the best berries in the world with 37 edible berries growing naturally in the wild and visitors can experience picking these in the forests and marshes, including blueberries, lingonberries, raspberries, cranberries, and bilberries, all highly desired for their antioxidant properties.
Everyone should experience the natural phenomenon that is the Northern Lights at least once in a lifetime and there's no better place in the world to view them then from Finland's clear skies where they can be seen for up to seven months of the year. Finland is known for long days of sunlight offering up to 24 hours of continuous daylight in the northern areas and days of up to 19 hours long in Helsinki in the summer and averaging 14-16 hours in Spring and Fall.
Whether spending 24 hours or 5 days on a Stop Over in Finland, travellers will be able to enjoy the breathtaking experience of nature, wellness, and beauty in the land of Santa Claus and the Northern Lights.
- End-
The StopOver Finland program is one of the Team Finland growth programs funded by Finland's Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the project itself is led by Visit Finland together with partners such as Finnair and the tourism industry in Finland. Additional information on StopOver Finland can be found at http://visitfinland.com/stopover.
Visit Finland, is a state agency actively promoting Finland as a destination for foreign travelers. Visit Finland works closely with Finnish travel regions, travel businesses, transport companies and ministries, marketing tourism to Finland from abroad.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Kathleen Shannon, GHC Asia
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: +86 (21) 5213 3030
Updated 5/17/2016


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Pilot Network for Energy Efficiency - Arvato systems: Environmental Protection in the Data Center
The German government wants to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Germany by 2020. To achieve this, it launched the Integrated Energy and Climate Program (IEKP) in 2007. The '30 Pilot Networks' climate protection initiative adopted by the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) is creating additional incentives for companies to protect the environment.
Ten to 15 companies will join together to form a learning networkunder the coordination of a network partner. The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI monitors scientific aspects of the project and in the process, supports participating companies in terms of increasing energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions. In addition, common goals are coordinated and documented annually.
Resource conservation has always been very important to Arvato systems as one of the largest data center operators in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region, and therefore, one with high power requirements. Numerous measures to improve energy efficiency have been implemented in recent years.
The latest measure is the recently completed modernization of the data center with cold aisle containment of server racks. This modern climate control technology further reduces energy consumption. Arvato systems will bring the experience it gained during modernization to the '30 Pilot Networks' project and provide project participants with information at regularly scheduled meetings.
You can find more information on the project at: http://www.30pilot-netzwerke.de/nw-de/.
About Arvato Systems
For over 30 years Arvato Systems has been building a solid reputation as a systems integrator. We not only implement standard software but also offer tailor made, industry specific and individually developed solutions. With 1,700 dedicated employees at 25 sites throughout the world, our company generated more than 230 million euros in sales in 2010. As a subsidiary of Arvato, the outsourcing service provider of Bertelsmann AG, we have the unique capability to create entire value chains and combine IT with Arvato's services to an integrated service offer from one source. The strength of Arvato Systems is in the intelligent combination of systems integration and planning, operation and support. Our customers appreciate the way we bring in-depth industry know-how, cross-platform expertise, a true partnership approach and genuine entrepreneurial spirit to the table. Our solutions pave the way to your success. www.arvato-systems.com


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Schoolboy who sent threatening voice note being home-schooled
The young man who, last month, threatened in a voice note to carry out acts of violence against his schoolmates at Wolmer's Boys' School in Kingston, has been withdrawn from the school population and is now being taught at home.
Adamant that the teenager, who is scheduled to sit external examinations this May and June, was not expelled, Minister of Education Ruel Reid told The Gleaner yesterday that the move was to protect him from any embarrassment.
"There is no expulsion! Based on what took place, there was an agreement to have him home-schooled. The truth is, with the embarrassment and all, the whole idea is to have a healing process where he is concerned," Reid said.
"Measures have been taken to protect him," the minister indicated. "What I have asked my staff to do is to journey with him. I don't want something like this to happen with somebody and we don't journey with him or her, so they don't fall into remission."
Reid underscored that Jamaica needs to return to a state where adults showed care to every child to save them.
"This is a wake-up call. Everybody is doing their own thing and forget these youngsters. If our country can go back to that stage where we cared, a lot of the crime and anti-social behaviour we currently have would be stemmed," Reid noted.


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DAKINE is proud to welcome Victor Daviet to their Outerwear Team. This young talent from the French Alps represents a new generation of all-terrain riders, with a preference for freestyle backcountry.
DAKINE has great expectations for Victor. Their first project will be to enroll him in an Absinthe video production for next season, introducing him to the international scene. He will share this adventure with other DAKINE team mates such as Victor de le Rue, Sylvain Bourbousson, Jason Robinson and Wolle Nyvelt.


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Two weeks ago we went on a "Convicts, Castles and
" tour with our
roommates Ruth and James. Ruth found a deal online and we said 'yes' as soon as
we discovered it was an open bar. Champagne
We boarded a 1920's ferry, which as you can see from the photos was falling apart as it pulled into the pier. We were hesitant, but the first bottles of champagne were popped open quickly and we were off to Goat Island – Sydney Harbour National Park.
Over the years this island has served as a quarry, convict stockade, explosives store, police station, fire station, boatyard and film set. We had a great tour leader and at mid day we stopped for a lunch buffet and got our moneys worth of wine and beer before re-boarding the ferry to enjoy a final loop of the harbour.
Ruth, Jeff and James are standing in front of a prisoner unit. They would house over 20 convicts into each until when they weren't working.
We earned our spot on the convict tour by relieving them of an extra bottle of champagne upon departure, and proceeded to invite ourselves into other peoples wedding and engagement photos along the Rocks.


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Well at least something's haven't changed as I return to work in my art area…
My work space still gets invaded with fury helpers minutes after I step into it and you know what? I would t have it any other way.
My husband was worried, and rightfully so, when I announced that I wanted to hand made the invitations for our sons 1st Birthday party. The concern was that I rarely finish anything :).
It got worse when I started cutting out and glue together a dozen tiny trucks and excavators but I got it done just in time with a few extras for decorating the house with.
I wanted something special for him and he like trucks, just trucks, not chuck the truck or whatever. I do t encourage him to watch tv so he doesn't know who or wat that all is. So most of the store bought theme items were out of the question.
So pleased with the results.
Our nursery has a nature theme to it so I got some letter from the craft store and decorated them to put on the wall in the babies room.
I painted the white first then added a watered down brown and then a watered down off white or yellow to create the under lying color.
Dark lines went on next for the texture then I covered it with a watery glue and white tissue paper, several layers thick.
Trimmed the excess off once it dried.
Compared it to actual birth bark to see how I did.
Then hung it on the wall for baby! :). He is really fueling my creativity these days.
Yes even the furry child, it seems no one in this house can do arts and crafts without his 'help' lol. Last year the kids did a dozen small fake eggs. This we consolidated but going with on big egg each, from Walmart.
Sadly I am starting to realize that my step kids just aren't that in to art. They were excited to do it but spent all of maybe 10 minutes on the project with no real plan or purpose to their craft.
Awe well it was fun anyway.
I did however spend so much time trying to keep the cat out of everything that I haven't even painted mine yet. Mine was the white one.
This is what I have to work with. He is still not very helpful, every time I turn around he spills the water or runs off with something. It's a good thing he is cute. I have video of him too that I will post on my Facebook Page.
Meet Jynx, not so helpful helper. Every time I head down into my craft area he is right behind me. He will start out on the extra stool down there and slowly inch his way onto my lap or the table, where he steals my stuff or sticks his paws in everything. Not to even mention the long hairs!
It's a good thing that he is cute but he sure puts the 'bad kitty' into bad kitty creative. Lol
If I run him off enough he will find a place nearby to lay and pout for awhile before trying again. I have tried to include him on some projects but he has little to no interst in following directions. Such a little art Diva.
The boys and I worked up a few homemade Christmas presents this year, sorry for posting this so late, I know Christmas is over. But I recently went over to my mother-in-laws house and say the art work proudly framed and hung in her bedroom so we must have done something right.
I so should have taken photos of the process. The boys loved getting messy more than anything.


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Jakarta Bound is a travelogue about life in one of the largest and most densely populated cities in South East Asia.
With everything unpacked and put away, the next thing on the day's agenda was to track a letter from home that my daughter had sent to me. It was a form I needed to fill in to get the wages from my last job.
Before leaving the UK I was the English Project Manager at a language centre that delivered courses preparing students for citizenship applications. There had been a documentary on television that had exposed dozens of colleges and language testing centres across the country that had been cheating the examination system. As a result, the Home Office had made new legislation that meant thousands of non-native British citizens had to also reapply for their citizenship. The new legislation also required applicants to pass an ESOL E3 level speaking test. The directors of the centre, Mr. and Mrs. Mustafa, had shrewdly decided to capitalise on this new market and I was employed to coordinate the project. My job was to develop a scheme of work and lesson plans for the language courses and a preparation course for the citizenship test. As the only qualified teacher in the centre, I was also responsible for assessing the students, delivering the lessons and conducting the exam.
I had never really felt comfortable with the way things were set up at the MIC Citizenship and ESOL Centre, it just felt a little off. Mrs. Mustafa, who was the director of the school, had a contrived air of pretension about her. She was well-spoken, clearly well-educated and she conducted herself in a very dignified manner. She always wore traditional Indian dress and seemed to command a great deal of respect from the Asian community that the centre predominantly served. But despite seldom being in the centre, she liked to micro-manage, which was a little irritating. She would come in for a "brief meeting" to discuss how the project was developing, then tell me what she wanted to do. If I questioned or queried anything, her response was a passive-aggressive indignation, perceiving me to be argumentative.
I never saw Mr. Mustafa who owned the school, but I knew he also had another larger language school that had been running for some time. But irony of ironies, this larger school was itself investigated in relation to its examination and assessment practices. The outcome of this investigation led to the school losing its examination status and being forced to close. As a result, Mr. Mustafa put the companies into liquidation, which meant that I didn't get paid my final wage. However, as I was now one of their many creditors, when the receivers set about administrating the liquidation process, I had been contacted so that they could recover the money owed to me. All I had to do was complete the relevant form that had been sent to my home address. My daughter had collected this letter and posted it to my address at Centro City Apartments. But that had been about three weeks ago and I still hadn't received it. Overseas mail isn't sent by boat anymore so I knew it must be somewhere in Jakarta, and I needed that money.


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uNMR-NL Facility
The uNMR-NL facility enables non-invasive characterization of molecular systems from the atomic to micrometer range by ultra-high field NMR. We offer expertise and measurement time on spectrometers currently ranging from 600-950 MHz for solid- and liquid-state NMR as well as micro-imaging.
Interviews for Utrecht Life Sciences
Utrecht chemists prove Nobel Prize Winner Olah correct
Installation of the highest field magnet in the Netherlands
The uNMR-NL facility was officially opened in 2015
The core partners of the uNMR-NL consortium are the four university together with the public-private organisation COAST. Our associate partners from the four medical center ensure development and application of high-field medical imaging.


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When you join Todos Juntos Learning Center, you are joining an organization committed to helping your family learn together.
Mommy and Me
Every Thursday, Mommy & Me delivers a culturally relevant and evidence-based parenting program that empowers parents to transform their strengths into the tools they need to build solid foundations for their children. The weekly two-to-three-hour class currently supports the joint development of families, while promoting stability and self-sufficiency in these families. During this time, parents are engaged in their child's weekly literacy theme followed by a fun and educational activity completed as a family. TJ's partner, Armstrong Community Music School, hosts a monthly, onsite, bilingual parent-child music class to introduce singing as a form of bonding and language development for the whole family. Additionally, the TJ team brings a variety of onsite learning experiences to further expose families to their community and the joys of learning together!


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For Ejike, records are to break
By Cui Xiaohuo
China Daily/The Paralympian Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-09-11 14:19
Spectators were treated to a rare and remarkable scene in powerlifting at the BUAA Gymnasium Wednesday.
Nigerian powerlifter Lucy Ejike smiles after breaking the world record of 130kg to win the gold. [Xinhua]
On her first attempt, Nigerian Lucy Ejike smashed the world record in the -48 kg. Then she set another.
"I planned on breaking world records today," said the two-time Paralympic gold medalist and holder of four records with her victory in Beijing.
The other two records were set in the -44 kg in Athens 2004. She bettered her personal best records Wednesday, albeit in a higher category.
Clad in a pink jersey and long ponytail, the 30-year-old in a wheelchair was feeling confident during the competition.
"I was feeling lucky with bright colors," she said, smiling. "Pink is my color."
The West African appeared calm before her first attempt of 125kg, which exceeded the previous world record set by China's Bian Jianxin by a whopping 7kg. She did it with ease, with enough time remaining to chat with referees and wave her index fingers to the crowd.
On her second attempt, Ejike raised the weight by 5kg, setting another record at 130kg. It was another easy lift, and spectators, shouting from the stands, loved every minute of her performance.
Her third attempt, at 137.5kg, failed, but it didn't matter to the crowd. They roared loudly as Ejike hugged her coach.
"The first attempt was to take the lead. The second was to go for the records," she said. "The third was to entertain the crowd."
In the women's -44 kg category in Athens, Ejike charged the world record three consecutive times, smashing each and dominating gold with a record of 127.5kg.
"I set a world record, broke it, set it again, and broke it again," said Ejike, who was a silver medalist in the -44 kg category at the Sydney Paralympics. Ejike then finished behind Egypt's Fatma Omar, who Wednesday won the women's 56kg and set a new world record with 141.5kg.
Ejike, who began training in powerlifting shortly before the Sydney Games, said the secret to her success was discipline and hard work. She's already planning for the London Games.
"I will move up another category, and set a new record," she said.
If she moves up to the -56 kg category, and Omar stays in the same, the London Paralympics will witness another titanic showdown between the pair.
Nigeria has been dominating powerlifting in Beijing with a rich haul of gold medals. On Tuesday, Ruel Ishaku took gold in the men's -48 kg with 167.5kg and set a new world record of 169 kg.


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Whether you're a morning person or not, as soon as the first beep of your alarm goes off, you may need a little extra help getting out of bed. For many of us, that's where a hot cup of coffee comes in. Whether it's a latte, cappuccino, espresso, or just a simple dark roast, coffee has the potential to make you feel energized and refreshed. We want to know, do you prefer cream and two sugars? A bold shot of espresso? Or a fancy cup of latte art? Tell us, what's your cup of jo?
Coffee Talk: How Do You Take Yours?
- Copy by: Isabella Walker
Show Comments +


text: This Vitamin c serum for face has been such a massive game changer for me… Never before have I felt so bright and Youthful, never before I've come across such a great product that deals with anti-aging effects, it's just this thing that my skin has been nagging me for so long and now I have a solution to the problem that have been playing me. What could be better than that? I have no idea. When it comes to this type of thing, all sorts of things, as in the discolorations and scars from acne on my skin, I never was able to shake the fact that I believe that everybody was always paying attention to them. I know that it was totally all in my head, but it's also something that people do notice, no matter how nice you are about it, it's impossible not to notice the scar on somebody's face, and this realization did cause me all sorts of stress and anxiety and gave me a lot of unpleasant thoughts. I couldn't help but think that everybody was constantly paying attention to them rather than listening to me or looking at my better features, obviously this makes somebody feel very nervous and shy. And you know, even though I know that it was not always the case that I felt people were fixated on them, I was fixated on the possibility that they might be because I know myself so well that I only see my worst qualities and I don't see how anybody could ever not look at that when they're looking at me.


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2018 marked the 10-year anniversary of both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. During this time, both stores have been renamed and improved. More than 200 billion apps have been downloaded from each. Top apps now have billions of users and downloads. Are there any patterns and trends we can glean from the winners in the app economy so far? And what might that mean for the next 10 years?
Each year, EContent magazine compiles a list of the 100 companies that matter most in the digital content industry.
If you are interested in being considered for the EContent 100 click here to submit your nomination.
Kurt Schiller
Aug 31, 2010
These days, getting lots of information is easy; it's using that information productively that's the tricky part. The task is even more difficult when that information comes not from a single information resource, but from several. But for users of Elsevier's various scientific resources, that task just got a little easier thanks to the August 30 release of a unified research platform called SciVerse.
SciVerse lets users blend several Elsevier products and services into a single, unified interface, including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciTopics, and Scirus. Through a search interface called SciVerse Hub, users can conduct simultaneous searches of their ScienceDirect and Scopus subscriptions, as well as related web content, based on variables such as topical keywords, authors, and publication year. The search functionality also automatically excises duplicate entries and incorporates results from Elsevier's Scirus search engine.
According to vice president of product management Rafael Sidi, SciVerse represents a major shift for the company. "We are going to change from just being a content provider and become an information solution provider," says Sidi.
By combining the information available in Elsevier's various products, Sidi says that the service is able to incorporate additional relevant sources at the level of individual articles. For instance, a researcher reviewing a cancer study in mice can quickly access information about the drugs involved in the study, then view similar studies based on keywords or participating authors. "Enriching the content is very important, and contextual enriching is also key," says Sidi.
In addition to SciVerse Hub's built-in search functionality, Elsevier is also giving users access to modular search applications. Three such applications are available at launch, giving users the ability to ability to focus on the "methods" section of research, view the sentence and context a search result appears in, and view the most prominent authors for a particular search result. Elsevier plans to release the SciVerse APIs to independent researchers, giving them the ability to develop their own search applications and even exchange them with other users. [You can find more information about Elsevier's open API initiative in this article by Jessica Dye in the September issue of EContent.]
Although SciVerse combines the functionality of ScienceDirect and Scopus, Sidi says that the original platforms will continue to be available in their current forms and as individual subscriptions. Access to the SciVerse platform and the SciVerse Hub search interface is being provided free of charge to existing users of ScienceDirect and Scopus. Users without a subscription to a particular service will be unable to receive results from it, however.
While Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Scirus are already available through the SciVerse platform, certain parts of the service are still being developed. For instance, integration with Elsevier's SciTopics research summary service won't be available until 2011, and community application development won't be added until later this year, with e-commerce features for applications following some time in 2011.
According to Sidi, giving users the ability to access contextual information about search results is key to the research process. As he says, quoting IBM scientist Jeff Jonas, "Data finds data."


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The idea of going into school with a business idea that could one day potentially be the next Facebook...
At this point, I think we can all name at least one business that skyrocketed to success and was launched out of a dormitory or while the founder was still in college. There's the infamous tale of FedEx's beginnings when founder Frederick W. Smith wrote a term paper at Yale University detailing how the shipping industry would change due to changing informational needs and advances in technology – a paper that was hardly warmly received by the professor. Inogen, a mobile medical device company founded by former University of CA, Santa Barbara student Allison Perry who recruited two of her classmates, Brenton Taylor and Byron Myers, to join her team. And of course, Sean Fanning, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates who all equally revolutionized technology with their businesses Napster, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Manchester United Becomes First Team Valued At $3 Billion
Yes, That Legal Notice You Got From Facebook Is Real
Apple at $270?
For high school seniors looking into applying to colleges both early decision and on regular admission, the idea of going into school with a business idea that could one day potentially be the next Facebook is enough to make anyone want to shoot for the stars and begin launching their own company. College is actually the perfect time for any young 'trep to start up their own business – you've probably only worked part-time and odd jobs up until this point and aren't likely to have many obligations beyond your classes to attend with some free time to spare. But while many great businesses have started in dorm rooms, so have many untold bad ideas. These nine tips will ensure that college freshmen starting up their own business get the most out of their four year education plan while working on a five year business plan.
1) Think, Talk, Flush Out Ideas
You don't have much to lose, so try everything out at least once. Talk about your plan with your roommates and test out ideas repeatedly until it works. Until something clicks. If you don't feel like talking about your ideas aloud, keep a private blog or Word document of your work and record everything you're working on and thinking about. Don't neglect your schoolwork, but really take advantage of your time to evaluate and try our your ideas.
2) Take Advantage of the Wealth of Resources Available
Friends and fellow classmates who can serve as test cases, professors with plenty of years of business expertise, computer labs in the event of a sudden laptop crash, even the peace and quiet of a library can all serve to be the resources that keep on giving. Take advantage of them for the next four years as much as you can.
3) Take the Right Courses
It sounds like a no-brainer to some, but if you plan on selling flowers in your first business and want to grow (no pun intended) that start-up to gather up a strong following and word of mouth, there's going to be a need to enroll in a marketing course. In addition to your regular classes, look into taking courses on entrepreneurship, raising venture capital, prototyping, innovation, and the aforementioned marketing. Not sure if you can stuff extra classes into a full credit load? Look into enrolling in summer courses. These classes may contain future business partners so don't pass them up!
4) Find a Mentor
Who runs a successful business or works in a field close to the one you're pursuing that you really admire, trust, and respect? If you know of somebody off the top of your head that fits those qualifications and you are already familiar with them, that's your mentor. Ask them if you get coffee together sometime to discuss tips and tricks of the trade in going into business. If you don't, start looking. Many universities, including my alma mater Pepperdine University, offer mentoring programs to the students to work alongside notable alumni in an effort to combine talent, academic study, and public service together to strengthen both the student and the community.
5) Take on Internships
And that is internships plural, by the way. The more you know and understand how to run and own a business, the better, and often this requires taking on multiple internships to see how a wide variety of companies operate and work throughout the next four years. Get started early and try to find an internship as a freshman to really get the ball rolling.
6) Make Sure to Protect Yourself
Form a corporation or LLC and be sure to protect your intellectual property with trademarks, copyrights, and patents on your brand, company name, and logo. The sooner you're able to file for your business, the sooner your brand material will be safe from anyone else snatching it up for themselves.
7) Make Sure You Don't Give Away Too Much Ownership
If you developed the company alongside another partner or several other people, document what parts of the business you're giving away in the event that the start-up becomes extremely successful. Don't give away too much ownership in your business. The best ideas often make lots of money, but if the owner has so many people to credit who are owed a portion of the business, it can get hairy fast.
8) Be Careful About Raising Capital
Sites like Kickstarter are great when it comes working on funding creative projects, but be cautious about raising capital for your business. Bloomberg Businessweek advises to take more than you think you need, but only if it's cheap. When you raise capital, you have to give your investor a percentage of your business (or some other value) in exchange for the capital. If you give away too much of your business to get funding and then go public or sell that business, someone (or several someones) else owns a part of your company which can be very difficult and expensive to recover for yourself again. You often have to pay them back or when you sell the business you don't get as much money as you would have otherwise gotten because someone else owns a share.
9) Don't Give Up If You Aren't Immediately Successful
Many entrepreneurs are serial entrepreneurs and if the business is a success, they may sell it and move on to establish another business. If the business tanks or doesn't prove to be successful, try again. Keep thinking of unmet needs and evaluate ways that life could be easier with products and services developed to meet those needs.


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Tim Daley let us know via Twitter that his app, What Would Chuck Do?, was rejected by Apple's iTunes App Store for the most terrifying reason imaginable. Because they said so:
Thank you for submitting WWCD - What Would Chuck Do to the App Store. We've reviewed the Application and, consistent with the criteria considered in our approval process, we have chosen not to publish this application. As you know, Apple reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject an application for any reason.
iPhone Developer Program
While as a publisher, this is absolutely within Apple's rights, as a platform that needs to nurture and maintain the support of both its developer and user base, it's suicidal. And what's worse, it's stupid. In this day and age, especially for a company as connected as Apple, poor communication causing bad PR is as astounding as it is inexcusable.
Steve Jobs and Eddy Cue need to pull out whatever flame-thrower they marched the halls of MobileMe with last year and turn them full-throttle on whatever passes for the current App Store rejection policy. If any reviewer even thinks of typing "because we said so" they should immediately be transfered to whatever passes at Apple for Siberia.
It's getting tiring to keep typing this, but developers deserve clear, consistent guidelines, users deserve top notch reviewers to make sure we get the best technical quality in apps, and Apple deserves a happy developers and PR experience that matches the phenomenal success of the App Store.
It's such an easy thing to fix, which makes it all the more stupefying Apple not only hasn't fixed it, but hasn't even reached out to developers to show they understand the frustration level and are working to fix it.
For more examples, see TUAW's recent reports from Christina Warren on MiniPops and Erica Sadu on iLaugh Lite.


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Industry's Most Comprehensive OEM Build Data Powers AudaExplore Vehicle Estimating and Valuation Offerings to Ensure Faster, More Efficient Claims Settlements and Highest Levels of Vehicle Owner Satisfaction Around the World
SAN DIEGO – Oct. 8, 2013 – AudaExplore™, a leading provider of automotive claims, underwriting, information and parts solutions to insurance carriers, repair facilities, government agencies and additional markets, today announced it will expand its global automotive data footprint with the addition of Chrysler vehicle manufacturing build data, for vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The expansion brings Chrysler vehicle build data accuracy to every country where Chrysler vehicles are sold through AudaExplore's AudaVIN™ vehicle identification technology.
Chrysler build data outside of North America has been integrated into AudaVIN since early 2012. Adding the U.S., Canada and Mexico Chrysler build data to the AudaVIN platform further supports the accurate vehicle identification technology that AudaExplore brings to the global marketplace to help insurers and repairers provide the industry-leading partial and total loss solutions for the benefit of vehicle owners.
"By globally aligning ourselves with an automotive player like Chrysler, and integrating their manufacturing build data into our product portfolio, we continue to solidify our leadership position in innovation in vehicle collision estimating and total loss technologies," said Steve Webb, regional managing director, AudaExplore. "We are creating significant additional value for our insurer and collision repair clients by helping them more effectively serve their Chrysler vehicle owner customers across the globe."
With support for more than 40 vehicle brands covering 60 countries globally, AudaVIN continues to gain momentum as a high-value tool for increasing estimating and total loss accuracy, expediting claims settlements and driving higher levels of customer satisfaction.
Since launching AudaVIN in North America in 2011 with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, SMART, Volkswagen and Audi, additional OEM brands and model information have continually been added. The list in North America includes Chrysler (for all brands including Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat), Porsche, Jaguar, and Land Rover. In the United States, General Motors (all brands past and present: Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Buick, Saturn, Saab, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer), Nissan, Infiniti, Kia and Mazda OEM data is also available.
AudaVIN works by utilizing vehicle identification number (VIN) data to properly and accurately define all the standard and optional equipment on a specific vehicle, as it was built by the manufacturer – everything from vehicle make, model, edition, engine, transmission, standard and optional equipment to exterior paint code, interior trim code, production date, and wheels and tires. Integrating this data into collision estimating and total loss tools benefits consumers and gives insurance claim representatives, appraisers and collision repair estimators precise and complete vehicle-specific build information to properly value and accurately repair vehicles.
By identifying the more complex regular production options (RPOs) and packages on the vehicle, AudaVIN goes beyond existing VIN decode technologies to provide complete and accurate vehicle-specific information in seconds. The result is significant reduction in inspection time, more accurate parts identification, more precise damage estimates and total loss valuations, and improvements in first call settlement rates. AudaVIN also addresses consumers' top concerns regarding errors made during the claims settlement process by uncovering options and packages that, if overlooked, can reduce a vehicle's perceived actual cash value (ACV) by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
About AudaExplore
AudaExplore is a leading provider of automotive claims, underwriting, information and parts solutions to insurance carriers, repair facilities, government agencies and more. AudaExplore is a business unit of Solera Holdings, Inc., the leading global claims solutions provider. Solera provides global information solutions that help customers automate their processes; manage millions of claims each year, and resolve billions of dollars in claims settlements efficiently and effectively. As part of the Solera group of companies, the AudaExplore, AUTOonline, Market Scan, Sidexa, Informex, Inpart, ABZ, Hollander, HPI and IMS businesses all draw upon Solera's unique global experience to develop and deliver the latest technologies, market intelligence and best practices on a local level. For more information about AudaExplore, please visit our website at www.audaexplore.com.
Media Contact:
Rob Jensen
Director, Marketing


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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
3 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Great jackets! I *think* I went to that mall when I visited Beijing too. Glad to hear you're having a great time!
- August 25, 2009 at 1:25 PM
- yulanda said...
definitely better then hoodie :)
sorry i never got around to emailing you recs.
- August 25, 2009 at 6:57 PM
- AsianCajuns (Lauren) said...
We like them a lot more than hoodies! Great finds! And I'm so jealous (again ;) that you were somewhere with a Muji and an Uniqlo- sounds too good to be true. Cath and I still have yet to make it to Uniqlo- but it's in the works- probable in NY not HK- hohum. Give us an outfit shot, GJs ;) You are so good at those!
- August 26, 2009 at 3:54 PM
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As a rule I tend to avoid rap conflicts or petty fights, but the way Eminem eviscerates Mariah Carey in this song called, "The Warning" I just couldn't resist. Here it is…not for the faint of heart or ear.
The Warning – Eminem
As a rule I tend to avoid rap conflicts or petty fights, but the way Eminem eviscerates Mariah Carey in this song called, "The Warning" I just couldn't resist. Here it is…not for the faint of heart or ear.
The Warning – Eminem
While Bob Dylan was recording his album, Nashville Skyline, country legend Johnny Cash stopped by to visit. A friend and label-mate of Dylan's as well as an early supporter of his music, Cash had been recording next door with his own band. The two wound up recording a series of duets, covering Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" as well as Cash's own "I Still Miss Someone." None of these were deemed usable, but Cash returned the following day to record more duets.
The session on February 18 was devoted exclusively to duet covers with Cash. "One Too Many Mornings" and "I Still Miss Someone" were revisited, and rejected, yet again. "Matchbox", "That's All Right Mama", "Mystery Train", "Big River", "I Walk the Line", and "Guess Things Happen That Way", all made famous by celebrated Sun recordings performed by Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Cash himself, were all attempted on February 18, but none of these were deemed usable. Covers of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #1″ and "#5″, Cash's "Ring of Fire" (written by his wife, June Carter and Merle Kilgore), "You Are My Sunshine", "Mountain Dew", the traditional ballad "Careless Love", the traditional hymn "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "How High The Water", and "Wanted Man" (a song written by Dylan specifically for Cash) were also attempted, and all were rejected. There was little enthusiasm for any of these tracks, but one duet of Dylan's, "Girl From The North Country" (which originally appeared on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan), was ultimately sequenced as the album's opener.
Over the next 4 weeks I will bring to you all the songs on that bootleg. Let me know what you think in the comment section! Here is part 2 of that collection. Part 1 is here.
That's Alright Mama – Dylan/Cash
Ring of Fire – Dylan/Cash
Good Ole Mountain Dew – Dylan/Cash
Guess Things Happen That Way – Dylan/Cash
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You – Dylan/Cash
After listening to The Woody & Rizzuto Show on Wednesday morning in hopes of gathering a little info for the alleged interview Woody said he would do (more on this later) I came away feeling the show to be hokey & unimaginative. In other words, perfect for the 50th rated market in the U.S. While I did like Rizzuto I found that the chemistry between the two wasn't there. Often times when a host is not good enough to carry a show on his own, like Jeff is obviously not good enough to, they will pair him with a girl or someone who is appealing to the audience more than just two frat guys talking about reality shows that involve fat chicks and almost crying.
There was a ton of music played & frankly it was just boring. Now, I'm sure the show will get better, cause the only way it could get worse is if Ravey showed up & took up half of the studio with her largess. Here's the thing, though, if they can't attract listeners now then how will they in the future. Is Woody really in this thing for the long haul or is he still preoccupied with Live 105? He refuses to keep his word & be interviewed though I have tried numerous times to contact him. It seems that while he enjoys deriding his former station he can not bring himself to keep his word (wouldn't be the first time Woody has lied, for instance ratting yours truly out to management for playing a song off the list then denying he said anything when Spud told me he did & telling management that he felt Leanne was feeding me stories when in actuality it was his former board op Brian among others) & tell what truly happened over at Live 105 to those willing to listen. It seems that while there were those who went to bat for Woody when he was surreptitiously fired, for what seemed to be the most trivial of reasons (though it has never been clarified) he insists on being the same ungrateful miscreant he once was at Live 105 by lying & obfuscating his intentions.
While Woody buries himself in his misdeeds where will those people be when he is let go from this job as he was in Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco & St. Louis the first time. It seems Woody did not remember the Golden Rule of Radio & that is "Be kind to people on the way up…..because you'll meet them again on the way down." After being in the #4 market in the country Woody finds himself living in his In-Laws home, without his so-called best friends Ravey & Tony, with a new child & in a sub-par market & he has the audacity to blow people off? It'll be a much harder fall this time time down, Jeff. Enjoy it while it lasts. Here's a tip: take some night classes at the local community college, learn a trade, maybe you could become a welder. Welder's make good money.
With grunge puttering out after the suicide of Nirvana lead man Kurt Cobain, Metal long since past it's glory days & punk still not having gotten it's second wind Oasis introduced the second British invasion. With the constant storyline of the ever-bickering Gallagher brothers it would seem music would suffer (it eventually did), but it was just the opposite. What's the Story Morning Glory? was one of the best selling albums of the 90s with 20 million records sold. The influence of the Beatles is hard to deny with "Imagine" being intertwined with the opening notes of "Don't Look Back in Anger" & "Wonderwall" being the first Beatles solo album, a movie George Harrison provided the soundtrack for. In all reality, as previously alluded to, this was the beginning of the end for Oasis. After this, their third album was just not the same critically or profit wise as people grew tired of the bickering Gallagher's & their antics.
Don't Look Back in Anger – Oasis
Wonderwall – Oasis
Take three Jewish kids from Brooklyn who can rap & like magic you have the Beastie Boys. Three of the biggest legends of rap. Together with the Dust Brothers, who had previously worked on Tone Loc's album "Loc'd After Dark" they created Paul's Boutique. An album that initially did not sell well, but was hailed by critics with Rolling Stone calling it, "the Pet Sounds/Dark Side of the Moon of Hip-Hop." Samples of Curtis Mayfield's, "Superfly" turned up on, "The Eggman" which also included samples of "Pump it Up" by Elvis Costello, the "Jaws Theme" by John Williams & "Dance to the Music" by Sly & the Family Stone. Today this is considered one of the greatest albums in Hip-Hop history for the breakthrough Dust Brothers/Beastie Boys sound. "Eggman" & "Hey Ladies" were posted here previously so here are two others from the album.
The Sounds of Science – Beastie Boys
Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun – Beastie Boys
One of These Nights is one of the last albums where the Eagles stay true to form of their original ideal of becoming the 70's version of the Byrd's. Flashes of the pop-rock band they were to become show in songs like the title track, but their country roots shine in others like "Lyin' Eyes" & "Take it to the Limit". Because of the seemingly new direction they were headed in, Bernie Leadon chose to leave the band after this album came out & was quickly replaced by Joe Walsh. It was after this that Don Henley & Glenn Frey began to exert more control & change the direction to more of a stylized/slick rock sound.
Lyin' Eyes – The Eagles
Take it to the Limit – The Eagles
Hearkening back to a soul sound that hadn't been heard since the 60's, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was an album that rivaled anything Mary J. Blige has ever put out. A crowning achievement in the soul music genre & in the career of ex-Fugees singer, Lauryn Hill, the album discussed many themes. Those themes primarily revolved around the struggles of African-Americans including relations with one another as on the track, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" that speaks to African-American men & women caught in "the struggle". Both the women who "try to be a hard rock when they really are a gem" & the men who are "more concerned with rims & Tims, than his women" are admonished by Hill who warns them not to allow "That thing" whatever it is to tuin their lives.
Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
I Used to Love Him – Lauryn Hill
Violent, angry, brooding, misogynistic & comical is how one could describe Eminem's third album, The Marshall Mathers LP. With tracks like "Kill You" which speaks of his hatred for his mother in some of the most despicable, graphic ways imaginable, but one can't help but be engaged while listening to songs like "Stan".
"Stan" is a story of a fan who is obsessed with Eminem and writes to him but doesn't receive a reply. Stan drives his car off a bridge with his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk. The first three verses are delivered by Stan, the first two in letter form and the third being spoken as he is about to drive off a bridge and is recording a cassette with the intent (but, he realizes too late, not the means) to send it to Eminem. The song makes heavy use of sound effects, with rain and thunder heard in the background, as well as pencil scratchings during the first two verses, and then as Stan drives off the bridge, listeners hear tires screeching and a crashing sound, followed by a splash of water, in a style similar to the 1964 songs "Dead Man's Curve" and "Leader of the Pack". The fourth verse is Eminem responding to Stan, only realizing at the last second that he has heard about Stan's death on the news as he was writing to him.
The song can also be interpreted as a reply at Eminem's critics, who accuse him of promoting drugs and violence, because it creates a scenario that clearly shows that his rap lyrics are not meant to be taken seriously, "what's this shit you said about you like to cut your wrists too? I say that shit just clownin' dogg, c'mon – how fucked up is you?"
The song was produced by The 45 King and samples the first couple of lines of "Thank You" by Dido as the chorus. Say what you will about the content what can't be underestimated is that Eminem did for white rappers what Vanilla Ice never could. This album made Eminem hated by so many interest group yet he persevered selling 1.6 million albums in the first week. Whther you think that is good or bad the album is filled with rhymes & beats that defined rap for the better part of this decade.
Stan – Eminem
Kill You – Eminem
Picking up where the great Jamaican ska/two-tone bands of the 60's left off The Specials self-titled debut album was summarily an homage to those two-tone/ska bands/artists that left an indelible impact on the genre. Artists such as: Lee "Scratch" Perry, Prince Buster, Toots & the Maytals & of course Dandy Livingstone who's 1967 single "A Message to You, Rudy" became of the Specials most popular songs. Trombonist, Rico Rodriguez, who performed on many of the 50's/60's Jamaican recordings, before moving to London in 1962, played on The Specials version as he had on the original recording 15 years earlier. As a former member of the legendary band The Skatalites, a band that helped define the sound of ska & reggae, Rico's appearance on the album considerably added to the Specials credentials.
Too Hot – The Specials
Message to You, Rudy – The Specials
Paranoid is the album that Tony Iommi made his name on. One of the most influential heavy metal albums of all-time, Paranoid, put Black Sabbath on the map with "Iron Man" & the delusional tale "paranoid". With Tony Iommi wailing on the guitar & Ozzy Osbourne's most inspired vocals as his range is evident even in the heavy rock anthems. While the album is considered a heavy metal masterpiece there are nonetheless mellow songs such as "Planet Caravan" with Ozzy using the Leslie Speaker to create the dream-like vocals. "Iron Man' which won a best metal performance Grammy in 2000, 30 years after it was released is one of the best songs on the album as is the unassuming anti-war song "War Pigs" which questions the logic of sending others to die for selfish causes you won't fight for yourself.
Planet Caravan – Black Sabbath
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Perhaps the most underrated of all the Beatles albums, Magical Mystery Tour is a psychedelic tour de force as it weaves in and out of brilliant compositions. The revolutionary use of looping techniques was an inspiration to many up and coming bands as was the movie that this soundtrack was made for. Magical Mystery Tour was the first Beatles film project following the death of manager Brian Epstein in August 1967, and there has been much speculation that the absence of Epstein's judgment contributed to its undisciplined production, as seen, for instance, in the absence of a screenplay and professional direction. The film originally appeared twice on BBC-TV over the 1967 Christmas holidays (first in black and white, then in colour on BBC2), but was savaged by critics on its release; it was, however, noted by Steven Spielberg in film school (according to McCartney in one of the interviews for The Beatles Anthology: "I've read that people like him have sort of said, 'When I was in school that was a film we really took notice of…' like an art film, you know, rather than a proper film).
Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
All You Need is Love – The Beatles
Widely considered a classic of 1970s soul/funk, Superfly was a nearly immediate hit. Its sales were bolstered by two million-selling singles, "Freddie's Dead" (#2 R&B, #4 Pop) and the title track (#5 R&B, #8 Pop). "Superfly" is one of the few soundtracks to out-gross the film it accompanied.
Superfly, along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, was one of the pioneering soul concept albums, with its then-unique socially aware lyrics about poverty and drug abuse making the album stand out. The film and the soundtrack may be perceived as dissonant, since the Super Fly film holds rather ambiguous—some will say sympathetic—views on drug dealers, whereas Curtis Mayfield's position is far more critical.
Like What's Going On, the album was a surprise hit that record executives felt had little chance at significant sales. Due to its success, Mayfield was tapped for several film soundtracks over the course of the decade.
Superfly – Curtis Mayfield
Pusherman – Curtis Mayfield
Aretha Franklin's greatest song, regardless of what you think about "Respect", is "Natural Woman". Her vocal range is never better that in this soft ballad about recognizing the one you're with accepts you for who & what you are. Written by Gerry Goffin & Carole King it got up to #8 on the Billboard Charts. Not only did Aretha have the most powerful voice in the business, the best songwriters at her disposal, she also had one of the best backing bands around. A band that included none other than Sam Cooke's former guitarist Bobby Womack, who himself would go on to cover "Natural Woman', changing it to "Natural Man" & also his classic "Across 100th Street". All these elements aligned to make Lady Soul a brilliant near operatic masterpiece for Aretha Franklin and female soul musicians in general.
Chain of Fools – Aretha Franklin
Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
Last night or maybe it's today now, I was patrolling Twitter out of sheer boredom & I saw that John Mayer was playing the Hotel Cafe, which is this killer little venue that maybe holds 200 people, for $5. Too good to pass up & I already have expressed numerous times my affinity for John Mayer. Anyway, my boy Jose & I roll up there to see if we can get in, we did & John played mostly stuff off the album he's coming out with soon. However, he did play some old stuff as well, "Neon", a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" & his MJ memorial instrumental "Human Nature" which led into "Waiting on the World to Change". All & all it was an amazing show with great music that I just happened to record.
The quality is not the best & next time I will see if I can hook into the soundboard instead of holding the recorder in the air. What can I say it was my first time? Nevertheless, it rocked & here it is for you.The new album is sure to be fantastic. One side note…I'm not sure of all the tracks names because they're new songs so if they don't have names that's why. Enjoy! Also, if you have any problems with the songs once you download them as far as them not playing or cutting off or anything like that please let me know so I can correct it.
Song #1 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Song #2 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Song #3 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Song #4 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
War of My Life (New Song) – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Song #6 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
I'm on Fire (Bruce Springsteen Cover) – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Song #8 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Song #9 – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Who Says I Can't Be Stoned? – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Neon – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Human Nature/Waiting on the World to Change – John Mayer – Hotel Cafe 7/29 /09
Some great things going on this week. The new releases have been a huge disappointment for the third third week in a row, so I'll come up with something for Wednesday & post the Music News today.
Run This Town – Jay-Z, Rhianna, Kanye West
D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) – Jay-Z
I don't know if Weezer hates its fans or just the (apparently) stifling concept of sincerity, but you should listen to these two new songs if you weren't already convinced of Weezer's contempt for music.
Apple is working with the four largest record labels to stimulate digital sales of albums by bundling a new interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other interactive features with music downloads, in a move it hopes will change buying trends on its on-line iTunes store.
The talks come as Apple is separately racing to offer a portable, full-featured, tablet-sized computer in time for the Christmas shopping season, in what the entertainment industry hopes will be a new revolution. The device could be launched alongside the new content deals, including those aimed at stimulating sales of CD-length music, according to people briefed on the project.
When I was in High School I was surrounded by Hip-Hop kids & naturally gravitated towards that, but when I left H.S. that all changed. The kids I hung out with were punk rock kids & I found my niche. I loved the three chord anthems, the speed, the noise, the anger, all of it. We'd Go to Koo's Cafe & watch bands playing those cranked out punk songs like they were lighting matches, just ferociously grinding away against the perceived establishment.
I started really loving the whole scene & while I was never a "gutter punk" I did wear punk styled attire. It was a glorious time. I despise people that rail against punk rockers not having talent. It's the emotion in those three strangled chords that shows how great the talent it. So today on this excruciatingly hot Sunday I offer you punk anthems that I love.
I Don't Want to Grow Up (Tom Waits Cover) – The Ramones
Substitute – Sex Pistols
Last Caress – The Misfits
London Calling – The Clash
The Handshake – Bad Religion
2000 Light Years Away – Green Day
The Man I Killed – NOFX
Bro Hymn – Pennywise
Prison Bound – Social Distortion
You've Done Nothing – Face to Face
I know posted this a few weeks back & I hate repeating myself, but the site I had it on clearly is maxed out of bandwidth so here's a chick punk song for your listening pleasure.
Take It Off – The Donnas
For my Irish Lads & Lass (I am half Irish after all).
Amazing Grace – Dropkick Murphy's


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So before I forget, you know how I recently told you about how sweet it was that Ash was asking Jeff to play with her--he'd be the prince and she'd be the princess? Right. Adorable. So Ash wanted to play with Mommy yesterday. Here's what she said to me: "Mommy, you'll be the monster. I'll be the human."
I'm serious. Jeff gets to be Prince Charming. Mommy gets to be King Kong.
Moving on. Well, I'm super excited about Thanksgiving next week. I can't wait to see family and eat turkey and dressing and pie and green-bean casserole and rolls (not in that order). It has been almost a year since I've seen my parents. I can't really even fathom how that has happened. I talk to them all the time so I don't feel like there's a huge distance between us, but there is. And we've Skyped every now and then. But it's been a long time since we were together and I am ready for that to happen. (And for Grandma and Grandpa to babysit my little darlings!) Thanksgiving is wonderful because you get all the perks of the special dinner, without the pressure of gifts and all that. Not that I don't love gifts, because I do. But it's nice to just enjoy being together without presents. Though I am planning to become a crazy woman and go shopping on Black Friday as usual. I'll let you know how it goes. Remember last year, I rushed around like mad, filling up my basket? Then realized I didn't need half of what I'd grabbed so I had to abandon ship? Or the year before, when I was in such a hurry I got halfway down the street before realizing I hadn't put in my contacts? Who knows what this year will bring!
Well, it's beginning to look a little like Christmas over here. It's freezing outside today and we might get a few flurries. Sara and I are having a sister night and staying at a hotel, watching White Christmas. Can't wait.
How are you guys doing? Is the season flying by for you? Or have you managed to slow things down for your famiy? If so, share your advice on how to do that!
*Stop here for a weekend blog hop!


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Michael Andretti and his wife Jodi welcomed twins Mario and Mia in February. Mario is named after his grandfather, who ranks second on the open-wheel all-time wins list with 52 victories. Mario Andretti won the 1969 Indianapolis 500. It remains to be seen if baby Mario will become the driver his grandfather was, but Michael is making sure both babies are used to the confines of a cockpit.
So the newest @MarioAndretti already has sick wheels http://t.co/UXQqklAgNR—
Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) March 28, 2014
It's truly never too early to start adorably projecting onto your children.


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President Obama is ending a miserable year on a down note.
Public opinion polls show Mr. Obama's approval ratings at their low and disapproval ratings at their high. He's being tagged by the elite media as a liar and as having had the Worst Year in Washington. His signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act, is a rolling disaster. And the rest of his agenda–on gun control, climate change, immigration, and much else–is dead in the water. As CNN's John King put it, Obama was "0 for 13" on the policy proposals he advocated at the beginning of the year.
One question, I suppose, is whether 2013 can be written off as simply one bad year–or whether, in fact, the Obama White House will look back to this year as the good old days of the second term.
It's impossible to know for sure, of course, since politics is rarely linear and events we can't anticipate are sure to intervene. But all we can do is to assess how things look at any given moment in time–and based on where things now stand, my guess is that 2014 will be even worse for the Obama presidency than has been 2013.
I say that for a couple of reasons. The first is that the issue that has done the most durable damage to the Obama presidency is the Affordable Care Act–and if you believe, as I do, that the problems with it are (a) fundamental and structural and (b) ongoing, then next year will produce yet more problems, more dislocation, more anxiety, and more anger, caused by things like (but not limited to) small business cancellations of health-care plans, "doc shock," and the coming problems facing the exchange systems in each of our 50 states.
The core problem facing the Obama presidency, then, can't be fixed simply by personnel changes; it can only be repaired by accepting that the Affordable Care Act is intrinsically defective and therefore needs to be ended. And Mr. Obama will fight to his last breath to keep that from occurring.
The second reason 2014 could well be worse for the president is the mid-term election, which (if history is any guide) will almost surely subtract the number of Democrats in Congress–and which may, in fact, be the second "wave" election to hit Democrats during the Obama years.
With the qualifier that we're still 11 months away, Republicans right now are relatively well positioned to make gains, and probably significant gains, in both the House and Senate. If that were to occur, it would not only further damage Mr. Obama; it would go some distance toward affirming the narrative that the Obama presidency is deeply injurious to his party and, more broadly, to liberalism.
Perhaps this analysis can be dismissed as biased thinking by a conservative critic. Or perhaps it's a fair reading of where things stand and where things are headed. We'll know this time next year. But I suspect that for all his problems this year, it may be viewed in retrospect as (for the second term at least) the land of milk and honey compared to what awaits the man Barbara Walters thought was going to be "the next messiah."


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It's that time of year again, compiling multiple summaries of anything and everything that happened in 2011 that you could care to read about: the Top Energy Stories, the Weirdest, Wildest Animal Stories and, of course, most sustainable large companies. In this analysis, Corporate Knights, a clean energy magazine, ranked the top 100 sustainable companies in 22 countries. Japan had the greatest number of companies, 19, while the U.S. came in second with 13, an improvement by one from 2010's assessment. Other countries with a large number of green companies were: the UK (11), Canada (eight), Australia (six), Switzerland (six), France (five), Denmark (four), Finland (four), Brazil, Germany, Norway, and Spain (three each).
The analysis criteria ranged from comparing income to amount of waste produced and water consumed, as well as the percentage of women leaders and level of transparency in the company. Johnson & Johnson was the highest ranking U.S. company (number two overall), with Norway's Statoil ASA taking the top position. Finland's Nokia OYJ was number four, Intel Corp number six, Britain's AstraZeneca PLC number seven and General Electric Co. number 11. Other notable U.S. companies, like Procter & Gamble Co., Kraft Foods Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Coca-Cola Enterprises, ranked 44th, 45th, 75th, and 78th, respectively.
To learn more about Corporate Knights' analysis, visit their website.


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Mark Hayward, Chief Executive, NAEA Propertymark said: "As a rule of thumb, periods of political uncertainty impact the way buyers and sellers interact with the housing market. In May, it looks like new buyers were stalling their house search until after the election; however the number of sales agreed per branch increased meaning the political landscape hasn't deterred all house hunters. Following the result of the general election, it will be interesting to see how the market reacts over the coming months as summer is peak house-moving season."
Read the report