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Sunday, September 13, 2009
Cinnamon Swirl Love
Posted by Simply Moms at 3:01 PM 0 comments
Labels: encouraging moment
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Blog Love
So I get this e-mail from a friend of mine....completely unrelated to the RAD world. She says is (click here) ...this... you????????????
"Yes" it is! Nice surprise.
I'm posting the 7 Things About Me...firstly because I was asked...and secondly , I think it's very good to remind ourselves and encourage others to remind themselves that life is not all about RAD all the time.
1. I am a photographer.
2. I home-educate. Teaching IEW this year among other things.
3. I do not have a belly button.
4. I love film. Went to USC Film School. Trying to produce a film as we speak.
5. I enjoy crocheting and bead work.
6. My favorite books are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn & Stepping Heavenward.
7. I love travel and the Food Network.
8. I'm not sure the Lord's finished expanding our family.
(I just realized that I posted 8 things. I have no idea why I did that????????) Exhaustion??????
Thank you, Beckyjoie for the compliment and the encouragement.
Posted by Simply Moms at 6:47 AM 3 comments
Labels: Dawn
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Promise Land
For many adoptive parents, the long wait during the adoption process or even just the longing to grow your family has felt like the desert wanderings of the Israelites. You have survived this torturous season. You have trusted Christ for your daily sustenance. You have hoped with joy at what lies ahead. You have followed Him to this child. To bring home your pined for child seems about to cross the Jordan. Soon you will be together forever and the time as a family will be rich and fruitful and yummy. But and a major but to possess the promise land with a RADish takes work. There will be battles. Lots of them. You will have to fight for the regulated and joy filled home. It will seem impossible. The temptation is to be grumbling like the Israelites. It was better before this all began. The wait was easier than the adoption itself. At least I was familiar with pining. It had become comfortable. What was I hoping for? God has led us all this way to now let us fumble, fear and faint with this child. But we must be like Joshua, beloved. We must see the possibilities for our child and for our family. We must be willing to enter into the wars and impossible circumstances. There is hope. We have promises. He will not leave us. He will go before us. He will give us strength for each battle and a way out of every temptation. The possibility of milk and honey so far exceeds the sand of the desert. For your child. For your family. For you. Press in.
~thoughts and reflections after reading Number 16
Posted by Simply Moms at 12:03 PM 1 comments
Labels: Cate
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
10 Positives
Recently I was asked to describe my kids by someone who doesn't know them. She said, "you know. what are their personalities like, what are their interests. you know." I honestly sat there dumbfounded for a good 30 seconds. I started to talk about my other kids while I was frantically multi-tasking in my brain to think of things for my RADish. Things flooding to my brain were.... well, like... she likes to manipulate people....or have total freak outs during lessons.... or fake laugh with strangers. Honestly. I know here that doesn't seem crazy but in other circles....like with this lady I don't know well, those were so far from appropriate answers. I wouldn't talk about those things with her for one but also because somehow it seemed incomplete. It had been a hard few weeks. Really hard. Like every inch of my body was feeling her emotional pain hard. I was exhausted. Her choices flooded my days and absorbed my nights. Fortunately, I could see that even having those thoughts did not reflect my desire to pursue my child's heart. I realized in that moment how focused on the behavior I had become that week. I had given the sin too much power in our home. This is a child--my child--that I am fighting for not just behaviors and a will I am trying to curb. But those were thoughts to be mulled over later. I had to give this woman an answer. I began listing a two things my lovey is naturally good at and changed the subject.
As I thought later about all of this, I sat quietly with the Lord. I repented of the ways I had not seen my child this week and for the distraction I had allowed sin to become. Then I listed 10 things that she was good at or growing in or had at one time made me smile over. It wasn't easy. The days have been hard. She seems to be in a horrible mood from the moment she wakes up til the moment she finally falls asleep. She doesn't seem to think about anything fun or happy. I need to help ID those things for her, though, and help her work towards honing those skills in her regulated times instead of her survival skills. So do it. As a part of I Thessalonians 5:18. When there are no warm fuzzy or easy days, choosing thankfulness and the child's heart and God's sovereignty refocuses our minds. 10 things you can thank God for in your child. Share in our comments if you feel led to help get other parents thinking and to delight in the child God has given you.
Posted by Simply Moms at 3:50 PM 10 comments
Labels: Cate, ideas to build attachment


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"Positive experience"
About: Royal Melbourne Hospital / Emergency Department Royal Melbourne Hospital Emergency Department Parkville 3050
Posted by Positive feedback (as ),
I recently brought my wife in just before midnight as she was in immense pain due to a disc pressing on a nerve in the C6 area. (Sorry limited medical knowledge). From when we came in to when we checked out 19 hours later, all the staff; from triage, to the doctors, to the neurosurgeons, to the nurses, to admin, to other staff were awesome. We did have to wait a fair while, but there were some worse patients presenting to ED, so that's totally fine!
I think sometimes people are too quick to criticise and don't care to give positive feedback. But I applaud you guys for your professionalism under such busy and diverse conditions. My wife is home now, with a clear pain management plan (which hopefully works for her) and we can look forward. Thank you again and keep up the great work!!!


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Boasting private pool, AZORES AVENIDA E APARTMENT T3 is situated on the beachfront in Ponta Delgada. With pool views, this accommodation features a patio. The apartment has 3 bedrooms, a flat-screen TV, an equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and a microwave, a washing machine, and 2 bathrooms with a bidet. The apartment offers a terrace. Both a bicycle rental service and a car rental service are available at AZORES AVENIDA E APARTMENT T3. Portas da Cidade is 1.4 km from the accommodation, while Santuario Nossa Senhora da Esperanca is 2.1 km from the property.
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This avant-garde film by Russian director Sergei Parajanov depicts the life of the revered 18th-century Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova (Vilen Galstyan). Portraying the artist's life from his childhood to his death, the film particularly illuminates his relationships with women, including his muse (Sofiko Chiaureli). The production tells Sayat-Nova's dramatic story by using both his poems and largely still camerawork, creating a highly impressionistic work.
Andrei Tarkovsky's first feature, Ivan's Childhood, was a big influence on Parajanov and inspired him to abandon the Socialist Realism of the mid-60s, in favour of more poetic features. Upon its completion, the film was criticised by Soviet censors and the Communist Party for being too poetic and not properly educating the public on the poet's life, and all literal references to the poet were removed.
Since then, the film has been recut to be as close to Parajanov's original vision as possible. This digitally-restored version premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.


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Enchong Dee joins PBB as 12th housemate + more things you might have missed today
Duterte says he will consider presidential bid, Jennylyn Mercado is FHM's sexiest, and more.
(SPOT.ph) Busy day, Spotters? We quickly recap 10 things you might have missed while you were off the radar.
1. Enchong Dee joins PBB as 12th housemate
Enchong Dee suprised his fans on Sunday, June 21 when he announced on ASAP that he would be entering the Pinoy Big Brother house as the 12th housemate...and host. On the show's second night, Dee became an official housemate and hosted alongside Toni Gonzaga and Bianca Gonzalez.
2. Jennylyn Mercado tops FHM Philippines' 100 Sexiest List
Jennylyn Mercado has unseated Marian Rivera as the sexiest woman in FHM's annual poll. This is the fifth time Jennylyn made it to the list, but the first time she reached the top spot. She has also previously expressed her openness to walk during FHM's annual party in July. Marian held the position in 2013 and 2014.
3. Piolo wants to work with Judy Ann again
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Piolo Pascual thanked former co-star Judy Ann Santos for giving him his "biggest break in showbiz." He congratulated the actress on her pregnancy and added, "Sana maka-work kita ulit." Their love team dates back to Esperanza in the late '90s, followed by three blockbuster movies.
4, Apple reverses music policy after Taylor Swift's open letter
On Sunday, Taylor Swift took to her Tumblr to explain why 1989 would not be on Apple Music when it launches on June 30. She argued against Apple's decision to not pay artists during the three-month free trial period. "This is not about me," she partly wrote. "This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt."
On Monday, Apple announced that they will be paying artists during the trial period.
5. A heat wave in Pakistan kills around 140 people
An estimated 140 people have died from a sudden heat wave that hit Pakistan's largest city Karachi and surrounding Sindh province. About 130 of the fatalities were recorded since Saturday in Karachi, where temperatures peaked to 45°C. Temperatures of up to 48°C were recorded in the Sindh province.
6. Duterte now considering presidential bid
Despite repeated statements saying that he has no plans to run for the presidency, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte seems to have had a change of heart. In his weekly program on a Davao City news channel on Sunday, he reportedly said, "I will consider the suggestion of my friends and supporters." He also added that he will stop issuing statements that he is not interested in running for the top executive post.
Vice President Jejomar Binay has "irrevocably" resigned from his Cabinet posts as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and presidential adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) Concerns. The vice president's daughter, Makati Representative Abigail Binay, reportedly hand-carried the resignation to the Office of the President on June 22.
8. VP Binay most trusted government official
Speaking of the Vice President, the latest Pulse Asia survey has revealed that Binay is the most trusted top government official with a 57% approval rating, which is 15 points higher than his previous trust rating in March. On the other hand, P-Noy's trust rating is at 50%, a huge leap from his record-low 36% in March.
9. Timeline: Transgender Community Calls Out Valkyrie for "Dehumanizing" Policy
On Sunday night, designer Veejay Floresca detailed how a bouncer in Valkyrie denied her entry for "cross-dressing." Multiple accounts say that this isn't the first time this has happened. We detailed the then-and-now situations that has the LGBT community rallying online.
10. 10 Motivational Comics for the Manila Commuter
Stuck in traffic again? Trying to squeeze into the MRT? We salute you, courageous commuters of Manila. Think of these comics as an homage to you.


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This one makes me angry because it is so blatantly incorrect and it is splashed on the front page for everyone to see.
Identify and correct the error in the following sub-headline. Cite the applicable rule.
"1 in 10 local students have hypertension, U of W study reveals".
Ted Whipp & Don LaJoie, "Almost half our Grade 7 kids overweight", front page sub-headline, The Windsor Star, Wednesday, June 23, 2011.
There really are two errors in the following piece. Identify and correct each.
HINT: Read the sentence closely and think of the (non)sense of the first two verbs.
"That iPod went missing Monday after Paquette got distracted while buying some plants at a Windsor garden centre and left it on the counter."
Sonja Puzic, "Stolen iPad held important medical data", The Windsor Star, Wednesday, June 23, 2011.
Identify the author of the following thought.
"Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."
The word for today is "preponderance".
What part of speech is "preponderance"?
Define "preponderance" and use it in a sentence that displays its meaning.


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Question: Have you heard if NBC will show the end of American Dreams that Jonathan Prince mentioned had been filmed in case the series was canceled (Ask Ausiello 3/23)? Jonathan
Ausiello: Prince tells me that the 10-minute epilogue was "shot and is ready to be aired if NBC will let us do a special this summer or fall." Well, you don't have to tell Gail O'Grady twice. "Let's hope it happens," she told me last week at ABC's upfront, where she was promoting her new comedy Hot Properties. "If Jonathan Prince is the show-runner that I've known him to be, he will not let go of this until there is closure." (No pressure though, Jon.)


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I think we can all agree that Dave Bautista seems like an intimidating man. I will tell you that he is bigger in person – but much less intimidating. As he walked in to the interview room on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 last year – in full Drax costume and makeup – I was a little bit speechless. What a force walking through that door – what an incredible sight! I am a giant Guardians of the Galaxy fan and to see Drax sitting in front of me was pretty amazing. But Dave is probably one of the sweetest, soft-spoken, and down-to-Earth guys I have ever met. We had a great conversation about how he felt about coming back to the set, how long it takes for him to become Drax, and he what he loves about his character.
First Reoccuring Role
When Dave was asked what it was like to be back on the Guardians of the Galaxy set, he told us it was awesome.
"This is my first reoccurring role for me, so it was weird because I got to be part of the screen testing process rather than screen testing for myself. I realized how comfortable I was in the role. When I watched the first film, I can see that I transitioned from being very nervous and very uncomfortable to being very comfortable and also being comfortable on a big set, because it was a huge deal for me. That was my first really huge film. We spent so much time together, not only on the first film, but also on the press tour. So we all got to be really close. Especially when we were in London because we really only had each other to lean on – because we were foreigners in a foreign country. Making this film, nobody really knew what to expect from it. We all got close – we're like family."
The Pressure
It is strange to watch an actor as good as Dave Bautista and realize that Drax was his first major (and now first reoccurring) role. He played Drax perfectly, my husband (who is also a huge Guardians fan) agrees with me on that. We were blown away by his portrayal of him in the first one, and cannot wait to see what he evolves in to in Volume 2. We asked him if he felt more or less pressure taking on Drax for a second time and he said way less pressure.
"I'm already so comfortable, and now I feel like I am Drax and I own Drax – he's my character. The brain behind Drax is James [Gunn] but James has written this role for me. He knows what my strengths are now and he's written it for me. He has a good idea of who Drax should be and he really knows how fans want Drax to be as well. He knows what they're expecting. I feel so comfortable in the role and it's been much, much easier and no pressure. There's a little bit of pressure now that I watched Captain America [Civil War] and it was so well-done. I was like wow, it's a hard act to follow – Marvel just keeps stepping it up, man. They just keep stepping it up." I couldn't agree with him more. It sure is a great time to be a Marvel fan!
Makeup Process
As I mentioned, Dave was in full Drax-mode because he was filming that day. It was definitely a site to see, and so we asked him to tell us a little bit about the whole makeup and costume process.
"If we got it done in four hours on the first film, it was great, it was a great day. I mean, everybody was celebrating. This one is an hour and a half at the most – because it's a whole new system they're using. They used to just dab on the paint and that's how they started the process. Now they attack me with paint rollers – there's five guys rolling paint. The tattoos were actually sheets of latex on the first [set], now they are transferred so all of these are individual. They are moldings of glue so they stick on to me, but also it's very hard to get off. So at the end of the day I sit in the sauna for about an hour – I sit there and I start to really sweat it off – and they come and start to peel it off of me. It's so fast now it's not even an issue. On hot days I'll take this off and the glue will look like string cheese. It's really not bad compared to the first one. The first one was rough."
Being in Physical Shape
We asked Dave how he got physically prepared for this role, "that's so funny you ask because I didn't really train for the last one. I had the luxury of the big sheets of latex. I came in and did the first makeup test for this film [and]I was like wow, I really have to be in shape for this – the makeup is unforgiving, it doesn't hide anything. So I trained rigorously for this and I still do. I can't train on the days that we work but the days that I'm off I work out out. I [go]to the gym sometimes twice a day. I've been hitting it hard because I want to deliver. I want Drax to look the part as well so I took this more seriously, diving in and training, so hopefully it'll show."
The Success of Volume One
I had great confidence that Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 would be amazing. I know that many people were skeptical or just had no idea how it would do, but not me. I am such a fan of the comics, I knew that it would do well – but even I didn't know how well. We asked Dave how he felt about the success of first film.
"It's weird. It is one of those things where we just, we didn't know. Nobody knew, and we were not going know until after the opening weekend – then after the opening weekend everybody was sitting around in shock. Not only did it do as well as we were hoping, but it did way better than that. It was breaking records – it was great. It felt satisfying because we all believed in it – we knew it was going to be great – but you just don't know until people actually come out. Then you start to get the reviews and the reviews are so great. I mean, out of 1,000 reviews, you might get one negative comment. But they would say all in all it was great, but one little negative comment. It was really, really satisfying."
Drax and Mantis
Mantis is a new character that is being introduced in GotG Volume 2, and Dave was asked about her relationship with Drax. He told us that he couldn't say much, because he didn't want to give anything away (or get in trouble). "I will say Mantis and Drax definitely make a connection. It's probably not the connection most people are going to expect or that people might be reading into, but definitely a connection. I think that people have to remember, fans have to remember, that the heart of Drax is his heartbreak over his family so I don't think there's ever gonna be that next love interest for Drax. I think he had that love interest, she's gone, and that's what he's driven by – that heartbreak."
What the Future Holds for Drax
We asked Dave if there was one thing he would like to see for his character, and the answer had us all laughing! "Well I'd like to see my character in The Avengers. This is wishful thinking. Otherwise, I'm pretty satisfied with the character. He's actually more than I ever thought he could be or really wished that he could be. I have to give a lot of credit to James for that. He's been the creative mind behind Drax. I think he's really created an incredible character."
Drax's Humor
I personally love so many things about Drax, like how literal he is, but we asked Dave what he loves about his character.
"You know what I love most about him is that he is not what people expect. When I did the first one, I think people expected Drax to be a certain way, and James went the totally opposite way with him. If you take a big guy and he looks menacing and he looks terrifying, it's easy to be that guy on screen. You growl a lot, you snarl a lot, you cut people's heads off and it's easy – [but]there's nothing challenging about it. To be that guy and look that way, but then to make people laugh, I think is the challenge. I think that's the fun part – and that's what I love about Drax."
"I think it's fair to say that there's a lot more of that in this film. Drax has a bigger role in this film – I think he struck a chord with people in the first film. James [Gunn] get a real kick out of writing for Drax. I know that he does because we will sit there and we read and he just laughs and laughs and laughs. When I deliver the lines that he's written, I can hear him laughing. I know he's amused by it, so I know he really loves the character."
Trying Not to Laugh
Playing off the comedy of Drax, we asked Dave if there was one scene in particular that it was hard for him to keep a straight face. I go back to the scene from the first film, where he says "Nothing goes over my head, my reflexes are too fast." I am even laughing just typing that – I love that scene. Dave told us that there was more than a few that were hard for him. "There's been quite a few. A lot of times when I will do my close-up and I have to deliver these lines very straight-faced but they're funny, funny lines, and Zoe will just start laughing at me off camera or Chris will start laughing. And I have to say stop laughing because once I get the giggles, everybody gets the giggles. But there's a lot of that in this film because the script is so funny – just so well-written and so funny."
Doing His Own Stunts?
The last thing we asked Dave about was his stunts – does he have a stunt double, does he do a lot of his own stunts? "I have the same stuntman from the first film. I met him on that film. It was really hard finding a stunt double for me for a while. They found him for me on that film and I've dragged him around the world. He's been on three other films with me since then because he's great. It's hard to find a big guy who's super athletic but also really experienced. He just, he fits the bill and I've dragged him around – as long as I can continue to drag him around the world with me, I will because he's just such a great stuntman. Many people may think that I'm a professional wrestler and I can do my own stunts."
"Sometimes I don't want to do my own stunts, you know? There was a part where they set the character on fire and I was like stuntman, please, I don't want to be set on fire. I did my 10 years in WWE – I've proved that I'm tough enough. I don't have anything to prove. Nothing out of the ordinary for myself. When it's an exceptional stunt – Rob is his name – I say Rob, would you mind? He's one of those guys who will check out something first, and he'll give me an honest opinion and say I just don't think you should do this – I trust him completely."
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 is in theaters May 5th!
Like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guardiansofthegalaxy/
Follow GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Guardians
Follow Marvel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guardiansofthegalaxy/


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Birthday candles are being blown out, wedding bells are ringing and a Mobile girl makes an appearance on national television. It's been a pretty fun week. So who am I to stop the fun? Let's get this party started.
Mobile belle enters the mix
The second episode of "Jersey Belle" aired on Bravo Monday, Aug. 11 and offered the first real glimpse of Mobile native and St. Paul alum Scarlett Coggin Simmons. Smart, sweet and comfortable in her own skin, she did the Port City proud, y'all.
The show revolves around New Jersey native and publicist to the stars, Jaime Primak Sullivan, who fell in love with a Mountain Brook man and moved her business down to Alabama. She now has three kids and a bunch of Southern girlfriends who try to give her the scoop on the ways of Southern women, while she "outrages" with them with stereotypical Jersey crassness.
But it's pretty damn funny. In the first episode they are at a bridal tea for a girl marrying Mountain Brook royalty, and they were supposed to write a little piece of advice for the bride in a dainty little book. I know you lady folks around here have all had to do this at both wedding and baby showers. Sullivan joked she was going to write, "work on your gag reflex" in it.
I had already started rolling my eyes about this show even before the first episode aired, anticipating it just to be a constant exchange of stereotypes — (Snooki meets Scarlett O'Hara) and of course there is some of that.
Sulllivan particularly likes to make fun of Southern women's need to monogram everything, joking they'd probably put their initials on panty liners. I know a few women who have probably come close. (Ball caps, jackets, Tervis tumblers, soap, wine bags, reusable grocery bags, towels, notebooks, crystal, earrings, necklaces, rings. Yep, not quite to panty liners yet, but getting pretty close.)
But I have actually been surprised with how many layers you have been able to see with most of these women in these first two episodes as they deal with divorce and single parenting and infertility. On the surface it seems about as "real" as reality TV can get. Although I'm sure some Mountain Brook socialites who find it offensive would certainly beg to differ. It's not the hair-pulling, chair-throwing crap you see in the "Real Housewives" franchise.
If anyone or anything looks terrible in it, it's Mountain Brook itself and the chick who proudly claims she is marrying into it like it is an accomplishment equal to curing cancer. But the "Tiny Kingdom," as they call it (yuck!) comes off as an uber-pretentious, whitey-white, snobby and just horrible place to live – well if you are not already a part of it or not able to "marry into it." Not really sure if that was an intentional choice or not.
But we've always known we are way more relaxed and less backstabby and snobby in good ol' Mobile. For the most part, anyway. Watching this show actually just makes me love Mobile more. Scarlett needs to bring her friends down to Mardi Gras next season. Now that would be good TV!
"Jersey Belle" airs every Monday night at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
HBD in the OGD
In Oakleigh last Friday night I hear there was a swank fete at the home of David and Michon Trent to celebrate her birthday. Not sure which one it was, but she looks 35, so we'll go with that.
Many of Oakleigh's most interesting people where there and the band busted out many a Journey hit for the Steve Perry-loving Ms. Trent. The entire party filled the rain-soaked back yard to dance and sing "Don't Stop Believing."
Boozie almost felt like she was back in high school. Um, I mean elementary school.
One gentleman spent a good bit of his time using his balloon-twisting skills to craft "hats" for fellow party goers. According to the balloon artist, the hats represented certain parts of the male anatomy. They just looked like balloons to Boozie, then again I have a tough time with Picasso too.
The Trents' parties are legendary already, but this one set a new standard. Happy Birthday to one cool lady.
A city councilor's gaffe
A couple of weeks ago, District 1 City Councilman Fred Richardson apparently became confused as a group of students were presented before the council meeting.
The students, most of whom were Caucasian, one of Chinese heritage and two of Indian heritage I'm told, were there because they were going to visit Ichihara, Mobile's Japanese sister city. But the well-traveled Richardson obviously thought the group was from Japan and took that as an opportunity say "konichiwa" and tell them how well he knows their mayor.
Richardson's statement apparently drew stunned silence until Mayor Stimpson advised him that the students actually were from Mobile and were heading to Japan for a visit.
Fred didn't have much to say to that, although Boozie wonders if he at least thought about joining them on the trip.
Wedding Bells
Congrats to local musician Ryan Balthrop and his bride Kelli who made it official during an intimate beach ceremony last weekend. The two recently welcomed a son, Rylan Finn. All the best to the happy family!
Well kids, that's all I got. Just remember, whether rain or shine, dramatic or scandalous, or just some plain ol' trash TV lovin', I will be there. Ciao!
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If Sir Keir Starmer had been leader at the election the result would have been very different
17 January, 2020
Sir Keir Starmer
• CLEM Alford (There's a clique that lives in a north London bubble, January 9) makes nasty, vicious, and scurrilous comments about Sir Keir Starmer that are grossly unfair and misleading.
I was pleased to see Martin Plaut's contrasting comments (Have your say in Labour's future) placed alongside it.
Sir Keir is a very decent human being who has sympathy for both sides of the Brexit argument, but like many others he and I would like to have seen another referendum, with the true implications published, primarily because the lying and exaggerated claims of savings by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are totally false, as has been seen already.
Almost every business, major and minor, is against it for a very good reason; business means jobs and that, surely, is more important than anything else to those living north of Watford Gap.
The threats of car manufacturers moving away with huge job losses, there and in the supply chains, are very real and if the full truth had been told about Brexit the referendum result would have been very different.
It was simply lost in the gross and obscene cover up by those politicos in the know – remember "Bugger Business"? So much for Clem Alford's so-called "democracy". I have also heard Sir Keir speaking in support of the fight against HS2 in Camden.
His style and experienced background in law and politics would make him an excellent party leader and should appeal to all elements of the party if they – particularly the Momentum crowd – are serious about getting back into power.
To do so the party has to appeal to a broad cross-section of the community, not just those on the extreme left, and that is why they lost.
While Jeremy Corbyn is no doubt a sensitive, kind and decent man, he seemed to have no sense of leading the party in forceful speeches and failed by trying to outdo the Tories in grossly unrealistic promises of unlimited expenditure which everyone knew would be impossible.
Even the Tories under Johnson seem to have lost their senses by contrast with previous governments and Treasury restrictions, promising all sorts of wildly optimistic achievements.
When I see their promises about social housing, homelessness and social care implemented I might believe it.
Meanwhile I fully support Sir Keir's bid to become party leader. If he had been so at the last election the results would undoubtedly have been very different, and his huge local majority speaks for itself.


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Why Move With ActiveTrail Ontraport
ActiveTrail.com doesn't require Any sort of advertising or tech expertise, and even a first-time consumer can easily walk through the dash and construct messages on simple, elegant templates. ActiveTrail is a good option if you're trying to initiate a message campaign but you're concerned your emails will go to the spam folder or simply won't get read. The predictive delivery collects data on who opened the mails and when, and helps you adjust so, so that messages delivered to your contacts go out in the right time of day when they are most-likely to get opened. Ontraport
click here to sign up for ActiveTrail today.
The system also allows you to Heavily customize the messages so they do not come off as form letters or spam, and includes detailed reports and analysis on your own messages. The autoresponder helps you schedule future messages to contacts (such as birthdays and so on ), assisting you to stay informed about the sort of personal interactions that are so crucial for a business. ActiveTrail.com delivers a free 30-day trial, therefore there is little to lose by choosing it for a test run.
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Somewhat restricted collection of accessible templates
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Landing page founder
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Together with ActiveTrail you can create Online surveys for your clients to give you feedback, assisting you to develop better campaigns. It's also effective at integrating different programs in your messaging, such as PayPal, WordPress and Salesforce.
The landing page builder is Optimized for mobile users and is easy for novices with no coding experience to navigate.
Setting up triggered emails is a Great way to ensure automated interaction with clients anytime they leave a message list, helping you follow-up and preserve your contact base.
ActiveTrail's sign-up types are Easy to make and can be incorporated in numerous ways on your email and newsletters. Just like almost everything else on ActiveTrail, the forms are highly customizable.
Ease of Use
The ActiveTrail interface is Easy-to-use and ought to be somewhat familiar to anyone who has employed a easy site builder. It allows you to easily export your contacts or enter them manually, and walks you through each process. When you hit on"create an email" you receive 5 options — routine email (either with a template or your own HTML code), A/B split email (make two versions and see which works best), on event email (an email to be delivered to the individual automatically on certain dates — such as a birthday), triggered email (one that is sent when a person unsubscribes or subscribes), along with RSS email (an email which will be sent automatically based on an RSS feed).
After clicking on your choice, Template loads having an easily customizable box of options. Here you can upload images and create a gallery on your account which you easily pull images from later on. Ontraport
click here to sign up for ActiveTrail today.
The sending alternatives are easy to Arrange according to contact lists which you can update at will. This allows you to make many variations of a targeted effort for multiple lists of individuals with different traits and interests, which you can monitor through ActiveTrail's analytics system.
The same ease of use applies to Generating landing pages and SMS campaigns.
ActiveTrail now offers 30 Templates for newsletters and 25 for landing pages. While that is a relatively sizable collection, there is not much selection, especially not compared to website builder websites which offer hundreds, even thousands of possible templates.
Nonetheless, there are a fair Number of options.
The platform Permits You to save Your templates for after repeat use. The templates range from blank or quite threadbare ones to more vibrant and lively presentations. There are templates suited to cosmetics companies looking to highlight deals, auto dealers, holiday-themed Christmas templates, food and dining-themed templates, and people for families and holiday-goers.
The offerings Appear to rely Marginally heavily on stock photos and easy, even generic layouts, but every option is highly customizable.
Customer Support
Helpful customer service is a Strong quality of ActiveTrail–and no little thing when it comes to your company's promotions. Queries sent to ActiveTrail's customer support agents were answered effectively. A customer support query sent through the website's contact form at 9pm on a Saturday night (CST) was answered 4 hours later, while an email sent to the customer service email at the same time was answered 4 hours later.
Irrespective of the Subject at hand, The customer service responses were kind, helpful, and asked for clarifications so that they could be of more assistance.
That said, compared to other technology Sites, ActiveTrail's customer support may leave something to be wanted. There's no live chat window or 24/7, 1-800 hotline to get from the heat of the moment.
ActiveTrail's predictive delivery Is a great instrument for determining when and how each and every contact reads emails, therefore you aren't just carpet-bombing your contact list and hoping for the best. You are able to try out what works with an initial campaign or two, and then use the system to customize the messages to your customers.
Their autoresponder and event Emails take the brainwork out of keeping up with customers' birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and so on. The tripping emails also give customers a means to reach out to clients if/when they decide to opt out.
ActiveTrail's competitive pricing Strategies are well-suited both to small boutique businesses with a small number of clients to contact, and large corporations that can scale up to enormous plans. The user has the leeway to choose which plan works best for them.
The landing page creator is a Great way to create a distinctive promotional site to get one-off events or sales, and with the website's survey and polling tools, message recipients possess the capacity to weigh in about what works and does not –and then integrate that data in future campaigns.
With ActiveTrail's survey alternatives you can learn a great deal about your End-users and their demographics, finally taking some of the guesswork out and giving you the confidence to serve their needs better. Ontraport
Designing and publishing a survey is an easy and straightforward process. Pick the question types and fill in the particulars. ActiveTrail manages everything else. You can integrate your polls into your automation workflows.
Choose between open-ended, solitary, multi-select and personal info questions. In addition, select personal information, a matrix of choice and Net Promoter Score (NPS) which gives you an overall index of consumer satisfaction.
ActiveTrail sets itself apart with simple robust editing tools. Start by picking from among those most popular pre-made templates categorized with context and purpose, such as fresh technology product, restaurant promotion or holiday advertising.
At this stage, half of this work has been done for you. All you Need to do is edit the text and images to suit your business.
Users can add pre-defined'blocks' that are essentially micro-templates Such as blocks of text, images, sign-up types, as well as widgets and buttons for Facebook and Paypal. Embedding these micro-templates is simply a case of dragging and dropping them in your own creations. Save blocks as a template for later use.
ActiveTrail has an exhaustive list of integrations that significantly enhances The usefulness of this ceremony. Here are a Few of the most common integrations:
· WordPress — Insert an ActiveTrail registration form into your site, which adds users to the ActiveTrail recipient listing, finally increasing the size and efficacy of your email marketing efforts.
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· Google Analytics — Ascertain information which will otherwise be tricky to discover, such as the number of contacts opening your mails, their demographics or the proportion of contacts creating a purchase.
· Facebook Lead Ads — Email contacts which have completed a Facebook registration type. Additionally, incorporate social network blocks to your landing pages.
Other integrations include Cashcow, Optimove, Personalics, Excel and most CRM platforms.
SMS campaigns
With ActiveTrail, you can send text messages to contacts, providing you Another avenue for communication subscribers. This is very significant with the ubiquity of cell phone usage.
Contacting users through text is a cheap and simple process, and much like Establishing an email advertising campaign. There is the added functionality to program the when you want to send the SMS campaign, ensuring it reaches your customers at the best time.
Marketing Automation
ActiveTrail offers a Considerable variety of options for promotion Automation, making sure you engage with customers on a personal level, while also freeing yourself from repetitive activities.
ActiveTrail contains nine templates to account for the most common Activates you might want to send an email for, like a contact unsubscribing, a touch celebrating their birthday, a contact or clicking on a hyperlink.
Each template is fully customizable, and you can create your own Automation completely from scratch. Ontraport
Every automation procedure has a start and end, but in between, pick As many or as little activities as required. You can do just about anything; for instance, make an automation to send readers an email in their birthdays, then after a timed delay of your choosing, yet another email may be sent that reminds contacts to buy goods that they have in their own basket.
Advanced Features
Several innovative functions Makes your life simpler when importing data.
Among the most useful is that the'Update existing contacts' checkbox that Mitigates the danger of creating duplicate contacts, but it easily lets you update existing contact information without needing to edit and find individual contacts.
Another Superb resource for touch import direction is that the import History section, which provides you an overview of all imported contacts. From here, ascertain how many contacts have been added, deleted, updated, and even how many errors there were during the importation process.
Errors rows and wrong formatting are flagged up providing you the Chance to rapidly fix the matter.
Benefits of ActiveTrail
Straightforward interface
The interface is straightforward and clutter free, which makes navigation A breeze. The dash features four large widgets for email, contacts, landing pages and reports, all of which are clearly segmented.
The editing interface is unexpectedly user-friendly as it comprises of an Instinctive visual pipeline that designed with brevity in your mind.
You are never more than 2-3 clicks away from adding another step to your Automation procedure, and you never have to trawl through pages of options looking for the proper action, making it appropriate for all those new to marketing automation.
Everything about the interface is placed and organized, Ultimately meaning you create complex and lively automations without any training.
The free-form interactive whiteboard allows you to drag-and-drop actions Onto in your leisure. The non-restrictive layout allows you to organize your automation in this way so that you know it.
Bunch of useful templates
The service comes with email templates for emails and newsletters which Are easily customisable with drag and drop functionality.
This gives you the opportunity to create professional looking email, Newsletter and SMS campaigns in just a few clicks.
No technical knowledge required
Users don't need practical knowledge of HTML, CSS or graphic design in Order to use ActiveTrail, even though it's always an advantage, as always.
But even the least tech-savvy user can use the applications easily, Ensuring you won't have to hire extra staff or spend some time training your current workforce.
ActiveTrail Provides a transparent pricing tier at which every single Performance is available across every single tier. Users don't need to fret about not accessing key attributes for picking a more affordable price program.
The pricing depends upon the number of contacts the Company wants to Contact, starting at $500 for up to 500 contacts. Ontraport
The email and SMS packages have their own independent pricing models. All these are one off payments where users receive a fixed quantity of emails or SMS to send to get a set price, which is useful for companies looking to perform a single email or SMS blast. For mails, the starting price point is $25 for 1000 mails. For SMS, the starting price point is $41 to get 500 SMS'.
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Click here to subscribe to ActiveTrail today.
click here to sign up for ActiveTrail today.


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With the Indian Super League (ISL) tenure increased from three to five months, several big names have chosen to give the country's premier football competition a miss. However, sources close to Sportskeeda have revealed that the former Bulgaria international forward Dimitar Berbatov has been in talks with clubs such as Atletico de Kolkata and Delhi Dynamos for the upcoming season to begin in November.
Officials close to his agency CSKA-AS-23 confirmed that they have received legitimate interest from various clubs in the ISL. Our source said, "I can confirm that there has been some strong interest from various clubs from the region, but I cannot reveal any names as we are not in advanced talks. Dimitar is in no rush and is currently accepting offers to take a call about his future soon. Right now he has interest from several clubs across Europe as well, hence a move to Asia is something we cannot confirm as of now as well."
Related: ISL 2017: Atletico de Kolkata chasing former Premier League midfielder
The 36-year old was last seen playing for Greek Superlig outfit PAOK, scoring four goals during the 2016/17. The club chose not to extend his contract, after closely analysing his season's performance. Berbatov's current transfer value is $1 million, but the negotiations will take place at a cheaper rate, due to shorter season length in India. Sources close to ATK also confirmed that they are currently in the market for a striker.
Our source added, "Berbatov was brought to us by a few agents, but we haven't taken things forward as of now. The management is currently deliberating the processed players and are close to signing a striker. However, there is no confirmation who that person is. But, I can say that Berbatov was put forward to us by an agent on a mandate."
The Kolkata franchise has been recently in the news, because of a potential fall-out with Parent club Atletico Madrid. Co-owner Sanjeev Goenka went onto confirm this development in an interview last week. ATK also successfully hired the services of former UEFA Champions League winner, Teddy Sheringham as the team's manager.
The club is also in the market for a foreign Central Defensive Midfielder with talks currently scheduled with several top European agencies. However, there is no confirmation about any player joining the squad as of now.
Also read: ISL 2017: 5 head coaches who have managed clubs in the Premier League and La LigaPublished 17 Jul 2017, 15:49 IST


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NEW YORK - In less than 28 months, more than 1 million customers have chosen Verizon FiOS TV, making the company the 10th largest cable provider in the United States. The company announced Monday (Jan. 28) that it surpassed 1 million FiOS TV customers in January after a banner 2007. FiOS TV launched in September 2005.
"Some experts doubted that we could come this far this fast," said Virginia Ruesterholz, president of Verizon Telecom. "We launched FiOS TV just 28 months ago in one Texas market. While we're delighted to pass the 1 million milestone, we know that the real winners are our customers, who now have a genuine choice for their cable television service," Ruesterholz said.
Verizon delivers FiOS TV, FiOS Internet and voice service on the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network all the way to customers' homes.
Verizon added 226,000 net FiOS TV customers in the fourth quarter and a total of 736,000 during the year to end 2007 with 943,000 FiOS TV customers. Including satellite TV customers served in partnership with DIRECTV, Verizon has more than 1.8 million video customers.
At the end of the year, Verizon was marketing FiOS TV to nearly 5.9 million homes in 13 states, up nearly 1.2 million from the end of the third quarter. That means Verizon's penetration rate for the service at the end of 2007 averaged 16 percent across all markets, particularly impressive since marketing has just begun in many communities. Verizon continues to add new town and city TV franchises every week to continually expand the number of customers who can order FiOS TV.
Verizon announced its 1 millionth customer for FiOS Internet service in June 2007, and at year-end had more than 1.5 million FiOS Internet subscribers, representing 20.6 percent penetration across all markets of the nearly 7.5 million homes open for FiOS Internet sales. Combining FiOS Internet and DSL, Verizon had 8.2 million total broadband connections at year-end, up 17.9 percent from year-end 2006.
For FiOS TV, 2007 was the biggest year yet. Verizon became the 10th largest cable provider in the U.S. by surpassing the total number of customers served by Cable One, which reported just over 699,000 customers at the end of the third quarter. The ninth-largest competitor is Mediacom Communications with more than 1.3 million customers.
Also during 2007, Verizon rolled out its interactive media guide, which gives customers more control of their viewing experience. All Verizon FiOS TV customers now have the new, colorful IMG, and Verizon plans to add more new FiOS TV features, including games and expanded Widgets, during 2008.
Verizon is continuing to add new high-definition channels and programming. The next group of new HD channels will be available to customers in the spring as the company moves toward its announced goal of providing 150 HD channels by the end of 2008.
Verizon FiOS TV delivers hundreds of digital video and music channels, high-definition programming, a library of more than 10,000 video-on-demand titles and other innovative features. The service is available in parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 66 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of nearly 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $93 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.


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Snickerdoodles are an all-American cookie, a childhood favorite that inspired Joe. "My mom had made them with shortening, white sugar and cinnamon, and I loved them, but the first time I tried them with this particular combination, I was hooked," he writes on his blog at joeyonan.com. "Cardamom has that haunting, mysterious flavor that makes it one of my favorite spices, and using it brought these squarely into adulthood."
Brandolini created this seafood concoction as a nightly special to highlight a great trio of shellfish.
Alberto Guadagnini, owner of guest villa Casali di Bibbiano, and Chef Italo Marone prepared this dish at a cooking class during the Taste Tours Tuscany trip this past spring. The easy sauce is great to make with wonderful in-season tomatoes.
Fire up the grill! Burgers and ribs, pulled pork and chicken were at the center of the finger-lickin' festivities at Mohegan Sun's first Sun BBQ Fest, held this past June 1-3. The weekend's rain did little to dampen the enthusiastic crowd, who lined up to sample award-winning fare from vendors like Amarillo-based Texas Thunder BBQ and South Carolina's Charleston's Big Boned BBQ.
This fish sandwich was inspired by a trip Josh Lanahan and Michelle Lozuaway took to Maui. It can be made with any fresh, locally caught white fish; hake is their favorite. The fish can also be served atop greens or rice.
Lobster, bacon, and peas in a cream sauce over pasta – what could be better?
Bahn Mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich with several components, all of which can be prepared in advance.


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app. 27,5 x 32 cm
Edition of 9
app. 27,5 x 32 cm
Edition of 9
I'm Inka Bell, a Helsinki based visual artist, mostly working in the expanded field of printmaking.
My work usually draws from my observations about physical and abstract spaces. I'm enchanted by the idea of how much can be expressed with how little. Paper plays a central role in my work, which I use for printing or shaping into new forms.
I have been giving courses, lectures and workshops at Aalto University, Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki, Estonian Academy of Arts, Helsinki Design School and Kalasataman Seripaja.
Inka Bell
+358 50 346 4822 (Finland)
Instagram: @inkabell
Synchronicity, Sinne, 2017
Antimatter, Artek 2nd Cycle, 2019
Playing Grounds, Gallery G, 2019
Sticks 1–43, 2019


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Set Your Shower Apart from the Crowd
We love showers! And we're not talking about the rainy kind…
There's that unmistakable, kinetic energy when you're surrounded by wonderful people who come together to celebrate a joyous event and person! Most times, it's customary to send the attendees home with a gift, and we've got the best gift under $20 to share with you! Whether it's bridal shower favors, bachelorette party favors, wedding shower favors or baby shower favors, you may be looking for a unique gift that's going to set your event apart and commemorate a special moment in time. We've got the best gifts under $20 that will help make your event something to remember.
Kickspos are:
- Thoughtful: give every invitee the same design or pick one out for each guest that best matches their personality.
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- Customizable: add a special message to any of our existing designs to commemorate your special day or ask us to create a brand-new-design for you!


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Our place-based resources empower Key Stage 2 students to explore the world around them.
Our citizenship resources empower Key Stage 4 students to recognise and understand the needs of different community groups in their local area.
Bring mathematics to life through a series of creative lessons.
We interviewed successful architects and experts within the profession, asking their advice on Managing a Career in Architecture.
This guidance sets out what architects should do to ensure their professional qualifications continue to be recognised if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
The RIBA develops, supports and disseminates research in architecture and the built environment in the UK and internationally. Find out how the RIBA can support your research project.
Discover the breadth of architectural research in practice and academia through abstracts of all submissions to the President's Awards for Research 2016
As a member of RIBA you can benefit from access to resources which support you in your role as an architect
Contact the RIBA Membership team directly:
Already a member? Contact the RIBA Information Centre's dedicated line with your membership number ready +44 (0)20 7307 3600


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Our view: Chopping Williamson Act funding will give new fuel to urban sprawl.
In light of the slump in the housing market, you could argue it makes sense to pull money from a program to conserve farmland. After all, there's less pressure to develop farmland these days. Less pressure to develop any land, actually. So why should the state spend money to protect what's not threatened?
If it was just that simple.
When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the latest state budget contortion Tuesday, he lopped $27.8 million from the Williamson Act — that aforementioned conservation program.
It would be nice to think he followed the line of reasoning above, and figured no one would get hurt. It's more likely to assume he just didn't care.
The Williamson Act is a complicated bit of state law. Farmers enter into contracts with individual counties, promising to keep their land in agriculture.
Should a farmer want to opt-out of the contract, he or she has to wait 10 years to do so, except in extraordinary cases.
In return, the farmer gets a property tax break. The state reimburses the counties for the tax revenue they lose.
The law was approved in 1965 to curb urban sprawl. Tax assessors were required to tax land at its highest-valued use. Farmland adjacent to developed areas could be taxed as potentially developed land, which was a self-fulfilling step. Farmers couldn't afford the higher taxes and either sold to developers or went under.
The Williamson Act changed that, and has been remarkably effective at preserving open space between cities in counties that embrace it.
In rural areas facing less growth pressure, the tax break means family farms can stay family farms.
When Schwarzenegger cut out that $27.8 million, that tax break for farmers didn't go away. It just meant the state was shirking its responsibility to make the counties whole.
The counties are still on the hook for those lost revenues, and they're on the hook for at least 10 years.
Locally, Glenn County took the biggest hit — $950,000 a year. Butte lost $600,000 while Tehama was stung for $800,000.
The hit is harder in rural counties such as ours, because rural counties have more protected ag land and are poorer to start with. In Glenn, nearly 47 percent of the county is covered by Williamson Act contracts.
In Los Angeles County, with a budget that dwarfs Glenn's, only 1.5 percent of the land is protected. More money to start with, and a smaller hit.
And, we might add cynically, far fewer voters being made unhappy.
But the financial impact on the counties isn't the long-term problem with what Schwarzenegger did. He destroyed the state's best tool for controlling urban sprawl.
What county in its right mind is going to enter into a Williamson Act contract, with the realization it could be nailed on the whim of the governor. What county would renew such a contract?
What we're likely to see as a result of Tuesday's action is a steady decline in the amount of farmland protected, as county governments shun the potential loss of revenue.
And that's likely to result in a decline in the amount of farmland, period.
That $27.8 million may end up being the most expensive money we ever saved.


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Complete Story
Results-focused Online Marketing Webinar Series with Bob DeStefano of SVM E-Business Solutions - Part 2
Results-focused Online Marketing Webinar Series' with Bob DeStefano of SVM E-Business Solutions - Part 2
Sure you have a Website, but have you truly harnessed the power of online marketing to produce business-building results for your company? Your answer can be the difference between a Website that is a money-maker and one that is nothing more than a glorified brochure.
In this results-focused three-part Webinar series, online marketing expert Bob DeStefano will make online marketing understandable and provide you with a practical roadmap for transforming your Website into your most powerful marketing tool.
You will learn how to harness the power of a customer-focused Website, search engine marketing and email marketing into an integrated marketing system that will continually generate new business, strengthen relationships with customers and maximize the results from your marketing investments.
- Webinar 4: Web Analytics: How to Measure the Success of Your Website on October 5th at 1:00pm EST
- Webinar 5: How to Reach New Customers with Online Public Relations on November 16th at 1:00pm EST
Bob DeStefano is an online marketing strategist and professional speaker with over 15 years experience helping B-to-B companies produce business-building results.
Since the birth of the commercial Web in the early 1990's, Bob has been helping business leaders create successful online marketing strategies. Bob's online marketing career began as a strategic planner for Dean Witter, Discover & Co. specializing in Internet and online marketing strategies. At Dean Witter, Bob led an interdepartmental executive team in the creation of the company's first Website.
Learn more about Bob and SVM at www.svmsolutions.com


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Fri, 25 January 2019
This week's episode is sponsored by:
No matter what you need, the barmaids have you covered from head to toe. Face pudding to keep you smiling, Lolo lips keep them kissable, probiotic deodorant for keeping you fresh as a rose, oh for feet's sake to keep your feet soft and sandal ready, and the Lolo body bar for everything in between. You can find all this - and more! at bar-maids.com
Every hobby needs organization, every project needs a place. Erin.Lane bags helps you turn your fiber pasttime into neat and organized endeavor. Our project bags, totes, and needle and notions organizers are everything you need to keep your fiber arts from fraying.
Episode 517
Bar Maids - Erin Lane - Infinite twist- KnitCompanion
On the Needles:(0:30)
People to follow: @themakersofcolorcollective
Jasmin is organizing her stash. She mentions the Stashfit workbook.
She finished the knitting on her Parkland Boxy.
Jasmin spent 20 minutes setting up her Ixchel in KnitCompanion. Reading the user handbook sped that
up considerably.
Gigi has set up a kit for the Poza cowl by Ysolda, out of Floating from A Verb For Keeping Warm.
Jasmin enthuses about the Bluster Bay Swift.
Gigi did one more unit for the polygon blanket.
Gigi knitted Vanilla is the New Black socks last year.This year she has Non-Euclidian heel socks on the
needles, one pair in the "Deep End" colorway knitting is done, and a pair in Cherry Pop Stripes, also
"Rainbow Stripes" and "Purple Haze". You can get all of the colors of Paton's Kroy from Craftsy
(currently sold out, check back).
Jasmin picked up her SPAKAL Harvest Cardigan and is nearly done with the first sleeve.
She mentions her Dissent sweater.
Gigi started to knit another Rocky Coast cardigan. Genevieve said it doesn't look like a cardigan yet
Jasmin has finished her Worsted Boxy. Finished AND BLOCKED!
Jasmin fulled her cashmere Aran Pocket Shawl by Cheryl Oberle, the cashmere gingham scarf for
Andrew. (Fancy acrylic handle plunger here.)
Gigi also wants to set up Curls by Hunter Hammersen. Yarn is washed.
Jasmin has swatched for her Celestarium, and is deciding whether to do gold or silver beads for the
She mentions Little Skein in the Big Wool and the matching bag. Gigi finished a 80 stitch preemie/
newborn hat. It takes more than one session to finish one.
Events: (37:29)
- #ChooseYourOwnAdventureKAL is ongoing.
- Stitches West, February 21-24 2019
In Stitches:(38:42)
- Jasmin: wool socks,looped loop cowl, Goin Gold Hat, ribbi cardi, Tied Knots hat, Seneca, Tangled
- Gigi : Quynn hat with ear flaps, Greyhaven hat, sockhead cowl,out of Knitcircus Yarn in a gradient,
probably in Shades of Grey, Knitmore cowl, wool socks, old V neck
Brown sweater
- Genevieve: Gryffindor scarf and hat
-Andrew: Cashmere Andrew's Watch Caps,
Mother Knows Best:(43:09)
We talk about different ways to organize your stash!
Jasmin mentions comforter bags
Jasmin put her needles into locking plastic boxes . Gigi uses a big trapper keeper and pencil pouches.
When Knitting Attacks:(56:44)
Gigi: Rocky Coast. Twisted a cable the wrong way, Did something else wrong, doesn't like it,
won't like it ten rows from now, will start over again.
Winter Knits from Scandinavia, by Jenny Alderbrant
Jasmin mentions Emily's Tightly Spun podcast
And Sew On:(1:10:41)
Gigi is trying to sew or do something sewing related every day. Routines.
Mending: changing buttons.
Sewing one seam per night on the Ribbi Cardi.
Gigi is drafting another moulage/sloper using the instructions from Suzy Furrer's book Building Patterns,
The Architecture of Women's Clothing
Kenneth D King said he can draft a sloper in an hour. Gigi isn't there yet
Direct download: Just_the_Thesis_-_Episode_517_-_The_Knitmore_Girls.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:11am PDT


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Our Library
The Endowed School Librarians. Our job is to tidy the library at breaktimes, charge the Kindles and generally make the library a better place to be. This year we are hoping to open the library at lunchtimes, have termly library challenges and teach the school to use the computer system.
All Booked Up!
We are excited to invite YOU to share a favourite story with your friends…
HOW? The library will be opened up every Friday in Term 6 between 12.50 and 1.10.
If you have a favourite book or extract that you would like to share, then sign up for one of the dates below. It can be a picture book, poem or a non-fiction piece.
Any children wishing to attend 'ALL BOOKED UP' should listen out for the bell which will be rung at 12.45.


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sold for $77,675 in 2012
uncanny x-men issue 111 page 2 and 3John Byrne, Terry Austin
View / Buy →
Albert Moy • checked 21mn ago
$85,000View / Buy →
Uncanny X-Men, originally published as The X-Men, is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X-Men, a group of mutants with superhuman abilities led and taught by Professor X. The title was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, met with a lukewarm reception, and was eventually cancelled in 1970. Interest was rekindled with 1975's Giant-Size X-Men and the debut of a new, international team. Under the guidance of David Cockrum and Chris Claremont, whose 16-year stint began with August 1975's Uncanny X-Men #94, the series grew in popularity worldwide, eventually spawning a franchise with numerous spin-off "X-books", including New Mutants, X-Factor, Excalibur, X-Force, Generation X, the simply titled X-Men, and a number of prefixed titles such as New X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Essential X-Men, All-New X-Men and Extraordinary X-Men.…Wikipedia
sold for $77,675 in 2012
sold for $65,725 in 2018
sold for $44,813 in 2013
sold for $36,000 in 2020
sold for $31,200 in 2019
sold for $27,485 in 2016
Have you ever missed Uncanny X-Men artworks that interested you? Receive email alerts when new original art is listed.get notified on new 'Uncanny X-Men' artworks


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Sunil Grover's show Mad in India to take over the Nach Baliye time slot!
Versatile actor Sunil Grover is soon coming back with a bang in his new show titled as Mad in India. The actor will be seen in a comical character named Chutki…
Confirming the news our source says, "Sunil Grover is coming back to his comedy genre once again in a comedy show titled as Mad in India. The show is all set to replace the dance reality show Nach Baliye Season 6 and will not clash with Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors."
While Sunil Grover and the team has been trying to keep his show's name a secret our source confirmed it saying, "Sunil was recently heard talking excitedly about the show to a fellow actor. He also mentioned the time slot of 9 PM."
With his hilarious acts and rib tickling gags, the actor will be seen in the feminine avatar as Chutki in the show Mad in India' and it is also being said that Manish Paul will host the show. The audience will have to tighten their seat belts for this laughter ride as the weekend will become more joyous and humorous.
However, having played the similar character in Comedy Nights with Kapil, the audience will once enjoy the performance of Chutki which is quite similar to that of Gutthi.
It will surely be a dose of entertainment for the viewers post the dance reality show Nach Baliye Season 6.
Keep reading this space for more updates.
Anwesha Kamal


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A few days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president, one of his key advisers will arrive in Canada.
Kellyanne Conway will not be in Ottawa to meet with the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, or senior Canadian officials. Instead, the woman who managed the final months of Trump's campaign will be in Alberta for a tour of the Fort McMurray oil sands and a speaking gig at a fundraising dinner for a Conservative advocacy group.
The Alberta Prosperity Fund, the group that invited Conway, have trumpeted what they describe as a "historical" visit. "Her visit to Alberta at this time should send a strong signal to Canadians on the importance of this province to the United States," Heather Forsyth, the organisation's chair, said in a statement announcing the visit.
Conway's pre-inauguration jaunt – and uncertainty over how much should be made of the visit – is a potent symbol of how the longstanding relationship between Canada and the US stands to be upended by the Trump presidency.
Few countries have as much at stake. "Canada has no closer friend, partner and ally than the United States," noted Trudeau as he congratulated Trump following the election. Three-quarters of Canada's exports went to the US last year. Nearly 400,000 people a day cross the shared border, while roughly 2.5 million Canadian jobs depend on trade with the US.
Trump has so far offered little indication that he plans on doing Canada any favours, said Lawrence Herman, a trade lawyer with Toronto's Herman and Associates.
Instead Canada seems likely to be a target of Trump's protectionist trade agenda.
"We need to be prepared for some dark and stormy days ahead with our American neighbours," said Herman. "Canadian softwood lumber, beef exports and dairy supply management are all on the Trump shortlist."
The bulk of Canada's trade with the US flows through Nafta, the trade agreement routinely disparaged by Trump as the "worst deal in history". Trump has vowed to renegotiate the deal and raised the spectre of withdrawal if the US fails to secure a better deal for its workers.
Within days of Trump being elected, the Canadian government expressed its willingness to renegotiate the agreement. "I think any agreement can be improved on," David MacNaughton, Canada's ambassador to Washington, told reporters. "If they want to have a discussion about improving Nafta then we are ready to come to the table to try to put before the new administration anything that will benefit both Canada and the United States and obviously Mexico also."
Much of Trump's ire during the campaign was directed towards the loss of American jobs to low-wage countries, said Craig Alexander of the Conference Board of Canada. But Canada, he pointed out, is not a low-wage country.
Still, any thickening of the border or protectionist policies could have dire impacts. Canadian provinces carry out more trade with American states than with each other, he noted.
The high level of integration between the two countries means that any tax cuts or incentives handed out south of the border – such as Trump's pledge to reduce corporate tax rates from 35% to 15% – could create competitive challenges that Canada would be forced to address, said Alexander.
A Trump presidency could have some benefits for Canada. Any policies enacted by Trump that are perceived to be less welcoming for immigrants could be a boon for Canada, a reality hinted at on election night as Canada's main immigration site crashed after an overload of visitors.
Trump's plans to resurrect the TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline have also been cheered in some quarters. In congratulating Trump on his "impressive victory", Canada's former prime minister Stephen Harper said: "Canada/US partnership is strong. There is much to do, incl. moving ahead with KXL."
When the US rejected plans for the pipeline last year, Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, said in a statement he was "disappointed in the decision". One year on, Trudeau has pushed forward with plans for a Canadian pipeline, offset by plans to impose a minimum price on carbon and phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030.
One of the biggest threats posed by Trump is his reticence to engage in the fight against climate change, said Scott Sinclair of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. "We should be concerned about his pledges to deregulate in terms of environmental policy, the threat to leave the Paris accord, lifting caps on coal plants."
The resulting divergence in climate change strategies on either side of the border could make Canadian companies less competitive compared with their American rivals and put pressure on Canada to abandon its fledgling climate change efforts. Speaking to reporters soon after the election, Canada's environment minister insisted Trump's victory would not force Canada to rethink its green strategy. "We're moving forward, as is the world," Catherine McKenna told reporters. "Everyone is absolutely committed to climate action."
Where Trump may see success in forcing a change in government policy is in defence spending. During the campaign, Trump railed against allies that fail to meet Nato's agreed target of spending 2% on the military. Analysts were quick to point to Canada, where defence spending has fallen to a record low of 1% of GDP with no increase on the horizon.
Recent weeks have allowed for a fuller picture to develop of what the Trump presidency could mean for Canada, said Wesley Wark, a national security expert at the University of Ottawa. "Like 99.9% of the global population, the Canadian government was, I think, taken completely by surprise by the Trump victory," he said. "The government is now beginning, across many departments, to try and come to grips with it in early days."
In areas such as border security and intelligence, the picture that emerges is worrisome. The trust factor that has long characterised the relationship between Canada and the US may be difficult to sustain under the Trump administration, said Wark.
He pointed to the contrast between Canadian openness to Syrian refugees and Trump's hard line on immigrants and "extreme vetting" of Muslims. "A Trump White House will not look kindly or with any understanding on Canadian refugee policy. It will demand proof that Canada is not threatening North American security by admitting such refugees; it may even demand change. The tone will be nasty."
The Trump presidency could also prove to be a moral quandary for the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network, given the leading role of the US. "For the Canadian government there's going to be increasing concern about whether the intelligence they're receiving from the United States is going to be politicised to a degree that would make it unreliable or untrustworthy," said Wark.
If the Trump administration chooses to embrace some of the legal practices from the George W Bush era around torture or extraordinary rendition, Canada may be forced to re-evaluate the intelligence it hands over to the US, said Wark.
"We've never had to deal with the United States as an intelligence power whose conduct of intelligence might be so different and divergent from what we would expect," he added. "So it really puts us in a bind, where it's rarely been over decades of Canada-US cooperation."


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One of the Best Ukes I've Played
Not only does this uke look great, it sounds great. It is made with Hawaiian Koa wood. That's what the first ukuleles were made of! Not only that, but the 18 fret neck is made with an ebony wood. The gloss top makes it shine nicely. The ukulele plays with a clear, amazing sound. Even the cheapest strings couldn't sound bad on this guy. It also comes with a hardshell case to keep it safe when you're travelling.
Sam M.
Indiapolis, IN


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Here is the sort of calculation that some nurses do everyday.
In this example a patient needing chemotherapy medication is to be given the drug fluorouracil over a period of several days via an infusion pump. The pump will gradually deliver the medicine at a steady rate, and this rate needs to be entered into the pump by the nurse. What rate should the nurse use?
"A patient is to be given 5,250 mg fluorouracil at a concentration of 45.57 mg per mL over 4 days. What is the rate in mL per hour needed to program the patient's infusion pump?
In a typical hospital environment these numbers have to be picked out from a complex background of pharmaceutical data printed on a drug label (see Figure 1). Poor information design makes the nurses' task harder."
Answer will be posted tomorrow… but do leave your thoughts in the comments.


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Beltrami County Republicans Open New Office Headquarters
The Beltrami County Republicans held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new office headquarters. This is the first time the local chapter will have an office open this early in the year.
Over 15 people showed up to the event, including 7th Congressional District candidate Noel Collis. Beltrami County Republican Chairman Rich Siegert says the space will be used as a meeting place for candidates.
"It gives people a chance to campaign and we get our message out, and people can come in here and socialize and visit," Siegert said. "It's nice to have an office opened this early in the year, on election year, to help support our candidates."
The office will be open until mid-November next year.
Lakeland News is member supported content. Please consider supporting Lakeland News today.


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Don't wait to get these for Christmas gifts, since these are hot (!) and will most likely sell out in popular sizes/colors.
These new slippers by Emu are just yummy and fun — you haven't seen anything like this. . . . at this price, too! I love these for the teenager, college student, girl friend, mom, aunt in your life. Perfect gift — just what they didn't know they wanted — yep, one of those! (Don't forget to get them in your size, too) Who doesn't need a new pair of slippers each year?
Tell me who wouldn't open these up and not put them on right away?
EMU Australia Womens Slippers Wrenlette Sheepskin Slipper in Natural
EMU Australia Womens Slippers Wrenlette Sheepskin Slipper in Midnight
EMU Australia Womens Slippers Mayberry Sheepskin Slipper in Charcoal


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San Francisco, California – Connor Fayder, a longtime vegan hipster, has decided to change the way people see veganism. To achieve his goal, the 32 years old life coach is now calling himself a Vegi NA Eater.
"Since I became vegan, I heard so many crazy things", Connor explains. "People associate vegans to angry, pale and sad people. That couldn't be further from the truth! I have never been as happy as I am since I decided to not eat meat, poultry, fish or any animal products. I really want people to be able to understand that".
Changing the way he defines himself seemed like a great way to start a global change.
"Words are powerful", Connor says. "If people don't hear the words vegan or veganism, maybe they will be more open to listen to what I have to say. That's why I am now calling myself a vegetables non angry eater. Vegi NA Eater in short. I thought about calling myself Soy a naa lover at first. You know like soy (milk and I am in Spanish) a non angry animal lover. But it sounded too dirty. Vegi NA Eater is better. It's catchy, modern and send the message in a strong and straightforward way".


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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
It seems there's no end to the bad news in our industry as it relates to increased COI/expense charges for universal life insurance policies that were sold by SOME companies. Lawsuits are popping up and embarrassing company practices are being revealed.
First, let's get a few things on the table…
Yes, within every universal life contract, the company has the right to increase charges within certain limits. There are contractually guaranteed caps set forth in the policy.
Are the problems that are being created for these policyholders a result of the increased charges or are the problems caused by chronically underfunded policies?
And before I get tons of hate mail–I'm not absolving bad behavior from insurance companies.
In a recent court filing against Transamerica (relating to increased charges in UL contracts), there are allegations of subverting agents to talk directly with policyholders (not something insurance companies ever want to do normally), withholding in-force illustrations (and/or representing a truly terrible outlook for the policies in an effort to coerce policyholders to surrender their contracts), and setting up separate phone lines to "deal" with these policyholders.
All bad, no excuses (if it's true).
However, as we've discussed over and over…universal life insurance (especially older policies that were sold with current interest rates that were much higher than anything the policies are actually earning today) is a product that needs to be managed. It's not a set it and forget it sort of product.
In the many examples of collapsing universal life insurance policies we've seen, all could have been saved by slight increases in premiums paid over the years. Of course the problem is that many people have no competent resource to manage their policy and they don't know there's a problem until there's a big problem that's compounded over an extended period of time.
The industry needs to figure out a way to do better. Life insurance companies need to do better. When they (life insurance companies) removed themselves from the distribution, they seem to have thought they removed themselves from the management/service side of the equation.
That attitude is proving to be shortsighted and foolish.


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So Tuesday I woke up a bit late after the storms blew through East Texas. The power would come back on in my house late in the nighttime hours, and when it did that it caused my answering machine on my phone to *beep* along with my fire alarm, and if I hadn't thought to unplug my TV it would pop on too. Plus the lights, which I'd left on when the power failure all began the previous night before, came on too. For the most part I think I pretty much ignored everything as I was sleeping pretty well until around 5am, when the light next too my bed fooled my brain into thinking it was morning or something. So I get up to shut off all the lights, and since I was already up, might as well take a whiz too, then I get back in bed hoping to catch a few more winks, when now all of a sudden I feel hungry. I lay in bed for a bit, but couldn't fall back to sleep, so I go ahead and get up and made a banana smoothie, with strawberries, blueberries, and even some mango and yogurt. I turned on the tube to see if the weather had pretty much wound its way down, and channel surfed for a bit. At around 6:30am or so, I hopped back in bed, and slept until 10am or so.
When I finally did get up, I reset all the clocks, made some breakfast, washed some clothes, and did a few various other mundane domestic chores. The day before I had planned on seeing The Avengers movie. I'm sort of a comic book geek. I don't buy as many as I used to because they're so costly, but still keep up with the medium as much as I can. I'll visit web sites and read up on what's the hottest books, and if a movie adaption does fairly well at the box office I'll try to see it at the cinema, or at least rent it from Netflix. So anyway this new Avenger movie seems like it's pretty hot at the box office, and before I wander into any forums and have some blockhead spoil the plot, I figure I better go check it out.
It was great fun too. I thought it was a 100% adrenaline rush. One of my friends likened the movie's storyline to the old Silver Age of comics and how stories used to be told back when he was growing up. I think that's a pretty good description, but I think there was a enough new updating to keep newer readers and fans happy as well. Overall it was just an exciting action film. If you enjoy super heroes or action and adventure films, you definitely want to see it at the cinema. I just went to the 2D showing, as I'm not too huge a fan of 3D. I already wear glasses, and although I can fit the 3D specs over my normal eye wear, I still prefer 2D most of the time.
After the movie was over, it was sprinkling rain outside as I left the cinema. I thought I'd swing by Taco Bell on the way home, and grabbed a couple of tacos. I was happy to get home as the rain started coming down again harder, and I don't see well at night. I got settled around the house, and watched the opening monologue to David Letterman as I ate my tacos. After that I started channel hopping a little bit and saw one station was showing the movie, The Grudge 2. I remember watching the first Grudge some time back, and enjoyed it enough, so I was happy to catch the sequel, or at least catch what I could of it until I fell asleep in my chair. It was a fun, full day.
El Vox
this blog is about SF, fandom, film, music, life, the arts, etc.


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Let It Go Babe
I am no poet, just a thrower of words. Still wandering what's life and why and how did I end up here?
In an array of dreams, I forlorn her
to leave me behind and go on with
the waves of time and past's horses
to live and love in a new place, new house
but it's hard to let go of you, my love
and to let go of all the memories we lived
and the kids, the pets, and the intimate mess
So much to let you go, if i let you go
So much to forget, if I let you go
But how helpless I am to this power of death
How weak I am to this wrath of fate's clutch
I want you to wait, but all I do is obey
and I am letting you go now, go anyway
However, it is so hard babe, to let you go on babe
and I stay here to pray and bless thee o fairy!
So let me let it go babe and let me kiss your grave
and let me say one last Good Bye and let me hold away!
© 2018 Kashif Ali Abbas


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With director Marc Forster's All I See Is You opening in limited release this weekend, a few days ago I sat down with Blake Lively for an extended video interview. During our wide-ranging conversation she talked about how she got involved in the film, being nervous about the singing and nudity when reading the script which is why she decided she had to do it, what it was like working with Jason Clarke and Danny Huston, getting to work with Babyface, and a lot more. In addition, we talked about her early career like Accepted, how fans helped her land the role of Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, what was it like working with director Paul Feig and Anna Kendrick on A Simple Favor, producing The Husband's Secret, and how she's about to start training for director Reed Morano's The Rhythm Section which includes fighting, swimming, fighting and learning new languages.
If you haven't seen the trailers, All I See Is You stars Blake Lively as Gina, a blind woman in an "ideal marriage" with her husband (Jason Clarke), who she depends on to be her eyes in the world. But when Gina has a corneal transplant and regains her sight, the trust between them starts to wither away as Gina starts to have her own views of the world, and when she starts losing her sight once again, the truth about their relationship takes on new clarity.
Check out what Blake Lively had to say in the video above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.
Blake Lively:
- How the last time I spoke to her was for Accepted at Comic-Con 2006.
- Did she have any idea her career would take off the way it did? Talks about how she had no intention of being an actor.
- Talks about the beginning of her career.
- How fans helped her get cast on Gossip Girl.
- Does she miss making a TV show and the long hours?
- How when making Gossip Girl they'd get their lines at the last second and a huge focus on the aesthetics.
How did she first meet Marc Forster for All I See is You?
- Talks about how she thinks she is funny like Jason Bateman.
- How she loves to sing. Talks about getting to work with Babyface.
- How she was nervous about the singing and nudity when reading the script and that's why she decided she had to do the project.
- Does she become a different person after getting her sight back?
- Talks about working with Jason Clarke and Danny Huston.
- What was it like working with director Paul Feig and Anna Kendrick on A Simple Favor?
- How she's getting into producing with The Husband's Secret.
- How she's about to start training for director Reed Morano's The Rhythm Section which includes fighting, swimming, fighting and languages.
Here's the official synopsis for All I See Is You:
Gina (Blake Lively) and husband James (Jason Clarke) have an almost perfect marriage. After being blinded as a child in a nearly fatal car crash that claimed her parent's lives, Gina depends on James to be her eyes—a dependence that appears to solidify their passionate relationship. She sees her world in her own vivid imagination with help from James' descriptions. Despite her disability, the two enjoy a colorful existence in Bangkok, Thailand where James works in insurance and Gina explores life in a foreign country. It seems the only real hardship this loving couple faces is difficulty conceiving a child but when Gina is given the opportunity to have a corneal transplant and regains her vision, their life and relationship are upended. Gina now sees the world with a new sense of wonder and independence which James finds threatening. It is only when Gina suddenly begins to lose her sight again that she finally realizes the disturbing reality of their marriage and their lives.


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Posted by Shanell Calloway in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Portable Carports Aren't Just for Your Car
Portable Carports Aren't Just for Your Car
Yes, your car will love having a portable carport … as much as cars can love anything … but so will you.
No matter what the season, you'll appreciate your car being under cover. Imagine it's a rainy day and you're carrying a briefcase, your gym bag, your lunch and your umbrella. To get into your car, you've got to put some of that down and you don't want any of it to get wet. If your car is under a protective carport, there's no problem. Get to the car and you and your belongings will stay dry. Now let's say it snowed last night. You've got to get to work. You don't have to waste time and get cold and wet cleaning off your car. It's been protected and not a flake of snow is on it. What about nice sunny days? Well, your car will be kept in the cool shade and protected from the UV rays of the sun. There are so many benefits, in all seasons, to keeping your car out of the elements.
Other Uses
Canopymart Portable Carport – don't just have to be used to protect your car, truck, motorcycle or motorhome. Be creative! They can be used for lots of things. How about entertaining. You're having a big family cook out and want to provide a nice shaded area for the food or for your guests. Maybe you want to set up a big table and chairs so everyone can eat together in the shade. Think about the added space you could have if you already have a garage. Adding a carport frees up that garage for storage. Oh, the clutter free feeling you can get! Buy some storage shelving and all of a sudden, your house is organized and you're not keeping everything in your foyer closet.
There are many types of portable carports available. From large to small, from aluminum to fabric, the choice is yours. Unlike a garage attached to your house, you also have the choice of where to put your new carport. If you change your mind about where to put it, that's OK. Flexibility is a wonderful thing.