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Join me as we tour stunning structures and discover why visitors never want to leave...even after death.
While no one can prove that ghosts actually exist that doesn't mean certain structures do not appear to have a nefarious look to them. What with their foreboding exteriors and ominously lit interiors, it's no wonder some buildings appear too eerie to enter. But, there is a whimsical elegance to places that have experienced lifetimes of occupants, as if hiding a secret that only the ghosts can relay, and in these eerie destinations, they just might entice you in. Behind their opulent facades hides a skeleton – or two. The creek of a floorboard or the flicker of a light is just the beginning of the frightening tales these locations have to tell.
Since ancient times, tales of spirits who returned from the dead to haunt the places they left behind have figured prominently into folklore of many cultures around the world. The architectural style of these haunted houses is not necessarily spooky, but each successive generation deems a past architectural style as scary and haunted.
Early architecture in the United States was based mostly on popular Georgian styles from England. As the country expanded, neoclassical homes started using columns and pediments, drawn from ancient Greece. American Victorian homes borrowed architectural elements from Gothic Roman churches and Northern European castles.
People began to view Victorian houses as unkempt, unsanitary, gloomy and dark during the 20th century. The architecture itself gained a reputation because it is based on historical styles of Gothic, Roman and Greek mixed all together. This mix made it seem as though the homes were in a disheveled state and somehow haunted.
Legend has it that Sarah Winchester, the rifle heiress, was haunted by the deaths of her child and husband and built a huge Victorian home in San Jose, California with the help of her spiritual guide. The home's architecture became a testament to turmoil and is now a tourist attraction.
Another scary home in America is "The House of the Seven Gables". The author Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a book about a witchcraft-cursed, 17th century home. He wrote the book at the beginning of the Victorian era where new homes were spacious and bright, with large bay windows. Today, the inspiration for the story is a house museum in Salem, Massachusetts. The house is somber and dark in color, with small windows.
By the 20th century, Victorian homes were considered the most haunted of all types of homes and movies and television certainly helped to perpetuate this belief. In the movie, "Its a Wonderful Life", Jimmy Stewart and his wife fix up the neighbor's abandoned Granville House. Both "The Munsters" and "The Adams Family" TV shows showcased ghoulish families living in huge Victorian homes. Even Walt Disney used the facade of the Southern Victorian architectural style as the foundation for Disneyland's famous Haunted Mansion.
Arts and Crafts style architecture in the early 20th century cleaned up Victorian excesses. But homes such as The Gamble House, designed by Greene and Greene, were used as spooky settings in movies such as "Back to the Future" and "Zathura". The Dutch-Colonial style homes were also used in movies such as "The Amityville Horror". New Orleans's style homes with the wrap around porches, huge wrought iron columns, pediment and crowning turret echo the houses of the coastal South and have a reputation for being haunted by restless souls who have not yet departed.
San Diego is home to a haunted house in Old Town called The Whaley House. This home was built with mid-nineteenth century Greek Revival architecture and was formally named as a historical house museum in 1960. It is one of Southern California's most popular visitor destinations, and people from around the globe come to experience this world-renowned museum.
Hawaii is also home to some of the most famous haunted houses and is known as one of America's most haunted states. In the 1940s, the Kaimuki House started to gain notoriety as being filled with ghosts and demons. Many families have either moved or vacationed here over the years, only to be thrown out by strange and dangerous unexplainable occurrences.
No matter what the style of home, there will always be something chilling about an unkempt, spooky house.


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We will meet at Connolly Train Station in the City Centre. Take a train to Howth. The cost of return tickets to Howth is included in the price. While on board the train there will be an Introduction to the history and culture of Ireland and of Howth in particular We will stop in Howth Fishing Village to tour the harbour. Then begin the first part of our hike along the stunning coastal path as far as the breath-taking views overlooking the Bailey Lighthouse. I will give a full explanation of all the sights to be seen, Including the wildlife. As a keen birdwatcher I will give an explanation on the behavior and habitat at the seabird colonies that will be passed on route. Then stop at the Summit Pub for refreshments and an optional light lunch (1 hour) Then into Deerpark Forest before emerging to the most stunning view on Howth Head, which is from Muck Rock and which is largely unknown to most tourists. Descending from Muck Rock through more typical Irish woodland to visit Aideen's Grave, which is an enormous Megalithic Dolmen Tomb which is over 5,000 years old, again seldom visited or even heard of by tourists. We will then pass the historic medieval Howth Castle which has been home to the St Lawrence family since 1180. Finishing in the lovely atmospheric Bloody Stream Pub which is actually part of Howth Train Station. Returning to Dublin City Centre by train.
I'm a local Dubliner and have lived in Dublin pretty much my whole life. I'm a now a full time tour guide and I'm the top reviewed guide on the Withlocals platform for Dublin. I'm rated as SuperHost by Withlocals I've hiked regularly for over 20 years. I love being a tour guide. I have found my dream job. I've have led over a 100 tours in the last few months and from that I have received over 50 excellent reviews on the Withlocals website. I have been hiking in Howth for years, I know the area like the back of my hand and I know all the history and wonderful mythology from the area. The routes I find around the peninsula are not marked on any maps and will not be found by following the designated hiking paths. The route I take is designed to include all the best sights from the various different hiking routes around Howth
Price of Train Tickets is included in the price.
Howth Harbour: This is the epitome of a quaint Irish seaside fishing village. Grind Cafe: Delicious Coffee and Pastries frequented by locals. Coastal Path: Best sea views in Dublin. Deerpark Forest: Magical Forest. Muck Rock: View is literally of the whole of Dublin. View has to be seen to believed. Aideen's Grave: A Prehistoric Tomb with a gigantic capstone and associated Celtic Mythology. Howth Castle: Seat of St Lawrence family since 1180
户外活动存在风险,您可能会在体验过程中面临危险情况。 请根据您的个人能力和地点、天气、装备等客观条件作出判断,确保您能在探险过程中保障自身安全。
最多可有10位年满18周岁的参与者参加。 This experience involves some off road hiking, some uphill, a reasonable level of fitness and mobility would be required.
Sensible and comfortable walking shoes would be advisable
- 本地专家
- 小型团体
- 高标准

subset: commoncrawl


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So the young in India are a self-absorbed, me-first generation. All they want to do is hang out with friends and have fun. They dont want a stake in the fate of their nation and are clueless about the future. Right? You couldn't be more wrong. They want a better education and gainful employment. They are committed to securing fair land and forest rights. They have an opinion on the rising costs of healthcare. They are passionate about creating a safer society for women.
Noted activist Ashraf Patel, who has been working with young adults for over two decades, knows exactly what the youth of today is capable of. "Not only do they have great energy and confidence, there is direction and clarity in their minds about what they want. Its this desire to create a new identity for themselves that is pushing them to become active citizens. Its frustrating for them to see decisions being taken on their behalf," she observes.
It's no secret that India is the youngest country in the world with 50 per cent of its population currently under 25 years. Moreover, one-fifth of the total electorate of 725 million estimated by the Election Commission, are between 18 and 23 years. Yet, when it comes to their say in the political discourse, they have simply not been given the opportunity to register their concerns. The general mood is not defeatist, at least if the new youth organisations that are emerging all over the country are any indication. Together, they have even created a perfect platform to make themselves heard loud and clear. With the General Election for the 16th Lok Sabha round the corner, the "My Space My unManifesto" campaign has been initiated by the Delhi-based ComMutiny The Youth Collective (CYC), along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Pravah, Youth Ki Awaaz and Gandhi Fellowes, work to enable young people to engage with issues that are important to them. This campaign has brought on board 42 organisations, from across 15 states, to jointly work on presenting young India's agenda for the country. The idea behind creating this one-of-a-kind, crowd-sourced youth manifesto is to make a note of their views on politics and governance, and yet not to limit those voices to the obvious ones well-read urbanites but instead tap different communities, especially those from remote and marginalised locations, that represent diverse identities.
Patel, the convener of CYC, explains, "Through this movement, a space has been created for the young to participate in the political process. Instead of fixing blame they are learning to claim responsibility. The diversity in this coalition is rare. There are so many voices from different spaces and they are all talking openly, freely and straight from the heart."
It truly is a rainbow coalition at work here: from young tribal women and men of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to sex workers and transgenders in Delhi to the marginalised Dalit youth of Bihar to the rural youth of Tamil Nadu and the multi-talented North-Easterners. But while they do not share a cultural background or geographical region, what they do have in common is their demand to become an undeniable part of the world's largest democracy.
That's the feeling Firdoz, a young activist with Delhi-based Kat Katha, which is part of the unManifesto campaign, and works to empower sex-workers, slowly began to sense as she started making regular visits to the brothels on GB Road in Delhi. She says, "It's overwhelming to see the manner in which the women here have been pushed into a corner. They are so accustomed to not being acknowledged as citizens that when a few months back we began talking to them about politics and voting, they were hesitant to have such a conversation with us. Only after a few attempts did they begin sharing their thoughts."
What are sex workers strongly advocating? Reveals Firdoz, "Like all mothers they want the government to start a school for their children and set up a hospital in the area. They want a safe neighbourhood and emphasise on the need for quality policing. Many wanted to know how they could ensure their customers did not take advantage of them." Clearly, sex workers want the same kinds of rights and privileges as any ordinary denizen in the Capital but "no one has ever really asked them what they want. The unManfesto campaign is their chance". Like sex workers, young tribals are getting their say as well. Lokesh Kalal, the feisty co-founder of the Udaipur-based Alfa Educational Society, is devoted to reaching out to the Adivasi and Dalit youth of Rajasthan, empowering them to actively contribute to local politics to usher in change. "As a part of this coalition, we are looking at the crucial issues of the tribal youth in Kherwara. When we started conducting workshops to inform them about party manifestoes and told them how we want to create a youth manifesto at the state and national level where their promises would be showcased, it was like a dam had burst open. In rural areas, the youth have spoken up on the crisis of water, electricity and the poor condition of roads, while for college-goers creation of paying jobs is a top priority."
Right to land and forest, a violence-free existence and an end to rampant corruption and alcoholism figures on the promise list of tribal women and men from Chhattisgarh. Prashant Kumar, State Convenor of Ekta Parishad, the NGO coordinating the campaign in the region, says, "We are working in 1,200 villages that cover 27 constituencies. Women here have participated in large numbers in the workshops we have organised to secure their promises for the manifesto. The tribals envision a country that is free from violence and nasha (addictions), and where everyone one has a fair and equal right to the land."
The Bihar Ambedkar Student's Forum is talking to Dalit youth in Patna, Bihar, asking them to define their kind of politics and is answering questions on legislations like the Right to Education and Right to Information, while college students in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, are learning how to "figure out" party manifestoes and vote on the basis of issues. Says Zeeshan Siddique of Yeh Ek Soch Foundation, "It's not about the hand or the flower (the election symbols of two major political parties); we tell them to select their leaders on the basis of the issues they address." Then there are the energetic youth from the North-East, who are being mobilised by the Guwahati-based Bosco Institute. States Hejang Misao, "Since Independence the voice of the Northeast's young has never been heard at a national platform. For us, this is the perfect time to leave our mark." In addition to organisations working on the ground, this coalition has some creative online support in the form of YouthKiAwaaz.com, Halla Bol and GotStared.At., which are popular virtual social action platforms. Says Arjun Shekhar, Founder, CYC, "These social media warriors are our window to the digital world, connecting the campaign to a larger number of people. A lot of interest in the campaign is being generated though online debates and polls."
Thanks to some tireless activism by this vibrant coalition, through several discussions and events, online debates and Tweetathons, the campaign till now has received over 10,000 promises from 5,31,461 young people from a wide range of communities. Plans are on to go to 14.5 lakh youngsters and collect over 80,000 promises. The final goal is to ensure that the top 10 promises get reflected in actual political manifestoes.
The stage is set. The young are determined. This election they are making sure that their agenda is not overlooked.


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Why the Plastic Problem Matters
Picture this, an island of plastic bigger than the state of Texas floating somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. No, it's not a scene from an end-of-the-world science fiction movie – it's a reality.
The Great Pacific Garbage is one of 5 offshore accumulations of plastic waste scattered in the Earth's ocean, and they're all growing every day. That's just the plastic that's made its way into the sea. There's a lot more in landfills all over the planet and more being manufactured every day.
Why is Plastic a Problem?
You don't need to be an environmentalist to know that all this plastic floating where it shouldn't be is catastrophic to marine fauna and flora. You don't need to be an activist to ask why somebody hasn't cleaned it up. The problem is, where can we put it? Texas is occupied right now.
There are organizations such as Ocean Cleanup working tirelessly to solve the problem, but they've got a literal mountain (of trash) to climb.
The only hope is to stop it before it gets any worse.
On land and sea, plastic causes numerous environmental problems for the planet, as follows:
- Plastic has tremendous staying power and takes hundreds of years to break down.
- As it slowly crumbles, it releases toxins into the air, water and environment.
- When plastic toxins are released into the water, they kill plankton, which is one of those bottom-of-the-food-chain species vital for survival.
- These toxins also make their way into water supplies, endangering species that live on land
- Animals are injured, poisoned and killed by plastic every minute of every day. Over 200 species of animals are known to ingest plastic.
- Plants cannot grow in plastic-covered soil.
- When plastic is burned, it releases huge volumes of toxic gas into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming
- Landfills take up space that could otherwise be used for growing crops and raising livestock.
- As these landfills increase in size, they encroach more and more on fragile watercourses.
- At very least, plastic pollution is unsightly and can lead to a loss in tourism revenue in areas where it is most prevalent.
- It costs municipalities millions every year to manage plastic waste.
So, if you thought plastic was out-of-sight-out-of-mind, think again. If plastic pollution continues at this rate, mankind will be left alone on a barren, filthy, infertile planet filled with waste. We have nowhere else to go.
How Bad is it Really?
Despite the enormous piles of garbage floating in the ocean and drifting beneath its waters, we, as a species are still producing 300 million tons of plastic every year and dumping 8 million tons of it into the sea!
Up to 50% of the plastic produced is single-use and cannot be recycled. Crazy isn't it.
What are the Alternatives?
Bizarrely, the species that put a man on the moon and managed to climb to the top of the super-predator ladder still doesn't have a lasting solution to this problem.
It's clear that we need alternatives fast and there are scientists working around the clock to find them. Unfortunately, big business has been slow to adopt these changes, largely due to the costs involved with change.
Some of the solutions across different applications that have come to the fore are:
- Glass
- Canvas
- Cotton
- Hemp
- Leather
- Fibre
- Bamboo
- Products with plastic additives to reduce the environmental backlash
- Milk protein
- Chicken feathers!
- Liquid wood
- PLA Polyesters
Many businesses have caved to the pressure and started using these alternatives. However, until all manufacturers and packaging outlets come to the party, the onus is on every single one of us to make a difference wherever we can.
How Can you make a difference?
"Reduce, reuse, recycle' should be at the top of your mind when making decisions. Don't buy plastic bags at the supermarket, bring your own recycled bags. Purchase environmentally-friendly shopping bags, they're available at every checkout.
Think about plastic-free alternatives whenever you buy items.
Buy yourself a reusable straw and mug for when you do indulge in a coffee or a drink at a fast-food outlet. Don't buy Styrofoam takeaway containers, insist that the store packs your meal in one of your own reusable containers. If they don't comply, don't support them.
Boycott products packaged in non-biodegradable packaging. Shop at food markets for fresh produce without plastic packaging. You'll be supporting your local small businesses as well as helping to reduce waste.
Talk to local businesses about instituting environmentally-friendly options. If you are in charge of your own business, be the change.
There are families out there who have taken the challenge to heart and are throwing away only a handful of plastic every week.
Let's do this people – we have to because our planet matters.


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For many, the thought of boarding an alien vessel might be one of blood-chilling proportions, a thrill best avoided by the fortunate.
But, during the late 1960s and early '70s, a number of prefabricated homes around the world were designed and built with exactly that experience in mind. And, a rare few of these alien structures are admired to this day.
It Came From Finland
Finnish designer Matti Suuronen designed these Futuro homes, as they're officially known, to intentionally resemble flying saucers. That's right, the same interstellar circular vessels as seen on stage and screen, with a dazzling series of round or oval windows spanning their perimeter to provide a panoramic view of the galaxy, as it would theoretically dart from one planetary system to the next.
But, despite—or perhaps, in spite of—Futuro's unique appearance, less than a hundred of these marvels were produced.
Why the Futuro Touched Down
In the 1960s and '70s, mankind's aspirations to conquer our next frontier were fixated in the psyche of nearly everyone. From Barbarella to Space Odyssey, from Star Wars to Star Trek; we were eager for a close encounter, one way or another. And for many, that was most readily achieved with the Futuro.
Fantasies aside, the Futuro was actually designed with practicality in mind; Suuronen wanted to envision a structure that would be easy to assemble (in only two days!), and one that would be efficient to heat. They were built of an undeniably earthly polyester plastic and reinforced with fiberglass, alongside a host of other man-made synthetic materials. They were also intended for use in just about any worldly landscape, from woodland reprieves to sandy shores.
Objections from Earthlings
The very first Futuro unit, erected in Suuronen's homeland of Finland, received its fair share of complaints from perplexed neighbors. Zoning officials the world over would soon join that chorus, and it disappeared from the marketplace in the mid-'70s; Futuro's fate as one of the Space Age's most notable artistic contributions was then set in stone.
Suuronen Strikes Back
The Futuro wasn't Suuronen's last space-age attempt at a unique design for the earth-bound, however; in 1971 he designed the Venturo, which enjoyed a more traditional (by comparison, but also thoroughly Modern) structure, intended for use as a weekend bungalow or getaway. It would seem, however, that even fewer Venturos made it into production… er, that is… the Futuro.
By Bill Furbee, contributor for Ripleys.com


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I know. I haven't written in over a month. Life has come at me fast lately and I have had my hands on too many things (as usual). I try to be honest with myself, and I know that one of my major flaws is doing too much. I have way too many expectations for myself, and for fear of letting anyone down, I say yes to everything that I care about because "It's important," and then find myself barely hanging on by a thread, my head spinning and everything left at about 80% because I have too much going on to focus on anything completely.
I'm having to let some things go so I can keep space for my sanity and happiness. I don't want to let go of MAXOUThappy, but I had to step back for a while to get a grip on some other stuff in my life. Everything is good stuff, but it's just too much stuff.
So anyway, long story short, I'm trying to get back to some type of regular posting and I hope you'll stick around!
Here's what has been going on lately:
-Andrew and I had our one year anniversary last weekend! I can't believe how fast time flies. We really met by chance through our friends who are married, and I love making him tell me the story through his point of view of the night we met. It gets better every time, even though it's always the same.
-I am loving this Burt's Bees BB cream and have been using it since my yoga studio started putting out samples of it. I was hooked after one application and went out to get it at Target. It is natural, super moisturizing, goes on like velvet, and smells nice! It lasts all day and I set it with my always favorite Lorac POREfection baked perfecting powder. I have the light/medium shade in the BB Cream and I use shade PF3.5 in the powder.
-My hair is getting longer, and I've been keeping it a little darker blonde these days. In the summer I'm generally a sunshiney white blonde, but for the fall and winter I've been keeping a more rooty look with balayage painted sections. I go to Jamie at The Parlor at North Ridge and have for years and years.
-I have recently had to come to grips with the fact that I am almost 30 and need to be wearing more supportive shoes for teaching all day on my feet. I feel so old. I asked for these, these, and these for Christmas, and we'll see if I've been a good enough girl this year!
-I managed to get almost all of my Christmas shopping done last weekend, and mostly all online! I love the holidays and good cheer, but I find that if I go out in public to stores around this time of year, my happy attitude quickly plummets. People are just in too much of a hurry, it's too crowded, lines are long, and it seems like people forget the whole point of the season. It felt so good to check that off my list.
-There are only 9 school days left before Christmas break, and I am holding on to that for dear life! Here comes the push! (Imagine angels singing).
That's really all that's new with me! Otherwise, just running from one thing to the next, slowly trying to balance myself out with my commitments. Enjoy the weekend! Ugly Christmas sweater season is upon us 🙂


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Our client Mr Peter Ryall's polycarbonate roof was recently replaced with Eurocell's Equinox tiled conservatory roof system. This conservatory roof replacement will ensure that this conservatory is energy efficient and used all year round!
To find out more about our Conservatory Roof Replacement services, click here.
'From the first instant of our enquiry to Ploughcroft to the completion of the job, we have experienced helpfulness and pleasantness throughout. Ploughcroft are truly a very professional outfit.'
– Mr Peter Ryall


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• In recent years, gains in life expectancy slowed in a number of advanced countries
• Not yet clear whether recent slowdown in the rate of mortality improvement temporary or permanent
• Changing trends in circulatory disease underlie the slowdown; likely linked to rising obesity rates associated with poor diet and physical inactivity
• Future advances in longevity shaped by how effective public health policy and population screening can be in moving mortality experience of the general population closer to that of target healthy sub-groups
• Changes in mortality trends have important implications for insurers and pension schemes
Life expectancy has steadily improved internationally for well over a century. In recent years, however, there are signs that the rate of mortality improvement has slowed in a number of advanced countries. Statistically, it is difficult to determine if the recent slowdown is simply a short-term blip or more permanent. The latest sigma report from the Swiss Re Institute, "Mortality improvement: understanding the past and framing the future", suggests that future gains in health and longevity will depend on the success of public health policy. For governments and private financial institutions that are exposed to longevity risks, shifts in the underlying mortality trend are crucial as this risk cannot easily be diversified or perfectly hedged.
Click here for the latest Swiss Re sigma study
Click here to access the the overview page of the publication and a short video
Click here for the PDF


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16 Jan Ripe Podcast at the Music That Matters Bushfire Benefit
Photo by Sarah Chavdaroska
On Tuesday the 14th of January 2020, Francesca Gonzales and Marcus Rimondini went down to The Gasometer during the daytime soundcheck to interview five of the artists on the amazing Music That Matters Bushfire Benefit lineup. Ripe wanted to capture the thoughts on this crisis, and ask how the artists feel about not only the horrific fires, but the unbelievable response by the music community in raising funds to support the ongoing recovery efforts. We start with Good Morning and Joe Alexander of Bedroom Suck Records. (17:42) Then Leah Senior and band member Jesse Williams. (28:18) Tim Harvey, Mimi Gilbert of Julia Jacklin's band come in. (40:39) Tanya Batt who performs as Batts. (52:45) We finish with artist El Tee and Sarah who was one of the sound engineer's on the night.
Thank you Lorrae McKenna & Emily Ulman for putting on such a special event, and allowing us to record a podcast during soundcheck. Thank you Sunbeam Sound Machine for music featured in the podcast.
Link to the Fire Relief Fund for First Nations Communities:
We don't know the total funds raised from this event yet, but you can still bid on the silent auction prizes.
Here's the link: Music That Matters Silent Auction
1. 2x tickets to Weyes Blood at Theatre Royal in Castlemaine on 7th March, plus accommodation for one night at The New Northern Hotel, plus a $60 food + drink voucher for Theatre Royal. Very generously donated by Mistletone.
2. Bumper vinyl and Merch pack, with items donated by Barely Dressed, Bedroom Suck, Caroline Australia, Chapter Music, Dot Dash, Inertia Music, I OH YOU, Milk Records, Music In Exile, Our Golden Friend and Remote Control Records.
3. The Festival Frenzy pack, with double passes for Grampians Music Festival 2020, Meadow, Boogie Festival and Jerk Fest (ANTI FADE records).
4. A beautiful, original piece by Frances Cannon Artist "Regrow", framed and ready to hang.
5. The penny drop golden ticket, which includes a double pass for all Penny Drop shows for one year.
6. The Our Golden Friend golden ticket, which includes a double pass to all Our Golden Friend artists headline shows for one year.
100% of funds from this auction will be donated directly to the NSW RFS, CFA (Country Fire Authority), Wildlife Victoria & The Fire Relief Fund For First Nations Communities to support those directly affected by the fires.


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Emily Post-Avant: Letters to Dispatches from the Poetry Wars, by Poets Seeking Help, Always Diligently Answered by Our Exclusive Columnist of Poetry Advice.
Dear Emily Post-Avant,
I am a fan of the awesome poet Anthony Madrid. Probably he's my fav poet. He's a columnist at the Paris Review. My old boyfriend I just broke up with thinks he's the greatest poet of America since Walt Whitman. I thought I would send you this poem which I wrote in my high school Creative Writing Honors class last week. But my teacher said it's "not really poetry." He won't even publish it in our school poetry magazine. And I'm the Assistant Student Editor!! I was in my room crying for like four days considering extreme things and stuff. My mom is really upset and she contacted the principal which made me pretty embarrassed because now the word is all over town. Now she and my dad are having a humongous fight about it. OMG and WTF? I have been following Dispatches from the Poetry Wars ever since my old boyfriend told me about your letters column. He's a poet too though as I said I recently broke up with him after finding out he was smoking Meth big time. Not that you would care all that much about 16-year-old poets in Cozad Nebraska (the town of the painter Robert Henri btw). Though really it's not that bad for a tiny homophobic town. So this poem I think is pretty OK because it has some sass so to speak. It talks back and it rhymes AABB etc. and it's more or less in real meter starting out with tight tetrameters progressing to pentameters though in sexting style in a few verse cases then progressing as you can see by the scaled slope of it to hexameters and heptameters or even more (do nine-feet lines exist?) with these also in some cases loosey-goosey with anacrusis at the start or hypercatalectic at the end. Both of which by the way for me always bring up the crazy undecidable problem of whether the line in question is actually iambic or trochaic and this is something I have always wondered about you know: how you can determine if a line is iambic or trochaic when it has an initial syllabic elision or concluding syllabic add on. Do you know what I mean? I myself am getting confused though since I am only a junior in high school. Maybe that is not such a bad thing. Also do you have Anthony Madrid's current email? I wrote him five freaking times specifying I was a high school student who loved his stuff but still he won't write back to me. Why wouldn't a real poet in Victoria Brooklyn want to write back to a 16- year old fan all the way out in Nebraska? Is he stuck up or something? Maybe he doesn't like gay-boy teens? Anyway for what it's worth and I could say more and possibly I will here is my poem. Why is the poetry field more corrupt and stacked and uptight than even politics is it seems? Thank you for kindly reading my letter and poem which my older sister has helped me with punctuation on. As you can tell from this letter punctuation is not my strong point:
Anthony Madrid
I've read his books and they are sad.
Though not that by that they are bad!
One time at King's, I groomed Madrid,
High up a tree. We talked of Byron fervid-
Ly. And flicked with glee lice from the tree,
At profs and kids from Trinity.1 Then Tony
Spoke, "Yo, is that not Prynne and What's His Name?!"
The latter came all decked in cowpoke duds: insane-
Ly giant buckle belt, a vest, a veiling hat, with tint of cherry…
But by the chuckle, we could tell: Why, it was Monsieur Ashbery!
"Let me tell you something 'bout so-called poetry, Prynne,"
He drawled, then spat. "A steak and drunk a day will make a slim
Boy nicely fat; but never have I ate a pathetic v=e=g=e=t=a=b=l=e
I'd thunk aesthetic." Prynne coughed, then said, "Regrettable
It is, my line-dance chap, that you played so long at Uncle Warlock
Doing the moonwalk!" Ashbery now scratched his balls and cock,
In the gloom. It seemed the Cambridge Don had thrown him off
A smidge. But then he burped and said: "Son, I led the herd to trough,
That was all. Weren't like I done dissimulated 'bout a single thing."
Then the bells of King's, as in a Hitchcock film, began to ring and ring.
And that's when Tony and me came down all ratty and happy from the tree.
- The idea of this line is to evoke a barely audible ticking sound, like snow falling
–Waiting to be Killed in the Next AR-15 School Shooting
Sweet boy, don't you wish we could put the heads of the NRA on trial and send them to jail for a long time, along with Evil Clown Trump? Fuck them.
OK, punctuation aside, I am so impressed with your letter and your poem that I am only going to say this, my dear: For someone who is only 16, you are perfectly gifted, and I salute you. Keep going! Keep reading Dispatches from the Poetry Wars and Whitman and Madrid and all you can get your hands on. And don't let anyone intimidate you, especially not your high school poetry teacher. And don't worry about not hearing back from Mr. Madrid. Poets are the most unpredictable people-types of the planet. I love the image of you picking lice from his fur and the footnote related to throwing the little critters down at the academics. That shows some independent spunk, which the poetry world is in sore need of, these days. I greet you at the beginning of a magnificent career.
–Emily Post-Avant


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Journey from the End
I sit and redream all the dreams I had of our future,
and try to remind myself that they will never come true,
the dog, the children and the white picket fences,
will never be something shared between me and you.
I had finally settled down and could rest at night,
I had believed my long search was finally done,
but now I must pack my bags and restart that journey,
you have stood up and declared that you are not the one.
It will come one day that I can sit back,
laugh with you and refer to you as friend,
but now I am in too much denial,
because we are too close to what was the end.


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We walked into town this morning to check out the local market. Eymet is a Bastide town (planned design with a square) and it's Thursday morning market has been ongoing since the year 1270. It has never missed a day. Not through the Hundred Years War, both World Wars or any other war for that matter. These olives were wonderful. Nothing like we have back home.
"Market Day in Eymet" © Kathy Dunham 2009


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Dear Donna (my mother-in-law),
I know that it seems like we go through this every year. You always call your son, saying that you are struggling to think of something to buy me for a present. And I recognize that I am officially one of the worst people in the world to buy presents for because I am so picky and have an opinion on everything. But I wanted you to know that this year, it should be a lot easier! I am really trying to up my blog game, so I have created a list of gift ideas for you. And yes, I know it might seem weird to buy me some of these things, but hey, bloggers are weird people. Trust me; all of these would be awesome presents, and I would be happy with any of them![clickToTweet tweet="Bloggers are weird people to shop for, but any of these presents would be great!" quote="Bloggers are weird people to shop for, but any of these presents would be great!"]
Successful bloggers say that the money is in the list, the email list that is. ConvertKit is an email marketing service created for bloggers by bloggers. They have so many different customizable opt-in forms, sequences, etc. And they have the best customer service out there. ConvertKit costs $29 a month. You could treat me to one month or several. Either way, I'd love to have with ConvertKit.
Can I just say how much I dislike spell check? I don't know about you, but I always make silly mistakes like typing "and" when I meant to type "an," and spell check never catches it because, well… "and" is a word. But there is a new app out called Grammarly that changes all of that. You keep Grammarly up and running on your computer, and it spell checks everything whether it's a Word document, something in WordPress, an email, etc. And it's a lot more advanced than the traditional spell checker so it eliminates mistakes like "an" vs. "and." I would loooove to have Grammarly. A yearly subscription is $139.95, but there are also monthly and quarterly plans too.
Lots of people, including myself, use PicMonkey or Canva to make pins for Pinterest and other social media images. But there is a new resource called Stencil. Stencil is different because it connects to your social media accounts (Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Buffer), and lets you immediately upload the images you create. It potentially can also be way cheaper than Canva (Canva charges per image). Stencil costs $108 or $216 a year, depending on which plan you choose. And you know that I would really love anything that could make blogging faster!
Speaking of social media images, Tailwind is an app that lets you create a schedule and then pin pins to Pinterest according to that schedule. This is great because Pinterest gives preference to users who pin a lot, but it's impossible to sit there and play on Pinterest all day. I have your grandbaby to take care of! So Tailwind would do all the work for me. It costs $119.88 for the year or $15 a month.
People say that if you need to know anything about blogging, this is the book to read. Abby Lawson goes through, step-by-step, everything from how to conceptualize your blog to how to use social media. The advanced version of Building a Framework also has a lot of videos featuring other bloggers, so you get a well-rounded understanding of how to create a successful blog. I would really love the Master Package of this! It costs $75.
How I Went from 17k to 350k Pageviews in 9 Months
Compared to all of the other gift suggestions I have given so far, this is one of the cheapest. It's only $25, but people say its worth double that! Lena Gott of www.whatmommydoes.com gives detailed instructions on how to increase your blog traffic and get lots more pageviews. And, she apparently she also goes over all of the things that she tried that didn't make any difference. That's some serious honesty right there, and I think it will be a huge time saver for me to have this book.
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
I hear people talking about Michelle Schroeder-Gardner all the time. She blogs at www.makingsenseofcents.com and earns $100,000 a month blogging. Isn't that just crazy? Think of what I could do if I earned $100,000 a month! I would take you out for lunch all the time! Anyway, Michelle says that half of that comes from affiliate marketing, meaning people buy stuff from her site and she gets some of the money. I would love to know how she does that, and her Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course teaches you how. It costs $197, but like I said, it might be a huge return on your investment:)
Okay, so there's my list. I hope this was helpful to you. Your son wants me to tell you that, if you don't like any of these gift ideas, you can always get me one of these. Please don't though; I have a feeling he will just steal it from me.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here. Also, if you do utilize a link, THANK YOU!
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In an effort to enhance student learning outcomes and better understand how students interact with ICON, several courses at the University of Iowa have undergone ICON redesigns. The course instructors were interested in learning whether students' ICON course activity changes between pre- and post-redesign. That information has proven useful to faculty members as they seek to improve their course designs.
The Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology Research & Analytics team has started to analyze the millions of rows of data generated by students' activity (clicks) in each ICON course site. Student clickstream data was pulled from the Unizin Data Warehouse (UDW), which stores a timestamped entry for every student action in ICON.
The results indicate that some design elements have had the intended effect on student interaction behavior. Putting key course information directly into weekly module pages led to fewer clicks on the syllabus after the first week and fewer emails sent to instructors compared to the previous semester.
In addition, more students interacted with course learning materials when they were designed as weekly modules in some courses.
Overall, there is a small positive association between student activity in ICON and course outcomes. This is shown visually for one course below. The animated heatmap shows student clicks during the first 6 weeks of the semester on three types of module items: introductory materials (e.g., syllabus), an exam guide, and lecture slides. Students are grouped according to their final letter grade.
Interested in learning how your students are using your ICON course? Contact the Research & Analytics team at email@example.com.


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By Tomas Barry 07.06.2017
The most recent project from Codemasters, DiRT Rally, was a huge critical success. Its unwavering commitment to authentic and realistic driving made it one of the best modern rally games out there, perhaps even placing higher than Richard Burns Rally, a former golden-standard for rally sims from 2006. Elsewhere though, the off-road side of the DiRT franchise, which has spanned a decade now, hasn't always been so ambitiously devoted to realism, but has always provided a great sense of variety, intensity and playfulness. Ultimately, then, while it was inevitable that DiRT Rally would heavily influence the next project, what was much harder to anticipate was how much the traditions of the off-road DiRT series would effect this new concoction too. Something new and surprisingly innovative is born.
One major reason that sim-driving enthusiasts tend to be dismissive of driving experiences that are realistic in appearance yet claim to offer an arcade experience, is that this all too often translates to a lack of detail. When the physics engine isn't precise enough to feel properly convincing, or when the track details aren't particularly representative of the real deal, the line 'it's an arcade emphasis' tends to operate like a cop-out, almost the equivalent acknowledgement 'could be better.' There's certainly no problem with that, since the fun and the overall balance are the most important aspect, but to certain types of driving fans with interests in simulation, this is a bit like taping up a giant crack in the floor and claiming all is well.
As a result, sim-fans don't often take things derived from the arcade-side of the driving spectrum particularly seriously. Each to their own. However, the off-road side to the DiRT franchise has always had room for aspects of arcade influence. As illustrated by its brand of short-burst intense and chaotic action, the impressive range of driving disciplines that the series traditionally offers, as well as the numerous more arcade-centric components introduced via the off-road series, such as DiRT 3's free-roam arenas and joyride multiplayer events. However, DiRT 4, both in terms of its design and its accessibility, stands out as one the most successful collisions of both arcade and sim ethos ever. Not just because it keeps itself accessible to both types of players, but because each side of the spectrum seems to help the other side of the experience!
The best example of this is the rather genius 'Your Stage' mode, something that Codemasters has in fact been working on in secret for some years, which randomly generates courses from five rally locations (Australia, Wales, Sweden, Spain, The United States), offering players just length and complexity modifiers to manipulate in order to keep things simple. This seems to be intrinsically an arcade-derived idea, yet it inherently benefits the sim drivers too. That's because these random runs force drivers to properly listen to their co-driver prompts, which is a hugely crucial part of rallying. Even the most serious DiRT Rally enthusiasts would have to admit that their times could be improved if they truly trusted in the word of their co-driver at the crucial moment, but fear of crashing often means the seconds are gained in re-trying the course - which is less simulative in itself, ironically.
Yet, in so many ways, DiRT 4 doesn't feel like an off-shoot of DiRT Rally, it feels like the direct-successor and then some. While it spreads itself out more thinly, its range is impressive offering rally, landrush, rallycross (a similar set of experiences, with the FIA Championship licence returning from DiRT Rally) and a historic rally discipline. These are very distinct types of rallying, which certainly provide a colour and contrast from a gameplay point of view. Each category represents a very particular set of challenges, which will suit some types of drivers far more than others. This often means novice players will have to relearn some rallying concepts along the way, especially when it comes to aspects such as weight-transfer and braking methodology. This seems like a good thing, since it promotes driver education and purposeful consideration on a technical level. Where there is contrast, there is challenge. There's also much less recycling here than the DiRT Rally career.
Moreover, it's the experimentation, that this iteration has far more licence to embrace, which in combination with the DiRT Rally-derived physics engine, identifies it as a step-up for this side of the brand. It's capable of feeling very sophisticated, but this simulative sense of detail also accentuates the more frenetic sense of joy and fun that previous titles were known for. Signalling it comes from a broken home, DiRT 4 offers both a simulation physics mode, as well as a 'gamer' mode, presumably the more forgiving of the two. This reviewer, as already noted, has no time for such nonsense. However, the room to breathe certainly seems to enable DiRT 4 to be confident in presenting an authentic experience no matter what the driver's ability level. All types of players will feel well-accommodated here, especially since the freedom to modify difficulty and driving assists seems very well implemented.
There are various difficulty pre-sets, which play with assist elements on a gradient scale, and represent a good starting point for getting to grips with things. However, everything is entirely customizable as one would expect, and can even be shifted on the fly during a race and within career and championship events. This effectively means drivers can feel their way in to each new discipline they're itching to try, whilst still progressing and earning credits. Players can remove the training wheels gradually as they see fit, which is important.
Take Landrush racing, the vehicles are unpredictable to say the least so even though the personal preference is for sim settings, the only choice here was to hike the stability and traction control up- then during a race, modify it down to a feasible compromise in-between. It was pleasantly surprising to find that this was possible, all the while keeping the unique ingredients of each racing discipline in tact from a technical standpoint. This is a credit to the finely developed physics engine, as well as the talented bunch at Codemasters themselves. Part of the joy of DiRT 4 is that one can go from being a master of one type to a novice in another.
Another impressive element to DiRT 4 is the career mode. This allows drivers to build their own team and crew, as well as customize and buy new and second-hand motors, buy facilities for the team and for players to test-drive within. The sense of progress is very powerful here, since there are actually a lot of doors that open up as the credits start to roll in. Managing the team can prove slightly distracting (who wants to keep an eye on staff contracts when there's racing to be done?) but various assists exist to keep that in the background should the player wish. Many driving games that nail the technical side of the picture, the physics engine, the handling, the audio and visuals, end up falling a little short in the way of single-player career content. However, this is far from the case here, with an extensive range of courses, experience, and no corner cutting to be seen. Even the tutorials seem particularly thoughtful and well-designed. This could also be partly due to the enlisted input of rally drivers Kris Meeke and Petter Solberg, whose influence seems to have translated very well. Elsewhere, the game also benefits massively from co-drivers Jen Horsey and Nicky Grist, whose delivery is top-notch. Codemasters have even provided detailed options to manipulate the exact timing of their instructions too, which seems like going above and beyond in terms of versatility!
In terms of graphics, this seems on par with DiRT Rally, though perhaps a bit more saturated. The greater range of environments means DiRT 4 is a real visual treat, also adding to the immersion immeasurably. There were a few frames dropped during landrush races, when lots of cars were on screen, but other than that, performance has held up very well so far, with the PS4 providing a very smooth frame, which may not be sixty frames per second, but is certainly adequate.
DiRT 4 really does succeed in extrapolating new things from two different sides of the driving spectrum. The 'Your Stage' procedural track generator really does feel like a revelation, which will ensure that drivers remain on their toes even after clocking countless hours already. As stated, it's remarkable what this can do for drivers if they're willing to adapt and learn, and certainly helps to cultivate technical understanding and development. A more in-depth follow-up review on the PC version will be coming soon, but there's no doubt about it: DiRT 4 is one of the most exciting driving releases this year. A much-celebrated brand comes back with a bang.
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Apartment Belville in New Belgrade is an elegant and modern holiday rental located in Belville, nearby Delta city shopping mall. No reason to worry as secured parking spot can be at your disposal in case you decide to stay in this apartment.
One bedroom apartment Belville in New Belgrade is situated on the 10th floor of a residential building with 2 elevators. It can comfortably accommodate 4 persons. The 42m2 apartment consists of spacious living room with a dining corner, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a balcony. The apartment itself is very bright and cozy. There is one double bed in the bedroom and double sofa bed in the living room. You can have some rest on the sofa while watching your favorite channel. Additionally, there is unlimited Wifi internet you can use to finish up with your work or entertain.
All the cutlery and crockery you may need are in the well equipped kitchen. Apart from dish washer and microwave oven, there is electric kettle and large fridge.
Enjoy having bath in a bathtub and feel free using the hairdryer afterward. In addition, iron and ironing board are something you can also use if needed.
Holiday rental Belville is nice and warm during the cold days thanks to city district heating. Air-conditioner is what you can use if you wish to cool the place down in the summer.
We provide bed linen and towels for all our guests. If you wish to stay in the apartment a bit longer we will arrange regular cleaning for you. We will bring you fresh towels and bedding at no extra cost.
Apartment Belville is located in prestigious, modern part of New Belgrade, Belville. It is in the neighborhood of most of major Serbian and international companies. Delta city shopping mall where you can find everything you need is less than 2 minutes away. Similarly, you can reach Usce shopping mall easily by public transportation. Belgrade airport Nikola Tesla is around 10 minutes by car. As holiday rental Belville is situated in the corporate center of Belgrade, it is an ideal place if you are in Belgrade on a business trip.
Apartment Belville is also a great place to stay at in case you are visiting Belgrade on a holiday. So close to beautiful Savski quay famous after its night life and various river rafts where all the fun happens.
Belville is a new, tidy and modern complex where you will find cafes and bars, fast food restaurants, traditional restaurants and bakeries. Stores and playgrounds for children are only some of the extras you can expect. Additionally, there is a brand new medical center within. Numerous bus stops close by will make it easy for you to get to Belgrade downtown and Vracar.
Holiday rental Belville featuring balcony is perfect for families or a group of friends travelling by car. It offers you an opportunity to enjoy staying in a newly built complex in New Belgrade and everything it has to offer.


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How to Import Contacts to Microsoft Outlook From Microsoft Excel
The article intends to explain the process of importing contacts from Microsoft Excel to Microsoft Outlook using easy instructions. Although we have attempted to compile the easy and reliable information in this article, it's still recommended that you follow the directions carefully to avoid confronting any problem.
Users often use their Microsoft Outlook to save and further use substantial number of personal data such as emails, contacts etc.. Importing is just one of these practices that consumers perform to transfer information into Outlook for further use. You might want to import your Excel sheet contacts into Outlook for a number of factors. However, it isn't possible to directly import contacts from Excel to Outlook. You'll have to perform just a small workaround to do the importing. Sounding hard? Thinking about contacting Microsoft technical support for help? Do not worry. You don't have to contact your Microsoft technical support since we have brought you this step-by-step guide that can help you import your Excel contacts into Microsoft Outlook painlessly.
Export from Excel:
First of all, you would need to export the contacts from Excel spreadsheet to a CSV (comma separated value) file using these simple instructions. If your Excel sheet(s) comprises data into different columns such as Name, Phone number, Email address etc.), then click the File menu on top and click the Save As alternative. When the Save As window comes up, select a folder from the dropdown menu next to the Save box, provide a name to the document such as 'excel contacts' (or a title of your choice) in the File name box, then pick CSV (Comma delimited) in the dropdown menu of Save type box, also click on the Save button. Now you're done exporting Excel contacts into a CSV file.
If your Excel sheet does not contain column-divided information, then it is recommended you do so. To do so, add a blank cell to the Excel sheet and split data into various columns like Name, address etc.. Once you are finished doing so, follow the exact same procedure to export the information to a CSV file format.
Import into Outlook:
If you are importing Excel contacts in to the present Contacts folder in Outlook, then use this method. Open Outlook, click on the File menu at the top, and choose Import and Export. After the Import and Export wizard window opens up, pick Import from another program or document, and click on the Next button. Under the Import a File window, then click on Comma Separated Values (Windows), and click on Next. If you realize that the file displayed in the File to import box will be the file the right document (in this case 'excel contacts' that we created while exporting), click on the Next button (let the copies to be created if you are in doubt by choosing one of the three choices on precisely the same window before clicking the Next button), and click the Finish button to close the window. If you realize that the file is not the desired one, then click on the Browse button to locate the file, double click it to open (such as 'excel contacts'), pick Allow duplicates option (if you would like to), then click the Next button. Should you doubt that the columns in Excel spreadsheet won't properly map to the Outlook fields, then pick Map custom fields choice before clicking on the Finish button.
If you're trying to import contacts to some other folder and not into the existing folder, then create a new folder. Open Outlook, right click on the Contacts folder, and select New Folder. Give a title to your folder and click on the OK button to close the window. Now follow the same procedure to access the Import and Export wizard and start importing.


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BREAKING: 9 Dead following Biker Gang Shooting at Waco Resaurant
"Eight people died at the scene of the shooting" Said Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick.
Nine people were killed today and many others were injured in a shooting involving rival biker gang members at a Central Texas restaurant.
Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick stated at about noon on Sunday eight people died at the scene of the shooting at Twin Peaks restaurant and another died at a hospital near by.
Swanton went on to say the fight broke out with punched being thrown but then escalated to knives and firearms. The severity of injuries is not clear at the moment. Multiple weapons were used in the fight, including chains, knifes, bats and firearms.
Police were aware that rival gang members were gathering at the restaurant and officers were present when the shots began to be fired.
Officers returned fire at the biker gangs and the gun fight spilled out to a busy parking lot. Bystanders ran for cover.


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Every 12 to 18 months your website needs to go through a redesign or a refresh to ensure your business remains at the top of its game.
Most people think that a redesign is solely based on appearance, but it includes other important aspects, in the same way that your mobile, video games or computers need to be kept up to date to maintain security and usability. The features and functions of your website need to be maintained too.
User Experience
Technical Support
Change in Business Goals
Website Appearance
Search Engine Optimisation
Marketing Strategy
Goal Driven Results
If you're looking to completely ditch your current website and start from scratch, we think this list of factors you might want to know before you dive headfirst as it could be useful (before you do anything you don't need to!)
Understanding your users
You have to put yourself in your customers' shoes when it comes to website redesign. Asking yourself "what experience do I want my customers to have" (which should always result in a good one). Making a memorable good first impressions is key because if a user isn't engaged after an average of 10 seconds, they'll end up leaving. Our team uses practices including Human-Centred Design and User-Driven Development because we understand that a website isn't made for you, it's for your visitors in order to convert into paying customers. The point of these strategies is to understand the current website user experience, then using that research to produce a better experience that benefits both the business and customers.
Can users find what they need?
It's not all about the appearance with a redesign. If your website has a hard to find or lack of navigation options, or it doesn't render to different devices, your visitors are going to join the bounce rate percentage.
If the navigation is clear, visitors will find the content they're looking for and potentially stay on your website for longer, directing them to your conversion points and leading to more business for you. If not, you could be sending away a potential customer.
Providing a great menu structure not only provides a better user experience but also enables you to guide users to your most important pages. A web usability report from KoMarketing states that 86% of visitors want to see information about that company's products and services once they
reach the homepage, this means for 86% of users you will only have one chance to quickly direct your visitors to these pages as its unlikely that they will be willing to hunt through your website for this information.
Are there technical issues?
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
There are many people who live by this quote and sometimes it works, but unfortunately for technology, it doesn't. Yes, your app from 3 years ago could still work for you, but if you don't keep your services fresh with regular maintenance and updates, your customers aren't going to have a good experience.
Lightening quick loading, please!
We live in a digital age where technology moves fast, and we all get frustrated when we have to wait for anything. We want immediate results. As stated in the site Internetfacts, a single second delay in your website loading time can result in a 7% loss in conversion, and 40% of web users will abandon a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
These page loading times can be caused by a variety of things including large image files to outdated website plug-ins. "A slow loading website can increase bounce rate by 32%" – ThinkWithGoogle If your website is slow, it increases the chance of visitors leaving the website and adding to your bounce rate results.
As mentioned previously, a high bounce rate can affect your webpage ranking on search engines as it'll be deemed as false content if the users aren't finding what they want when they enter the website.
Manage your data across platforms and third-party tools
There are many website plug-ins available to help businesses keep track of various platforms in one space. Most popularly, WordPress allows seamless integration with email platforms, social media profiles and content scheduling resources (to name a few). You can easily keep your platforms intertwined and monitor your interactions through your integrations.
Social media tools are just one example of platform integration; An online user visits your website and makes their way to a blog post, finding a great quote from you, or even a great article. With social media integration you can provide the option to highlight the quote to share it to their own social profile (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook) or, offer the preference to share the full article to their accounts. It allows the visitors' followers to become aware of your business and increase the opportunity for new followers and potential customers.
Integrations can be beneficial for your customers and your business.
Internally, it reduces the lengthy monitoring of customer data by allowing your platforms to link between the website, social platforms and data management such as Google Analytics. It saves time and provides a more accurate analysis.
For customers, all the information and sign-ups they need are all on one website and reduces the risk of them leaving for a website that provides a better experience.
Is your site responsive?
"46% of people say they would not purchase from a brand again if they had an interruptive mobile experience" – Google A seamless mobile experience is vital and nowadays users expect more. In fact, New Jersey Institute of Technology states 90% of consumers expect their experience with a brand will be similar across all platforms and devices. It's crucial that your website can provide for desktop, mobile and tablet as over 40% of online transactions are now done on mobile.
Brand consistency is always important. It lets your visitors know that each page they visit, whether it is on desktop or mobile, is still your website. They can familiarise themselves with your page styles and visual elements.
Supplying responsive design is crucial for any modern-day website to help not only your customers, but it also improves your SEO rankings and audience reach to mobiles. We can help improve your next project with a responsive design and increase the capabilities from your current website.
Your business has evolved
It is likely that with more experience under your belt, your business' branding and objectives will become more refined. As your business grows, your brand values and target audience will become more focused, allowing you to work on attracting the right users.
Nowadays, web users can quickly identify an authentic business through elements such as up-to-date business information (services/contact details), original portfolio imagery and brand consistency. Not surprisingly, Adweek research found that 91% of consumers are more likely to purchase from an authentic brand compared to a dishonest one.
If your website is missing the core branding elements that represents you, it doesn't hold your latest products and services, or it simply looks outdated; you need to consider a redesign. We work closely with each of our clients by holding a discovery meeting to help the business update their goals and stay on track.
How's your website looking?
There are number of different reasons why companies may want to redesign their website, but upgrading an old looking site is one of the most popular. It isn't a bad thing to do and regular maintenance is just as important as a fresh lick of paint at home.
Even visitors that have no experience in design can tell an outdated website to a newer and better maintained one. Around 48% of people cited that a website's design is the number one factor in determining the credibility of a business, and that it takes 0.5 seconds for a visitor to create an opinion on your page. So not only does a well design interface keep users venturing deeper into your website, but it also helps establish your website as a trustworthy and reputable source.
Factors you need to consider for web design include;
· Easy and effective navigation.
· A strong colour pallet.
· Don't forget about the importance of white space!
· Easy to read font, especially if it's against a busy background.
· Use the right images that align with your brand (try to avoid obvious stock images!)
Luckily, our expert team build design strategies which are tailored to your unique audience base to find the best solution and maximise sales from new & returning customers.
Are you Search Engine friendly?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a large role in bringing organic traffic to the website from search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. Many people, whether they're in marketing or not, will have heard of SEO and for a business, successful SEO is vitally important!
SEO is what brings users to your website when they search keywords, phrases or queries related to your business. Usually during a redesign or a refresh, many businesses will completely change pages that hold an amazing search ranking results, and this means they end up having to restart their keyword targeting from scratch.
Carefully planning changes to the information architecture, sitemap, and overall content plan in the redesign is key. You can focus on the pages that hold a good hierarchy for SEO and simply refine these keywords through additional pages.
Speaking of the practices you use In the marketing world, there is a term known as 'Writing for SEO' which involves content writing techniques to not only provide an insight to the relatable content on the results page, as stated above, but it also affects the way that search engines rank your webpages as to how relevant they are. Pages with bad SEO practices (including keyword stuffing, multiple pop-up ads, different content for users and Googlebot's) can be blacklisted by search engines which makes you lose your place in Googles page index. This means your website will show warning to visitors, telling them your site is untrustworthy and should be avoided.
How fresh is your marketing strategy?
It is vital for companies to adapt their marketing strategy in line with their industry and own KPI's. Updating the website to reflect these new strategies isn't something that is always remembered.
For example, there's point implementing an awesome contents strategy if your customers can't find your great blog posts, showcase images, eBooks, and other quality content. How are you expecting to generate leads from this amazing content? It is natural that your website evolves to align with your targets. Surprisingly, a study in 2018 from CMI & Marketing shows only 75% of content marketers report using technology to gain insight into how their content is performing. Why spend time writing content if you don't even know if it's gaining attention?
As a results-driven agency, we sit one to one to understand where your business is currently at and what drives your business to plan an effective marketing strategy, tailored to your specific objectives and budget.
Are you achieving your goal?
Online users are more than likely visiting your website for a specific reason, and achieving conversions is an important metric that highlights the success of a business website.
A Conversion Centred Design (CCD) aims to point your customers in the right direction, this could be what you need to help achieve a specific business goal. Psychological principles and persuasive design are used to drive visitors into performing a distinct action to increase conversions.
Conversion data can be easily tracked using platforms such as Google Analytics and can be broken down to offer insights to your customers journey through your website. This helps to determine whether your business is going in the right direction or if customers are getting lost and leaving your site.
Monitoring your results is essential to decide whether your website is working for you or not, and to identify outcomes or goals that are not being achieved, if you are getting poor or unsuccessful results in this area, it can mean you're in need of a website refresh.
Is the competition in the lead?
"A competitive industry has its benefits; it provides you with a comparison."
If your website is not at least on par with your competitors, your potential customers could choose their website over yours, simply because it looks nicer and is easier to use.
However, it isn't solely based on how pretty your site is.
The way you sell your business and provide a stress-free user experience can help you win customers over your competition. Example, 70% of small business websites lack a Call to Action (CTA) on their homepage. If the consumer visits and likes what they see, you want them to convert there and then rather than have a bad experience, leave and choose a competitor.
We previously mentioned about Search Engine Optimisation, and this is where SEO becomes one of the most important factors for your website. Performing successful techniques for SEO will rank your webpages higher on the results page, increasing your visibility for customers who search your targeted key phrases and keywords.
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A regular website refresh is important to help your business to remain up to date and engage your visitors. If you don't feel that your website is achieving any of the above points and you're considering a refresh or redesign for your business, call us on 0333 121 21013, fill out our request form or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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As we all know, the travel industry was hit hard by economic downturn. Jobs were lost, airlines filed for bankruptcy, and families stopped going on vacations. All of these aspects have changed the travel industry for the time being. These startling numbers seems drastic at first, but when you consider the travel industry it is an expansive industry that also effects other industries. Here is a look at some if its current impacts:
Impact on the Job Industry and Tourism:
- Global travel and tourism economy GDP declined by 4.8% in 2009
- Almost 5 million jobs were lost in 2009
- Business travel decreased by 8.0% and travel & tourism investment declined by over 12%
- Tourism provide the US with $142.1 billion from international visitors and $29.7 billion is generated from travel trade surplus in the US
(Information courtesy of World Travel and Tourism Council)
Future Growth?
- Emerging economic countries are expected to be a new source of growth, increasing international travel; China alone set to provide almost 95 million visitors by 2020
- Innovation by the travel and tourism industry will create new products and markets increasing the appeal to travel
- Travel and tourism is forecast to grow 4% per year between 2010 and 2020
- This growth will support over 300 million jobs by 2020
(Information courtesy of World Travel and Tourism Council)
There is hope for the industry! This is good news for an industry that employs so many people and contributes to almost all aspects of the economy. According to the US Travel Association direct spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S averages $2.1 billion a day, $88 million an hour, and $1.5 million every second. The travel industry is huge, and we are ready to see it it prosper again!


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After a one-night stopover in Delhi, we moved on to Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, where we spent a couple of days. Among the highlight sights is Mother Theresa's home, with a significant museum exhibit on her life (including her Nobel Prize certificate, but only interior photos allowed were of her tomb). Her sector of the city is, of course, vastly different from the clean and majestic park where the Victoria Memorial sits.
There's a relatively new bridge over the River Ganges. Our guide was eager to take us over, but it was close to the end of the day's touring, so a quick ride. To save time the driver made a U-turn around the toll booth we'd just gone through, stopping traffic two ways. To say the least, it was a red flag to the police (we could just imagine doing this on the Bay Bridge or Golden Gate), and the bus was detained for a while, with a policeman escorting us back to our hotel to stay close to the driver. The same driver turned up the next morning for our trip to the airport, so our tips must have come in handy for him!
Here are some Kolkata


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Watch: SONAMOO's Euijin Performs "Bubble Pop" And Receives Praise From HyunA On "The Unit"
KBS's idol rebooting project show "The Unit" is continuing with its streak of incredible auditions by idols who have already debuted.
On the November 4 episode of "The Unit," SONAMOO's Euijin performed "Bubble Pop" by HyunA, who also happens to be a mentor and judge on the show. Euijin admitted she was nervous performing it in front of HyunA, but still, she performed her best without showing a hint of anxiousness.
When the performance was finished, her results were revealed. She received four "boots," which allowed her to officially join the program. HyunA praised, "It felt very extraordinary to see a different version of 'Bubble Pop.' Your dancing figure is very pretty."
Rain, also one of the mentors on the show, commented, "However, the truth is that your singing and dancing [skills] are lacking. I hope you realize that." He also added, "HyunA said she would like to see [your performance] again. I hope when that happens, you'll appear in front of us with great improvement."
Check out Euijin's performance below!
Don't forget to check out the full episode!


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There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
-John 1:6-8 (NASB)
Here, we meet one of the central characters of John's gospel: John the Baptist. The evangelist's introduction of him is stripped-down, simple, and straightforward -- surprisingly so, in fact.
If it had been up to me to introduce the baptizer, I would have been tempted to give a list of his qualifications:
1. He was the founder and lead minister of a large and exciting ministry on the banks of the Jordan, baptizing folks and calling them to repentance. Jews of every background and theological bent flocked to hear him preach, and even Roman soldiers attended to get his advice on godly living.
2. He led a simple, holy life in the desert, devoting himself to God's service and the preaching of the truth.
3. Like Jesus, he had made some very powerful political and religious enemies.
4. As a pre-born baby, he leapt at the very (also pre-born) presence of Jesus, who, by the way, was also his cousin.
5. He was born miraculously to aged parents who, like Abram and Sarai, had long ago resigned themselves to being barren. His birth, like that of Jesus, was foretold by an angel. Also like Jesus, John's very name came straight from God's messenger.
But John the Evangelist mentions none of these things. For him, the baptizer's primary importance was as a witness sent from God to testify about Jesus. His purpose, like the evangelist's, was to bring people to belief in Christ.
The spareness of John the Baptist's introduction holds a vital reminder: In God's economy, human ideas about importance, accomplishment, and renown are of little use. What matters to God is that whether we are faithful in what He has called us to do. Though John was a remarkable man for all the reasons listed above, his most important function was to testify concerning the divine Light, the everlasting Word.
And testify he did! As we'll see later on, John testified without fear or regard for men's reactions. He was so committed to his calling that he preached himself right into a prison cell... and then into the ground.
One other noteworthy thing about these verses: The evangelist makes it very clear that John himself is not the light. In other words, he is not the protagonist in this story. Rather, he's merely a supporting character. Perhaps the evangelist feels a need to mention this because the baptizer is a larger-than-life figure. After all, he's very recognizable, iconic, and clearly filled with God's power. Another possible reason for mentioning this could be simple narrative clarity. Perhaps the evangelist is simply avoiding any possibility of confusion for his readers.
Regardless of why the evangelist mentions this, though, we now have a new character on the stage: John, the first of many witnesses to the truth and the power of the Word made flesh.


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Bouncy, feel-good comedian Lucy Porter is currently touring the UK with her new nationwide tour "Choose Your Battles". We had a quick chat to Lucy about the show:
What inspired your new live show?
It comes from issues I've had with parenting. Benign neglect seems to be the popular contemporary approach to parenting. That fits with my life philosophy which is that you have to let a lot of stuff go. So the central theme of the show is: as a parent, which things should you concentrate on and which things should you let go? If you're trying to get your kid out of the door in the morning, should you get them to clean their teeth or put their shoes on?
What made you confront this issue now?
I had lived alone for so many years in a blissful state of isolation. Now I have more tension in my life. I'm suddenly living in a house full of people and cats!
What specific issues have placed you in this dilemma?
One is the question of whether it is ever acceptable to let your children eat the food left over on someone else's table in a cafe. It happened recently and I went to intervene. Then I left it. I thought, "They're happy, and anyway it's free food!" I also think germ phobia has gone mad. I'm determined that my children should eat as many germs as they can!
What else has been causing tension in your house?
Every year World Book Day is a constant struggle between what my children want to do and what I want them to do. I'm a bit of a literary snob. I'm trying to guide them down the Jane Austen route, but they want to go as princesses and superheroes. I suppose as long as my son wants to go as a princess and my daughter wants to go as a superhero, that's all right!
Do you also talk about other parents in "Choose Your Battles"?
Yes. You have to choose the liberal issues you fight for. It's all about showing off your parenting to other parents. But I've concluded that it's best never to try and impress other people with your parenting!
Why have we become so concerned about the calibre of our parenting?
We are more aware of the psychological damage we might cause our children, but I think we actually overestimate how much influence we have on them. You imagine visiting them in prison in 20 years' time and them tracing their troubles back to the moment when they weren't allowed an ice cream. But you simply cannot avoid the fact that your children will hate you at times!
So are we over-analytical as parents?
Yes. We are in danger of losing trust in our own abilities. Our children will grow up fine whatever. What we do has so little bearing on our children. We are all guilty of micromanaging our children when in fact they don't remember anything before the age of two. I felt very guilty about breastfeeding. I spent so many hours agonising unnecessarily about that, but isn't that just like life in general?
Should we give ourselves a break, then?
Yes. We have to keep things in proportion. Trump could tweet Kim Jong Un something provocative tomorrow and we could all go up in a fireball. As horrific as that sounds, it does put things into perspective.
Do you rely at all on parenting manuals?
No. I've never read a single chapter of a parenting manual. It's pointless trying to read too much about parenting. A lot of it has to be intuitive. We have so many points of references about everything these days. You can't just cook a meal any more. You have to watch a half-hour video on YouTube about how to prepare it. But I'm of the "teach yourself" school. If you ever come round to my house and see my DIY, you'll know that's the case. Before embarking on a DIY task, I always think, "It can't be that hard." But then when I've mucked it up, we immediately have to consult a professional.
Were our mothers and fathers better at parenting, then?
We are all very nostalgic for the hands-off parenting of the 1970s. But the downside is that is that I don't remember seeing my dad very much back then. Maybe I wouldn't be such a terrible show-off and attention seeker now if he had been around and I hadn't had to try to build up my self-esteem in front of a room full of strangers.
What other themes do you tackle in "Choose Your Battles"?
We live in combative times. Social media has made us crazy with each other. There are far more public-space arguments now. In some ways, that's brilliant because people are expressing themselves, but in other ways, it's utterly horrific. So I'm asking: how do you stand up for yourself and argue with people online?
Tell us more.
Politically, I'm very worried about things at the moment. Sometimes it feels like we're going back to the 1930s. Is this how fascism started in Germany? Representative democracy seems to be collapsing around our ears. I've never been so concerned about not being mainstream. So in that climate, you feel you want to stand up for what you believe in.
How do you feel about President Trump?
I in no way endorse Trump, but he makes British politicians look capable, which is quite a remarkable feat! US politics is Dr Strangelove and terrifying, whereas British politics seems like slapstick comedy.
Would you go out and protest against him if he came to the UK on a state visit?
You do sometimes wonder what the best course of action is. If Trump came here, should we stand and point and laugh and show him our bare bums or should we riot? I probably won't be able to get childcare, anyway, so I'll end up watching it on TV. This is what my life has become. I now mostly get wound up about parking and bins.
Will the subject of Brexit feature in the show?
Yes. Brexit rumbles on. It's a constant drone that underpins everything. There is always a Brexit element in the room. But I feel I should get out of the way early in "Choose Your Battles.". Perhaps I'll cover Brexit through the medium of contemporary dance at the top of the show, so don't I don't have to put us all through a lengthy routine about it!
Does this time of political turmoil actually have the unforeseen effect of giving you more material?
Yes. Comedians talk about the curse of happiness. I had a couple of very smooth years when my Edinburgh shows suffered. The cliche is that stand-ups prefer it when the Tories are in power because we have something to rail against. Conflict makes for better comedy. Stand-ups use it as a coping mechanism for themselves. When things are going to disastrously wrong, as a comedian you always think, "Oh well, at least it's material!" It would be nice to be able to fix yourself through comedy, but of course you can't. You can only distract yourself.
What do you love about live comedy?
The thrill of it is absolutely unsurpassed by any other form of creative endeavour. I do radio and TV, and they're lovely things to do. But there is nothing like being able to sniff the audience, get amongst them and ruffle their hair. That common experience is especially important in difficult times. Loneliness is the number one malaise we need to tackle in society. So there's nothing more uplifting than laughing with a group of strangers. Conversely, there's nothing worse than being greeted onstage with silence by a group of strangers! But there is something magical and visceral about being in a room full of people all laughing together.
Can you amplify that?
I do stand up on TV quite infrequently. The idea of committing it to film scares me because stand-up is so much a live art form. If I see myself doing stand-up on TV, I think, "No, you had to be there. This is not the same." That's a long way of saying I still love doing stand-up!
What do you hope that audiences will take away from "Choose Your Battles"?
I hope people really enjoy the show and have a great laugh. It provides a moment of distraction and laughter in these troubled times. Friendship is very important to me. It's a very nice thing that a lot of people come to see me year after year.
What do your fans tell you they particularly like about your shows?
They say my shows feel like a little dinner party. They meet up with each other at the shows. They tell me, "We came to see you and met these other people, and now we go to comedy shows with them." I encourage that fellow feeling. That warmth and friendliness is what I hope people will take away. But I should warn you, I don't answer any questions in the show – God forbid! Don't come to the shows seeking wisdom or guidance – there will be none of that!


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Among the many uses we know of for the aloe plant is the use of its fibers for textile weaving.
We were able to visit an aloe silk mill to learn how the craftsmen extract, color and weave the threads.
This is the harvested aloe plant.
The craftsman showed us the extracted fibers by tearing the plant.
The boys were then able to see the loom in action.
The textiles were beautiful and the boys enjoyed modelling them.


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Evidence That Demands A Verdict
Contributed by Johnny Carver on Jul 13, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: Does our Christian life present the non Christian community with an example that causes them to decide in favor of becoming a Christian?
Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6
Title: "Evidence That Demands A Verdict"
Introduction: Have you ever heard the statement, "If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
That's a pretty personal question, but one that every one of us ought to answer.
What do we offer the world as "Evidence that Demands a Verdict?"
If you are familiar with courtroom language you have heard terms used such as:
· "Eye Witness Testimony"
- Eye Witness Testimony consists of people who have actually seen something with their own eyes.
· "Circumstantial Evidence"
- This kind of evidence is made up of things surrounding the incident.
- Timothy McVeigh was convicted entirely on "Circumstantial Evidence", 137 people testified, but none of them actually saw him commit the crime.
+ A man businessman said he rented a Ryder truck.
+ A friend said he heard McVeigh talk about his anger for the government.
+ A scientist found the residue of explosives on his clothing.
+ The evidence ranged from motel and taxi receipts, telephone records, a truck key, a bill from a Chinese restaurant.
= Timothy McVeigh's daily walk & habits was the EVIDENCE that convicted him of the nation's worst act of domestic terrorism in our history.
· "Items of Evidence."
- The Recordings of the Bible.
- An Empty Manger.
- An Empty Cross-.
- An Empty Tomb.
- The Holy Spirit that is dealing with your heart right now!
Let me use a verse of Scripture from the New Living Translation of the Bible, "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."
The "Changed Lives" of untold numbers of people who have faced every conceivable temptation & trial and remained faithful to God & His Word.
John 13:34 – 35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
I believe one of the GREATEST EVIDENCES of God & Christianity is the Love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
We face a JURY every day of our lives.
Our Jury consists of the people we come into contact with on a daily basis.
This Jury decides a VERDICT based on what they HEAR & what they SEE!
I could end every service by saying, "Ladies & Gentlemen have you reached a verdict?"
Today, there will be a verdict rendered by each one of us concerning the evidence we have received during this service.
Will your verdict be clouded by reasonable doubt?
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I had to check my calendar to make sure it was actually June when I stumbled upon this.
It's all going to be about playing the river this year.
We don't see many Braaaps here in the UK which is a real shame. This new slimmed down version looks like a winner.
The Braaap has been a huge success. Paddlers love the speed, agility, and river running performance that the rocker profile and slalom hull design has exposed. The one thing that some paddlers have asked for in the Braaap is a more playful stern that engages the water dynamically. Automatic for the People! We now have the Party Braaap. The Party Braaap has the exact same hull and bow design as the Braaap. The difference is that we sucked 2.5 gallons of volume out of the stern deck making it concave. That significant drop in volume makes the PB a stern squirting, wall splatting, surfing machine while still being a pinpoint accurate river runner. Now you have a choice! A more full volumed performance river runner in the Braaap or a more playful river runner in the Party Braaap.
"The fun thing about bringing this new model into the lineup is that now there is a playful river runner for mid sized paddlers in the Party Braaap and one for larger paddlers in the Mullet", says Shane Benedict
Folks from 140 to 200 lbs will find the PB sporty fun. While folks 180 to 275 are loving the Mullet for playful river running. We hope you will enjoy this boat as much as we do!