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👋 Hello, I'm Ashwin! Welcome to my newsletter. Each week I write tips for startup founders around pitching and fundraising. Subscribe to stay in the loop! 👇
When I was working at YCombinator's Startup School I came across thousands of founders using the "X for Y" pattern to describe their company: the "Airbnb for furniture" or "Mixpanel for your health".
But "X for Y" can backfire easily, so you need to see if it truly helps your pitch — or destroys it.
Read on to find out:
Problems with using "X for Y"
When it makes sense to use "X for Y"
How to test if "X for Y" works for your startup pitch
Problems with using "X for Y"
It's not clear what part of X you're referring to
You're hoping to anchor yourself to some part of company X that makes sense for your startup. But company X is enormously successful already, so by this point:
Company X has dozens of products
Company X's products have lots of value propositions
Company X has numerous distribution channels
You can't control which parts of company X investors associate you with.
If they associate you with the 'wrong' parts of company X, it can backfire and completely muddle your pitch.
🏠 We're the "Airbnb for Y"
You're a marketplace that doesn't own inventory? You're focused on helping people monetize their unused physical assets? You're obsessed with trust?
🖥 We're the "Figma for Y"
You're a web-based tool? You help people collaborate on tasks? You have a bottoms-up sales strategy?
🚗 We're the "Tesla for Y"
You're an electric version of a gas-powered vehicle? You're vertically integrated? You make lots of batteries?
You've instantly inherited all of X's problems
There were tons of issues that company X had to deal with to break through and become the success that it is. By anchoring yourself to company X, it could mean:
You'll have all the customer acquisition issues that company X had
You'll have to form the types of strategic partnerships that X had to
You'll need years of R&D to develop complex technology as X did
😩 Now in addition to defending your own startup, you have to defend against all the issues that company X had, too!
🏦 "We're the Plaid for ___"
You'll need to form multiple partnerships with entrenched organizations to deliver siloed data? You'll need to build complex security and privacy infrastructure?
🚕 "We're the Uber for ___"
You'll have to aggressively capture market share while balancing regulatory risk? In addition to dealing with constrained marketplace supply?
📦 "We're the Amazon for ___"
You'll have to master logistics and supply chains? You'll have to fight razor-thin margins for years? And you'll have to deal with … Amazon?!
Does Y even want the features of company X?
Your customers — the 'Y' in 'X for Y' — may not even want those features of company X:
Company X made things cheaper. Is cost the biggest issue for Y?
X made a market more efficient. Is efficiency the key problem for Y?
X made things simpler. Is complexity the massive pain point for Y?
❗Your customers don't care if you call yourself the 'X for Y'. They just want their problem solved.
Since startups cluster around referring to the same X (whatever the most successful companies are at the time), investors will be hearing lots of pitches with that same tagline, and think the same thing: does X even make sense for Y?
💊 "We're Ro for vitamins"
Do vitamin shoppers really want to be connected with someone to determine their plan? Do they care about discretion in their packaging?
🤲🏽 "We're OpenDoor for cars"
Is selling your car so painful that you'd do it through a service? Can you offer competitive prices to car owners? Would buyers want to buy used cars from you?
📷 "We're Slack for photographers"
Do photographers need to have always-on chat? Is realtime interaction that important? And if so, why wouldn't they just use Slack?
When it's OK to use "X for Y"
Investors consider company X a huge success
It may sound obvious but the company X that you're anchoring to has to be considered a clear success by investors.
That last piece is important. There are countless products that millions of people use, but which haven't resulted in investor wins.
Early-stage funding economics mean investors need to believe that your company could be a massive success and return many multiples on their investment.
🚫 "We're the Mint.com for ____"
Maybe you're positioning yourself as an aggregator of data sources for the end-user. Everyone has heard of Mint, but its exit to Intuit isn't considered a huge win by most investors, so that could hurt your pitch.✅ "We're the Stripe for ____"
If this actually makes sense in your context, it's great: Stripe has become one of the most valuable private companies in the world, and its investors have made a lot of money in the process.
The part of X that you're copying has to be obvious
This is to combat the first point that investors might be confused about, which is not knowing what part of X you're referring to when calling yourself "X for Y".
🛠 An easy fix: add a quick line after the "X for Y" description, narrowing in on exactly what you mean by the comparison.
And try to choose a company that is obviously associated with a particular value proposition!
🚫 "We're the Google for ____"
Google is clearly a huge success, but at this point it's associated with so much that it's impossible to be clear on which part of it you're anchoring yourself to.✅ "We're Google for ___. We index all of ___ for Y and make it searchable"
Now I have a better picture of what your company does, and since I've seen Google be so successful in doing this, I can start to see how you could be too.
X has to represent a better way of doing things
This is usually not an issue since most founders anchor themselves to recent companies that are successful, but it's worth saying: company X has to be doing things in a way that is reflective of the future.
Is X capitalizing on trends that are going to continue far into the future? Do you believe that other industries —namely the one you're after — are going in that direction too?
🚫 "We're the IBM for ____"
IBM is a massive and successful company, but its products and services aren't what people associate with the future and the way the world is moving.✅ "We're the Shopify for ____"
If you mean that you're creating all-in-one tools to help some set of people more easily do commerce online, that's a wave that is definitely future-proofed.
Y would want those features of company X
It has to be obvious right when an investor hears the "X for Y" that Y would clearly benefit from X's value propositions.
🏃 The leap from where market Y is right now, and how much better they'd be with X's features, has to be really small and clear.
It's ok if it's not obvious since you'll need to explain your unique insight about why you're so confident that Y is a perfect match for X's model.
🚫 "We're the Uber for valet parking"
It isn't clear that valets would benefit from this. Uber works since demand for rides is consistent and frequent, which doesn't seem to apply here.✅ "We're the Netflix for fitness content"
This could be the pitch for Peloton (or many other fitness apps). There are still lots of questions about whether this model would work, but I can already imagine that a large group of people would want on-demand fitness classes.
Bonus: Geoclones (e.g. "X for India")
If this really makes sense, it can work wonders in explaining your company in a concise and compelling way.
Most companies can't instantly translate their success in one geography to another due to cultural and regulatory differences, so if you have an insight about how X could work in your region, you can quickly elevate your pitch.
But you have to be careful. There are caveats here:
🚫 Competition from X
If X's model works so well for your country, why wouldn't X see your success and decide to enter that market itself? Are there strong reasons why it won't be easy for X to enter your market?🚫 Cultural differences in your market
Different regions can have vastly different cultural norms and behaviors. The way that consumers (or businesses) transact and collaborate in those regions might mean X's model won't work. If you don't agree, have strong reasons why.🚫 Regulatory differences
Countries have different approaches to regulation, which means X's model might not work in your country. Especially in industries with a lot of goverment oversight and red tape, you need to be confident that you can jump through those hurdles.
How to test if "X for Y" works for your startup pitch
The best way to see exactly how people respond to "X for Y" is to do an email test. Send your "X for Y" description in an email to people that you know and trust to give good feedback. Ask them what they thought you meant when describing your company that way.
Subject: Does X for Y make sense for my startup pitch?
Hi ____,
I've been using the following one-liner to describe my company. Could you read it and email me back about the questions I have below? Thanks!
[insert X for Y line here]
Based on this, could you tell me:
1. What exactly you think my company does?
2. What parts of [COMPANY X] I'm referring to for my startup?
3. Skepticism that comes up for you when I refer to our company that way?
4. If there's anything unclear about what I'm building and why?
Thanks so much,
[your name]
Feel free to email me with this template and I'll give you my thoughts.
👍🏾 If you found this post valuable, consider sharing it with friends or subscribing if you haven't already. 🚀


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Are you looking for a way to earn money from your skills? Fiverr is an excellent platform that you can use to do just that.
This easy-to-use online platform allows creators to sign up for free and advertise their services in a wide range of fields.
A few examples include writing blog posts, creating YouTube videos, making company logos, and coming up with marketing strategies.
In order to make the most amount of money on this site, you'll need to implement a few tips and tricks.
Read on to learn all about how to be successful at Fiverr.
Table of Contents
- Who Created Fiverr?
- Can You Make Good Money on Fiverr?
- Fiverr Success Stories
- What Sells Best on Fiverr?
- How Long Does it Take to be Successful on Fiverr?
- How Can I be a Successful Freelancer on Fiverr?
- How to Work on Fiverr for Beginners
- How to Create a Professional Gig on Fiverr
- How to Get Buyers on Fiverr
- Fiverr Alternative: Sites Like Fiverr
- Fiverr Affiiate Program
- How to Be Successful at Fiverr: In Conclusion
Who Created Fiverr?
Fiverr was first launched back on February 1, 2010 by creators Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger. The duo wanted to provide a resource that benefited both buyers and sellers of freelancing gigs.
The headquarters for the company are in Tel Aviv, Israeal and the platform serves individuals and companies around the globe. In fact, it can be accessed in seven different languages:
- English
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Italian
- French
- Dutch
- German
When Kaufman and Wininger started Fiverr, they offered eight service categories. According to Backlinko, the company now has an astounding 500+ service categories.
The company now also has a pro version with 76 service categories.
Can You Make Good Money on Fiverr?
You can absolutely make excellent money advertising your Fiverr jobs. It works well as both a part-time gig and as a place to earn a full-time income.
You have the power to set your price per gig. Gigs can start as low as $5, but there's no limit as to what you can charge for your services.
When it comes to how to be successful on Fiverr, you should always start out on the lower side to attract customers. Once you build up a reputation and gain testimonials, you can raise your prices.
Customers will pay more for gigs that have excellent testimonials, as that proves the content creator does a great job and delivers work on time.
Fiverr Success Stories
Let's take a look at a few Fiverr success stories.
Alif started off selling his services on Fiverr as a side hustle, but after just six months, he was able to quit is traditional job and work solely at Fiverr.
This freedom also gave Alif more time to spend with his family. Alif's gigs include drawing cartoons, creating whiteboard animation and making gifs.
Leanna made $1,000 her first month on Fiverr. She was quickly able to move up to a Top Rated seller earning more than $70,000.
Leanna's gigs include product photography, pregnancy photoshoots, professional voiceovers and serving as a spokesperson.
One of the keys to Leanna's success was focusing on quality over how much she was making. As stated earlier, this allows you to create a steller reputation that will bring in future clients who are willing to pay more for your services.
Bobby not only excelled on Fiverr, he was able to use his income to purchase a home! He is able to work on Fiverr as his full-time job.
Bobby's gigs include creating business cards, designing logos, inventing business flyers and making WordPress websites that stand out and get noticed.
How did Bobby become successful on Fiverr? He focused on customer service. He went above and beyond to satisfy his customers, even the customers that ordered a cheaper gig.
What Sells Best on Fiverr?
You can use Fiverr and make a full-time income in any of the service categories if you take the time to do things right, but here is a list of five popular categories that are known to do quite well.
- Logo Design: Branding is an important part of every business and if you have design skills, you'll want to consider creating company logos. Logos don't take much time to create, but they do fetch a nice price if you have a great reputation.
- Social Media Marketing: If you love spending time on Social Media and you know all the ins and outs, you can use your skills to market a company's products or services to help increase their sales.
- Content Creation: Creating content is quite time consuming, which is why many business owners prefer to source this task. If you are able to create blog content, landing pages, product descriptions, youtube scripts and more, you can earn big on Fiverr.
- Website Design: Do you have a tech background? You can make big bucks designing websites for customers. While many businesses are able to write their own content, they often feel intimidated by setting up a website, which means they'll turn to you for help.
- Video Creation: Two types of video creation are popular on Fiverr, so if you have the skills, you can create gigs in one or both types. The first is turning a company's script into a video and adding an AI or a real voiceover. The second is creating a video with yourself as the spokesperson.
How Long Does it Take to be Successful on Fiverr?
When you first get started on Fiverr, you'll need to have patience. The first few months should be used to build trust and gain testimonials.
Many experienced Fiverr users report that after about 10 5-star ratings, their gigs began to take off.
Once Fiverr sees that customers are happy with the work you're producing, they'll start moving you up in the search results, which means more exposure.
You need to look at your gigs on Fiverr as a business. All businesses need time to get going, but once they do, it's so worth all the hard work.
Remember that success is also different for each person. Certain areas have a lower cost of living, which means less money has to be made to pay the bills.
Determine how much you need to make in order to reach what you believe is success and then make that number your goal. Place the figure on a sticky note on your computer as motivation.
How Can I be a Successful Freelancer on Fiverr?
You're reading this because you want to learn how to be successful at Fiverr and you need a strategy that works.
Implementing the tips and tricks below is the best way to get noticed and increase your earnings.
- Create an Attractive Profile: Before someone hires you, they will check out your profile. That means you're profile needs to stand out and impress. Use a real photo and not an avatar or stock image. Highlight all of your strengths and be sure to include any services that you offer that other sellers are lacking. Make sure the profile is 100% complete.
- Focus on Quality Over Quantity: The only way to get 5 stars and testimonials is to deliver high-quality services. Remember that you can always raise your rates later on to make more per hour, but you won't get recommended to others if you don't follow through on your promises.
- Deliver Above and Beyond: In addition to high-quality services, consider giving customers something extra with each order. They will be pleasantly surprised and more likely to leave a testimonial and recommend you to others. For example, if you offer video creation services, provide an attractive thumbnail that can be used with the video as a free bonus.
- Price Your Gig Competitively: Search Fiverr and see what other sellers are getting for similar gigs. Then price your gig slightly lower. This will attract customers on the hunt for a good bargain. Again, you can raise the rates later once you're established.
- Differentiate Yourself From Other Sellers: There are a lot of Fiverr jobs out there, so you need to make sure you stand out. That means using vibrant images and attractive wording. Create a picture of what your customers will be getting, so they will want to click on that buy button.
- Create Multiple Listings: The more listings you have, the more it looks like you have to offer your customers. You can even create a few listings that offer the same services, but simply word them differently. You could also make one listing for one item, such as a logo design, and another listing for a bundle, such as 10 logo designs.
- Respond to Customers Quickly: When a customer sends you a question, make sure you answer it in a timely manner. You may also find it beneficial to thank a customer for their order after it is placed and let them know you're excited to get working on it. Building a positive customer relationship will result in 5-star ratings and positive testimonials.
- Network and Get the Word Out: Post your Fiverr listings on social media and ask your friends and family to do the same. This will speed up the process and as you have a few sales under your belt, Fiverr will take notice and the algorithm will begin to move your listings up to the first page.
How to Work on Fiverr for Beginners
Once you create your profile and publish your listings, working on Fiverr is a breeze. This is because Fiverr takes care of collecting customer payments and then paying you for the work once it's turned in and accepted.
Fiverr will notify you when you get an order. How long you have to complete the order is dependent upon what you put in the listing. Always try to deliver the order ahead of the due date.
After you deliver the order, check to see if the customer requires any changes. Revisions are often a part of most services on Fiverr.
Take care of any revision requests right away. Otherwise, you may not get a good rating.
Make sure you thank the customer for the work and let them know you are available for any future projects (repeat customers are the best!)
How to Create a Professional Gig on Fiverr
Creating a professional-looking gig is essential if you want to be successful at Fiverr. To create your gig:
- Come Up With a Catchy Title: Don't say "I'll create a logo." Say something that will grab the customers attention, such as "I'll create a timeless logo that perfectly represents your brand." It's recommended that you stay within 30 to 50 characters and that you incorporate a main keyword.
- Select Relevant Categories: Choosing a category that doesn't fit your niche won't help you. Stick to choosing categories that represent your service.
- Create an Attention Grabbing Cover Photo: Buyers will glance over a boring cover photo every time. Take the time to make yours stand out from other sellers in your niche.
- Include a Gig Gallery: A gig gallery shows what you are capable of. If you're advertising logo design services, customers will want to see what you've already created to determine whether you have talent or not. Take the time to create a batch of gallery photos that display your capabilities.
- Make a Video: Make your gig more attractive by including a video. The video can be as simple as a review of the items in your photo gallery. If you aren't skilled at creating videos, that's no problem. You can order a quick video from another Fiverr seller for a few dollars.
- Get Detailed About Your Description: Include as much detail as you possibly can in the description section, so that buyers are fully aware of what they're getting. Make sure you use the main keyword in the description and that you list any FAQs that a buyer would ask.
- Choose Your Tags: Fiverr allows sellers to add up to five tags per listing. You want to use tags that are keywords that buyers are searching for, so take a little bit of time to do some research. Include the most searched for keywords that represent your services.
- Select Your Delivery Time: The faster you can deliver on an order, the better. You want to be careful when setting up a delivery time, however, as Fiverr will penalize you if you're late. Determine how long it takes to complete the task and when you can fit it into your schedule and then set your delivery time. There's also the option to add a faster delivery time for more $$$.
How to Get Buyers on Fiverr
The best way to get buyers on Fiverr is to optimize your listings and make your gigs stand out from other sellers.
To get Fiverr to take notice of your gigs, advertise them on social media. Ask friends and family to help spread the word.
You'll get more buyers once you have a few orders under your belt and a history of 5-star ratings. This not only attracts buyers, but let's Fiverr know you are worth promoting.
Fiverr Alternative: Sites Like Fiverr
If you don't feel that Fiverr is a good fit, there are a few alternatives you can go with instead.
Upwork is another platform for freelancers. Instead of posting your gig, however, you'll search for available jobs.
Once you find a job that matches your skill level, you can bid on it. If your bid is accepted, you can complete the work and turn it in for pay.
It's important to note that you may end up spending a great deal of time submitting bids and not getting any gigs. At least with Fiverr, you set up your account and then wait for customers to come to you. No time wasted.
Upwork takes a cut of your pay. You can deduct this fee on your taxes at the end of the year, but it is often a deterrent for many freelancers.
Wealthy Affiliate
With Wealthy Affiliate, you'll be able to create your own website, where yu can list your services. You'll have more control and you won't have to give a cut of your profits to anyone.
You'll also have the option of adding a blog to your website. On the blog you can talk about your niche to provide your customers with more information.
So, if you offer logo design services, you could have articles on your blog that discuss the importance of having a logo, the power of color in design, or how to build a brand for your company.
Wealthy Affiliate offers training videos and unlimited community support. Everything you need to succeed is provided!
You can give Wealthy Affiliate a try for free (no credit card required). This is the best way to test out whether Wealthy Affiliate is right for your business.
Fiverr Affiiate Program
Another way to earn money on Fiverr is to join their affiliate program.
With the affiliate program, you can drive traffic to the site and earn on any purchases made by the buyer.
You can also promote:
- Fiverr Pro
- Fiverr Business
- Fiverr Learn
- Fiverr Workspace
How to Be Successful at Fiverr: In Conclusion
As you can see, Fiverr can be a lucrative place to earn a part or full-time income. You'll need to put in the work in the beginning to build up your reputation.
Once you're an established freelancer with 5-star ratings and reviews that sing your praises, you'll be able to reach more customers without any additional work.
Fiverr may even invite you to their Pro platform, where you can charge more for your services.
If your business grows to more work than you can handle, you can hire your own freelancers to take on the overflow. If you receive $100 from the buyer, you could pay the freelancer $70 and keep $30 for yourself.
There really is no limit to what you can earn if you are willing to work hard and build your business.

subset: commoncrawl


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Yes, you must attend on site. We will not make arrangements for individual presentations by on-line platforms.
Yes, we will offer the possibility to follow the keynote addresses on-line. They will be given in the historic theater in Siracusa. Some symposia will also be scheduled for the theater, and those will also be made available as an on-line component of the conference. The on-line component will be offered at a significantly reduced fee.
People who are not members of the IAAP are most welcome to attend the conference. Please note however that joining the IAAP will qualify you for a reduction in the conference fee that exceeds the cost of the fee of joining the IAAP. We do welcome new members, and you can learn more about the other values of membership at the IAAP website: https://iaapsy.org/membership/how-to-join/
We have implemented a strong set of safety measures and will continue to update our procedures to follow the guidelines provided by the European Union and the loc public health authorities. You can read more about them here: icep2021.com/safe-meeting.


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Teamsters from across the state visited the Capitol this month to urge legislators to continue to do the right thing for misclassified workers by protecting Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5). When working people are misclassified as independent contractors they are often denied basic labor protections such as a minimum wage, overtime, and access to unemploymentRead More >
Posts Tagged: misclassified employees
Local 856 members continue to advocate for misclassified workers
March 20, 2019
Last month, Local 856 members from United Airlines and Delta Dental headed to the Capitol once again to speak up in support of misclassified workers. "This reminds me of why unions got started," said United Airlines Teamster, Dan Johnston. "We're fighting for workers' rights and security." In 2018, the California Supreme Court issued a unanimousRead More >
Highlights from around Teamsters 856 – August 2018
August 16, 2018
Local 856 stands in solidarity with Teamsters Local 853 Members from Contra Costa County and United Airlines joined Teamsters 853 members in San Francisco's Castro district on August 23rd to demand secure retirement benefits for shuttle bus drivers from We Drive U and Loop Inc. who transport employees to Silicon Valley tech companies like Apple,Read More >


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Reading Time: 16 Minutes
TikTok is on pace to become the fastest-growing social media platform in history. For years, marketers looked to Instagram and YouTube as the leading influencer spaces, but TikTok is quickly becoming the new breeding ground for top influencers.
TikTok offers more engagement potential, including video duets, live reactions, and smooth sharing integration with other leading social media channels.
Additionally, TikTok is reaching younger consumers, namely Gen Z-ers and younger Millennials. Brands that seek younger audiences know that they have to embrace the TikTok craze or risk a decline in market share.
Though we are still in the early days of TikTok, plenty of brands have committed to the new social media space and are publishing fun and exciting content for the masses. Here are our top twenty inspiring ideas that could help your brand become successful using TikTok influencers, as well.
On other social media accounts, the NBA predictably publishes game highlights and sports news alerts. But on TikTok, NBA mascots get free reign. These costumed staff members are talented (watch TikTok videos of Phoenix Suns' Gorilla dunk for fans) slapstick comedians.
Fans get a "behind the scenes" peek at entertainment initiatives that complement watching the live event. These videos also give at-home audiences something that they couldn't otherwise enjoy unless they attended the games in person.
You would expect Apple Music to share music video sneak peeks. Instead, Apple Music invites artists into an informal effort to spread fun hashtags such as #SoundtrackToMyDay, #PerfDate, and #NeverStop.
Who doesn't love personal details about their favorite celebrity? Apple Music gives audiences exclusive content on TikTok rather than recycled material from other channels. And the branded-hashtag approach is a nice touch because it allows fans to respond and create user-generated feedback.
The NFL has been experimenting with TikTok over the last year, and parts of their video selection mimic content on other social accounts. But to get fans excited for the draft, the NFL has dialed it in with a mixture of anticipation and humor.
For example, followers have especially enjoyed a draft montage set to Aladdin's "A Whole New World."
The NFL is using TikTok to show a more lighthearted side to a league often marketed as epic clashes of titans. Enjoying more whimsical content, NFL fans on TikTok get excited about upcoming events and share a laugh at the same time.
Chipotle has become one of the poster child brands on TikTok due to its creative use of hashtagged challenges (note especially #GuacDance and #ChipotleLidFlip). Thousands of fans have taken the challenge with videos of their own, and thousands more chose to create a duet with the initial challenger.
Challenges are exciting ways to spread brand awareness and authentic engagement. TikTok's sharing options grant users many different ways to react and respond to user-generated content.
Famed for its #InMyDenim challenge, Guess is one of the earliest adopters on TikTok. They are also one of the first TikTok brands to partner with influencers. Guess's most-viewed videos include sponsored posts with @mylifeaseva, @brentrivera, and @madison_willow.
The most robust group of TikTok power users are influencers. Partnering with influencers to market challenges is one of the most efficient ways to create volumes of user-generated content.
As with most marketing approaches, consistent content creation is critical. Thankfully, Gymshark is an example to us all on TikTok.
Gymshark offers TikTok audiences workout videos, homemade tutorials, apparel modeling (for active consumers of all ages), parkour demonstrations, and more.
When expanding into a new, branded social channel, Gymshark established itself immediately by taking TikTok seriously. Marketers knew it was pointless to adopt TikTok without taking full advantage of it – and they have!
Sabra Hummus is having loads of fun on TikTok. Most of their videos will make you laugh (for example, check out Sabra's hummus on pizza video with "Who Let the Dogs" Out by Baha Men).
During Valentine's holiday, Sabra used TikTok to promote its chocolate hummus. When they don't have a unique holiday flavor, Sabra demonstrates to fans all the ways you can use hummus for snacks and meals.
@sabra When the hummus taste better than frosting?! @brittany_broski #sabra #sabrahummus #chocolate #fyp #kombuchagirl
♬ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Remastered) – Eurythmics & Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart
Sabra converts what many consider a one-dimensional-style dip into a multi-dimensional snack accessory. TikTok fans get ingenious ideas for incorporating hummus into their day, and Sabra is not afraid to showcase new flavors in appealing (albeit funny) videos.
While most social media content highlights first-world privilege, the UN's IFAD opens our eyes to lesser-known rural communities that supply the globe with critical resources. With the help of celebrities Idris and Sabrina Elba, IFAD's TikTok account offers supporters fascinating videos featuring third-world farming communities and sustainability statistics.
Few would have thought that TikTok could be a dynamic way to generate awareness for developing nations, but the IFAD has proven otherwise. Many more non-profits could take lessons from the IFAD by generating cause awareness on TikTok.
No one needs any videography experience to make it big on TikTok. However, Spikeball proves that with enough TikTok practice, you can create some remarkable content.
The game of Spikeball is enthralling by itself. But with the help of TikTok's video editing features, Spikeball demonstrations include professional-looking slow-motion play, sound effects, quick cuts, and more.
After watching for a few minutes, you might wish there was a professional Spikeball league with televised matches. But there's no need because you can just buy the game for yourself. Spikeball nails TikTok.
Scrolling through videos on WWE's TikTok, one gets that feeling that this brand has long-dreamed of this social media match made in heaven. Outlandish and dramatic, WWE has used TikTok to do the thing it does best – get attention.
Starting with a press release announcing WWE's intent to join TikTok, the brand is happily filling its feed with highlight reels. Views per video range from 800,000 to 20 million and WWE has only been on TikTok since last December.
TikTok favors explosive content and niche audiences. To a degree, all WWE needed to do was show up. And they did.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are defining 2020. In the face of uncertainty, Vineyard Vines is using its TikTok presence to promote quarantine life.
The #whaleathome (Vineyard Vines' mascot is a pink whale, get it?) movement is catching on, and the brand gets to keep tabs on the lifestyle changes of their audience.
Business isn't just about sales. Brands like Vineyard Vines see value in increasing brand sentiment through no-strings-attached social media engagement. TikTok followers certainly appreciate it.
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On their TikTok account, you'll discover Sephora using Fortnite references, comedy lip dubs, tutorials, music videos, and (of course) influencer marketing.
No one-size marketing approach fits all. Sometimes, you just have to mix and match tactics to get the most out of any single medium. On TikTok, Sephora shows us how it's done.
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With 2020 consumers stuck at home, Netflix doesn't do anything fancy while using TikTok to increase traffic on their video streaming website. In addition to clips, show/movie stars hop on as celebrity influencers to invite audiences to join their viewer base.
Netflix recognizes that many consumers are currently struggling with boredom. As such, they use clips to suggest new viewing ideas and remove all doubt that Netflix is the leading streaming service online today.
Since last fall, Crocs has leaned heavily upon influencers to increase follower counts and drive sales. There is hardly a post that does not feature a young influencer (and don't forget those sponsored posts by canine influencers @jibbitz and @jessethepompom).
Influencers are well-established on most other social channels, but TikTok influencers are often much younger and less experienced in brand partnerships. Nevertheless, Crocs has recruited TikTok influencers boldly and has been able to produce campaigns that are uniquely suited to reach younger audiences on TikTok.
Fenty Beauty is not afraid to show off, and that's precisely why they're on TikTok. Also an avid influencer marketing brand, Fenty partners with famous TikTok personalities to showcase their product lines.
If you're proud of your products, there's no shame in showing off. Fenty Beauty is one leading example of how beauty and fashion brands are using TikTok to entice consumers with product showcasing and demonstrations.
Of all the brands listed, Fortnite's TikTok video library is one of the least prolific. But view counts exceeding 1 million per video means that they are connecting with audiences on TikTok.
If TikTok is the official social media platform for Gen Z, then Fortnite is the official video game for Gen Z (and younger ages). Fans can enjoy videos of their favorite characters doing a trending dance.
Perfect audience alignment is rare, but Fortnite's presence on TikTok is one example. Should they decide to take their TikTok account more seriously, they will undoubtedly strike oil.
The San Diego Zoo sells itself. In a world where people go out of their way to watch and share animal videos, the San Diego Zoo understood that the sooner they post videos, the faster their audiences would fall in love.
Every post gives you a sneak peek of animal residents, along with behind-the-scenes footage of friendships between wild and domestic animals (watch a dog and cheetah grow up together in this adorable montage).
Similar to IFAD, San Diego Zoo's TikTok account is a place for social awareness. The zoo is less concerned with ticket sales and more concerned with the sustainability of life on planet Earth.
Dave Jorgenson is a writer and videographer for The Washington Post. But he is also the face of TWP on TikTok. At first glance, TWP's TikTok account looks like Jorgenson's personal account.
But Jorgenson's videos don't just make audiences laugh, they actually inform Washington Post readers. In one video, Jorgenson illustrates the confusing democratic caucus vote in Iowa using three cups, each labeled with a Democratic candidate. He then pours fuel from a gas can (which represents the votes) indiscriminately over all three cups. At the end, Jorgenson lights the entire project on fire with a caption that reads, "We still don't know who won."
In a world where fake news continues to pollute information online, The Washington Post uses TikTok to build rapport with readers. Jorgenson proves that the news doesn't have to be boring or just for older generations.
In case you weren't aware, everyone is dancing on TikTok. Red Bull is more than happy to capitalize on this trend with dance challenges of their own, as well as an entirely separate Red Bull Dance TikTok account.
But there's more. Red Bull has TikTok accounts for other countries wherein they have a strong consumer base (see Red Bull France, for example). Red Bull keeps its TikTok accounts connected, engagement hotbeds through the help of influencers, challenges, and branded hashtags.
Red Bull serves an active and extreme sport audience. By embracing the dance hype on TikTok and creating multiple accounts to reach even greater niche audiences, Red Bull hosts social media parties for all fans everywhere.
Much has changed for their TikTok account in the last few months.
More than most brands on TikTok, Calvin Klein makes impeccable use of hashtags, particularly #mycalvins. Additionally, Calvin Klein is not afraid to point fans back to their more prolific social channels, such as YouTube.
Calvin Klein is successful on TikTok because they use their presence with intentionality, even if to send audiences somewhere else. A lateral conversion from one online presence to another still counts as engagement.
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Our team keeps a finger on the pulse, so you're always working with the latest information.


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Biostatistics: Graduate
Statistics: Graduate


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Cytokine levels as biomarkers of radiation fibrosis in patients treated with breast radiotherapy
Radiation Oncology volume 9, Article number: 103 (2014)
Radiation fibrosis is not easily measurable although clinical scores have been developed for this purpose. Biomarkers present an alternative more objective approach to quantification, and estimation in blood provides accessible samples. We investigated if blood cytokines could be used to measure established fibrosis in patients who have undergone radiotherapy for breast cancer.
We studied two cohorts treated by breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy in the UK START Trial A, one with breast fibrosis (cases) and one with no or minimal fibrosis (controls). Two candidate cytokines, plasma connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and serum interleukin-6 (IL6) were estimated by ELISA. Comparisons between cases and controls used the t-test or Mann–Whitney test and associations between blood concentration and clinical factors were assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
Seventy patients were included (26 cases, 44 controls). Mean time since radiotherapy was 9.9 years (range 8.3-12.0). No statistically significant differences between cases and controls in serum IL6 (median (IQR) 0.84 pg/ml (0.57-1.14), 0.75 pg/ml (0.41-1.43) respectively) or plasma CTGF (331.4 pg/ml (234.8-602.9), 334.5 pg/ml (270.0-452.8) were identified. There were no significant associations between blood cytokine concentration and age, fibrosis severity, breast size or time since radiotherapy.
No significant difference in IL6 or CTGF concentrations was detected between patients with breast fibrosis and controls with minimal or no fibrosis.
Radiation fibrosis is a component of the clinical spectrum of late radiation injury occurring after curative radiotherapy for cancer and is considered to be an important underlying cause of clinical morbidity. Radiation fibrosis is not easily measurable or quantifiable in the clinic which is one factor limiting the testing of effective therapeutic strategies. The current standard for measuring adverse effects of radiotherapy, including fibrosis, is by clinical score such as Late Effects Normal Tissues — Subjective, Objective, Management, Analytic (LENT SOMA) scale [1]. However this type of clinical score often encompasses complex functional endpoints [2], for which a number of underlying and uncertain pathologies may coexist. Even a simple biological endpoint such as fibrosis may not have direct clinical correlate, for example although breast induration is assumed to be due to fibrosis, oedema may be contributory. Alternative methods which may provide a more direct and precise estimate of fibrotic disease, include radiological imaging or the use of biomarkers, such as the estimation of cytokines in blood. Biomarker assessment can also be used to relate clinical and molecular responses, which may inform about the relevant molecular pathways involved in therapeutic response [3]. Tissue is not easily accessible, and measurement in blood provides a potential non-invasive assessment as a substitute to tissue analysis. In the context of radiation fibrosis, blood cytokines have been estimated to determine patterns of cytokine release in relation to clinical radiotherapy [4] or as a predictive test of lung toxicity after radiotherapy [5]. There are no reported studies investigating blood cytokines as biomarkers of established radiation fibrosis, which would provide a tool for quantifying fibrosis.
Following radiotherapy for breast cancer, gene expression changes at mRNA level can be detected in samples taken months or years after the treatment course in blood from patients with established breast fibrosis [6], and in breast tissue [7]. Genes identified in these studies include those encoding pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines. The findings of chronic alteration of gene expression support the hypothesis that blood cytokines implicated in radiation fibrosis could be effective biomarkers of radiation fibrosis. We selected two candidate biomarkers to determine as proof of principle whether they are altered in patients with radiation fibrosis. Interleukin 6 (IL6) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were selected, as both were identified by gene expression analysis of breast tissue [7], and are implicated in the pathogenesis of radiation fibrosis. Furthermore IL6 and CTGF have shown roles as biomarkers in fibrotic disease of other aetiologies, including systemic sclerosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and liver fibrosis [8–11]. We compared blood cytokine levels in patients with established breast fibrosis compared to control cases with minimal or no fibrosis. Patients were identified from the UK START Trial A of breast radiotherapy in which comprehensive prospectively collected normal tissue toxicity data was available [12].
Ethical approval and patient selection
The UK START Trial A investigated different radiotherapy fractionation schemes in patients receiving radiotherapy for early breast cancer. Outcome measures for late normal tissue injury were prospectively recorded up to 10 years following radiotherapy using a validated clinical scoring system [13, 14]. Scoring was performed using two criteria to assess fibrosis, annual clinical palpation to assess induration, and change in photographic breast appearance from baseline at 2 and 5 years (photographic scores). The photographic score was an indirect measure of fibrosis, assessing change in breast size and shape mainly due to shrinkage and distortion.
For the purpose of the current study, 2 groups of patients defined as cases with fibrosis and controls with minimal or no fibrosis, were selected from surviving START Trial A patients who had undergone previous breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy at The Royal Marsden (RM, Sutton), the Gloucestershire Oncology Centre (GOC, Cheltenham) or the Royal Berkshire Hospital (Reading) at least 5 years previously. Patient recruitment for the current study was planned primarily to be at RM, but was extended to include the Royal Berkshire Hospital and GOC (5 patients from the Royal Berkshire Hospital were referred and registered at RM for the purposes of this study). Patients with clinical and photographic scores at 2 years and beyond were included. Patients with fibrosis were defined as having moderate ('quite a bit') or marked ('very much') palpable induration at any time point between year 2 and the date last seen in clinic and some (mild or marked) change in photographic breast appearance at 2 or 5 years after radiation. Control patients had no or minimal ('a little') palpable induration at any time points from year 2 onwards and no change in photographic breast appearance at 2 and 5 years after radiation. Additional data available for all patients included measurements of breast length and maximum breast depth, recorded from the treatment plans on the START trial A radiotherapy form. Patients with locally recurrent or metastatic cancer and patients with a connective tissue disorder were excluded from the study. The study was approved by the UCLH Research Ethics Committee Alpha, under the protocol 'Novel clinical biomarkers for the assessment of late normal tissue radiation fibrosis', and all patients gave written informed consent to take part.
Blood collection
Patients attended the RM, Sutton or GOC, Cheltenham on one occasion for venepuncture. Plasma and serum were obtained using standard protocols, centrifuged within one hour, and specimens were snap frozen immediately after centrifugation and stored at −80°C for future analysis. Measurement of CTGF in plasma and IL-6 in serum was carried out in accordance with previous reports and the manufacturer's instructions for sample preparation for ELISA [11, 15].
Samples were analysed blinded to case control status. Blood concentrations of IL6 and CTGF were determined with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, using a sandwich ELISA technique. IL6 concentrations were determined in serum (Quantikine HS, R&D Systems, Minneapolis) and CTGF in plasma (USCN, Life Science Inc, Wuhan). Assays were performed according to manufacturer's instructions. The sensitivities of each assay were 0.039 pg/mL for serum IL6 and and 21 pg/ml for CTGF.
Power calculations and statistical methods
A difference of 10 units in the mean blood concentrations of IL6 and CTGF between cases with fibrosis and controls with minimal or no fibrosis was considered to be of clinical importance. Assuming a standard deviation of 12.5 units, and with a 5% significance level and 80% power, it was calculated that 20 cases and 40 controls would be required. Patient and treatment characteristics were compared between cases and controls using the t-test for continuous variables and the chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. The distribution for CTGF was near normal so the t-test was used to compare CTGF levels. The distribution of IL6 concentration was skewed, so medians with interquartile ranges (IQR) and non-parametric methods were used. Comparisons between groups used the unpaired t-test or the non-parametric Mann–Whitney test as appropriate, and associations between quantitative variables were tested using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.
Patient demographics
Of the 123 eligible patients invited to participate in the study, 72 consented. One case with a second primary breast cancer and one control patient with metastatic breast cancer were excluded as per protocol and specimens from the remaining 70 patients (26 cases and 44 controls) were analysed. Mean patient age at time of blood sampling was 65.8 years (SD 7.9, range 41.8-83.5), and mean time since radiotherapy was 9.9 years (SD 0.9, range 8.3-12.0). For the cases, the first recording of moderate or marked palpable induration was reported at a median of 4.4 years (IQR 3.0-6.4) following radiotherapy. Treatment details including the use of a radiotherapy boost, nodal irradiation, and adjuvant systemic therapy are shown in Table 1.
Interleukin 6
Distributions of serum IL6 concentration in fibrosis cases and controls are shown in Figure 1a. Serum IL6 concentration was not statistically significantly different between cases and controls (Mann–Whitney test p = 0.771). There was no evidence of an association between serum IL6 concentration and age (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.15, p = 0.200), as has previously been reported [16]. The distributions of serum IL6 concentration according to highest photographic score recorded at 2 or 5 years are shown in Figure 2a; as only 3 cases with marked change in photographic breast appearance were recorded, no additional conclusions could be made for these cases (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.05, p = 0.654). There was no significant association between serum IL6 concentration and highest score for palpable induration (Figure 3a; Spearman correlation coefficient 0.14, p = 0.239).
There was no evidence of an association between serum IL6 concentration and volume of tissue irradiated, as shown by the Spearman correlation coefficients of 0.15 (p = 0.211) and 0.18 (p = 0.135) for breast length and maximum breast depth, respectively. There was no statistically significant association between serum IL6 concentration and time since radiotherapy treatment (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.04, p = 0.719).
Distributions of plasma CTGF concentration in fibrosis cases and controls are shown in Figure 1b. There was no statistically significant difference in plasma CTGF concentration between cases and controls (t-test p = 0.550). The distribution of plasma CTGF according to highest photographic score recorded at 2 or 5 years is shown in Figure 2b; no additional conclusions could be made about a possible association due to the few cases with marked change in photographic breast appearance (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.04, p = 0.740). There was no significant association between plasma CTGF concentration and highest score for palpable induration (Figure 3b; Spearman correlation coefficient 0.10, p = 0.430).
There was no evidence of a significant association between plasma CTGF concentration and volume of breast irradiated as indicated by the Spearman correlation coefficients of 0.05 (p = 0.698) and 0.19 (p = 0.120) for breast length and maximum breast depth. There was no statistically significant association between plasma CTGF concentration and time since radiotherapy treatment (Spearman correlation coefficient = −0.04, p = 0.766).
This study was carried out to determine the potential utility of CTGF and IL6 concentrations in blood for evaluation of radiation fibrosis in a population of breast cancer patients with prospective clinical scores of fibrosis. Blood levels of these two candidate cytokines were not found to be significantly different between cases with fibrosis of the breast and controls with minimal or no fibrosis. This was a proof of principle study using a case control study design as one approach to investigating this question.
Two candidate cytokines were selected as possible biomarkers of radiation fibrosis, IL6 and CTGF. IL6, a proinflammatory cytokine expressed by a variety of cell types, contributes to endothelial cell dysfunction and stimulates leukocyte recruitment, as part of the vascular response to radiation. Vascular injury is considered to be an important factor contributing to radiation fibrosis although the exact mechanism by which it contributes to fibrogenesis is not known [17]. In human breast tissue previously treated with radiotherapy there is a chronic increase in expression of pro-fibrotic cytokines and up-regulation of networks and canonical pathways involved in inflammation and oxidative stress, including IL6 signalling [7]. CTGF has been extensively studied in fibrotic disease, including radiation fibrosis. It is an important growth factor in pro-fibrotic mechanisms including extracellular matrix production, and acts downstream of the well-characterised pro-fibrotic mediator transforming growth factor beta. CTGF is highly expressed in human tissues in chronic fibrotic states, including radiation enteritis and in the stroma of irradiated human breast [7, 18]. Both IL6 and CTGF are proteins detectable in blood at increased levels in chronic inflammatory and fibrotic disease.
In this study, no relationship was found between cytokine level and volume of breast tissue irradiated. Tissue volume treated may be expected to influence the magnitude of cytokine response but the variation in measurements of breast volume may be too small to contribute to any detectable change in values of blood cytokine levels. For the purpose of the START Trial A, two-dimensional measurements of lung and heart (although not chest wall) incorporated into the radiotherapy treatment field were recorded. It is recognized that the pro-fibrotic response in non-target tissues (organs at risk) could be confounding, and clinical measurement of fibrosis in these tissues was not carried out. Examining lung length and maximum lung depth encompassed by the breast tangential fields, we did not show a significant correlation with cytokine levels (data not shown), although the increased tissue volume treated in the small proportion of patients who received nodal irradiation was not estimated.
Clinical scoring may be subjective and lack reproducibility. Of fifteen patients in the study who first scored moderate/marked for palpable induration before or at 5 years after radiotherapy, and who had follow-up data available beyond 5 years, only one third had a moderate/marked score after 5 years, suggesting limitations of reproducibility of clinical measurement (data not shown). With the likely complexity of underlying pathologies relating to the defined clinical endpoints 'induration' and 'change in photographic breast appearance', it is uncertain if these clinical endpoints accurately estimate actual fibrosis in the underlying tissue. Induration scored at less than 5 years could have included oedema rather than fibrosis alone.
This was a pragmatic approach to investigate the use of blood cytokines in radiation fibrosis, using an existing database of patients enrolled within a clinical trial with prospectively collected late toxicity scores. As information on possible confounding factors which may influence cytokine levels such as ethnicity and diet, or drugs such as statins and ACE inhibitors which may modulate fibrosis was not available in the database, we cannot exclude that these and other confounding factors exist. We did not include a control group with no previous radiotherapy in this study given the constraints on number of experiments and feasibility.
This study shows that patients with clinically scored breast fibrosis have no difference in blood cytokine levels compared to patients with no or minimal fibrosis, after breast radiotherapy. A prospective longitudinal study correlating clinical scores of normal tissue toxicity and serial blood levels of cytokines after radiotherapy, including a baseline measurement, may be a more useful approach to establish the role of cytokines as biomarkers in radiation fibrosis. Furthermore, an approach using cytokine arrays to measure expression of multiple, non-candidate genes could provide more insight into the pathogenesis of fibrosis or mechanistic information about therapy response in future interventional studies where tissue is not easily accessible to biopsy.
Interleukin 6
Connective tissue growth factor
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Standard deviation
Interquartile range.
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The study funders had no role in the study design or execution, or with the decision to submit to publication. We thank the patients who took part in this study. We acknowledge contribution from the START Trial Management Group. We acknowledge helpful advice from Professor William Rosenberg, University College London and Dr Richard Cross, iQur Limited, and thank Paul Bassett, Biostatistics Group, University College London for help with the protocol design. We acknowledge staff at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for sample collection and processing, and Dr Jane Barrett at the Royal Berkshire NHS foundation Trust. This work was supported by a grant from The Royal College of Radiologists. We acknowledge NHS funding to the NIHR RM/ICR Biomedical Research Centre. The UK START Trials were funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the UK Department of Health (Cancer Research UK trial number CRUK/96/001). CBW received funding from a NIHR Clinical Lectureship post. JH was funded from a core grant to ICR-CTSU from Cancer Research UK.
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Authors' contributions
CBW conceived and designed the study, carried out the assays for interleukin 6 and drafted the manuscript. JH contributed to the design of the study, performed the statistical analysis and helped draft the manuscript. SD and LG participated in study design and coordination and drafting of the manuscript. BAA carried out the assays for connective tissue growth factor. MS contributed to the data handling and helped draft the manuscript. JB participated in coordination of the study. RS contributed to study design and coordination. SS contributed to study design and drafting of the manuscript. JY designed the UK START Trials, contributed to current study design and helped draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Westbury, C.B., Haviland, J., Davies, S. et al. Cytokine levels as biomarkers of radiation fibrosis in patients treated with breast radiotherapy. Radiat Oncol 9, 103 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-717X-9-103
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-717X-9-103


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Horse face, gummy bear, shark teeth… if you're someone who has had a gummy smile since you were a kid you may have sadly encountered some of this teasing and the nicknames that are often associated with a gummy smile. When it comes to smiling, we are now not only concerned with how sparkly and straight our teeth are but also how much of our gums are showing. And it seems that when it comes to a gummy smile, less is more.
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There are a few causes of this, some of which are simple to explain, like having a short upper lip which physically can't cover the gum area or a hypermobile lip - when a lip moves too much. There are also a few causes which are more complicated to explain and probably best left to a dentist.
How can I fix my gummy smile?
Traditionally, clients may be offered periodontal surgery, where crowns are used to "lengthen" the teeth, or orthognathic surgery, where the jaw bones are repositioned, to fix a gummy smile. However, the process for both can be lengthy and expensive and may not work for everybody - for example, these procedures will not fix a hypermobile lip.
The good news though is that the clever aesthetic scientists have worked out that some carefully placed Botox around the lip area can help clients minimise a gummy smile. The process is quick and simple and non-invasive. It works by injecting just a few shots of Botox into the upper lip muscles which relaxes the top lip so that when you smile it doesn't move as much and Tadah - no more gummy smile!
This before and after transformation, of a patient who wanted her gummy smile fixed before her wedding, was completed by Astra Farmer at A Little Enhancement
How long does Botox for gummy smile last?
Botox isn't permanent but you can expect the results to last around 3 months, after which you'll need a top up. As always, these treatments come with some risks so it's vital that you research your practitioner ensuring they are medically trained to understand the anatomy of the mouth and whether it will work for you.
A gummy smile before and after photo from Claire Ashley at Ashley Aesthetics
If you're ready to book a consultation for Botox for your gummy smile then click here to find a medically qualified practitioner near you.


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CHASKA, Minn.— Missing the cut shouldn't be a problem for Tiger Woods at this major.He was better than anyone else at the PGA Championship on Thursday morning, shooting a bogey-free, 5-under 67. He's one stroke ahead of playing partner and defending champ Padraig Harrington."I feel pretty comfortable if I'm playing well," Woods said. "There are times I've put it together and had some pretty good margins of victory. I just feel that, overall, my game over the years has gotten better. It's become more consistent. When I'm playing well, I usually don't make too many mistakes."He didn't on this day, breaking 70 in the opening round of a major for the first time since the 2007 British Open. He made birdies on all but one of Hazeltine National's long par 5s and hitting 12 of 14 fairways. His only "flaw" was a few missed putts, including ones for birdie on each of his last two holes."It's always nice to get off quick, but the first round — you can play yourself out of a tournament but you certainly cannot win it on the first day," said Woods, who has four Wanamaker Trophys among his 14 major titles."You don't have to be eight ahead after the first round. That's not it. You've just got to keep plodding along. ... The whole idea is not to make that many mistakes."Harrington, who also won the 2007 and '08 British Opens, actually shared the lead with Woods after three birdies in a five-hole span on their back nine. But he settled for par on long No. 7 after his putt from the fringe rolled about two inches past while Woods two-putted from 30 feet for a birdie.Robert Allenby, whose second-place finish at Bridgestone last weekend was overshadowed by the duel between Woods and Harrington, was at 3 under with Hunter Mahan, Mathew Goggin, Alvaro Quiros and David Toms. Vijay Singh joined them after nearly holing his second shot on the 16th. The ball landed above the hole and spun back toward the cup, stopping at the rim and leaving him an easy tap-in for birdie.Singh, a two-time winner at the PGA, hasn't made the cut at the year's final major since 2005, when he tied for 10th.Phil Mickelson, who missed the British Open to tend to wife Amy, who has breast cancer, was having an up-and-down afternoon. He was at 3 over after going bogey-double bogey on Nos. 9 and 10, but got one of the strokes back with a birdie on 11."The first day of a major, it's always good to keep yourself in there. I think I probably did a little bit more than that," Harrington said.Having an early lead could be key if the weather turns foul. It was hot, humid and breezy Thursday, but strong winds are expected Friday. There's a possibility of rain during the weekend."Obviously, he's the best in the world so we expect him to win," Allenby said, referring to Woods. "But you know what? It's three more days to go. And a lot can happen."Especially in this, one of the wackier years for golf. Kenny Perry had the Masters won, then lost it. Bethpage Black did its best imitation of a water park the first two days. Ol' Tom Watson nearly turned back the clock at Turnberry.Not even Woods has been immune.The world's No. 1 player has won at least one major in each of the last four years, but he's running out of time this year to keep that streak going. He made a charge Sunday at the Masters, but couldn't hang on. He wasn't much of a factor at the U.S. Open, catching a bad break when his side of the draw was deluged.Then there was the British.He was the heavy favorite at Turnberry, arriving fresh off a win at his AT&T National tournament. But he was mediocre on Thursday, shooting 71, and then a 74 to miss the cut on the line. It was only the second time in his professional career that he'd missed the cut at a major, and the first time at any tournament in more than three years.Woods, however, won the last two weekends at the Buick Open and Bridgestone and now clearly looks to be back on his game."I had that nice rest there after the British Open, those two days," he said, drawing laughter.Much has been made of the supersized Hazeltine, at 7,674 yards the longest course in major championship history. That's 300 yards longer than it was the last time the PGA was here, just seven years ago. Most of the new length comes on the par 5s — three are 600 yards or longer. The thinking is that No. 7, at "only" 572 yards, will be the lone par 5 that players can still reach in two.For Woods, though, the holes may as well have bull's-eyes on them. On 15 — at 642 yards, the longest hole on the course — he actually knocked his second shot over the green and into a bunker.He also had a birdie on 12, a 518-yard par 4."It's long on the scorecard, but we didn't play it that long," Woods said.
Tiger takes early lead at PGA Championship


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TABLE QUIZ – Test out your mental skills while enjoying a night out at Gurrane National School Table Quiz which will be held on Friday, 21st November at the Crossbarry Inn. Registration starts at 9 p.m. and all those that register before 9.15 p.m. get an extra 10 points! The Table Quiz will start at 9.30 p.m. sharp. For a table of 4 it will cost €30. For students will valid ID, it will be €20. Refreshments will be provided.
CLOTHES COLLECTION – Christmas is coming and it might be a good time to clear out those old clothes, etc. Gurrane National School are organising a school fundraiser so if you have any unwanted clothes, please drop them to the school hall during school hours (9 a.m. to 2.40 p.m.) before 4th December. Outside of school hours, please contact Chris at 086/1723066.


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Thank you for your willingness to serve in the Apostolic Faith Church. Since the beginning of this organization, volunteer workers have been a foundational part of our efforts to spread the Latter Rain Gospel. We appreciate the fact that you are committed to having a role, knowing that you do so out of love for God and not for commendation or reward. While many will benefit from your service, we know that God Himself sees and rewards those who labor "with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (Ephesians 6:7).
Acceptance of this privilege entails a prerequisite that must be inviolate: Those who participate in this work in any capacity must be spiritually qualified. In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul spoke of Clement and his other fellow laborers as those "whose names are in the book of life" (Philippians 4:3). Our common salvation is the basis for our shared vision and united efforts.
As you fill your role in this organization, keep in mind that you not only represent the church, but you also represent Jesus Christ. We trust that every aspect of your life will reflect this as you minister to others.
We pray that your service in the Apostolic Faith work will be both long-term and spiritually rewarding.
This handbook provides a general overview of procedures and guidelines established by the Apostolic Faith organization for those who have a part in this work. All volunteers are expected to read this handbook, which is also posted on our corporate website at www.apostolicfaith.org/safety.
This material is designed to provide the basic information you need as you begin or continue your service in this organization. The Procedure Guidelines developed for various areas of ministry in the church give more detailed instruction. Since it is not possible to anticipate all situations that could arise, please direct any additional questions to your department or ministry supervisor, who will obtain the needed information for you.
The guidelines in this handbook reflect our desire to do all in our power to provide a church environment that is spiritually, emotionally, and physically safe for those who attend. The directives apply to all Apostolic Faith services and events, both in our church buildings and our local communities.
Nothing in this handbook is intended to create a contract between the Apostolic Faith organization and its volunteers. It is provided only for the purpose of supplying general information about the church's operating policies and procedures. We reserve the right to modify, amplify, or suspend our policies and procedures, in whole or in part, at any time.


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Kim Kardashian Had 'the Best Plan' for Her 40th Birthday Party Before Having to Cancel: 'Maybe Next Year'
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kim Kardashian was forced to cancel her upcoming 40th birthday party. Fortunately, the longtime Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, 39, is still willing to dish on her would-have-been bash.
"I had the best plan," Kim told Grazia in an interview published on Tuesday, October 6. "It was going to be called, 'Wild, Wild Miss West's 40th Birthday.' I had Manfred Thierry Mugler make me a metal costume. Like, a cowgirl costume."
If you're wondering what happened to the custom ensemble, the KKW Beauty mogul assured she has it at home. "It is insane," Kim gushed. "We did virtual fittings. I don't even want to waste it on a party for myself with five people. I want it to be something. So, I'm thinking maybe next year. I can have it on my 41st. We can still call it my 40th, right?"
The E! personality will be celebrating her milestone birthday on Wednesday, October 21, and believe it or not, she's more than ready to leave her thirties behind. "I'm not one that gets nervous about getting older. I obviously do what I can to try and feel as youthful or to look a certain way, but I'm proud that my kids get me here another year," the California native mused, referring to her four children, North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm. "I always think about that. Particularly losing your dad or a parent or someone close to you at a young age."
Kim's father, Robert Kardashian Sr., died of esophageal cancer in 2003 when she was just 22 years old. Since then, the Skims founder is doing her best to honor her dad's legacy. In his heyday, Robert was a big-time businessman and lawyer. His most notable case was working as one of O.J. Simpson's defense attorneys during his 1995 murder trial.
Robert's successful career ultimately influenced Kim to pursue law herself. "He once said to me, 'I think you'd be great at it. But I also think that it's super stressful and exhausting. So, if you want a stress-free life, maybe don't follow through with law school,'" she recalled. "He would've loved it so much, though. He would've been my study partner."
Can't get enough celebrity content? Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars!


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Properties for Sale in North Point & Braemar Hill
Learn more
North Point & Braemar Hill
Sorry! We currently don't have any available properties that match your search criteria. Still cannot find what you want?
- If you are looking for a particular building or location using the keyword search on top, make sure all the words are spelled correctly.
- If you are looking for properties that match your desired size, price or bedrooms, try to broaden your search criteria using the box to the right
- Still cannot find what you want? Our agents will be pleased to help. Please send us a message or give us a call. We will get back to you quickly!
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What routine care do children need to enjoy a healthy smile and avoid cavities and other concerns? In today's blog, your Garland, TX, dentist takes a look at how preventive treatments, like dental sealants, and routine visits for checkups and cleanings, can help them enjoy bright and healthy smiles for many years to come.
Preventive Treatments
For little ones of all ages, we have two very different but effective preventive treatments. During their routine six-month checkup visits, we can apply a layer of fluoride varnish to the teeth. A mineral found in nature, fluoride actually helps strengthen the outermost layers of the teeth, protecting smiles from the risk of tooth decay. Application only takes a few minutes. Our team also offers dental sealants. Treatment involves coating the rear teeth in a layer of acrylic. This prevents food from becoming stuck between the teeth. For children, these teeth are hard to reach when they brush and floss, which means food could become trapped and increases the risk of cavities. The sealants provide years of protection and wear away naturally with time.
Checkups and Cleanings
Starting with the first visit at around age one, kids need to schedule a routine checkup and cleaning about once every six months. These visits allow our team to examine the teeth and gums carefully for signs of trouble. We then offer treatment to keep these minor issues from becoming something more serious. We also perform a cleaning to remove all plaque and tartar from the teeth, reducing the risk of cavities and gingivitis. These visits also allow us to talk to your kids about proper eating and homecare. Studies show that routine visits help reduce the severity of dental anxiety, and could make your little ones more likely to visit the dentist in the adult years.
Proper Brushing and Flossing
Your kids need more than six-month visits, they need daily care. Each day, children need to brush and floss. You should do this for your babies and toddlers, and assist or monitor your older children. Kids should use a toothpaste with fluoride, and a floss pick can be easier to manage then floss tape. If you have any questions, then contact our team today to learn more. Let's help your little ones enjoy a better smile in the new year!
We would like to help you and your little ones continue to enjoy your best possible smiles. To learn more about our approach to dental care for kids, then schedule a consultation by calling Mai Dentistry in Garland, TX, today at 972-530-0552. For our patients who don't speak English, our office is fluent in both Spanish and Vietnamese.


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Does skin care often give you a stressful feeling? Do products you use constantly not get you the results you desire? You shouldn't chase your dreams, you need to obtain them; this is the same attitude for skin care as well. These tips can help you take better care of your skin.
A homemade mask is the key to glowing skin. You need to grind raw almonds. Take the almonds and mix them with some milk and some olive oil to form a paste. Orange peels that have been ground should be added to the mixture next. Apply to the face for approximately 15 minutes. After the time is up, rinse your face with warm water and then run an ice cube along your skin.
Baking Soda
Everyday items, such as baking soda, can become skin care staples. You can mix baking soda with some water to make a nice paste that may be used on several different parts of your body. When combined with warm water, you can use it to get rid of styling product residue on the scalp.
Use a cotton ball or makeup sponge to apply your sunscreen. By using a sponge when applying sunscreen, you will be able to avoid the lotion's unpleasant texture and you will find it easier to spread evenly as well. Using the sponge gives the sunscreen a better chance to penetrate into the skin, allowing it to absorb to the best of its ability. In addition, it keeps your hands dry and clean.
It is important to avoid tanning salons when you want to maintain good looks. There are far better ways to get that bronzed look. Tanning is nothing but skin damage and can lead to premature aging. So if you want to look younger, look elsewhere.
When trying to rid of skin problems, your first goal should be to understand your skin first. If are not aware of the type of skin you have, you won't be able to choose the proper skin products. Understand your skin and its needs before starting your own skin care regimen.
Read the label of any products used to sooth redness. The less these products have in the way of ingredients, the better they work. These ingredients can hurt you instead of helping. That particular product could cause more redness. It could also cause a break out.
You can achieve better skin. Follow the directions given in this article to greatly improve the look and health of your skin. With the tips from this article, you can take better care of your skin and make blemishes a thing of the past.


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How to learn effectively in online music classes?5 min read
With music in our lives, we connect with each other better. Music is something which can help us cope with every difficult phase of our lives. It's a remedy, a cure and a tonic which renders utmost peace, effortless joy to our souls. No doubt that it would be a tragedy if we live in a world where music isn't taught!
Now coming to the current situation, to say that the coronavirus pandemic has actually changed the world would be an understatement. The pandemic has almost altered everything; both mentally and professionally. Earlier we all were standing on one side of a massive river full of hardships. But now slowly we are moving towards the other side of the river. The pandemic has led to an increase in the demand for online classes across the globe. Many people come across various challenges while learning online that really cause hindrance in their learning.
Speaking particularly about learning music, it is something which needs proper guidance, regular practice and passion to learn. Sounds quite difficult, isn't it? Nevertheless if you really have the will and a positive attitude, it is quite possible.
Let's have a look at some basic tips and suggestions to learn music more effectively in an enjoyable way.
Getting in touch with the world of web
The Internet is a great place to learn online. Though learning a new skill is hard, if you are really keen, optimistic, dedicated and mindful towards practicing music on the internet, it will be like having a teacher beside you! You bet on that. Every note, mistake and advice will teach you a lesson. A lesson that you would always remember.
Enroll in a music course online
You might be aware of the colossal number of classes and workshops available online. Getting either a free music class or a paid one is completely your choice. But if you are looking for something more structured and synchronized, go for a paid one. But not all of them are worth enrolling. Make sure to get the maximum amount of benefit out of it! If possible, look out for a class which provides you with certifications as well. These certificates will surely help you in future.
Concentrate on learning basics and rhythms
Keep in mind that learning basic chords and rhythms is the most important step while learning music. You should be able to feel the taste of music. Try to learn the octaves in the form of a recitation. Recitation makes it very simple to memorize the beats well. Worry not, take your time. Remember that Rome was not built in a day! Go slow but try to learn more and more with every passing class of yours.
Refer to recorded visual lectures
A great thing about learning music is that along with your theory notes and online class practice sessions, you have a visual aspect of the music platform. Theories suggest that when we learn anything visually, our minds concentrate and remember those things better. If you are a visual learner, referring to music lessons on Youtube or to your recorded music lectures can prove to be a great option.
Try to focus on important aspects first
One major concern that almost every beginner as well as practicing musician think of is whether s/he is working on the correct thing or not. Pretty hectic job to find out right? As human beings, we observe and practice so many things at a time. And many times it's hard to know which particular fragment we should focus on first. Solution to this problem lies within itself. Try to submerge yourself and think of some realistic goal to make you feel better and confident.
Revise your lectures on a regular basis
Don't miss out even a single day without revising the previous day's work. Whenever you listen to a song, the overall sound you hear is a result of a combination of chords. Note down these chords simultaneously while learning your music lectures. This would later help you to recall what you learned earlier. Eventually you will observe that most of the lectures are already interpreted and stored in your memory. In short, you'll remember the learnt lesson for a longer period of time.
Learn a musical instrument
Take up an instrument, whichever you wish to have like Piano, Casio, Harmonium or a Guitar. By referring to a musical instrument, it would become very easy for you to see the notes and synchronize its chords with one another. Many popular musicians suggest learning music on any instrument. This increases their speed of learning.
Get rid of your 'boredom' thing
Moving on to another aspect, which makes a person have 'I don't want to continue any further right now' attitude is- Boredom. Boredom strikes you when one part of your brain is physically present at a place, but is mentally absent. Simultaneously, another part of your brain is wondering- what to do next? As soon as you notice your mind 'bored'- know that this is because you are not focusing all your attention on the task, you are not actually submerged in the ocean of music. In order to overcome this boredom thing, you should probably a short break and then continue with your work. You should try to absorb yourself 100% after break. Don't continue with your music class right after, instead of that take a small break and try to focus again.
Devote more time to practice
Another important thing to note here is that, if you are practicing music too fast- you are probably not doing it the right way. It takes ounces of effort and a good amount of time to absorb the chorus of music. Try to maintain a steady pace. The more time you devote towards practicing, the more you'll learn and ace the platform one day!
Always remember, never do any work for the 'sake' of doing it and not actually enjoying it. Ultimately you are the only one inside your head, and in order to make it exciting, challenging and engaging entirely depends upon you! Happy learning:)


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There are lots of reasons to consider a bathroom remodel. But for many people, it's less about making an aesthetic change and more about improving accessibility. There are several signs that it might be time to think about changing over to Walk-in Tubs in San Marcos CA.
Falls in the Bathroom are Common
The bathroom can be a dangerous place. With floors that can be very slippery to the climb that needs to be made to get inside, a tub can be cause for alarm for those that don't have the best balance. Instead of risking a fall with each shower, it may be time to look at different Walk-in Tubs in San Marcos CA. Because of the way they are designed, they are easy to use and reduce the risk of fall considerably.
Current Devices Aren't Working
Safety bars in the shower can make it a little bit easier to get in and out. But sometimes those bars become slippery as they are covered with water. Sometimes they don't provide enough leverage to make it easy to get in or out. Some families attempt to add a bench or chair to the shower to reduce the fall risk but they may actually be increasing the chance that something goes wrong. If the current methods for taking a shower aren't working, a walk-in tub could be the best possible solution.
Maintain Independence
It might be hard to believe, but sometimes, the type of bathroom in a home could be the difference between remaining independent or needing to move to a different location. Family members want to know that their aging loved ones are safe at home. If they aren't, there are alternatives to consider. But those that aren't interested in moving into a home or an assisted living facility may be able to hold onto their independence longer with a walk-in tub.
When questions about ease of accessibility to the shower and tub arise, it's time to consider a bathroom remodel. Visit website Domain to get some ideas on what type of changes can take place and set up an appointment for a consultation. There are countless possibilities when it comes to making a bathroom change.


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July 10th, 2014
Behind the Patient Decision-Making Process for a Destination-Therapy LVAD
Colleen Kelley McIlvennan, DNP, ANP, Larry Allen, MD, MHS and Dan Matlock, MD, MPH
Colleen K. McIlvennan, Larry A. Allen, and Daniel D. Matlock discuss their study of how patients choose whether to get a left ventricular assist device as destination therapy.
March 5th, 2014
4 Deaths Linked to Thoratec HeartMate II LVAS
Larry Husten, PHD
Thoratec Corporation on Tuesday issued an urgent safety advisory about a serious problem with a key component of the HeartMate II LVAS system. The company said four patients had died and five had a loss of consciousness or other symptoms of hypoperfusion. The episodes occurred when patients and caregivers "experienced difficulties with the process of changing from a […]
November 27th, 2013
Physicians Report Alarming Increase in LVAD Pump Thrombosis
Larry Husten, PHD
Cardiac physicians from three top institutions report an abrupt and highly troubling increase over the last two years in the incidence of pump thrombosis in patients who have received the HeartMate II left ventricular assist device (LVAD) manufactured by Thoratec. The current investigation, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, was initially prompted by an observed […]
November 21st, 2012
HeartWare LVAD Approved By FDA For Transplant Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA said today that it had granted approval to the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System for use in heart failure patients waiting for a transplant. Approval of the device had been expected after the FDA's Circulatory System Devices panel recommended approval of the device earlier this year. HeartWare was approved based on data from the pivotal ADVANCE trial, in which 140 […]
September 7th, 2012
News Briefs: Cholesterol Trends, AHA Late-Breakers, FDA Updates On Rivaroxaban And Heartware HVAD
Larry Husten, PHD
Cholesterol Trends The Centers for Disease Control issued a new report with the latest details about the prevalence of cholesterol screening and high blood cholesterol in U.S. adults. Here is their summary of the key findings: …cholesterol screening increased from 72.7% in 2005 to 76.0% in 2009, whereas the percentage of those screened who reported being told […]
April 26th, 2012
Frailty Evaluation and High-Risk Interventions
John A. Dodson, MD
When taking care of older patients, we often have an intuitive sense of which ones will do well after an intervention and which ones won't. This has been termed the "foot of the bed" test, or alternately something which separates a "young 80-year old" from an "old 80-year old." Frailty is a syndrome defined as […]
April 26th, 2012
FDA Advisory Panel Gives Green Light to HeartWare Ventricular Assist System
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA's Circulatory System Devices panel voted 9-2 on Wednesday to recommend approval of the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System as a bridge to heart transplantation for patients with end-stage heart failure. The panel agreed unanimously (11-0) that the new device is effective. The panel was more divided about safety but ultimately voted 8-3 that the device […]
November 14th, 2010
New LVAD Shows Promise as Bridge-to-Transplant
Larry Husten, PHD
ADVANCE (Evaluation of the HeartWare HVAD Left Ventricular Assist Device System for the Treatment of Advanced Heart Failure) evaluated the clinical efficacy of a novel small centrifugal flow pump as a bridge-to-transplant. In the trial, 140 patients who received the device were compared to a contemporaneous control group of 499 similar patients who had received a commercially […]