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Five-point small guide with the freshest ingredients on the market to help you create content that meets the taste of your readers.
Will the future of content marketing will be in the hands of machines?
Are those involved in content marketing bound to change jobs? Don't worry because the answer is, no.
Humans are capable of doing something no machine can do: tell stories and put different parts together to create a new one.
The important thing to do is to refresh the way you deliver it. Think about your readers and the medium on which your content will be published.
If your latest post has only had a few shares and a short life on the web, the ideas below could help.
Related Article: Create Better Content With These Content Marketing Rules to Live By
How Is Content Marketing Evolving?
Industry experts defined content as the most important tool for digital marketing in 2015.
It is no coincidence that Google's algorithm is giving more value to content quality and rewarding those that are most useful and relevant to the user.
What works best today?
Up until a few years ago, the key word was "brevity" but readers today are starting to appreciate long, rich and in-depth content.
According to a study, the articles with higher performance in organic search are those with a word count of more than 2,250 words.
Publishing on the web is like operating the flippers of a pinball machine. You aim at a strategic target but you can't accurately predict which paths your content will take before reaching its goal.
A blog article can be shared on social media, summarized in an email, become a video or a source of inspiration for a webinar.
For this reason, the content that works best are those adaptable to different channels and can be disassembled and reassembled with ease.
Let Your Content Find Its Audience, Not Vice Versa
Despite the trend toward multi-channel content sharing, many small businesses continue to publish most of their content on their website.
This is a page that is less likely to be visited spontaneously by users. 71 percent of companies use their own web page as their main marketing channel, while less than half of them use digital advertising and social media.
However, their potential customers are elsewhere: while the brand is publishing articles on their website, 22 percent of consumers are on social networks, 36 percent are looking at their emails or are looking for something on Google.
Of course, there's still a good 42 percent who are reading an article, a blog post or watching a video. But to ensure that they're looking precisely at your own content, you have to spread it over many channels as possible.
Your content has to find its audience. It doesn't work the other way round, unless you are Coca-Cola or Nike.
Text Is Just a Type of Content
For many marketers content is still synonymous with text, a story, facts or opinions that once published, will remain displayed forever.
According to Alexis Loyd of the New York Times, this is due to the historical inheritance of print media: for centuries, articles were the most common way to report an event and once they were published, they could no longer be changed.
Then came the Internet, which multiplied the possibilities of content fusion and reading modes, not only in a linear way but also transversely and fragmentally.
Text is still an important mode of expression, but it is no longer the only one. Content has become interactive, multimedia and changeable over time.
Thinking of Rich Content Is Always Easier
Posting comments, watching videos, browsing photo galleries, and listening to speeches are activities people like to do on the web.
Moreover, technology has made its implementation quite easy: think of Instant Articles, which has been recently introduced by Facebook.
This system allows authors to enrich their text by inserting links, likes and comments to the videos and images.
Each part can be taken and shared by readers, resulting in the creation of new stories, independently from the article.
Multi-format content marketing has become a trend and creating it is now less complex. Don't you have all the ideal conditions to create a richer format for your own content?
A Handy 5-Point Guide to Multi-Format Content
Rich and multi-format content works because it has the power to engage: they win people over, entice them to read, watch, listen, interact, and get excited.
Here is a small guide that explains in five points how to use the freshest ingredients on the market to create content that meets the taste of your readers.
1. Video: Move and Share
Relevance: Video is the type of content with the best ROI for 51.9 percent of marketers and in 2017 it will generate 74 percent of Internet traffic.
Related Article: Increasing Content Marketing ROI: 14 Innovative Strategies
When to use it: The best opportunity is when you have to explain complex topics. According to a recent research, a one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words.
In fact, how-to videos are among the most successful ones. It's also the ideal format for content that are more effective with audiovisual component, such as interviews: hearing the voice of a celebrity is much more exciting than reading their account in an article.
Live streaming with Periscope can be an excellent idea for brands involved in live events, but only if used professionally.
Tools: Use Videohance to add text and effects and make your video more engaging.
2. Visual: Images and Infographics
Relevance: Images in your content increase reader's interest by 80 percent. For 46 percent of marketers, photos are fundamental in their storytelling strategies.
Plus: Images are critical to increase content sharing. A tweet with images gets 150 percent increase in retweets, and 50 percent of web users have shared at least one image found online on social networks.
When to use them: Every time you create content for your company. However, images are also important in blogs to better explain some concepts and focus attention on the most relevant ones.
As for infographics, it's preferable to create them yourself and with your brand's logo. By sharing them, you also get to promote your brand for free.
Tools: You can use Canva and Infogram to create original graphics and infographics easily and quickly.
3. Webinar: Awareness & Engagement
Relevance: Webinars are the third most important type of communication in content marketing. 62 percent of marketers use them.
Plus: They allow engagement and direct interaction with the target, more than any other channel of communication.
When to use it: To build an audience for your brand, build relationships and highlight services or particular aspects of a product, which can't be explained through images, audio and text.
Tools: GoToWebinar and Cisco WebEx are the top platforms. GatherPlace is great for small businesses looking for an affordable solution.
4. Long Forms
Relevance: In the top 10 results of search queries, the top-rated posts are the lengthy ones with more than 2,300 words. Their ranking on Google also improves year after year.
Plus: It is now the most successful type of article by number of reads and shares.
When to use it: To write extensively about a topic that may be of interest to your target audience and can be easily shared, wholly or partly.
It can be a downloadable ebook or an article on your blog. The key is to enrich it with different types of content, supporting the written part with images, graphics, videos, or podcasts and inviting users to interact and share.
Tools: Check out Giphy to add GIFs to your content and Unsplash to find free images.
5. Micro-content
Relevance: When people have only a little time and are on their mobile devices, 63 percent of them prefer short news articles while 57 percent prefer watching a short video rather than reading an article.
Plus: Because of its brevity (only one picture, 30-second video, five to six words), micro-content is usable time-wise and therefore perfect for capturing the attention of users on mobile devices (as with Tasty).
When to use them: Long forms are essential for in-depth articles, but brief content is perfect for mobile use.
It is suitable to provide short news or it could be a preview for a long form, which users will be able to check out at a later time.
An interesting experiment is that of The New York Time's one-sentence stories, designed to be viewed comfortably in one glance on an Apple Watch.
Readers can then continue reading the story on their iPhone or save it and create a personal reading list.
Tools: Use CoSchedule header analyzer to check if your micro-content, whether it is a title or a teaser, has the correct length and a good emotional impact.
Try Freesummarizer to get a summary of your long content.
Related Article: Outside the Box: Unique Ways to Get Noticed With Content Marketing
Our Final Content
As shown above, long and short content can both be successful but you have to bear this in mind: whenever you come up with a good content, never think in black and white.
Think about the channels where you could spread it and create ad hoc versions. Mix different formats, languages and expressive possibilities.
Be creative in designing and be scientific in measuring the results. Identify the KPIs that are useful in evaluating which content have better performance.
Seventy-three percent of content marketers plan to prioritize creating more engaging content this year. Will you be among them?


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Opening in theatres this Friday from Disney is the film JOHN CARTER starring Taylor Kitsch in the title role of a Civil War veteran who, while looking for gold, discovers so much more. His world, literally, is about to change as he wakes up on Mars.
Rescued by the 12-foot-tall Tars Tarkus (Willem Dafoe) and his daughter Sola (Samantha Morton), Carter quickly discovers there is a war of a different kind on this planet. A group led Matai Shang (Mark Strong) is trying to take over a people led by Tardos Mors (Ciaran Hinds). In order to arrange peace, Shang arranges a marriage between Sab Than (Dominic West) and the princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) who is not as eager to wed.
Carter joins the princess and the Tarkus in order to save the people of Mars and, find his way home.
Disney has been bringing animation and films with CGI to viewers and capturing their imaginations. Once again with JOHN CARTER, Disney fans will have a story that has been beloved for over one hundred years and see characters come to life.
I was given the opportunity to speak with Eamonn Butler, the Head of Animation and Peter Chiang, VFX Supervisor for the JOHN CARTER film.
Nice talking to each of you, especially from London!
Peter: Its great to be talking to you.
Eamonn: Thanks for taking the time to talk about JOHN CARTER with us.
I saw the film and its pretty amazing. Tell me how you got involved in the project?
Eamonn: The script was written a few years ago by Andrew was looking for someone to be a part of the visual and special effects of it. My background is in animation so I connected with Andrew on that level. Double Negative has focused over the years on photo-realism in digital effects. We won the Oscar last year for "Inception" and pretty much specialize in blending things in to make it look like they are really there. That was important to Andrew and I think that's what brought me into half the film in the movie.
Peter: The visual affects were done over four different visual effect houses. Double Negative got the animation package, which was about 960 shots of the film.
How is it working with so many different people working with so many different things?
Eamonn: Its pretty typical in the movie industry for visual effects to share the projects. Because of the amount of time it takes and the schedule and if your making a Disney feature film for example it can take several years to complete it. We handled all the Tark animation, which are all the big green guys with multiple arms and most of the creatures are ours. We largely handled the large environment enhancements.
Speaking of the creatures, how is it to know that you're going into the mind of someone who wrote the book so long ago and your bringing their creatures to life? How is that putting it on the screen?
Eamonn: It started with Andrews's script and he came to us with a very clear approach. We have Tars Tarkus who is Willem Dafoe and he's the leader of the dark hoard and Andrew was clear about how he wanted it to be. He even had scopes made in the computer, which he handed off to us. He was very clear Solas (Samantha Morton) who is very unique and unlike the other Tarks in that she has a lot of compassion and humility to her. Our job was to realize it and make it real and believable with the CG. We took the designs and explored how to make them walk the right weight, and make them look believable standing next to a human being and the faces express the right way. We did a lot of research and development before we started the film. Before we did any of the shots we did tested the images with Andrew to see what the issues might be. Like what the Tarks would look like and how their skin would be. Also, how to make thousands of them and be on the scene at the same time.
Peter: That was the bigger issues taking the Tars and making them really look like living and breathing creatures. In the issues of scope we had to create a whole tribe of these creatures. We have worked on the project for over two and a half years in May of '09 but Andrew has been working with concept artists before we got the models from Legacy. Essentially they stayed true to his vision one year before we got our hands on the images.
Where you surprised when you saw the images?
Eamonn: We were blown away by the whole scale of the project. We loved the whole idea of working with Andrew and Disney on bringing this story to the screen. Andrew had a very pragmatic and sensible approach to the whole idea. We saw the images and were blow away and immediately became hooked by the whole idea. Luckily it payed off because he had the confidence in us to do the work. It was a dream. We always said every now and then a little golden nugget comes along and this was it. It was a lot of hard work and thousands of artists but truly, truly worth it and a remarkable experience.
What was the most difficult part of your work?
Peter: I think there was a big blending between where Andrew had come from in his animation world and what we do in terms of visual effects. I think the hardest part is always interpreting the director's vision and making sure that respond accurately to what his requests are. Trying to place and make everything feel photo real. The complications of that are doing the massive crowds, the big worlds the Martian landscapes – just fusing that all together so the audience really isn't taken out of the picture but moves and carries them along by the visual imagery.
Eamonn: From an animation standpoint creative one realistic Tark, that consumed us for months and we also had to make thousands of them show up on screen and all of them have to look as good as the hero Tark so it was a real challenge to have to make crowds of them and make them equally real. We have a huge library of all these images. It is a question of quality being held to the highest standard and that every Tark looks amazing.
How was it to work around the human characters in the film?
Peter: It's always difficult to do that but in a strange way that's what makes the Tars look like they are really there when they are interacting with Taylor Kitsch or Lynn Collins. You can put ten digital Tars in a scene but when you put a human in there and they are involved with each other – that really helps to sell that the Tars are there. It's a massive amount of labor that goes beyond animation. Only a third of our crew were animators, the rest were compositors, riggers, televisions and a huge effort to integrate these characters into this massive world.
Eamonn: There is always a massive difficulty level when a human character is in a scene. Audiences are very perspective to fake CG and there is no way to hide a nine-foot alien standing next to Taylor Kitsch (John Carter) – it looks real or it doesn't. The nuances that you get in the principle photography and the real actor, Taylor, you have got to carry it all the way through the scene. When you take it into an animation world where it's made up there is a little bit of license because you're creating the whole world. Here, Andrew from the outset wanted to shoot in real beautiful locations and used principle locations like Utah and Arizona for the landscape of Mars, Lake Powell and these served as fantastic backdrops. When your adding computer generated imagery to that there is no hiding, you either get it right or wrong.
Movies that have these grand CGI running through them – do you embrace the face that audiences are more clever?
Peter: Your absolutely right. Even the games people play, the games are looking photo real. They way they are rendering the images are causing the audiences to be more and more savvy. It's harder to cheat them, the technology races on. Part of our industry is staying one step ahead of the audience and keeping the wow factor. You don't get away with anything.
Eamonn: The audience keeps us honest.
Did you feel like you've created something new with your techniques?
Eamonn: We went into this to tell a great story, not necessarily to create anything new. But by the time we were done we had to try a lot of old techniques in new ways to create the world Andrew wanted. It was a lot of technology used. We had to put the story first and the needs of the director second.
Peter: I think your constantly learning. I think the challenge is that every film you work on makes you a better, more informed person. JOHN CARTER is amazing and the levels of technology being where it needed to be was fantastic. We learned from films like AVATAR, PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN and we needed to better that but how do we do that? How do we push ourselves to do that? That question alone brought about a massive learning process. One with the technology that you have got and another with just how you view things and what you need to do to keep that real quality.
I can't imagine what it took for you to do this? Have you seen it all?
Peter: We have, we saw it this week at the world premier. It is amazing. It's a lot to take in. It's a movie for the whole family, with action and romance. There are monsters and I'm really looking forward for my two boys to see it.
Eamonn: When you work two and a half years on a project you get very close to it and it's hard to be objective. The proof is going to be from people like yourself and see your reaction. I'm curious to see and hear the audience's reaction.
Peter: I think it's going to be a huge film.
Its based on a book written so long ago too?
Eamonn: It's the 100-year anniversary of the writing of the book. The film got great source material.
Do you feel like that since 100 years ago there wasn't any technology that the description in the book was a major effect in what you did?
Peter: Andrew's interpretation is where we are at. I think the actual story spans more than one book. If you take the basic principles of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book and Andrew looked at that and the idea of framing it was a really good call. The interaction between the creature and John Carter was done so there could be interaction. The idea is based around the book but Andrew cleaned it up and made it a 2012 version exciting.
Have you both read the book?
Peter: Yes, we have. This is a match up of the first three books actually. The books were also very serialized like modern day comic books. Each one was very short and didn't necessarily translate so Andrew put his moviemaker hat on and really did a marvelous job of putting it together.
Eamonn: It will be interesting to see the general publics feedback to it all. That is something we hold very highly. That's whom we are making these films for and its important that there is a connection between the work we do and what the audience likes.
Peter: What matters is that your transported and that you have a great time watching the movie!
And you have done exactly that with JOHN CARTER opening in theatres this Friday from Disney! Hang on for a ride to another world filled with aliens, special powers but all with the will to be free!


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Before worrying about the big match on the court it is important to make sure that our bodies are in proper order. Staying hydrated on hot summer days is imperative in making sure we achieve success. Here are some tips for staying properly hydrated and being game ready:
- Keep a consistent water intake. Our bodies can last approximately 3 weeks without food, but without water our bodies can usually only last about 3 days so it is important that we keep a consistent water intake. Not only does our body contain about 70-75% water, having a proper water balance is essential for maintaining blood circulation and maintaining body temperature. When we exercise our internal body temperature increases so it is important that we always have water by our side. The recommended water amount per day is approximately one gallon! While that sounds like a lot it is surprising how much water we drink when it's always by our side. You can add a sprig of mint, handful of raspberries, or a squirt of lemon to give a subtle flavor to your water.
- Use Gatorade sparingly. There is nothing wrong with Gatorade, there are a lot of good ingredients in Gatorade including electrolytes that help replenish what are bodies lose when we sweat… but, it is also filled with sugar. I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to this issue, many people will tell you that Gatorade is good for long intense workouts in intense heat and that is true, but no one has ever fainted from drinking water. Gatorade itself has water, but it also has sucrose syrup and glucose-fructose syrup as well as ester gum (an emulsifier, made from wood) and sucrose acetate isobutyrate (an artificial flavoring). A general rule may be that if you are having trouble pronouncing some of the ingredients, that beverage should be only used in moderation. A simple alternative if you're tired of water is coconut water. Coconut water keeps our bodies in proper order when we start losing nutrients through sweat. This is amazing for recovery and can be used in place of Gatorade or Pedialyte.
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain lots of water and nutrients that keep our bodies hydrated and healthy. It's important that we consistently keep our bodies supplied with fruits and vegetables and keep the bad energy out while replenishing our bodies with positive energy that also helps keeps us hydrated. Another added bonus is that your skin will look flawless and dewy on account of the plethora of antioxidants.
Recent reports state that drinking alkaline water helps decrease wrinkles, increase mobility and provide an energy boost.
Regardless of the brand of water you choose, there are many benefits to drinking water consistently and maintaining a healthy diet. Staying hydrated is essential to our wellbeing and when we work out we need to make sure we are properly replenishing our lost fuels. Staying consistently hydrated by drinking a gallon of water a day, eating fruits and vegetables consistently and staying away from sugary drinks are all some of the preliminary steps we can take that can get our bodies in prime shape for championship performance.


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Zero Carbon Gown Preservation
Zero Carbon Gown Preservation Ensure the beauty... Ensure the beauty of your special gown and safeguard our planet's future. When you choose one of a Certified Wedding Gown Specialists™ to give your beautiful gown the care it deserves, you can also choose to help safeguard the future of our planet.
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Air Purification Systems Household Air Purification Systems This type of system significantly reduces dust, airborne particles, and odors from pets, cooking and tobacco. It's use gets rid of strong odors from unoccupied spaces in a short period of time. If you need air fresheners in you auto, your boat, RV or home, we rent room air fresheners of all sizes. Ozone and air ionization are used in combination to restore damp, musty, smoky environments to clean fresh ones. Consultation with Iris City Cleaners to insure that a proper matching of equipment to the need of the environment is suggested.


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Some of you know that I write for another blog and this is the story that I ran today and the Garden Lites are so good I thought I would share it with all of you. Enjoy!
Sometimes there are foods that you think just don't go together but after you have tried them you are going WOW that was surprisingly delicious. Garden Lites is just that kind of a food that once you start eating them you can hardly stop.
Garden Lites Muffins
Garden Lites generously sent me 2 boxes of Broccoli and Brown Rice Bites, Nickelodeon Muffins – Ninja Power, Chocolate Muffins and Blueberry Oat Muffins for the purpose of this review. I am a broccoli freak in that I could eat it at practically every meal but with Garden Lites I can eat it for a snack, as an appetizer or if I am on the go.
I had to start eating the muffins and bites as soon as I got them and was amazed at the flavor of these tender morsels. Made from fresh vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, kale, carrots and a variety of fruits like blueberries, bananas, cranberries you don't miss anything when it comes to taste. Who would think that you could get that much flavor out of a veggie muffin but trust me you can. I just ate one of the Blueberry Oat and the blueberries were sweet and tender and you really did not notice any oats because it was well blended together.
Garden Lites Blueberry Oat Muffins
Another one of my favorites is the Broccoli and Brown Rice that is quite satisfying. Now these bites are 130 calories for 4 and have 6 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, only 5 grams of fat and low in sodium and are chocked full of vitamin A & C, Iron and Calcium. For a Weight Watcher Points it registers at 3 points which would make a great snack.
Veggie Bites Broccoli & Brown Rice
Next I wanted to try the Garden Lites Ninja Power Muffins just so I could have a good idea what my Grandkids might think of them. Ninja's are one of my Grandson's favorite so he would really like the name of these muffins. Made from Zucchini and carrots they taste yummy as well. 2 Weight Watchers Points and only 80 calories for one muffin and you don't really feel deprived. Each muffin is individually wrapped with a picture of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle on the package. The young ones will think they are getting candy.
Garden Lites Ninja Power Muffins
Now for the Chocolate Muffins. I have to admit that I am a chocolate freak and I like it just a bit more than broccoli so this was a treat to try the Garden Lites Chocolate Muffins.
O YUM YUMMY they are so good they melt in your mouth with a lovely chocolate flavor. Another advantage is the Garden Lites Chocolate Muffins are gluten free, made with fresh zucchini and carrots and is only 120 calories. Wow, how cool is that? With Garden Lites you can have your cake and eat it too.
Enter the Garden Lites "Surprisingly Delicious" Contest. Simply share your photos capturing the surprise moment when your family or friends find out what the main ingredient is in these delicious muffins. If you have family members like I do that don't like vegetables, one bite of Garden Lites muffins will change their minds for ever. Fifty finalist, chosen by Garden Lites, will receive "surprise" packages of Garden Lites and free product coupons by posting their photos on Garden Lites website and Facebook page by May 20th 2015. Then fans can vote on any one of the fifty finalist photos to determine who the grand prize winners will be. Two Grand prize winners will win a $500 gift card plus an assortment of Garden Lites products for one year. Check out all the details at Garden Lites, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook. You can buy Garden Lites at Walmart, Target, Kroger, Meijers or check locations near you.
Sometimes there are foods that you think just don't go together but after you have tried them you are going WOW that was surprisingly delicious. Garden Lites is just that kind of a food that once you start eating them you can hardly stop and you have no idea that there are veggies in there. Pick some up today, take photos and enter The Surprisingly Delicious Contest.


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This great big Art Deco flower pin has a bold stylized look with furled petals and stems made of sturdy gilded brass.
The best part of it is in the center...that lovely Czech lemony poured glass cabochon with its own unique design.
The pin measures 2 3/8 by 3 3/4 inches...it aims to be noticed! The back has a secure rollover clasp. No markings though this design is worthy of kudos to the artist. Through a magnifier, we can see age appropriate wear/scuffs to the gilt surface but to the eye, this pin is still in excellent vintage condition.
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64 pages - Grades 1
Teach the 9 basic strokes needed for printing all upper- and lowercase letters. Reproducible activities include: dot-to-dots, tracing, puzzles, graphing pictures, mazes, finish the picture, cutting and pasting, coloring, drawing shapes, and more. Great practice for following directions and learning the alphabet. Supports NCTE and NAEYC standards.
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BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- Remember the days when every basketball player (or wannabe) had to have a $150 pair of Michael Jordan shoes? Or the $100-plus price tag on a pair of Reebok "Pump" shoes that you could hand pump to customize fit?
"We see overcapacity being corrected in footwear retailing, with a few stronger players coming out in much better shape."
Steven Richter, Tucker Anthony Cleary Gull
Either there are fewer aspiring basketball players out there, or they've all realized that a signature lay-up is not, in fact, all about the shoes. The days of sky-high shoe prices have passed, and retailers and manufacturers who expanded their business during the hot market in the early '90s have found themselves with a lot of extra space and not a lot of consumer interest to fill it.
Shoe makers and retailers outside athletic apparel are also feeling the burn of a general retail stock slump, although a few niche players like Vans and Steve Madden have caught the fancy of young Americans and are growing steadily.
Analyst Steven Richter of Tucker Anthony Cleary Gull talked with Colleen Bazdarich of CBS.MarketWatch.com about the shakeout that has already begun in the footwear sector and which companies are likely to emerge as top players in a tighter, toned-down sector.
CBSMW: How do stocks of shoe companies perform compared to other apparel retailers? Are they in line?
Richter: Right now stocks in the shoe retailers are performing pretty poorly -- along with the other retail sectors. But the footwear retailer environment has been under pressure really over the last year due to what is going on in the industry -- over-storing, heavy promotional pricing and difficult product performance in both apparel and athletic footwear.
CBSMW: So that is all the way from athletic to dress shoes?
Richter: Dress shoes are very weak. Athletic has been weak -- certain categories have been weak and others have been strong. The pricing of athletic footwear has certainly had an impact -- it has been very promotional and you have seen a shift from higher to more moderate prices.
CBSMW: Right, you don?t really see the must-have athletic shoe that is going for well over $100 anymore.
Richter: Yes, that's a function of two things. One is in the big picture sense there has definitely been a fashion swing. Style in apparel has shifted from where young consumer were in the early '90s -- into team sports and Michael Jordan apparel and things. Now that that has kind of peaked out you don?t see the $150 shoes flying out of stores. And then the kids who really drive that style and pricing have shifted to some alternative looks like Abercrombie & Fitch ANF, +0.53% Gap's Old Navy GPS, -0.08% Vans VANS
Really the young kids today are going for a lot of different looks. There is not one discernible top player. As a result you see strong performance from some niche players like Vans, like Steve Madden SHOO, -0.42% in junior, Skechers SKX, -2.59% New Balance. But that is hurting the pricing in retail and apparel has been really brutal.
CBSMW: What do think is going to happen long term?
Richter: The industry has already gone through big expansion in the early '90s and we've seen slowed growth over the last year.
What we think it going to happen -- and what is happening now -- is the industry is now in a consolidation and elimination of square footage mode. We're seeing competitors go away -- such as Just for Feet FEETQ We're seeing most, if not all, the companies stop growing and adding new stores. We saw the acquisition of selected stores of Just for Feet by Footstar FTS, -1.05%
We see overcapacity being corrected in footwear retailing with a few stronger players coming out in much better shape. Ultimately, I see it ending with a couple very well positioned retailers in the athletic retailing area -- likely to be Venator Z, -1.40% Footstar. That still is probably a year or so away.
The area that is most troubled is the sporting goods sector -- Sports Authority " and other retailers who sell a lot of footwear and are outside the mall. They're going to be in a tough competitive position.
CBSMW: Do you have any "buys" in the sector?
Richter: We do. We like Venator, because it has been a big turnaround story and they're doing all the right things with a new CEO. Their size of stores are very well positioned for what is happening in retail -- they're smaller, such as the Footlocker stores. They also have a neat component of their business -- the East Bay catalogue. There's exciting Internet and distribution potential for the company there. Plus, they're the leader and the largest player. As the sector recovers, they're going to benefit.
Footstar is an interesting company. It is still a little early because they're going through this major acquisition of Just for Feet. Our favorite in the sector is probably Vans.
CBSMW: Do you have a "buy" on Steve Madden?
Richter: We do, and Madden is doing unbelievably well right now. They're going to release earnings on Tuesday morning. I am with consensus there at 20 cents. It should be a terrific quarter. The theme that is clouding the stock is a recent Wall Street Journal article that kind of highlighted the CEO, Steve Madden, and that is putting a little pressure on the stock.
Vans is probably our number one company in the group. They're doing something very unique from the overall area in terms of their own retail stores, the skate parks and the brand that is performing quite well.
CBSMW: Vans has always seemed on the cutting edge. They're viewed as a real authentic brand.
Richter: They have always been a very cool brand with skate gear for kids. The company has gone through various cycles of performance but we see them as lined up right now for really exciting things. They're doing the right things in a very tough retail world.
CBSMW: Do you have advice for long-term risks here? Obviously we have talked a lot about ups and downs -- anything here we haven?t covered?
Richter: I think in this sector the real risk is going to be continued store closing and contraction. Certainly the investors are not running to the retail stocks -- they are not in that mode. So one is going to have to be patient. It is still a very long-term play and probably becomes much more attractive as the consolidation becomes more visible over the next six to 12 months. In the end, the companies are trading at significant discounts and are attractively valued. They need to have the catalyst to count on people revisiting them.


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Websites and blogs are easier than ever to create for the rural library. You no longer need to know code and you no longer need to pay someone else to do the work. Now it's a matter of choosing a platform in which to create the site or blog, picking a mobile-friendly template, and spending time building and curating the site. Some freely available popular platforms include Google Sites, Weebly, Blogspot/Blogger, Wordpress, and Wix.
Before creating a virtual library it's important to review examples of other library sites that are similar in size and scope. Here are several examples of South Dakota rural libraries that use these free online platforms for their virtual libraries:
- http://www.piedmontlibrary.net/ (Weebly)
- http://www.freemanlibrary.org/ (Weebly)
- https://www.gregorylibrary.com/ (Weebly)
- http://www.edgemontlibrary.org/ (Weebly)
- http://grantcountylibrary.com/ (Word Press)
- http://sturgispubliclibrary.blogspot.com/ (Blogspot/Blogger)


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Tonight we were asked by one of our newer Bananas, " I'm so confused….what are these bananas?" So, we thought it time we again tell the story of where the Bananas and hence the Banana Bunch came from…
A Long Time Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away . ..
…oops that's another story and probably has nothing to do with bananas. When we first put up a page for Heart 4 Children Ministries we did not have many followers or fans as they are commonly called. But we soon learned that the fans that we did have were not just ordinary followers but ours were extraordinary…so we wanted to come up with an affectionate name for you all. We consider that all of you our family so we wanted to find a name that reflected that. Also we felt that you must find us apPEALing when our fan base kept growing. So we decided to call our fans Bananas as they are so apPEALing to us.
After while we added bunch and began calling our fans the Banana Bunch and looked for other ways that you (and us as together we all make up the Banana Bunch) were like bananas….bright and cheerful, sweet, apPEALing well that's a given. When you open up to us–like peeling back the peel of a banana–we are excited to see what's inside. Then today my favorite…one way you are like but not like a banana…bananas are a popular fruit but their peels are thrown away as they are not useful for anything other than holding the banana. But you all are beautiful inside and out and every part of you is precious.
So that is why we chose the theme song from the Care Bears (changed the Care Bear Family to the Banana Bunch Family) for us Bananas…however the Heart 4 Children Ministries theme song will continue to be "Follow You" (by Leeland).
And there you have it…why we are the Banana Bunch 🙂 ~Mikaela


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Don't wanna get embarrassed? Make sure you have friends from other races
Well, last Monday night, I was watching Project A on tv, you know, that Jackie Chan movie where there was this classic scene (to me, at least) where there were these gangsters chasing Jackie, and they were all going around in bicycles through back alleys and Jackie pwned them all while keeping his ass on the seat 90% of the time.
So there I was, laughing at this movie eventhough I've watched it nearly 7 million times, which always makes it seem as if I've never watched it before. And that was probably what went through my housemate's mind, because he then came and sat on the couch on my right and asked me, "You know that guy ah? quite famous one."
Now on the tv there was Yuen Bao and Sammo Hung in the same scene as Jackie, and I thought, "(read this with a reverbing voice, by the way) Well, maybe he's asking me about Yuen Bao or Sammo, they're not that famous here, he can't possibly be talking about..."
"JACKIE CHAN! Very famous actor!"
And when I heard me tell me that, I just laughed and laughed...because god! How could he think I don't know Jackie Chan! Everybody in Asia knows Jackie! I practically grew up imitating his moves! I jumped off my cupboard and tore the sole of my feet off because I wanted to be him!
Laughing at him, or rather, his comment probably was too much, because he seemed pretty embarrassed after that, which made me laugh even more. He probably thought that he offended me, which isn't true, because he just seemed like those innocent guys who rarely mix with other races, and thus don't know what I know.
I bet he doesn't know that growing up, 3/4 of my friends are Chinese, because I happen to do things which always makes me bump in with them. Like playing basketball, passing my tests so I always get into the top science classes...you know, the usual Chinese jig. I don't have that many Indian friends, because, according to my Indian friend Pre...I mean, Master P, the government don't care about Indians and so they keep them in the "ghetto's". By the way, Master P always does the Westside sign to me, and I always wonder what does he mean by Westside. Klang?
Egads. But I digress. I wanted to say to J, "You bet I only listen to XPDC and Kromok right? Eh, and tomorrow how about we indulge in some Chinese delicacies like mooncake. Then later you can talk about the hot Malay bitches that you saw today because frankly you think we're aight rite?" but that guy got enough for one day. I'll let him go this time.
Aw, cmon J! It was funny! Funny! Don't run to your room. Cmon man! We'll mumble some Jay Chou lyrics today! Bonding! Bonding!
Ah, god, I love that guy.


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No cold comfort
The Indian Army is entitled to give its opinion on whether or not it should withdraw from the Siachen glacier.india Updated: Nov 14, 2006 04:54 IST
The Indian Army is entitled to give its opinion on whether or not it should withdraw from the Siachen glacier. The government must consider these views with utmost seriousness since the army has paid a huge cost in terms of men and material to hold on to the icy heights. It must also take into account the views of other concerned parties such as the government of Jammu and Kashmir. But having done this, the responsibility for the final decision rests with the Union government, and the army's job will be to follow orders, whatever they are.
The Siachen glacier problem is a true leftover of history. Both India and Pakistan simply forgot to delineate the Line of Control for 70-odd km of its northern extremity. The result was a bout of shadow-boxing with the use of mountaineering teams in the early Eighties and a showdown which India won when it pre-empted a Pakistani occupation of the glacier in March 1984. Since 1986, both countries have sought to settle the problem through dialogue. A lot has been written on how India resiled from an agreement to withdraw. In 1989 and 1992, India and Pakistan agreed to 'work towards' a comprehensive settlement. Pakistan saw this as a done deal while, as a matter of abundant caution, India wanted Pakistan to record the positions they would withdraw from, so as to rule out any temptation to cheat later. A reason for this was the vociferous, yet baseless, claim that the Pakistan army was in control of at least some part of the glacier. This has since been reinforced by the Pakistani claim during the 1999 Kargil war that the established Line of Control was hazy in that sector.
There is a kind of a chicken-and-egg situation here. While the Siachen withdrawal will do a great deal to promote India-Pakistan trust, it is lack of trust that prevents the agreements from being implemented. The government could consider a unilateral recording of positions on the glacier with GPS receivers, in the presence of neutral observers, and pulling back. Pakistan must be told in no uncertain terms that any violation of the agreement will have negative consequences for the larger India-Pakistan relationship. As for the strategic significance of the glacier, its only value is in denying Pakistan control of it.
First Published: Nov 14, 2006 04:54 IST


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The Fed's Dennis Lockhart has said that he sees indicators of "some slowing" in US payroll growth and that there is now evidence to contend that America is losing its "economic mojo".
Lockhart believes that monetary policy can help promote recovery. He said that he backed the Fed's asset purchase program, and that the Fed should focus on faster growth.


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When you've worked with local government IT and communications leaders every day for more than 20 years, it doesn't take a crystal ball to predict the major trends that will impact local government in 2017.
Here are the 5 trends that we believe will drive local government websites and digital services over the next year:
1. User Experience Will Matter More Than Ever
Accenture's 2016 Public Service Pulse Survey found that 85 percent of U.S. citizens expect government digital services to be the same or higher quality as those of commercial organizations – up 12 percent from 2014. Yet, the most significant obstacle to using digital services from government is "poor website organization."
What can you do to improve the user experience for your website?
- Explore low-cost ways to analyze usability, like Google Analytics and user surveys.
- Continually refine your website's navigation and homepage based on web analytics and user feedback.
- Organize your website to reflect the needs of residents, rather than the internal structure of government.
Learn more how we incorporate User Experience (UX) Analysis to make research-driven decisions about website design and how UX makes for happier website visitors.
2. Content Strategy is Key to Helping Residents Perform Tasks Online
In the same Public Service Pulse Survey, 41 percent of respondents cited "poorly organized or dense information" as a top obstacle to using digital government services. Overcoming this challenge requires an effective content strategy focused on clear, succinct and actionable information.
How can you ensure success with your content strategy?
- Review website analytics and remove infrequently accessed pages.
- Train all content contributors to write effectively for the web.
- Eliminate legalese and present information in plain-language that can easily be understood.
See how Vision's Content Strategy Services can increase the website effectiveness by making sure that content is written with your community in mind.
3. Web Accessibility Standards are on the Horizon
New rules on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for websites will be issued in 2018.
How can you do to stay ahead of the accessibility curve?
- Stay ahead of the curve by making website accessibility compliance a strategic imperative.
- Update your staff on accessibility guidelines and ensure that they are trained to write content that is accessible to people with various disabilities.
- Develop an accessibility policy and publish it on your website.
Get up to speed on accessibility by reading our blog post on "Almost Everything You Need to Know About Local Government Website Accessibility."
4. Community Engagement will Takeoff
Engagement takes many forms -- voice-to-voice, face-to-face, mobile and social.
How can you make sure that your messages are consistent across all platforms?
- Building community engagement takes time; so begin to regularly ask residents for opinions on small, everyday issues.
- Nurture the habit of engagement by sharing how resident feedback impacts decisions.
- Explore new engagement methods, like blogging and video, to help tell stories better.
Find out more about visionPulse, Vision's community engagement product, and read this blog post on boosting engagement via your local government website.
5. Cybersecurity Concerns will Skyrocket
Despite highly publicized national attacks in 2016, state and local governments are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks and other security breaches. Accenture's 2016 Cybersecurity Report says government organizations rank at the bottom of all industries in terms of security.
How can you be more "cyber-aware" in 2017?
- Stay current on the potential risks and threats.
- Make sure you have policies covering data breach notification, disaster recovery, IT service continuity, remote access, employee departure and acceptable use.
- Perform a cybersecurity self-assessment audit to make sure critical systems are protected from attacks with an effective solution.
- Review your disaster recovery plans and make sure key vendors are prepared as well.
Read our blog post on dealing with cybersecurity threats.


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The "sign" shot!!
On his actual "half birthday". He was eating a Nutella sandwich, which he REALLY enjoys.
After his appointment, we decided to take him to the Jax Zoo. We took him last August, but he was still to small to really take it in.
At the zoo looking at the elephants. He really liked their trunks.
On the train with me. He was too interested in everything around him to look at the camera. We saw a lot of different animals, but I think his favorite was actually a HUGE (like 20 foot) rock python. It was moving around the enclosure and came over to the glass and was "feeling" everything with it's tongue.
He favorite part of the zoo. They have a water play area for the kids. You just have to remember to have a swim diaper and a bathing suit. They have different animals that squirt and you can sit on. He made a couple little friends while and there was NO BITING!!! I was very proud. He did hug one little baby with his mouth open, but he didn't bite. We are still really struggling with the biting. Everyone says it is a phase and he will grow out of it, but I am beginning to think they are wrong. I have been doing a lot of research and reading why kids bite and he doesn't fall into most categories. I will just have to dig a little deeper.
All in in all it was a great day. I love spending time with my little guy outside. He can burn off energy and I can get a tan!!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
18 month check-up
4 comments:
Happy half birthday Colton! Looks like your little man is quite happy and doing very well. the zoo looks awesome! The kiddie pool looks like lots of fun. I can just imagine how busy it must get in the summer time!ReplyDelete
What a fun zoo, and happy half birthday Colton!ReplyDelete
Happy half birthday!! I love the dolphin pic, I thought he was riding a real one for a second. I know blonde moment, LOLReplyDelete
- HeatherJune 11, 2010 at 2:49 PM
Yeah Colton! No biting! LOLReplyDelete
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- Page 1 Monster iSport Immersion
- Page 2 Noise Isolation, Sound Quality and Verdict
- Bags 'o' fun sound
- Can be washed
- Unrefined treble
- Suspect build quality in part
Key Features
- Review Price: £130.00
- Can be washed
- 4 pairs of multiple-sized SportClips and Eartips
- Protective spring-clasp pouch
- Tangle-resistant cable
- Right angle jack
You may know Monster best as a purveyor of "overpriced rubbish", as a friend of ours once described the company. Whether you're into expensive cables or expensive headphones officially sanctioned by surly chart-botherer Dr. Dre, Monster Cable Products Inc. has the stuff for you. The Monster iSport Immersion headphones buck the trend somewhat. Granted, they're not cheap at £130 but their raison d'etre is one of function rather than marketing. These earphones can shrug off being washed.
Why would you want to wash you earphones? You might ask, if you've never worn a precious pair for a workout and felt slightly perturbed at quite how soaked every part of them had become by the end. By allowing you to wash the iSport, salty sweat residues can be removed and minds eased. Moreover, if you forget to take them out your shorts pockets, they won't come a cropper when you chuck the whole lot in the washing machine.
To help their exercise cred, the iSport earphones also use a rubber in-ear stabilising arm to help keep them in place when you're moving. This rests against the ridge just above your ear canal. Use the wrong one and you're in for a world of discomfort, as even minor cartilage irritation can become very uncomfortable very quickly – unless you are one of those odd people who have compulsively folded their earlobes since the age of five.
As long as you find a pair of arms that fits, the iSport earphones are perfectly comfortable – and five are included in the package. It's with these little on-ear extensions that we find the first of this product's problem, though. Within just a few days, we found that one of the inserts had started becoming a little loose on the earbud, without any mistreatment or continued removing and re-placing of it.
From the start, the connection between the bud and this blue extension has a little give. The join is easily strong enough to keep the two parts together, but just this slight wonkiness is enough to evaporate the sense that this is a real premium product – which it needs to be given its high price. We have concerns about the longevity of these earphones, even if you can wash them all day long. More parts, more to break.
These aren't the only unconventional parts of the iSport buds. Pull off the rubber tips – five pairs included – and you'll find that the earphone nozzle can be moved around, independent from the bud's metallic shell. This is a most unusual design. Quite what purpose it has is something of a mystery, when we can't imagine it adds much to waterproofing, but it should help to ease fitting problems within wearers' ears. A bit.
Let's leave the overall weirdness of the buds for a minute and head down the cable. Just over 10cm down the left earphone cable sits a remote control and handsfree housing designed for iOS devices (iPod Touches, iPhones, iPads) and BlackBerrys. It'll let you take calls and control your music, switch tracks and so on. The button surface is rubberised, giving some extra friction when your fingers are sweaty from pounding all that iron.
The three buttons are also very clearly signposted with heavy embossing, so you don't need to see this control housing to be able to use it effectively. We've seen prettier, sleeker control units, but as something for the budding sportsperson, it's thoughtfully designed.
Tangle-resistant does not mean "immune to tangling"
The iSport earphone cable is flat rather than round, which is often claimed to result in a less tanglesome cable. Having now used these earphones for a month, we can confirm that it positively does not get rid of tangles. They tend to build up around the cable splitter in a headache-inducing knot. Standard, then.


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Fantasy Flight Join the E-book Revolution
February 1, 2012 by dracs
Good news for all us fluff fanatics, Fantasy Flight now have two books available to pre-order from the iBookstore.
Now you can read stories from your favourite games wherever you are, whether it be the Lovecraftian terror of The Lies of Solace or the Wierd World War exploits of Rising Sun, Falling Shadow.
What are your thoughts on these guys? Will any of you download these? Or do you think you will stick to print?


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With all the talk of rising prices for cancer medications, the cost of healthcare and comparing the value and benefit of competing drugs, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has decided not to use a newly approved treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The leading hospital says it will exclude the new colorectal cancer drug Zaltrap which is marketed by Sanofi and Regeneron, from its treatment protocol.
Why? The price - which is twice as high as competing drugs,such as Roche's Avastin, but has proven no more effective. Writing in the Opinion Pages of the New York Times, three doctors from the cancer center explaining their case. They note that FDA, Medicare and organizations that set physician guidelines pay attention to effectiveness; private insurers then follow suit, since they are expected to be held to the same standard. "Ignoring the cost of care, though, is no longer tenable," they write, adding they feel obligated to consider financial strains that result.
"This is particularly the case with cancer, where the cost of drugs, and of care over all, has risen precipitously," they continue. "The typical new cancer drug coming on the market a decade ago cost about $4,500 per month (in 2012 dollars); since 2010 the median price has been around $10,000. Two of the new cancer drugs cost more than $35,000 each per month of treatment."
In explaining the rationale, they point out that the drug offers the same survival benefit as Roche's Avastin, which has a similar mechanism of action. Writing, they state, "When compared with the standard chemotherapy regimen alone, adding either medicine has shown to prolong patient lives by a median of 1.4 months. Major clinical practice guidelines, like those from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, agree that Zaltrap is no better than Avastin in this setting,".
They note that Avastin offers some advantages – a monthly cost of $5,000, which is less than of the cost for Zaltrop, and it is takes less time to administer, while side effects are roughly equal. They then note that "an older colorectal cancer patient without extra insurance would have to pay more than $2,200 out of pocket for a month's treatment with Zaltrap."
The problem, they say, is that because our medical culture equates "new" with "better" so unequivocally, a decision like this one can seem out of place at a leading cancer hospital." And they then point out that "political rhetoric today is similarly slanted. Our refusal to adopt his remarkably expensive therapy risks being labeled rationing, not rational."
The cancer center's decision, they note, will most likely not have any meaningful effect, given that health care spending is so high and Zaltrap sales in the US are expected to amount to 0.005% of all dollars spent on health care next year. However, they conclude "But it is a step in the right direction — one of many we need to take,".
Such sentiments are hardly uncommon these days, but they note that the rhetoric over health care explains why the Affordable Care Act precludes Medicare from changing its coverage or payment amounts based on cost comparisons. And while Americans do tend to trust their doctors, Medical practitioners just might get away with the kind of action that government programs can't. "If no one else will act, leading cancer centers and other research hospitals should," the Sloan-Kettering authors wrote. With so many drug makers pinning their hopes on targeted cancer drugs, that could be a chilling prospect. You decide - rationing or rationale.


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3 bedroom / 2.5 bath traditional 2 story home with 2 car garage in Louis Park sub. All bedrooms up, Living rm & Dining rm have vaulted ceiling, large kitchen with breakfast area includes stainless steel appliances, Den with office nook, oversized back patio, fenced yard, hurricane dbl pane windows, Roof replaced in 2013, water htr 2013, HVAC condenser coil 2009.
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What's that you say? No, it isn't? Have a think about it for a minute and you'll see what I mean. Remember the shoes that you just had to have because…well, you just had to and they were on sale and it didn't matter if they didn't really fit properly because you could stuff cotton wool in the toes or they'd stretch a bit eventually. How about that great dress that you fell in love with when you were sixteen? It might have been a bit tight but you knew you'd lose weight and be able to wear it.
I had a wardrobe full of things like that. Still do. Now if that isn't silly, I don't know what is.
It may be safe to say that an awful lot of women out there have experienced those "I'll wear it one day" feelings. And an awful lot of women out there never actually do get to wear the darn things because by the time they do lose the weight for the dress or manage to wear the shoes in a bit so that they can stand to wear them for more than a few minutes, they hate them. Yep, that's right.
The thing is so out of fashion it looks like something your grandmother would have worn.
So many big things are happening all over the world at any given moment, and a lot of those big things do need to be taken seriously. That's why we need to have some time out to reflect and to have a laugh at the silly things. Like the 'life-changing' pair of shoes or fabulous dress that you couldn't live without but grew to hate.
Life is like a roller-coaster ride at times but it is the only one you've got so make the most of it.


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Court documents renew calls for 38 Studios investigation
By Kirsten Glavin
As of Wednesday, there are new major developments in the 38 Studios case. New documents show former House Speaker, Gordon Fox, may have had deeper involvement than originally claimed.
These documents allege Fox, who is now serving time in federal prison for other corruption charges, had the earliest and lead role in bringing 38 Studios to Providence. As a result, multiple organizations are demanding government action.
Watchdog Rhode Island, Rhode Island Taxpayers, and the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, all say they've had enough with polluted politics.
They made four demands at a meeting on Thursday. They called for the release of all documents relating to the 38 studios affair, where the state loaned Curt Shilling's video game company $75 million dollars. They asked Governor Raimondo to launch an independent investigation, and called on speaker Mattiello to grant all subpoena requests by the House Oversight Committee. Lastly, to avoid further corruption, the organizations demanded the proposed terms of the Pawtucket Red Sox relocation negotiations be made public.
"There's a basic mistrust of our government right now because of 38 Studios. And I think that as a state, we have to do better at resolving this now," said Ken Block, a member of Watchdog RI.
"This trend of government by secret executive regulatory fiat, must end," added Mike Stenhouse of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity. "This is not the way our democracy was designed."
Speaker Mattiello released a statement in response to the conference demands.
"Former Speaker Fox has admitted to serious criminal offenses and is currently serving time in federal prison. The newest allegation about his involvement in the 38 Studios deal does not change the fact that the General Assembly is not an investigative body. If the State Police, the Attorney General's office or the FBI feel that an investigation is warranted after learning of this new information, then I would encourage them as the appropriate agencies to do so."
The Rhode Island State Police still have an ongoing investigation into the 38 Studios Deal.


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Fiducia held their annual Macmillan coffee morning once again. This year's being our biggest yet! We raised an outstanding £193.50! Fiducia would like to thank everyone who attended and donated.
Macmillan Coffee Morning 2013
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Michael Clark - The Psy-cho Biz-ness As Usual Man - 1990 - SIGNED, 22.5 x 30 in.
"The Psy-cho Biz-ness As Usual Man" by Michael Clark, 1990 Signed Mixed Media. Paper size is 22.5 x 30 inches, with an image size of 22.5 x 30 inches. The Mixed Media is from an edition size of 1 and is not framed. The condition was rated A: Mint. Additional details: This mixed-media print was produced in a limited edition of 1. It is a unique work featuring Mr. Peanut published in 1985 on Arches paper. It is signed by the artist on the verso, and a certificate of authenticity is included. Titled on the verso, mixed media on Arches paper.
Weight (lbs.):3
Width (in.):30
Height (in.):22.5
Ships To
Additional Item
Continental United States
Alaska & Hawaii
Puerto Rico
This product usually ships in 4 business days and should be delivered in 10 business days.
Shop worry free! If you're not 100% happy with your purchase, you can exchange or return this item through January 7, 2019.


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A very non-intellegent human being that has little to no life. The "Crabbe" Is a person that loves video games but is a major n00b online. He/She has very little social skills and hangs around more popular people to cut down on being picked on.
by THC_Caravan November 21, 2009
another word for someone who is actin like i gaint bitch
boy 1: hey i heard franklin was crying when hes dumb dog Mary died
boy 2 : man i hate that guy
boy 1: ya he acts like such a Crabbe
boy 2: ya man i fucking hate Crabbe's
boy 2 : man i hate that guy
boy 1: ya he acts like such a Crabbe
by jordan longmire November 06, 2013


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James has over 12 years' experience as a floor fitter, from leaving school he began his apprenticeship working for a very reputable local flooring company, he then progressed as a sub-contractor and now runs and works within JCarpets.
He has worked in all areas of the flooring industry including site and commercial work but his passion has always been in the domestic installations.
James has very high standards of workmanship and shows great customer service skills to match his practical skills.
He hopes to move the business forward to a stage where he able to take on new employees and educate them with his passion and work ethos.
James was recently recommended to ITV to show on 'bad builders'...
dont worry he was one of the good guys!


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A Moment of Reflection: Volunteers, the very best of us Wendy Osborne OBE, CEO Volunteer Now
In November I received an email from Janette McKnight, Director of Quaker Service to tell me that as a result of an unsuccessful bid for a government contract Quaker Service would no longer be providing services at the Visitors' Centre at Maghaberry Prison. David Bass, Chairperson commented that for more than 40 years Quaker Service has given much needed support to families visiting Northern Ireland's top security prisons. As we turned from the old into the new year the Guardian Newspaper was proclaiming 2015 as the year of the volunteer. Highlighting the importance of people giving time to help others, to reach out to strangers, using the volunteers reaching out to refugees as a prime example of our humanity, our compassion, our care for others, referring to this impromptu army of volunteers as 'the very best of us'.
These two pieces of information connected together in my thoughts and brought to mind the book that was published in 2001 in Northern Ireland as part of the United Nations International Year of Volunteers. The book about volunteering is called 'Stories from the Edge' it was written by the journalist, Martin O'Hagan, in his role as a volunteer with the then Volunteer Development Agency (Volunteer Now), Martin was sadly and tragically murdered before the book was launched. It tells the remarkable stories of volunteers 'ordinary people doing extraordinary things', one of these stories is about Martie Rafferty, who tells us about her volunteer experience with the Society of Friends. It seems appropriate to encourage you to take a few minutes to read about Martie and the service provided by the Society of Friends volunteers who stepped in during the darkest days of Northern Ireland's troubles and gave heart and support to prison visitors and prisoner families in need. As the Guardian commentator puts it 'the very best of us'.
Reading and showcasing the article below might also encourage you to read again all the Stories from the Edge, just click on the link and be impressed and inspired all over again. http://bit.ly/1OMEMP4
Let's make 2016 in Northern Ireland the year when we tell the new volunteer stories, bring forward our unsung heroes and show how much we value those who give their time to reach out, join in and get involved in helping others and making our communities better places to live in.
If you have a volunteer story you would like to share contact Julie Cusick at Volunteer Now firstname.lastname@example.com
"A place of enormous contradictions"
Martie Rafferty
Friedrich Nietzsche may have proclaimed that God is dead, but in the 100 years since the philosopher's own premature death in August 1900, many people still look to religion as their ground for morals. It is the religious criteria that provides individuals with the basic rules of how to be good. Christianity with its emphasis on loving your neighbour as thyself and not judging others, does provide some sound sense in a world with absolutes - even to the confirmed atheist!
Those who can remember the dark autumn days of 1971 may also remember flickering black and white images on old television sets of men, women and children huddled in the wind and the rain waiting for their weekly half hour visit to Long Kesh internment camp. Into that dreary and desperate world of prison and prison visitors the Northern Ireland Government under Prime Minister Brian Faulkner, invited the Society of Friends. The Friends were asked to open up a 'neutral' visitor's centre outside the internment camp.
The Society of Friends is a religious body which has no definite creed and no regular ministry. It was founded by George Fox who began preaching in 1647. Later Fox was to write in his Journal that the society was dubbed the Quakers by Justice Bennet of Derby because they 'Tremble at the word of the Lord'. The Society of Friends have always come with preconceived baggage as righteous people who daily lived their faith, and the more liberal wing embraced the opportunity to work with the prisoners, even though some had committed serious albeit politically motivated crimes. Yet preconceptions can be and are often wrong; for the Society of Friends is like any other human collective and does have its incongruities. There were elements that allowed more fundamental aspirations to dictate their attitudes. 'Why should the Society of Friends become embroiled in a nasty little sectarian war between two religious factions?' they reasoned. However the work of prison reformer and Quaker, Elizabeth Fry, who regularly went in and out of the dark satanic dungeons of early Victorian England, left a legacy that no Friend could afford to ignore. So within days of the incarceration of detainees the Society of Friends was handing cups of warm soup and tea to the relatives and children of the first inmates.
In the beginning, the Quaker canteen was the only protection against the elements. Eventually the authorities provided better waiting rooms for visitors. The Society of Friends did not go away and their operation called for more volunteers to oversee the new crèche and the enlarged canteen facilities. Most of those Quakers who came forward had their own reasons. They made their own way out to the prison in all weathers and were only given their bus or petrol expenses. Despite the complete lack of monetary reward the Quaker volunteers managed for over 20 years to provide a continuous service and have rarely been acknowledged for their selflessness. In a recent edition of the fringe political magazine 'The Other View' the question is ironically asked, "Which organisation spent 25 years in Long Kesh and didn't get an early release nor a large state pension?" Flick over a few pages and the answer is revealed to be The Society of Friends.
Teams of volunteers traipsed out to the Maze Prison for years to stand behind a small counter serving those who more often than not had travelled miles for a weekly half hour visit. Many had travelled for several hours in a variety of mini buses and coaches driven by volunteer drivers from different organisations.
It becomes clear that if even if many of the volunteers had never become Quakers they would still have volunteered to help others. Their Christian beliefs correspond to a classical socialist attitude, which requires the individual to help those less fortunate. But why volunteer to work at the Maze, which was once considered the toughest prison in Western Europe housing some of the most ruthless killers and bombers? The volunteers find it hard to give a definitive answer. "Is it something human beings do or ought to do? Is it that their Christian beliefs were incensed at how the families of prisoners were also made to suffer by the authorities? Possibly," they admit. It is the Quaker that believes there is a piece of God in everyone. Their task was not to judge, but many did believe that the families of prisoners were innocent.
The inability to point to any one particular cause suggests that maybe it is the totality of reasons both conscious and unconscious. Whatever their reasons many Quakers immediately volunteered for the Quaker Service Committee. For many years they prepared and served up food to the visitors. It was not haute cuisine but it was hot and filling. Like the outside world the makeshift portacabins of the visiting area were also strictly segregated but the volunteers recall that they found prison visitors generally congenial and well mannered to each other and also to the Quaker canteen and crèche staff.
There is the opinion that a lot of young men became involved out of peer pressure and that their strong ideological beliefs came later. In this way the volunteers who were mostly women, felt able to empathise with the mothers and wives of the young men locked up in the Maze and acknowledge that their own children could have also been fodder for the paramilitaries.
Most volunteers remember their time in the Maze as rather uneventful with few incidents if any. There are fond memories of the chats and craic with the volunteer drivers who drove relatives to the Maze.
Images and impressions of Long Kesh still remain vivid among those hardworking Quakers volunteers. The ominous and anonymous look out posts, the high steel fencing topped by deadly razor wire and the loud clump click of a hundred locks on a hundred gates still haunt the prisoners, prisoner's relatives and the Quaker volunteers.
Martie Rafferty was one of those whom believed that 'the problems of Caesar were Caesar's' and should not be allowed to enter the rarefied heights of personal spiritual quest. Yet for Martie, volunteering at Long Kesh became a spiritual journey that has effected her entire life. At a Quaker meeting she heard a profound plea for help at the Quaker centre at the Maze. "I was so moved by the appeal that I volunteered," she said.
With pounding heart she approached the closed, dark and forbidding world of the HMP Maze unaware of what to expect. Today Martie still remembers the haunting faces of those coming for a visit. Queues stretched all the way to the back door especially on 'Derry Day'. The day when busload after busload of hungry relatives came from the northwest.
"Some came to us in tears, worried, angry, hurt; sometimes fragile and we shared in a lot of the personal pain," she said. Still, for every down side there was an alternative and she also remembers sharing in the laughter, friendship and hope. As a young Martie Rafferty dealing with families of prisoners, she was taught about endurance, personal loyalty and the raw courage of relatives.
Looking back over the decades she recalls her first visit inside the prison to meet a prisoner group. Her stomach in knots and head throbbing she was now coming face to face with her nightmare. How should she react? What should she say? Why was she doing this? Here in front of her was not some herd of monsters but human beings. The contrast was stark. All her apprehension and fear evaporated. She found to her amazement that she came to know, respect and more importantly value as friends, some of the individuals she met.
Martie is of the opinion that the Maze can really only be understood at a deep level by those who in some way directly shared the experience. In the early days of the Nissan huts, which then give way to the H Blocks, life inside was harsh and the draconian rules strictly adhered to by the prison regime. Martie's experience of the Maze was that of a place of enormous contradictions that deepened her own spirituality. It was a place of great pain, frustration and restriction but this was matched by the human laughter, friendship, courage and growth.
Perhaps what has become clear during the research of this article is that understanding has still to be found. Perhaps it's because Northern Ireland is still a very divided society that any comprehension of the problem of the Long Kesh experience can only be partial. And perhaps it's also the reason why so many of the Quaker volunteers have yet to unravel why they did what they did.


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The iPhone 8 is one of the most advanced smartphones in the history of mobile telephony. But absolutely no one is thinking of buying one. Why?
Since Cult of Mac have conducted a survey asking the readers what smartphone they had planned to buy in the near future. The results are amazing.
A total of 5,400 potential consumers responded to the survey, and while the iPhone X will have a spectacular number of sales, iPhone 8 figures could be very low ...
IPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X?
People who showed interest in the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus only added 14%. While, on the other hand, Apple fans who will buy an iPhone X were 57% .
Apple fans and technology enthusiasts in general, always want the best for their smartphone. That is why sales of the iPhone 8 are likely to be slightly higher than the figures reflected in this survey. Still, it's a worrying sign for the bite apple company, who have spent months planning how to leverage the marketing of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus to the iPhone X through different marketing strategies .
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will hit stores on September 22 , users who want to buy an iPhone X should wait a little longer, until November.
Leaving aside the survey, I personally think that the iPhone 8 is an ideal option for any user who wants to upgrade or renew their smartphone by the end of this year 2017. It has a lot of hardware-level news, its design is still excellent (although the iPhone X is obviously nicer) and is reasonably priced . What do you think? Do you think the iPhone 8 will not triumph in the market? What iPhone will you buy?


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In light of religious terrorist attacks in Paris, please see Category:blasphemy!
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The videos now give a 404 error
AkrystaKore (talk)
You were probably not checking the site for a little bit, there was actually a sitewide notice. We've lost one of the servers, i'm attempting to recover from that still.
Ok. Somehow these two files didn't make it to the backup. So i've restored them manually, and tested them. They now work.
Please keep in mind that as of yet, the video upload process doesn't work. Need to think about how to do that in the best way.


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Simple ideas for getting America back on track
My solution is to require work from the unemployed to receive benefits. For example, many schools need painting, windows repaired or replaced, security improvements like video cams around the grounds, Teachers helpers, installing air conditioners, etc., etc., etc. I believe this would help those unemployed for so long start to feel better about themselves, have some resources to pay their bills and prevent foreclosure of their homes. We could even pay them more than the benefits might provide and we would still be ahead of the game, as this would increase some consumer spending and raise taxes somewhat in local communities that have a Sales tax.
Getting something back from giving extended benefits would help take the sting out of giving perceived handouts.
The next idea I had was to change our Educational system, by having school go year round. I would provide students a week or two vacation, but not the whole summer off. I would have them get air conditioning for schools and installed by those working above. I would then change teachers salary to reflect a full time job. We could have all teachers making $100,000 and above a year but we would be attracting more teachers with this salary level from many different backgrounds.
We need to think outside the box in tackling our issues. But it starts with a willingness to put some ideas out there and see if anyone picks them up and improves on them. I have, so where's your's?
Labels: 99 weeks unemployed, 99ers, Consumer Spending, Democrats, Educational system, public schools, Republicans, teachers, unemployed, year round schooling


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MINORS: 2018 Organization Reports—NL Central
By BaseballHQ January 8th, 2018 12:03am
2018 Organization Reports
We conclude our 2018 Organization Reports—the prospect lists with a built-in fantasy edge. Since mid-November, we've been taking an in-depth look at the top minor leaguers with the brightest fantasy futures in each MLB organization. Whether you use these lists to stock your keeper league's farm system, or to familiarize yourself with the prospects that will make an impact in the 2018 season, there is tons of info to mine in past reports.
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