text: In the map above, if you click on a country in the world map illustrated, you will be directed to another page with a description of the country, supported with its particular map. The three dimensional world that we are intrigued by, can be easily understood on a two dimensional world map. Our expert team of cartographers has created the map after a thorough research on boundary demarcations. In only one glance, we can understand where and how far a specific country is, in comparison to our own. The United Nations has identified 195 countries in the world, and the political world map specifies territorial borders of each.


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As thousands take to the streets today in London to protest against cuts, members of the National Union of Teachers are planning a further day's national strike action as they develop their Stand-up for Education campaign.
Like teachers all over the world, UK teachers are facing intolerable cuts to the service as well as pay and pension cuts. Morevoer they are subject to an intolerable workload which sees primary teachers working an average 60 hour week, according to the government's own figures. To make matters worse a large part of this time is spent in data collection and recording, with creatitvity in teaching systematically squeezed out to make way for an instrumental version of education geared to high stakes testing.
Meanwhile the Education Minister is taking more and more powers to himself. He not only dictates what should be on the English syllabus for example, based on his personal tastes - he has notoriously barred US literature from the GCSE exams - he is also increasingly in control of schools. The state system is being dismantled and replaced by a system of semi-privatised 'academies' and 'free schools' based on the US charter school and the failed Swedish free school models. Such schools are answerable only to him. As a result at the stroke of a pen he can change the rules of governance of a school as he has done recently when an islamophobic panic about schools in Birmingham,the UK's second largest city, was whipped up by the media.
As Hugh Muir put it an excellent article:
Where once there was autonomy, with trained professionals and committed volunteers pulling together to tailor their schools to the particular needs of their communities, now there is Michael Gove. Not so much the secretary of state for education. More the Caesar of the schooling system.
Teachers will strike on July 10th alongside teaching assistants. other education ancillary staff and public sector workers as part of their ongoing campaign.

subset: commoncrawl


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This is our second time particpating in ACHEMA exhibition. This exhibition combined with UK Allards and Taiwan FHI companies.
We exhibit our plate heat exchanger , Gas / Gas heat exchanger , Gas/Liquid heat exchanger , special shell and tube heat exchanger from FHI Taiwan and also our new Gas/liquid Titanium plate heat exchanger.


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Bandh at Miao Bazaar
Yesterday while returning from my garden, my wife and I passed by the Miao market to buy some basic necessities. At the end of the area where vegetables are sold, there was a group of people talking loudly. Few motorcycles were also parked in the crowd. We thought there was accident or fight.
We enquired one of the onlookers what was happening. He told the Miao main market has not been receiving electricity. So they decided to protest that. Sure enough today when I went there, the shops were closed except one pharmacy.
I thought this is good initiative. We should protest more. The power department supplies an average of 6 to 8 hours a day. Sometimes, it goes without electricity for a couple of days. There has never been a day since we reached Miao without uninterrupted electricity supply. This is horrible because we cannot plan to do anything regular on electricity.
Other Departments to Receive Such Complaints
But power department is not the only government unit that deserves protest. The list should extend. Here are some I have noticed over the last six months:
· BSNL: The BSNL service is bad. Throughout the day, the signal fluctuates. Most of the time "Not reachable". Try calling within Miao, the receiving/success rate is pretty low. Try applying for a SIM card. I applied one in Feb this year and got the SIM in May. The SIM was bad. After multiple complaints, the office took it back for repair on 29 July 2014. I wait to see when they will return my SIM.
· Roads need loud complaint: The Jagun – Miao has been with gutters since 2011. It is still the same. The construction is still in "progress". Surprisingly the public all the way from Jagun to Miao is silent. Only occasional murmurs but never a loud slogan. Come within Miao township, you rarely find portions of road without potholes. I have a single question: Why is this condition? Bad leaders and silent public spectacles.
· SBI is always congested and without cash: Some experiences — Just to withdraw some cash, a person has to wait at least 1 to 2 hours (a brand new ATM machine is lying cashless neatly inside the SBI bank). The bank is very often without cash! Rarely can you withdraw money beyond 10,000. To open a saving account, frequent visits to the branch is necessary for a week. You never can open an account within one or two days. Miao town needs competitors from private firms.
More Hungama Needed in Vijoynagar Area
Vijoynagar Circle requires greater voices. The area is far from district administration, even Circle Officer do not reside on regular basis. Monitoring of projects is not present. A couple examples would be sufficient to make my point as these in some way public knowledge.
Min Hydro Project: About 10 years a mini-hydro project started near Hazolo village. Lakhs of rupees have been spent toward that project, hoping that will provide electricity solution for the Vijoynagar Headquarters. No progress has occurred recently. Instead I heard now that the project has to be abandoned because no sufficient water current is there to provide electricity. What a careless and stupid decisions the power department have done. But has anyone raise voice for this?
MV Road: No public voice has been made so far. The responsible department unilaterally decides when to construct, when to stop. I don't know anytime where the local MLA or department heads ever consults the public or its representatives. Its almost passed two years since the laying of foundation stone for MV Road. No proper development is seen so far. Only small start up to 3 miles have began.
Drug Addict: Last week I chatted a school officer responsible for Vijoynagar Circle. He plainly told a group of Lisu people about a school teacher who was just deputed to Gandhigram School. He is a dug addict. What difference can such an addict make for students? I rather fear that will make horrible impact for the students.
We need a very different approach to have such corrupt and immoral practices heard in our society and in our circle. Otherwise there is less chances for our circle to be developed.


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Lootlove celebrates late brother's 20th birthday
Lootlove celebrates late brother's 20th birthday
Lootlove Luthando celebrates younger brother, Luke's 20th birthday few months after his passing. In October, the model experienced one of the biggest hit of her life, which is the passing-on of her brother.
Lootlove poured out her heart on social media and many consoled her. Today, December 21st, the star announced that today would have been his 20th birthday.
She shared video and photo of Luke and penned down a birthday note to him.
"So on this difficult day of a first I never planned for, I will remind myself and anyone reading this to honour life and it's unpredictable nature. To honour God and the time he gives you. To honour your purpose by doing all that you can to fulfil it, to honour yourself by living your truth no matter how difficult.
To be grateful, for every little and big thing, to take a deep breathe and listen to your heart beat every now and then just to remind yourself of the miracle that is you being alive. This life is for living, this life is for enjoying, this life is short… never assume you have time."
"Happy 20th Birthday to our Ethereal enigma. We miss you more and more each day. We love you more and more each day. It is well.


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[+] Jungle in Washington, DC Oct 04, 2021 – presale password
The Jungle presale code that we've gotten so many requests for is up and ready for our members! Everyone with this presale information will have the chance to get sweet seats before they go on sale!!! If you don't get your tickets to Jungle's performance in Washington, DC during the presale you might not be able to buy them before they sell out!!
Here are the Jungle event details:
The Anthem
Washington, DC
Mon, Oct 4, 2021 08:00 PM
Onsale to General Public
Start: Thu, 04/01/21 10:00 AM EDT
End: Mon, 10/04/21 10:00 PM EDT
Start: Wed, 03/31/21 01:00 PM EDT
End: Wed, 03/31/21 10:00 PM EDT
You can use the following presale passwords and information to purchase tickets:
Join right now and you'll instantly unlock the presale passwords you need to buy your tickets before the general public to this and hundreds of other events
Order your Jungle tickets online


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KROHNE has announced that industry veteran Chris English has been named vice president of sales for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. English has over 27 years' experience in the industry, having worked with several top companies in the process control instrumentation market, and has experience with process control and automation in nearly all sectors of the market. In his new position, he holds responsibility for sales and marketing for the NAFTA region, including the management of the company's regional sales force.
Join us for "The Most Engaging Virtual Event for the Entire Industry" at PACK EXPO Connects, November 9-13. Live demos of equipment and products, live chat with product experts, expedited product search, and more. Attendee registration open now!


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Smartphones like cigarettes#
GQ Magazine published an interview with Cal Newport, leading up to his new book Digital Minimalism, due out any day now. As usual, Cal says a lot of thoughtful things, but this in particular gave me pause:
"You're gonna look at allowing a 13-year-old to have a smartphone the same way that you would look at allowing your 13-year-old to smoke a cigarette."
I suspect it is because I have my very own thirteen-year-old with a smartphone here in my household. Ouch.


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If you're someone who didn't sleep so well last night for whatever reason, you may be feeling a little jaded as you read this. This is understandable. You may well be thinking that just by getting your so-called 'eight hours' of sleep for the next few nights may redress the balance.
This is true, to an extent. You'll learn more about why I say 'to an extent' in a moment.
However, you may also be someone who did get your eight hours last night, and the night before and the night before, but for some reason you feel you're not firing on all cylinders. This also understandable, and you're about to find out why.
Not All Sleep Is Equal
We may think that all sleep is equal. But it isn't. The quality of our sleep varies from one part of the night to another. Our bodies have a natural rhythm to them, and that rhythm is thousands of years old. It is called a circadian rhythm.
It is the rhythm of nature, and one that animals instinctively live by. We are as human beings essentially animal, and are designed to live according to this natural rhythmic cycle.
That cycle can be seen in the passage of the day and the passage of the seasons. We have the dawn of the day (Spring) where we wake up. We then move into the main part of our day (Summer) when we are most adapted to work. This is followed by winding down towards the end of the day (Autumn) and finally sleeping at night (Winter).
We are therefore naturally designed to wake up with the rising of the sun and sleep when the sun goes down. When we adjust our lifestyle to accommodate this natural rhythm we have a better quality of sleep.
Our Natural Sleep Cycles
Similar to this natural rhythmic cycle, our sleep pattern also has a natural cycle to it. When we sleep we oscillate between deep regenerative sleep (where the body repairs itself) to the slightly lighter REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep state in which we dream.
These sleep cycles last for around 90 minutes each. So if you are finding that you are getting eight hours sleep and you still feel tired when you wake up, you're probably setting your alarm clock to wake you up in the middle of a sleep cycle rather than at the end of it.
For example if you went to bed at 11pm and woke up at 8am you would have slept for nine hours and gone through six complete sleep cycles. These would be:
Cycle 1. 11.00 pm-12.30 am
Cycle 2. 12.30 am-2.00 am
Cycle 3. 2.00 am-3.30 am
Cycle 4. 3.30 am-5.00 am
Cycle 5. 5.00 am-6.30 am
Cycle 6. 6.30 am-8.00 am
After sleeping from 11pm to 8am, you'd probably feel quite refreshed when you woke up.
If, however, you set your alarm to wake you up at 7am you would have got eight hours of sleep, but would have woken up during a 90-minute sleep cycle (between 6.30 and 8.00). Therefore it's possible you wouldn't feel quite as refreshed on waking as you would do if you had woken up at 8.00am
Repair & Rejuvenation
In addition to these shorter, 90 minute, cycles, according to our circadian rhythm, the body regenerates and rejuvenates itself most significantly between the hours of 10pm and 2am.
So you may be going to bed at say 1am and sleeping until 9am to get your eight hours, but you're losing out on three vital hours of body repair time every night. And if you work shift patterns, especially the night shift, you may be throwing your circadian rhythm out completely, denying yourself the chance of adequately repairing your body during sleep.
3 Top Sleep Tips
So to give yourself a higher chance of improving your performance, productivity and subsequent results in life consider the following three tips:
1. Bring your lifestyle in line with your natural circadian rhythm and get to bed by 10pm
2. Ensure that you have eight or more hours of sleep per night
3. Try not to wake up to an alarm clock. If you must, set it such that you're waking up at the end of a 90-minute sleep cycle rather than in the middle of it
Proudly WWW.PONIREVO.COM


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Charity sector to suffer 60,000 job losses due to coronavirus
The charity sector has lost more than 25,000 jobs since the coronavirus pandemic began and a further 35,000 could go, according to new data.
Analysis of a survey of 455 charities has revealed that there are an estimated five times as many redundancies as the official 5,400 that have been announced.
The research from Pro Bono Economics, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and Charity Finance Group, found that 19 per cent of charities polled had already made redundancies.
It also revealed 23 per cent were planning to make further cutbacks once the government's furlough scheme ends.
According to its charity sector tracker, the true number of redundancies may be closer to 25,600, while another 34,100 charity sector employees could lose their jobs by the end of the year.
And the largest charities are set to be hit the hardest, with 44 per cent of them being forced to let staff go.
The crisis comes at a time when charities are in increasing demand, while also receiving fewer donations.
Of those surveyed, 68 per cent said demand is rising, while 58 per cent said they had been forced to scale back services available.
Matt Whittaker, chief executive of Pro Bono Economic, said: "Charities have been under extraordinary pressure since the start of the pandemic, dealing with the perfect storm of increased demand and constrained resources.
"Navigating this period rests in part on getting more resources into the sector, from government, from existing funders and from members of the public."
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £750m grant for charities in April but that has largely been given to causes most affected by coronavirus.
It leaves an estimated funding shortfall of around £10bn. However, Sunak admitted that the government could not match the spending the sector would have received this year.


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The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders
The Court must formally approve by ballot each application before the Freedom of the Company is granted.
Following approval, the candidate comes before the Court to receive the Freedom at a formal ceremony and to pay the membership cost ('fine'). No further fee ('quarterage') is payable in the first year, but quarterage is payable annually, set at a rate fixed by the Court each year. (discounted rates apply for members under 35 years old).


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Thomson's Lamp – There are numerous sorts of assortments of lamps easily available, to choose the best lamp for your residence, you have to think about the overall u se from the lamp. Table lamps can be bought in an range of styles and accent any style of interior decorating. Brass table lamp is very popular because it's lots of distinct models to select from. As an instance, you shouldn't place a large and fat lamp on sized table.
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People today will have to choose right type of lamps for their property. Lamps are lightweight and may also be transferred from area to area in the event the decorator wishes. Table lamps, floor lamps are found in online store in an range of styles, you may readily locate a design for your insides. They serve the same function as table lamps, but that they could make grander statements due to their height and also the very interesting shapes they're offered in. You can also have to consider before buying lamps are completed.
Lamps come in a number of sizes, designs, colours, textures, shapes and prints. Hanging the lamps outside is also a favourite use as a result of flexibility and endurance. You can select from other lamp and mounting designs. Discover how simple it's to produce your own lamp. A huge variety of outdoor lamps is easily accessible for you. Picking the proper ceiling lamp to your home is a very tough task irrelevant of the very simple fact that weather that they need to select up from a retail outlet or an online store.
There are various sorts of lighting dependent on the space and task required to carry out. Globe lighting or world shaped light is a kind of standard lighting that may be used in a contemporary method. Particular sorts of Industrial Lights And Their Usage Lighting is among the important contributors in managing cost of any business. Kitchen lighting in several levels are able to make your life easier. Further, you can purchase lighting lamps on the internet and place them side tables to provide your space a sense of symmetry and balance.
Lamps have a significant job of lightening the area of the house so people may execute activities of the house. It is not always simple to find the ideal kind of lamp to your rooms, and that is the main reason we want to provide you with a small help with that. Lamps can be purchased in several of styles and can be employed in a lot of ways. Kitchen lamps, generally, are made on energy-saving lamps. 1 other important thing right after we consider buying a lamp is its life-time. The variety easily available in the present ceiling lamps makes a person very confused about what things to select and what things to depart. With the kind sorted you may have a wide variety of contemporary day ceiling lamps to select from.


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How to Pick the Best Gym Shoes for Lifting
While many think of kicks as a fashion statement, when choosing workout footwear, you need to be considering function first. Finding the best gym shoes can not only give you a better workout, but up your performance and even prevent injury. Check out the below mini-guide on the best gym shoes and when you should choose each option.
Characteristics of the Best Gym Shoes
Regardless of what you're training for or which of the below discussed options you end up choosing, there are a few things you'll want to consider when picking out your Best Gym shoes. First is the sole. You've been told for years that your shoes need to have adequate cushioning, but that's not always the case.
If you'll be using the same shoes for lifting that you will other athletic activities (e.g. – cross training), then this might be the case. But more often than not, you'll want a hard, flat sole if strictly lifting heavy is going to be your main gig. Next, you'll want proper traction.
This probably goes without saying, but you'll need to have adequate footing for whatever type of training you're doing. If you don't, then you risk injury. Lastly, make sure your shoes fit properly. Every brand and style are a little different, so make sure you have the right pair for the individual shape of your feet. If nothing else, going to someone knowledgeable to have them properly fit your shoes is never a bad idea.
Chuck Taylors
They might be the most popular selling basketball shoes in history, but Chuck Taylors are also some of the best gym shoes you can get if you're into strength training and Powerlifting. This is because they have sides that don't give and an absolutely flat sole.
This is good for squatting and deadlifting for a few reasons. Firstly, very heavy squatters tend to use a wider stance, low bar, powerlifting type Squat. Chucks' side construction not really having any give to it supports the foot and doesn't let it continue to slide out wider. They almost act as a "block" you can push your feet into.
Their flat soles make Chuck Taylors virtually perfect for deadlifting (or rows or other similar movements). The first reason is because the sole has no "give" to it. While you might think you'd normally want a softer sole for more cushioning, this can hinder heavy Deadlift efforts as you end up not having very solid footing when you pull.
At the same time, Chucks' flat sole puts you closer to the ground, which reduces your ROM (range of motion), therefore making you not have to pull the bar as far off the ground. This might seem like a virtually inconsequential difference, but when you're deadlifting 500-600 pounds or more, even the slightest amount helps. If you've ever wondered why you see really strong guys deadlifting bare foot or in socks, this is why.
Olympic Weight Lifting Shoes
If Chucks are the best gym shoes for powerlifters, then Olympic weight lifting shoes are the best for Olympic lifters. In fact, they're pretty much necessary if you're even remotely serious about your Olympic weight lifting efforts.
This is because first, these shoes have a rubber, non-slip sole that gives you incredibly sure footing. Since your feet come off the ground so often during the Olympic / "quick" lifts, and you're often on platform that might not have much traction, you need a pair of shoes that won't let you slide.
These shoes also have a solid heel that raises the back of your foot by 0.5-1 inch. Elevating your heel more easily lets you get into a fully squatted position with an upright torso, which is needed for getting deeper into the "catch" position of a quick lift.
Cross Trainers
Cross trainers used to be considered the best gym shoes, and still can be for trainees who won't be lifting serious amounts of weight, or are planning on doing fairly athletic workouts overall. In other words, if you're planning on not just lifting, but doing conditioning, plyometrics, calisthenics, or the like as a part of your routine, then cross trainers can still be a good idea.
However, if you're getting to the point that you're lifting significant amounts of weight, Chuck Taylors or Olympic shoes might end up being a better option. If nothing else, you could lift in your flat soled shoes while using your cross trainers for everything else.
"Barefoot" and Minimalist Shoes / Actually Going Barefoot
There are some who consider "barefoot" shoes (such as Vibrams Five Fingers) or minimalist options (such as Nike Frees or New Balance Minimus) the best gym shoes. This is because this is as close as you can get to actually being barefoot while still wearing footwear.
The idea behind these kinds of kicks is to actually give your feet as little support as possible. This not only forces your feet and ankles to get stronger, but can improve biomechanical efficiency, proprioreception, and more. The whole idea is supposed to be a sort of "throwback" to when man didn't have shoes, and even mimicking certain cultures that still don't wear them. When shoes aren't taking the brunt of the abuse, you're forced to use your feet and Legs more efficiently.
If you decide to go this route, go with minimalist shoes before trying out any "barefoot" type options. These can take a long time to get used to and your feet / ankles will require quite the adaptation period so as to not suffer even a minor injury.
You'll also want to seriously limit any activity that sends ballistic shock through your lower body in the beginning. This includes running, jumping, and even Calisthenics. If you don't break your feet / ankles in slowly, you could cause small Stress fractures in the foot, heel, or shin.
If you really want to go all-in with this, you can eventually work yourself to the point that you're actually training barefoot. Just know that in addition to everything above, you'll need to toughen up the bottoms of your feet as there won't be anything there to protect them from small objects you might step on. However, keep in mind, that most commercial gym facilities likely won't let you train in bare feet for liability reasons.
Wrestling Shoes
You don't see many people Working Out in these, but they are actually some of the best gym shoes you can wear. Wrestlers need shoes that give them excellent traction, allow the foot and Ankle to be very flexible, are light, yet still provide quite a bit of support. Really, they're almost sort of a best mix of everything above and something you might want to at least think about trying on.
There really aren't a singular pair of best gym shoes on the market, as it really depends on what type of training you're doing. In some instances, you're going to want sufficient support to keep your feet / ankles stable and healthy. In other instances, you want as little support as possible to strengthen your feet and improve their efficiency. Regardless of what you end up wearing, ease into new choices slowly to let yourself adapt and ensure that your new kicks fit properly.


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Five Strategic Focus Areas
This process took us through four phases of designing a strategic plan that culminates with the launch of the plan in the Spring of 2022.
To develop a responsive plan, we engaged with a variety of teams to listen to feedback, generate ideas, design proposals, and catalyze change.
Steering Team Sessions
√ Steering Team Kickoff Meeting: October 11, 2021
Education Elements will build a shared understanding of the project and intended outcomes, provide clarity to the Steering Team members about their role in this project, and prepare for upcoming stakeholder engagement activities.
√ School Board Update: October 12, 2021
Steering Team Members provide an update to the School Board
√ Steering Team Check-In
√ School Board Work Session: October 26, 2021
Education Elements and Steering Team Members provide an update to the School Board
√ In-person Kickoff and Review of Stakeholder Engagement Feedback: November 15, 2021
Education Elements will lead the Steering Team through a review of the stakeholder engagement data to determine trends + focus areas for further exploration and ideation
√ In-person Visioning Session: November 15, 2021
Education Elements will lead the Steering team through a series of protocols to review the district's current mission, vision, and values to determine if they are aligned to the stakeholder engagement data. If not, we will help the team to modify or recreate them
√ Steering Team Check-In
The strategic planning process is as critical as the actual plan. We strongly believe that the way we engage in creating a strategic plan is as important as what goes into the actual strategic plan. There will be many ways to engage over the next few months and we look forward to your participation in the creation of our next strategic plan.
Focus Groups: October 13 - November 1
√ October 13: Focus Group - Secondary Teachers
√ October 20: Focus Group - PreK through 5 Teachers
√ October 20: Parents, Guardians, and Community Members
√ October 21: Operations Employees
√ October 22: Parents, Guardians, and Community Members
√ October 26: Middle School Students
√ October 26: High School Students
√ October 27: Lower Elementary Students
√ October 27: Spanish Speaking Parents
√ October 27: Elementary & Secondary Staff
√ October 28: Upper Elementary Students
√ November 1: School Administrators
√ Virtual Town Hall: October 28, 2021, at 7:00 PM
Everyone was invited to a Virtual Town Hall on October 28 at 7:00 p.m. to hear about the process to develop a new strategic plan for Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) and engage in conversation to help inform the plan. This process included four phases of designing a strategic plan, culminating in the launch of the new FCCPS strategic plan in the Spring of 2022. This one-hour session included an overview of the process and facilitated small group discussions on experiences within FCCPS. Their participation will help us to identify key instructional priorities, drive practice across our schools, and ensure the representation of all voices within our community.
√ Community Assessment: October 18-29
The Community Assessment Form has closed. We received over 400 comments from community members on the FCCPS Strategic Plan.


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In March, when restaurants shut down their dining rooms and Americans went into lockdown, the interconnectedness of the restaurant supply chain quickly became apparent. The pandemic brought massive disruption, not only to restaurant operators and 15.6 million food service workers in the U.S., but also to farmers and food purveyors; beverage makers, importers, sellers and distributors; janitorial and linen companies; and numerous other support services.
Almost seven months into the pandemic, restaurants — and the network of businesses built around them — still are feeling the effects. According to a survey released in late September by the National Restaurant Association, nearly one in six restaurants is closed, either permanently or long-term, and nearly 3 million employees are out of work.
One sector that hasn't received much attention, yet continues to play a critical support role in the crippled hospitality industry, is communications and public relations.
'Marketing is always the first thing to go'
Atlanta-based Green Olive Media offers branding, communications, design and PR services to hospitality clients in 28 states. Partner Elizabeth Moore recalled how COVID-19 hit her firm swiftly, as restaurant after restaurant called to cut Green Olive loose. "It was one, then another. The hits kept coming," she said.
Revenue for Green Olive is down 60% year to date, compared with the same period in 2019. "I did the math last night. I couldn't sleep," Moore said. She moved the company to a smaller office, laid off an employee, and let go all Green Olive interns, which were paid positions. She hasn't taken a paycheck in months. "I am going to be the last person to get paid."
It's a somber story for other local publicists.
Credit: Heidi Harris
Credit: Heidi Harris
"In January, I was primed to be making the most money I had," said Tori Allen, who provides services to hospitality clients in Atlanta and Buffalo, New York. "I had just signed with the biggest restaurant group in Buffalo. In March, they walked away. It was difficult to go from the high of the highs to the low of the lows," she said.
By April, only two paying clients remained.
Allen understands the reality of her line of work. "Marketing is always the first thing to go," she said of the cost-cutting measures restaurants take when already slim margins become even more razor thin.
Although the majority of Allen's clients no longer could keep her on retainer, she continued to work for many of them for free. "April was a high crisis time for restaurants," she said. "And I needed something to keep me busy. ... It was a lot of crisis communication."
Safety 'isn't sexy, but it's the most important'
After losing numerous restaurant clients in the early days of the pandemic, Melissa Libby opted not to renew the three-year office lease sitting on her desk. She and the team at Melissa Libby & Associates packed up their belongings and began working remotely from home.
Credit: Ed Carter
Credit: Ed Carter
The agency still does not have a physical office, and the staff is down from eight to five. But, the pandemic has provided Libby clarity about what her firm really does. "We are communication strategists," she said.
She also has diversified her client portfolio, so that it isn't as heavily weighted toward the hospitality industry, including picking up work with a valet parking company and a mediation business. "We tried to think of other businesses that we could apply our strengths to," she said. "I thought about our scope, what people value about what we do for them. It's not always about placing a story for the latest cocktail."
Promoting food and beverage menus has taken a backseat to safety, the biggest talking point during the public health crisis. The extent to which a restaurant implements safety protocols has been paramount in fostering trust and consumer confidence. In short: If customers don't feel safe at a restaurant, they aren't going to eat there.
Credit: Brandon Amato
Credit: Brandon Amato
Libby noted that the emphasis on a restaurant's commitment to safety, as part of its communications strategy, has continued long past late April through June, when restaurants began reopening for on-premises dining with restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Now, safety is a key component when getting out the word about restaurants that are debuting during the pandemic, including Libby clients like Boone's at the Bobby Jones Golf Course in Buckhead, Taco Mac in Lawrenceville, Hobnob at Halcyon in Forsyth County, and the Storico Vino wine shop at Buckhead Village.
Credit: Ben Rose
Credit: Ben Rose
"The safety issues — that's not very sexy, but it's the most important information we have to get out," Libby said.
Caren West, whose firm recently handled the launch of highly anticipated restaurant Woodward and Park on Memorial Drive, echoed similar sentiments.
Credit: Courtesy of Mia Yakel
Credit: Courtesy of Mia Yakel
"It's been a very big awakening for me to make sure the clients I work with have similar beliefs that I do," veteran publicist Debbie Rosen said. "I will do anything for people that are all about safety."
During the pandemic, she has parted ways with restaurant clients whose views toward safety were not aligned with her own. "That was a hard reckoning," Rosen said.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Blue Hominy founder Laura Fryer said that one challenge for her, as a publicist, has been helping restaurant and festival clients figure out "what feels right to talk about."
"We don't want to do things that feel tone-deaf," said Fryer, who follows the news cycle and flags relevant stories for clients as they navigate their business through the challenges.
Survival of the creatives
Few sectors of the economy have made more adjustments during the pandemic than restaurants. In the 10-week period between April 2 and June 11, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued five executive orders that outlined the changing parameters in which restaurants could operate. By the time they reopened for on-premises dining, with reconfigured and socially distanced tables and chairs, restaurants already had done plenty of adapting: learning the takeout game, adding a virtual marketplace as a revenue stream, and staying connected with loyal patrons through Zoom wine dinners, cooking classes and other virtual events. It's no different for the PR and marketing folks, many of whom have been behind restaurant innovations in the era of COVID-19.
"The team — the chef, owner, manager, me — we brainstorm everything, to make sure we're tapping into every possible resource," said Rosen, who compared the current scene with her early days working for a large agency in New York, where it was "survival of the fittest" among coworkers.
"The people with the most creative ideas were the most successful," she said.
Cross promotions, using social media, and teaming up with other businesses to share mailing lists are just a few of the ways creatives like Rosen are putting their accumulated knowledge to work these days.
"Everyone is having to amp up their digital (presence)," said Liz Lapidus, who has worked in the PR business for 23 years.
Like other career publicists, Lapidus said lessons from past crises have helped her to weather the storm. "After the last recession, when the mortgage industry tanked, we were heavily invested in development PR. We got annihilated then." That taught her not to have "too many eggs in one basket."
Pre-pandemic, roughly 25% of Lapidus' clients were hotels and restaurants. Now, she has no restaurant accounts, although her firm has been doing ancillary projects, such as working with Second Helping Atlanta on a campaign to reduce food waste, by compiling chef recipes that utilize food scraps.
Credit: Emily Schultz
Credit: Emily Schultz
"Lifestyle and hospitality have always been my focus," said Valerie Failla, a 30-year PR veteran who launched Via Failla with her husband, Garrett Heaberlin, five years ago. Since the pandemic, they have focused their attention on institutions, corporations and mixed-use developments that have a hospitality component, rather than "chasing a mom-and-pop bakery," she said. Among Via Failla clients is Chattahoochee Food Works, a 30-vendor food hall coming to the upper Westside this fall.
Collectively facing the unknown
Just as Atlanta's restaurant scene has grown in the past three decades, so, too, has the female-dominated local hospitality PR pool.
"When I started, it was Melissa Libby and me. That was restaurant PR (in Atlanta)," Lapidus said.
Credit: Tina Rowden
Credit: Tina Rowden
Each woman interviewed is navigating her firm in her own way, but they don't operate in silos. They know one another, and the unprecedented challenges they faced along with their clients have brought some of them together on a personal level.
Every Friday since the start of the pandemic, a handful of longtime hospitality PR agency owners have participated in a conference call, to discuss best practices, the state of restaurants — and how to cope. "This came out of the need for support from others who truly understand," Libby said.
She found it tough not having good answers for clients. "I didn't know what to tell them. A new mandate might change everything I said. It was devastating to not be able to help, or, to help for a short time and start over again. I felt it was my role to be optimistic, but it was so hard."
These professionals know the future is full of unknowns.
Allen wonders whether she will have a single account, come January. Moore is mentally taxed by the efforts it takes to keep her firm afloat, while helping hospitality clients do the same. "I try to stay as upbeat as possible when my world is crumbling as much as theirs," she said.
But, they all are determined to persevere.
"We're in it for the long haul," Libby said.
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
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Apple Cider - 3 & 5 Litre (Bag-in-Box)
Made from Ontario Apples. Enjoy a refreshing glass of chilled cider or heat it up on the cold winter nights. Hot or cold, you will enjoy a fresh tasting 100 % natural apple cider.
Once open the cider has a 3 month shelf life without refrigeration.
Ingredients: apples


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AstroRx Given at Higher Dose Still Safely Slowing ALS Progression, Trial Reports
A single infusion of AstroRx, an off-the-shelf, investigational cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), safely and significantly slows disease progression in the first three months following treatment, according to updated data from an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial.
These benefits waned after six months, indicating that repeat dosing may be needed to prolong AstroRx's effectiveness.
"The results after 6 months of follow up are encouraging, as they suggest a clinically meaningful signal of effect for a period of 3 months by a single administration of AstroRx and confirm the safety of AstroRx," Marc Gotkine, MD, head of the ALS Clinic at the Department of Neurology at Hadassah Medical Center in Israel, and the trial's principal investigator, said in a press release.
"These results support a further, randomized-controlled, clinical trial with repeated doses of AstroRx in patients with ALS, in order to prolong the clinical effect observed by a single dose," Gotkine added.
AstroRx, being developed by Kadimastem, is made up of astrocytes, star-shaped nerve cells that are needed to maintain a healthy brain environment. In people with ALS, these cells don't work as they should, and are thought to contribute to disease progression.
The healthy astrocytes that make up AstroRx are derived from human embryonic stem cells. They are expected to make up for the lack of functional astrocytes in ALS patients and prevent disease worsening once injected into their spinal canal.
A Phase 1/2 trial (NCT03482050), ongoing in Israel, is investigating the safety and preliminary efficacy of increasing doses of AstroRx in adults, ages 18–70, with early stage ALS.
In addition to treatment safety and tolerability, the study is assessing AstroRx's effectiveness at slowing disease progression, as well as its effects on muscle strength and quality of life.
Measures of disease worsening are based on changes on the ALS Functional Rating Scale revised (ALSFRS-R), a scale that evaluates patients' ability to perform daily tasks and is considered the gold standard for such assessments.
Previous data from the first five patients included in the trial (group A), all of whom received a single infusion of 100 million cells, showed that AstroRx slows the rate of disease worsening over the first three to four months following dosing.
More recently, the company announced data from a second group of five patients who received a single infusion of AstroRx at a dose of 250 million cells (group B). In this group, the treatment also lowered the rate of ALS progression over the first few months after treatment, based on changes in the decline of participants' ALSFRS-R scores.
In the three to four months leading up to treatment, their ALSFRS-R scores were dropping at a rate of 1.43 points per month, the company reported. This reduction shifted to a drop of 0.78 points per month in the three months following the therapy's administration, corresponding to a reduction of 45% in the rate of disease worsening.
New data from this second group of patients showed that their ALSFRS-R decline after six months was similar to the decline observed before treatment, suggesting that repeated dosing may be needed to prolong the therapy's beneficial effects.
These findings are in agreement with those seen in group A patients, whose ALSFRS-R scores also returned to values identical to those obtained before treatment within roughly the same period of time (five to six months post-dosing).
AstroRx was found to be safe, with no serious side effects and no dose-limiting toxicities in the six months following its use in group B patients. This group's favorable safety profile was consistent with that seen earlier in group A.
"The 6-month follow up data demonstrates the safety of AstroRx as a treatment for ALS. The results also support the strategy of a repeated administration of the AstroRx cells using the intrathecal [spinal canal] route. As such, we are planning to continue with this strategy during the next phase of the clinical development program," said Michel Revel, MD, PhD, founder and chief scientific officer of Kadimastem.


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While in Washington, Valentine accepted a position as field surgeon in the U.S. Cavalry with General George Crook. Crook's objective as commander of the Department of the Platte was to bring renegade bands of the Lakota under control. The McGillycuddys headed west in early 1876, with Fanny returning to Detroit to await her husband's return, while he continued on by rail to Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. At Fort Laramie the Doctor joined Crook's unit, where he met two more famed westerners – scouts Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok.
McGillycuddy's service in the field as Crook's surgeon took him into the Battle of the Rosebud, the Battle of Slim Buttes, and the infamous "horse meat" forced march to the Black Hills. Much of the hostilities directed at Crook's troops during this period following Custer' defeat and death at the Little Bighorn battle were led by Chief Crazy Horse.
After his 1876 journey with Crook, the Doctor took an assignment as assistant post surgeon at Camp Robinson, Nebraska. He brought Fanny to the Camp in the spring of 1877, and settled into his work treating the post's soldiers and members of the Lakota bands at the adjacent Red Cloud Agency.
It has been written that Crazy Horse's life is largely a mystery until he brought his band to the agency in May of 1877. He spent most of his days avoiding contact with whites, refusing to allow his photograph to be taken and consenting to only one interview shortly before he was killed. It is reported that the Sioux leader developed only one friendship through mutual respect with a white man. McGillycuddy was called on to treat Crazy Horse's wife, Black Shawl, for tuberculosis. The Oglala chief allowed the white doctor to treat his wife and, through an interpreter, held long conversations with the Doctor.
In response to fears by the cavalry and rival bands of Lakota that he was about to take his people back to their lands, Crazy Horse was tricked into surrendering at the Camp in September of 1877 where, during a struggle, a guard fatally wounded him with a bayonet. Although he couldn't prevent the fatal stabbing, McGillycuddy administered morphine to the dying man. It was Valentine who stayed by his side, tended his wounds, sat with the family through the long night, and ensured that Crazy Horse was allowed to die with dignity. The Sioux thereafter referred to McGillycuddy as "Tasunka Witko Kola" (Crazy Horse's friend).
McGillycuddy later wrote the following of the life and death of Crazy Horse:
"From my observation of his leadership and tactics employed in these two battles and from the close association and friendship established between us after his surrender at Ft. Robinson early in May, 1877, I could not but regard him as the greatest leader of his people in modern times. He was but thirty-six. In him everything was made secondary to patriotism and love of his people. Modest, fearless, a mystic, a believer in destiny, and much of a recluse, he was held in veneration and admiration by the youngest warriors, who would follow him anywhere."
"His death was one of the most pitiable and I may say inexcusable of the many I had to witness in my long career on the old frontier and brought back to me my friend Mark Twain's comment on the landing of our Pilgrim Fathers, 'They were a good God fearing people and when they landed that day at Plymouth Rock from off the Mayflower, they fell upon their knees and thanked Almighty God, for the many blessings he had vouchsafed them that day, in enabling them to reach a land of liberty and free thought. Later on, they fell upon the aborigines.'"


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address to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, touching on several subjects, from minimum wage to education funding. But he put a special emphasis on gun control legislation and funding for prevention programs.
In his address, Wolf urged the legislature to pass stronger gun control laws, including comprehensive background checks for gun purchases, red flag laws (which allow for the removal of guns from a person who poses a risk to themselves or others), making it a requirement for owners to report a lost or stolen gun, and to ban ghost guns (partially built guns sold without a serial number). He also urged new gun-storage requirements to prevent accidental shootings, school shootings, and suicides.
Last year, Wolf signed a bi-partisan gun-control law that requires convicted domestic abusers to turn in their firearms. But Wolf has consistently advocated for more and stricter efforts to curb gun violence, though many of those efforts have been stymied by state Republicans.
In his budget plan, Wolf proposed setting aside $6 million for gun violence prevention programs with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and another $4 million for the Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force.
In his speech, Wolf highlighted stories of gun violence in Pennsylvania, including gang violence, mass shootings, and suicide.
"I understand that unimaginable tragedy is part of life. But when it comes to gun violence, we have gotten to a point where these kinds of tragedies are no longer unimaginable at all," said Wolf, adding that Americans have gotten used to byproducts of gun violence like bulletproof backpacks and lockdown drills. "And, unfortunately, we have also gotten used to hearing politicians offer their thoughts and prayers and little else."
In October 2019, gun-control advocacy group Everytown released a compilation of data showing that gun deaths in Pennsylvania increased 18% from 2007-2017 (it increased 17% nationwide over the same period). The data also showed that 63% of gun deaths are suicides (compared to 61% nationwide). In Pennsylvania, Black people are 18 times as likely as white people to die from a gun homicide (compared to 10 times as likely nationwide).
Wolf pleaded with members of the assembly and responsible gun owners to consider the dangers of not passing legislation. "Can you honestly say that you don't believe there's any way to protect both your family and the Constitution?... Can you look at your family and honestly say that you wouldn't do anything, pay any price, to protect them?"
Wolf's address also included a proposed minimum wage increase to $12, with a gradual increase to $15, providing $405 million to public schools, and encouraged a statewide non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people.


text: I produced a music video for Sarah Siskind last weekend, for a song called 'Yellow & Blue' from her upcoming album, 'Novel.' The video's coming soon, in conjunction with the album. I was such a fan of the last record, 'Say It Louder,' and this one is equally amazing–the usual selection of heavy, but beautiful and moving songs, all written and performed by Sarah, with assorted harmonies by the usual A-list guests. I tried to find some images to match the sound. Huge thanks to Xenia Owens, for the pics and all the help with the shoot, and to Jess Crawford and Paul Alley at Anthropologie for letting me borrow their amazing paper flowers.


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It's not just that they shoved the Keystone XL bill through as fast as possible. It's not that they voted, once again, to strip millions of Americans of their health care, knowing it wouldn't pass Obama's veto but wanting to send a "message" that, well, that they don't give a damn about you or your kids, and don't care who knows it.
Everyone saw that sh-t-storm coming a mile away. The GOP agenda is nothing if not openly spiteful and shamelessly hostile toward anything that is not white, wealthy and male.
The current mood is far more sinister – and yet somehow also more infantile – than that. Can you feel it? That sour wind of mistrust, suspicion, cultural poison? It's difficult to miss:
Women shoved out of power positions
As the NYT points out, when Democrats controlled the Senate, there were a record nine women chairing various powerful committees. There are now two.
Ironically, while there are now a record number of women in congress (over 100 for the first time in history), more than two-thirds of them are, naturally, Democrats. Women are a bizarre fit in the GOP for all sorts of obvious reasons, but having them in positions of real committee power? Well, that's clearly a man's job, honey. These committees make big, important decisions. Sure women are nice to look at and some are even sort of smart and helpful, but when it comes to real authority, they really should quiet down so the men can hear themselves hiss.
Less than two years until the backlash, John. How much damage can you do?
No seriously; They still detest women
This how close it was: Republicans in the House were, just recently, about to again pass the same hateful, 20-week abortion ban that they passed last year (blocked by the Senate). This time, of course, it would surely sail through the House and the Senate, thus setting up Obama with a perfect chance to publicly veto the GOP's hatred of women, one more time.
But the GOP's weird, tiny female contingent – just barely big enough to cause a stir – revolted, and killed the vote. Why? But because the bill's rape restrictions were actually too narrow. Isn't that amazing? When even the anti-choice females decry their own party's views on abortion and rape, you know your ongoing War on Women still might need a little softening. But only a little.
Still the party of stupid
Tacit (initial) support for anti-vaxxers, science deniers, "man can't affect the climate," defunding Planned Parenthood, open carry nutballs, creationists, Ted Cruz sticking his hand out a window and declaring climate change is a hoax because it's snowing outside.
You thought the GOP's shocking dumbness was bad under Bush? It's even worse now. The party of dumb, now rife with Tea Party simpletons, has never met a frothy piece of fringe idiocy it didn't have to support, all in an effort to appease the un-educated, Fox News-loving conservative base. Problem is, some of that base has now infiltrated Congress itself. There they are now, off in the corner of congress, huffing glue and plotting whose tires to slash next.
Smart Republicans don't have a prayer
Let's be fair: it's very possible, as Michael Tomasky points out in the Salon article linked above, that the Right could actually have, among its Obama-hating/nose-picking ranks, a rather brilliant politician, deft and sensible, someone with a (relatively) articulate grasp of the issues, who respects science, supports immigration reform, understands the disastrous effects of trying to overturn Obamacare but who still brings smart, reasonable, fiscally conservative ideas to the table.
This man (certainly not a woman, natch) will, of course, never be seen in public.
Why? Same reason as above. Because any sign of moderation, of insufficiently hating Obama, of intellectual complexity or foreign policy awareness are instantly swallowed by the gaping maw of dumb. It's encoded into the party's modern DNA.; real smarts are simply not allowed.
Two words: Koch tyranny
What's not to despise about the most vicious, flatulent elephants in the room, the super-rich .000001% who wish to destroy nearly every balanced, fair, sustainable, successful, progressive American idea you can name, including many from the Republican party itself?
This is no exaggeration. Charles and David Koch have amassed nearly a billion dollars for the sole purpose of buying the 2016 election. It's unprecedented in American history, and it doesn't give a crap for Democratic or Republican ideas. It's the party of Koch, and screw you if you don't agree.
Result: The GOP will have no choice but to tilt bitterly libertarian (read: anti-union, anti-EPA, anti-Medicaid, anti-minimum wage, anti-environment, anti-regulation, pro-oil, pro-coal, pro-Tea Party and to hell with the poor and the working classes too) if they want some of that filthy bullion.
Biggest irony of all? Average Republican voters think the Kochs are on their side. Oh, silly ones. Rest assured, everyday conservatives: The Kochs hate you, too. They are equal opportunity despots.
The disgraceful Supreme Court
Back in 2008, I was quite convinced – and so far, proven completely wrong about – the fact that Obama, over two terms, would almost certainly have a golden opportunity to reshape the Supreme Court, just enough to tilt the balance of power away from foul, pro-corporate Roberts/Scalia dogma, toward something at least moderately progressive and inclusive.
It hasn't happened yet, and time is short (Supreme Court justices, apparently, live to 1000 and never retire). Heaven forefend if a Koch-suckled Republican wins the White House, and shoves the court not merely further to the right, but invites more shame. Citizens United, Hobby Lobby et al could be just the beginning.
Your lack of success is your fault
Behold, the most notorious lie in all of GOP-land. I see it in my in-box, I see it on my public Facebook page, see it in the beady, ruthless eyes of David Koch. Want college, health care, opportunity? Want basic education, sustenance, child care, fundamental help or benefits of any kind? Work for it! Pull yourself up! No welfare state! No coddling! No handouts! This is America! Do it yourself, welfare hippie slacker!
It's such a crock.
Here's the cruelest irony of all: No white American male (or anyone, for that matter) has ever made it to "the top" on his/her own. There is no such thing as the "self-made man." No matter his background, abuse quotient, poverty level, and so on, white males succeed in America exactly because the system is overwhelmingly designed to support, encourage and even coddle them, every step of the way. It's not always easy, and they might work very hard indeed. But their path simply could not be any smoother, more accessible, less fraught with obstacle.
Deny it at your peril: No white male was ever blocked at the door, prevented from signing up, beaten back, forced into joining a gang, arrested or shot dead in the streets simply for being the wrong race, sexually assaulted or raped at a fraternity party, told they were too stupid/too weak/too "emotional" to lead, publicly shamed, threatened, viciously trolled, overlooked for promotion or paid less for the same work as someone of the opposite gender, shunned by his family and/or electroshocked over his sexual preferences, and on and on and on.
Get the picture? "Self-made" is bulls–t. I know it myself: I've worked extraordinarily hard in my life to reach the success I have in both my careers, too, but I also fully recognize that I've had nearly every advantage available in the culture, from good parenting to supportive schools, community, financial assistance, health care, encouragement from all corners. I was blessed beyond belief – "winning the genetics lottery," as they say – and I know it. This is why you never hear anyone but wealthy white Republicans saying it's up to the individual to work hard and pay his own way. Sure thing, honey. Tell it to the rest of human existence.
Oh dear, I'm out of space. And there's at least a dozen more examples, with more coming every day. I'll have to save them for another column. Good thing there's no shortage.
Read more here:: Seven truly awful things about the current Republican leadership


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From below to above... After last week's collection looking at things under the surface, this week we cast our eyes heavenward to some glorious shots of the sky above. Opening our collection this week is an amazing shot of an 'F22 Raptor breaking the sound barrier' from photographer Mike Gilroy. What a spectacular capture of something that is usually heard but not seen Mike, congratulations to you and to all the other photographers featured in this week's Picks!
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