text:
This year, we saw the rapid rise and fall of controversial singers (Lana Del Rey), excellent releases from veteran rockers (Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen) and the revival of R&B (The Weeknd, Frank Ocean). But of all the exciting albums in 2012 the 10 below were my favourites, based both on artistic merit and complete emotional bias.
Unlike the electronic weirdoes' last two beloved records, there is no chance your mom will like a single track on this album. Filled with stuttering bleeps, sporadic shrieks from frontman Noah Lennox (a.k.a. Panda Bear) and heaps of droning loops, it is a challenging release. But, given enough time and attention, songs like "Applesauce" and "Father Time" begin to morph into (something resembling) pop music.
In the insular music media world, the rise of this Montreal synth-pop powerhouse — a.k.a. Claire Boucher — dominated the first half of the year. Appearing like a manic pixie apparition out of nowhere, her impossibly high-pitched vocals, damn catchy beats and brilliantly calculated image as half wide-eyed innocent, half astute tastemaker, landed her in the pages of Vogue, Rolling Stone, The New York Times. The best part: Visions lived up to the hype.
I describe this record to anyone who will listen (i.e. my mom) as the perfect soundtrack for driving the Sea to Sky highway. Gentle, almost fluid guitar is given equal placing to Zachary Cole Smith's quiet, droning vocals to create a dream-pop album with a punk undercurrent.
If you haven't heard this record — which melds synth-pop with calypso and reggae — don't bother until spring thaw. Though lyrics take on topics of heartbreak, musically, it's better suited for sunny day lounging. Staring out the window, watching snowmaggedon wreak havoc while listening to "Real Way" was, by far, the biggest mistake I've made today.
Warning: not for the emotionally fragile. After battling a serious drug addiction, Seattle's Mike Hadreas sequestered himself in his mother's basement to pen this gorgeous, somber album. Taking on topics from prostitution to death to struggling with being openly gay and pairing them with spare piano chords, the songs are not easy listening, but they're worth the effort.
These scrappy Cleveland punks won my heart at Manhattan's Mercury Lounge earlier this year. Aggro bros headbanged aggressively on one side of the stage while a set of skinny boys slammed into each other on the other. Buoyed by unapologetic hooks and melody, the record is equally fit for fans perched in heels or those throwing elbows.
It's a tale as old as SoundCloud: electro-pop duo posts a couple of singles online, earn stamp of approval from tastemaking music publication Pitchfork, sign to venerable label 4AD, and live happily ever after. That's the story, in a nutshell, of Edmonton ex-pats Corin Roddick and Megan James. Only, unlike most Internet fables, theirs stretched out over an entire year. Instead of riding the buzz over their bewitching 2011 singles "Ungirthed" and "Belispeak," the pair took their time labouring over the release — which features James' haunted, honeyed vocals and Roddick's ethereal beats — to create one of the most exciting records of the year.
This was the most universally loved record of 2012 — and for good reason. To start, there's Ocean's voice: epic, sprawling, gorgeous. But more than that, his storytelling is both captivating and original. There are confessionals like "Bad Religion," in which he pours his heart out to a taxi driver about unrequited love, but he also sings about the trappings of an opulent life in "Super Rich Kids" and its opposite, the stronghold of addiction, in "Crack Rock." Musically, the record ping pongs from jazz to dance-pop to love ballad. Six Grammy nods later, there's no disputing this was the year of Frank Ocean.
Anyone who knows me well is snickering. (Stop it, you guys.) I loved this anthemic rock album loudly, fiercely and unconditionally. Maybe it's because the Vancouver guitar-drum duo wrote it for people just like me: sentimental, prone to premature nostalgia with a penchant for wild rock shows. If you're drawn to heaps of guitar fuzz, fist pumps and endless wails of "Whoa oh oh ohs," they wrote it for you too.
This record is the musical equivalent of a bad-on-paper date: describe their qualities and it seems pretty obvious that you should stay away. But you won't and, in this case, it's the right decision. The harmony-heavy Brooklyn band has almost no consistent rhythm, an aversion to choruses and a lead singer whose wonky yelp seems to take on a life of its own. But it's precisely that beautiful chaos that makes it so thrilling.

lowercased:
this year, we saw the rapid rise and fall of controversial singers (lana del rey), excellent releases from veteran rockers (bob dylan, bruce springsteen) and the revival of r&b (the weeknd, frank ocean). but of all the exciting albums in 2012 the 10 below were my favourites, based both on artistic merit and complete emotional bias.
unlike the electronic weirdoes' last two beloved records, there is no chance your mom will like a single track on this album. filled with stuttering bleeps, sporadic shrieks from frontman noah lennox (a.k.a. panda bear) and heaps of droning loops, it is a challenging release. but, given enough time and attention, songs like "applesauce" and "father time" begin to morph into (something resembling) pop music.
in the insular music media world, the rise of this montreal synth-pop powerhouse — a.k.a. claire boucher — dominated the first half of the year. appearing like a manic pixie apparition out of nowhere, her impossibly high-pitched vocals, damn catchy beats and brilliantly calculated image as half wide-eyed innocent, half astute tastemaker, landed her in the pages of vogue, rolling stone, the new york times. the best part: visions lived up to the hype.
i describe this record to anyone who will listen (i.e. my mom) as the perfect soundtrack for driving the sea to sky highway. gentle, almost fluid guitar is given equal placing to zachary cole smith's quiet, droning vocals to create a dream-pop album with a punk undercurrent.
if you haven't heard this record — which melds synth-pop with calypso and reggae — don't bother until spring thaw. though lyrics take on topics of heartbreak, musically, it's better suited for sunny day lounging. staring out the window, watching snowmaggedon wreak havoc while listening to "real way" was, by far, the biggest mistake i've made today.
warning: not for the emotionally fragile. after battling a serious drug addiction, seattle's mike hadreas sequestered himself in his mother's basement to pen this gorgeous, somber album. taking on topics from prostitution to death to struggling with being openly gay and pairing them with spare piano chords, the songs are not easy listening, but they're worth the effort.
these scrappy cleveland punks won my heart at manhattan's mercury lounge earlier this year. aggro bros headbanged aggressively on one side of the stage while a set of skinny boys slammed into each other on the other. buoyed by unapologetic hooks and melody, the record is equally fit for fans perched in heels or those throwing elbows.
it's a tale as old as soundcloud: electro-pop duo posts a couple of singles online, earn stamp of approval from tastemaking music publication pitchfork, sign to venerable label 4ad, and live happily ever after. that's the story, in a nutshell, of edmonton ex-pats corin roddick and megan james. only, unlike most internet fables, theirs stretched out over an entire year. instead of riding the buzz over their bewitching 2011 singles "ungirthed" and "belispeak," the pair took their time labouring over the release — which features james' haunted, honeyed vocals and roddick's ethereal beats — to create one of the most exciting records of the year.
this was the most universally loved record of 2012 — and for good reason. to start, there's ocean's voice: epic, sprawling, gorgeous. but more than that, his storytelling is both captivating and original. there are confessionals like "bad religion," in which he pours his heart out to a taxi driver about unrequited love, but he also sings about the trappings of an opulent life in "super rich kids" and its opposite, the stronghold of addiction, in "crack rock." musically, the record ping pongs from jazz to dance-pop to love ballad. six grammy nods later, there's no disputing this was the year of frank ocean.
anyone who knows me well is snickering. (stop it, you guys.) i loved this anthemic rock album loudly, fiercely and unconditionally. maybe it's because the vancouver guitar-drum duo wrote it for people just like me: sentimental, prone to premature nostalgia with a penchant for wild rock shows. if you're drawn to heaps of guitar fuzz, fist pumps and endless wails of "whoa oh oh ohs," they wrote it for you too.
this record is the musical equivalent of a bad-on-paper date: describe their qualities and it seems pretty obvious that you should stay away. but you won't and, in this case, it's the right decision. the harmony-heavy brooklyn band has almost no consistent rhythm, an aversion to choruses and a lead singer whose wonky yelp seems to take on a life of its own. but it's precisely that beautiful chaos that makes it so thrilling.


text:
ZOOKEEPER MOVIE CLIP "LOOK LIKE A HERO"
ZOOKEEPER MOVIE CLIP "THIS IS VENOM"
ZOOKEEPER MOVIE CLIP "FLY THE HIGHEST"
ZOOKEEPER MOVIE CLIP "64 MEAT LOVERS PIZZAS"
ZOOKEEPER MOVIE CLIP "ANIMAL MEETING WITH VOICEOVER STARS"
SYNOPSIS: The animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes. Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship - animal style.

lowercased:
zookeeper movie clip "look like a hero"
zookeeper movie clip "this is venom"
zookeeper movie clip "fly the highest"
zookeeper movie clip "64 meat lovers pizzas"
zookeeper movie clip "animal meeting with voiceover stars"
synopsis: the animals at the franklin park zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, griffin keyes. finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. the animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! to keep griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship - animal style.


text:
My good friend, Jean Fischer, gives a primer on Pinterest. She's even got me interested, and you know how resistant I am to adding more social media to my plate!
Writers: Have you tried Pinterest? Please share your experience.
Readers: What kinds of Pinterest boards attract your attention?
Susan, thanks for the link. I've been using Pinterest for several months, and I find it a great tool for organizing information. They now offer two locked boards where you can store information privately.
Hi Hilary - Hmm, I'll have to check out that aspect before I dive in.
Hi Jean - You're welcome. Can you comment on Hilary's concern?
Hi Rhonda - I'm trying to snip away the excess, and here I am thinking about Pinterest!
Hi Karen - One of my friends recently received an iPad for her birthday. The first thing she showed me was her Pinterest board.
Hi, Susan... I've attached a link that addresses some of the copyright issues. When a person pins something onto their boards, Pinterest automatically links the pin to its source. There have been questions floating around since Pinterest's beginning about copyright law, but so far, none of its almost 12 million users have been sued, and the general consensus is that copyright falls under "fair use". Also, websites can block their content from being pinned. I think a problem would arise if you presented the pinned content as your own creation.
I've been avoiding Pinterest, Twitter, Smart Phones and all the other stuff that might take me hostage. I sure hear good things about it, though.
Wishing you & yours a blessed & joy-filled Christmas, Susan.
That was great advice from Jean. I think that if I ever wanted to do Pinterist,that I could follow her directions. It might even be fun.

lowercased:
my good friend, jean fischer, gives a primer on pinterest. she's even got me interested, and you know how resistant i am to adding more social media to my plate!
writers: have you tried pinterest? please share your experience.
readers: what kinds of pinterest boards attract your attention?
susan, thanks for the link. i've been using pinterest for several months, and i find it a great tool for organizing information. they now offer two locked boards where you can store information privately.
hi hilary - hmm, i'll have to check out that aspect before i dive in.
hi jean - you're welcome. can you comment on hilary's concern?
hi rhonda - i'm trying to snip away the excess, and here i am thinking about pinterest!
hi karen - one of my friends recently received an ipad for her birthday. the first thing she showed me was her pinterest board.
hi, susan... i've attached a link that addresses some of the copyright issues. when a person pins something onto their boards, pinterest automatically links the pin to its source. there have been questions floating around since pinterest's beginning about copyright law, but so far, none of its almost 12 million users have been sued, and the general consensus is that copyright falls under "fair use". also, websites can block their content from being pinned. i think a problem would arise if you presented the pinned content as your own creation.
i've been avoiding pinterest, twitter, smart phones and all the other stuff that might take me hostage. i sure hear good things about it, though.
wishing you & yours a blessed & joy-filled christmas, susan.
that was great advice from jean. i think that if i ever wanted to do pinterist,that i could follow her directions. it might even be fun.


text:
Should I get a giraffe shirt or an elephant shirt?
I have to return a gift to Modcloth and have some big decisions ahead of me. Namely, giraffes or elephants?
The giraffes have funny cartoon faces!
Such elephants. Wow. I like how I can satisfy my urges to wear creatures on my clothing with a quick internet trip to Modcloth.

lowercased:
should i get a giraffe shirt or an elephant shirt?
i have to return a gift to modcloth and have some big decisions ahead of me. namely, giraffes or elephants?
the giraffes have funny cartoon faces!
such elephants. wow. i like how i can satisfy my urges to wear creatures on my clothing with a quick internet trip to modcloth.


text:
Archives|Mirror, Mirror, Who Is the Unfairest?
Mirror, Mirror, Who Is the Unfairest?
ROOTING out conflicts of interest on Wall Street has become a full-time job for securities regulators in recent years. Thankfully, some long-needed changes have been made to research and sales practices at brokerage firms, banks and mutual fund companies.
But one conflict lives brazenly on, safe from even the most assiduous reform efforts. That enduring unfairness is related to, of all things, the fairness opinion.
Fairness opinions are produced by Wall Street banks and are intended to assure the directors of companies involved in a merger, acquisition or other deal that its terms are fair to shareholders.
But the opinions can be problematic. That's because the bank affirming the fairness of the transaction is often the same one that proposed the deal -- and that stands to reap millions in fees if it goes through. When J.P. Morgan Chase paid $58 billion to acquire Bank One last July, the fairness opinion was supplied by -- who else? -- J.P. Morgan Chase.
However laughable they may be, fairness opinions continue to be used to justify transactions and to provide legal cover for directors fearful of being sued if a deal goes bad.
At least some regulators are beginning to awaken to the conflicts that fairness opinions pose. The NASD has asked its members and the public for comments on the practices surrounding the opinions and may propose new rules related to their use.
In Massachusetts, William F. Galvin, the secretary of the commonwealth, is investigating the fairness opinions supplied by Goldman Sachs and UBS, the two investment banks advising Gillette, which is the subject of a $57 billion offer from Procter & Gamble. Merrill Lynch provided the fairness opinion to Procter.
Mr. Galvin said he had subpoenaed documents relating to these fairness opinions out of concern that the deal might not be, well, fair to Gillette shareholders. "For us here in Massachusetts, this is a very big deal because many of the shareholders are residents," he said. "The fairness of the valuation is at issue. In the proxy statement, Goldman was credited with bringing the deal together. When one of the fairness opinion providers brought the deal together, how objective could their opinion be?"
A spokesman for Goldman Sachs declined to comment. UBS's spokesman said, "We are confident in the advisory services provided to our client."
As a part of his investigation, Mr. Galvin asked Rajesh K. Aggarwal, a professor at the University of Virginia who specializes in corporate governance and executive pay, to analyze the fairness opinions.
Professor Aggarwal wrote in his study that the opinions were reasonable and valid but that there were "substantial discrepancies" between the public and private statements the companies have made estimating the merger's value.
For example, the companies' public projections on the revenue and cost "synergies" they expected to achieve as a result of the merger were about $14 billion to $16 billion. But internal company documents, Professor Aggarwal said, put the estimates at $22.1 billion to $28.1 billion.
In addition, he said, there seemed to be errors in the way the merger's value synergies were calculated -- mistakes that underestimate the value of the deal. He concluded that by underestimating the value of the synergies, the deal would be more beneficial to Procter & Gamble shareholders than to Gillette's owners.
Eric Kraus, a Gillette spokesman, said the company had no comment on Professor Aggarwal's analysis. "Virtually no financial expert thinks the deal is anything but excellent for Gillette shareholders," Mr. Kraus said, adding that Gillette was cooperating with Mr. Galvin's inquiry.
Procter & Gamble said it believed that the opinion provided by Merrill Lynch was fair.
Shareholders of both companies will have the last word. They are scheduled to vote on the merger in June.
Speaking generally, Professor Aggarwal said: "There's a sense that whatever the two parties agree to must be fair. But management has no interest whatsoever in having independent third parties looking at the details of any transactions, and boards historically weren't going to question the judgment of management. So the issue here is the one party that doesn't participate in the negotiations -- the shareholders."
But shining the spotlight on fairness opinions, as Mr. Galvin has done, is indeed a public service.
And surely, in a time when corporate directors are being held increasingly accountable for their actions, they ought to be concerned about the conflicts that make many fairness opinions so dubious.
"I think we're going to see more boards hiring independent parties to evaluate transactions, to evaluate the performance of management and to evaluate compensation contracts," Professor Aggarwal said. "I think that if one of the high-profile deals that are in process now were to blow up because it looked like the board didn't do enough investigation on behalf of shareholders, you would absolutely see a lot more use of third parties to make sure the deal is good for shareholders."
When it comes to hiring firms that can conduct truly independent reviews of deals, directors have had few choices.
But a new firm, set up by two experienced Wall Street bankers, hopes to change that.
The firm, Pirie, Goldsmith & Associates of New York, offers independent fairness opinions on mergers and acquisitions, as well as on asset sales, executive compensation and other issues, said Robert S. Pirie, a former partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and, from 1987 to 1992, the chairman of Rothschild Inc., an investment firm. "To be able to look the lawyers in the eye and say, 'We hired someone who had nothing to do with the deal, who looked at it and said in their opinion it's fair,' if I were a director I'd be very happy to have that," Mr. Pirie said.
Gerald Goldsmith, a former top executive at Rothschild, is the firm's other founder; its advisory board members are Paul W. MacAvoy, professor of economics at Yale, and Peter Scanlon, former chairman of Coopers & Lybrand.
While the established Wall Street firms may snicker at the creation of such a firm, Paul A. Volcker, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, applauded the idea of an organization devoted to the issuance of unbiased fairness opinions. "If there was ever going to be a market for this kind of thing it will be now," he said. "It strikes me that it would be very valuable. A lot of mergers are promoted for the benefit of those involved."
And all too often, shareholders are the last on that list.

lowercased:
archives|mirror, mirror, who is the unfairest?
mirror, mirror, who is the unfairest?
rooting out conflicts of interest on wall street has become a full-time job for securities regulators in recent years. thankfully, some long-needed changes have been made to research and sales practices at brokerage firms, banks and mutual fund companies.
but one conflict lives brazenly on, safe from even the most assiduous reform efforts. that enduring unfairness is related to, of all things, the fairness opinion.
fairness opinions are produced by wall street banks and are intended to assure the directors of companies involved in a merger, acquisition or other deal that its terms are fair to shareholders.
but the opinions can be problematic. that's because the bank affirming the fairness of the transaction is often the same one that proposed the deal -- and that stands to reap millions in fees if it goes through. when j.p. morgan chase paid $58 billion to acquire bank one last july, the fairness opinion was supplied by -- who else? -- j.p. morgan chase.
however laughable they may be, fairness opinions continue to be used to justify transactions and to provide legal cover for directors fearful of being sued if a deal goes bad.
at least some regulators are beginning to awaken to the conflicts that fairness opinions pose. the nasd has asked its members and the public for comments on the practices surrounding the opinions and may propose new rules related to their use.
in massachusetts, william f. galvin, the secretary of the commonwealth, is investigating the fairness opinions supplied by goldman sachs and ubs, the two investment banks advising gillette, which is the subject of a $57 billion offer from procter & gamble. merrill lynch provided the fairness opinion to procter.
mr. galvin said he had subpoenaed documents relating to these fairness opinions out of concern that the deal might not be, well, fair to gillette shareholders. "for us here in massachusetts, this is a very big deal because many of the shareholders are residents," he said. "the fairness of the valuation is at issue. in the proxy statement, goldman was credited with bringing the deal together. when one of the fairness opinion providers brought the deal together, how objective could their opinion be?"
a spokesman for goldman sachs declined to comment. ubs's spokesman said, "we are confident in the advisory services provided to our client."
as a part of his investigation, mr. galvin asked rajesh k. aggarwal, a professor at the university of virginia who specializes in corporate governance and executive pay, to analyze the fairness opinions.
professor aggarwal wrote in his study that the opinions were reasonable and valid but that there were "substantial discrepancies" between the public and private statements the companies have made estimating the merger's value.
for example, the companies' public projections on the revenue and cost "synergies" they expected to achieve as a result of the merger were about $14 billion to $16 billion. but internal company documents, professor aggarwal said, put the estimates at $22.1 billion to $28.1 billion.
in addition, he said, there seemed to be errors in the way the merger's value synergies were calculated -- mistakes that underestimate the value of the deal. he concluded that by underestimating the value of the synergies, the deal would be more beneficial to procter & gamble shareholders than to gillette's owners.
eric kraus, a gillette spokesman, said the company had no comment on professor aggarwal's analysis. "virtually no financial expert thinks the deal is anything but excellent for gillette shareholders," mr. kraus said, adding that gillette was cooperating with mr. galvin's inquiry.
procter & gamble said it believed that the opinion provided by merrill lynch was fair.
shareholders of both companies will have the last word. they are scheduled to vote on the merger in june.
speaking generally, professor aggarwal said: "there's a sense that whatever the two parties agree to must be fair. but management has no interest whatsoever in having independent third parties looking at the details of any transactions, and boards historically weren't going to question the judgment of management. so the issue here is the one party that doesn't participate in the negotiations -- the shareholders."
but shining the spotlight on fairness opinions, as mr. galvin has done, is indeed a public service.
and surely, in a time when corporate directors are being held increasingly accountable for their actions, they ought to be concerned about the conflicts that make many fairness opinions so dubious.
"i think we're going to see more boards hiring independent parties to evaluate transactions, to evaluate the performance of management and to evaluate compensation contracts," professor aggarwal said. "i think that if one of the high-profile deals that are in process now were to blow up because it looked like the board didn't do enough investigation on behalf of shareholders, you would absolutely see a lot more use of third parties to make sure the deal is good for shareholders."
when it comes to hiring firms that can conduct truly independent reviews of deals, directors have had few choices.
but a new firm, set up by two experienced wall street bankers, hopes to change that.
the firm, pirie, goldsmith & associates of new york, offers independent fairness opinions on mergers and acquisitions, as well as on asset sales, executive compensation and other issues, said robert s. pirie, a former partner at skadden, arps, slate, meagher & flom and, from 1987 to 1992, the chairman of rothschild inc., an investment firm. "to be able to look the lawyers in the eye and say, 'we hired someone who had nothing to do with the deal, who looked at it and said in their opinion it's fair,' if i were a director i'd be very happy to have that," mr. pirie said.
gerald goldsmith, a former top executive at rothschild, is the firm's other founder; its advisory board members are paul w. macavoy, professor of economics at yale, and peter scanlon, former chairman of coopers & lybrand.
while the established wall street firms may snicker at the creation of such a firm, paul a. volcker, the former chairman of the federal reserve, applauded the idea of an organization devoted to the issuance of unbiased fairness opinions. "if there was ever going to be a market for this kind of thing it will be now," he said. "it strikes me that it would be very valuable. a lot of mergers are promoted for the benefit of those involved."
and all too often, shareholders are the last on that list.


text:
CURRENTLY WORKING BETTER THAN EVER.
total of $610,470.00 in 21 weeks, with money still coming in."
walaa ..... 3 weeks later the money started to come in.
READ IT AGAIN and AGAIN!!!
them on your computer and resell them. YOUR TOTAL COST $5 X 5=$25.00.
will not work for you.
NO MATTER HOW YOU CALCULATE IT, YOU WILL STILL MAKE A LOT OF MONEY !
they can not advertise until they receivethe report.
did not, continue advertising or sending e-mails until you do.
AND START THE WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN.
be on every one of them.
on me! Within 3 weeks she had received 50 responses.
all cash! I was shocked. I have joined Jody in her ''hobby''.
isn't a better investment with a faster return and so big."
my first try and all the money came within 22 weeks."
To be opt out please email [log in to unmask] with the word "remove" in the subject line.

lowercased:
currently working better than ever.
total of $610,470.00 in 21 weeks, with money still coming in."
walaa ..... 3 weeks later the money started to come in.
read it again and again!!!
them on your computer and resell them. your total cost $5 x 5=$25.00.
will not work for you.
no matter how you calculate it, you will still make a lot of money !
they can not advertise until they receivethe report.
did not, continue advertising or sending e-mails until you do.
and start the whole process again.
be on every one of them.
on me! within 3 weeks she had received 50 responses.
all cash! i was shocked. i have joined jody in her ''hobby''.
isn't a better investment with a faster return and so big."
my first try and all the money came within 22 weeks."
to be opt out please email [log in to unmask] with the word "remove" in the subject line.


text:
Stunning, one of a kind, vintage Boujad Moroccan rug in the softest wool ever. This rug is so phenomenal, it just exudes love. The wool has been worn to a shimmering softness that only comes from years of being delicately handled. The vibrant red is accented with incredible characters depicting Berber people and animals, (or ADATs, if you ask my young son). Intricately handwoven by Berber women in sheep's wool, dyed with natural, vegetable dyes and patina'd with love throughout the years. This piece will be a family heirloom passed down for generations to come.
Dimensions: Approximately 6'1" x 4'1"

lowercased:
stunning, one of a kind, vintage boujad moroccan rug in the softest wool ever. this rug is so phenomenal, it just exudes love. the wool has been worn to a shimmering softness that only comes from years of being delicately handled. the vibrant red is accented with incredible characters depicting berber people and animals, (or adats, if you ask my young son). intricately handwoven by berber women in sheep's wool, dyed with natural, vegetable dyes and patina'd with love throughout the years. this piece will be a family heirloom passed down for generations to come.
dimensions: approximately 6'1" x 4'1"


text:
Week 21 of the Master Keys is an amazing realization that I have made progress. I get the concept, but now have to work on the principle.
21-5 says a lot to me..
to control and master every condition.
It is this power that I have seemed to control and then lost control. It’s like moving in and out of the process. I see the amazing things that happen when I am have that consciousness of power and then rest on the success that comes and stop doing the things that got me there. I have always felt that I had to start over from the beginning when I stop doing the exercises daily. If I missed a reading or my DMP once or twice in a day, I felt like I could not move forward which then cascaded into an effect of failure, but paragraph 18 gave me a real different view.
Now I feel more compelled to do the exercises and less forced to do them. I am creating a pattern of being conscience of my power, instead of letting my thoughts roam free. Working on my silence, instead of letting the chatter happen.
March 3, 2014 in MKMMA.
I love that you are being kinder to yourself and giving yourself room to grow!
Wonderfully put: the more conscious we become of our unity with the source of all power, the greater will be our power to control and master every condition. A wonderful share.
Ditto what Kim San said!
Yes, new pattern is everything. Great job, go ahead.

lowercased:
week 21 of the master keys is an amazing realization that i have made progress. i get the concept, but now have to work on the principle.
21-5 says a lot to me..
to control and master every condition.
it is this power that i have seemed to control and then lost control. it’s like moving in and out of the process. i see the amazing things that happen when i am have that consciousness of power and then rest on the success that comes and stop doing the things that got me there. i have always felt that i had to start over from the beginning when i stop doing the exercises daily. if i missed a reading or my dmp once or twice in a day, i felt like i could not move forward which then cascaded into an effect of failure, but paragraph 18 gave me a real different view.
now i feel more compelled to do the exercises and less forced to do them. i am creating a pattern of being conscience of my power, instead of letting my thoughts roam free. working on my silence, instead of letting the chatter happen.
march 3, 2014 in mkmma.
i love that you are being kinder to yourself and giving yourself room to grow!
wonderfully put: the more conscious we become of our unity with the source of all power, the greater will be our power to control and master every condition. a wonderful share.
ditto what kim san said!
yes, new pattern is everything. great job, go ahead.


text:
Surrogacy is a practice that started long back and Surrogacy Clinic Nepal holds a vital place in familiarizing this methodology with Indian sub landmass. The leading effort made by Surrogacy Clinic Nepal has changed the lives of number of childless couples by gifting them the chance to get their innate successor with IVF and moreover surrogacy framework. Surrogacy Clinic Nepal has constantly spearheaded surrogacy in diverse locales and this she is in news for starting surrogacy in Nepal for outside clients.
Surrogacy Clinic Nepal in conjunction with Surrogacy Clinic Nepal has offered a new ray of hope for intended parents to check out surrogacy options at much affordable rates in Nepal. Thus, choosing Nepal for infertility treatment or for surrogacy is a benefit for patients in a number of ways. If we see the scenario with the legal aspect, intended parents offered protection. Considering the financial aspect, it is always a much affordable business for intended parents if the costs are compared with foreign countries.
The pivotal wander of offering Surrogacy in Nepal is a help for singles as they are allowed to get surrogacy advantages here. The same is limited by number of nations including India.
Besides offering a chance to singles for having a newborn child through surrogacy or IVF procedure, the same is generally as open there for married couples.
On the other hand, a reference of a reason is most discriminating to be there with arranged couples wishing to get the organizations.
Surrogacy Clinic Nepal in conjuction with Surrogacy Clinic Nepal to offer surrogacy furthermore IVF business locales to proposed people.
The most beneficial part of getting surrogacy advantages here are, patients are given organizations from a share of the to a great degree famous helpful experts that cranes the shots of achievement of organizations publicized.
GIH i.e. Surrogacy Clinic Nepal is a champion among the most prestigious intercontinental specialist's offices settled in Nepal that has 18 ICUS, 12 CCUS and 4 NICS with discrete restorative gas supply for the imprisonment rooms.
Adequate offices in every room helps organization individual offer the best with respect to pre and post specialists advantages there at GIH.
Surrogacy and IVF frameworks have starting late been added to the opened up extent of organizations offered by GIH and thusly the center continues being the one unmistakable offering every sort of treatment for every possible physical distortion.
For surrogacy purposes, the offices pick surrogate mother just in case they clear the measures made by the center itself.
The underlined rules supported by GIH in consent with Surrogacy Clinic Nepal for a lady to be a surrogate mother at GIH reports that the lady must have a posterity of her own and she must have a good general wellbeing to experience the procedure.
She (the surrogate) must have the consent of her family fusing her mate and in laws with the goal that no honest to goodness issues can be raised out the decision taken by the lady (surrogate mother) by her relatives.
It is imperative to the surrogate mother to have the consent of her family with the surrogate mother so she can have the energetic help that would help her survive successfully.
The women for a surrogate's part needs not being more than 35 years of age.
The women ought not to be a smoker and must be an educated lady.
Educated women are important with the objective that she can understand the technique well going before taking the decision of coming into the surrogacy business.
Organizations do a cautious examination about the establishment of a woman before enduring her as an issue mother.
The woman moreover obliges going under a helpful examination to check she is physically fit for the normal livelihood.
Besides testing the physical condition of the women, she is moreover reviewed rationally.
Such tests exhibit for the workplace of the surrogates and make them an impeccable contender for the surrogacy procedure.
The surrogate must stay in the Nepal rather in the surrogacy homes settle inside Surrogacy Clinic Nepal.
The surrogate is met all requirements for live in the GIH surrogacy home for the entire nine months time till the pregnancy gets over.
The rebuilding of surrogate at GIH surrogacy homes is given unprecedented basics as the mending focus rooms are outfitted with all the obliged incitement and treatment business locales required to a surrogate in the midst of the pregnancy days.
The thing that makes surrogacy a simple occupation to get into is obviously the vague laws for surrogacy in Nepal.
Legal structure for surrogacy in Nepal is not as strict as it is in different parts of the world like India and UK and US and due to this very reason various remote customers consider surrogacy in Nepal.
Surrogacy in Nepal is effortlessly accessible for singles and for wedded couple. This is a standout amongst the most essential reasons of fame of surrogacy in Nepal.
Undefined surrogacy laws make it simple for restorative association to begin surrogacy and offer administrations to planned folks.
Despite the fact that GIH has set up its set of principles relating to which surrogacy administrations are offered to planned folks in Nepal.
In expansion to all these profits to planned folks going out for surrogacy in Nepal, gay couples can likewise consider this chance to parent a child.
Surrogacy Clinic Nepal in conjunction with Surrogacy Clinic Nepal has begun the wander of keeping record of egg benefactors.
Their profiles are generally imparted to the planned couple or either with gay competitors.
These applicants can then pick one candidate according to their craving and budgetary requirements.
Intended people coming to Nepal for surrogacy have the opportunity to pick their egg giver as indicated by their essential.
Surrogacy Clinic Nepal in conjunction with Surrogacy Clinic Nepal has started the meander of keeping record of egg sponsors.
Their profiles are by and large granted to the arranged couple or either with gay contenders.

lowercased:
surrogacy is a practice that started long back and surrogacy clinic nepal holds a vital place in familiarizing this methodology with indian sub landmass. the leading effort made by surrogacy clinic nepal has changed the lives of number of childless couples by gifting them the chance to get their innate successor with ivf and moreover surrogacy framework. surrogacy clinic nepal has constantly spearheaded surrogacy in diverse locales and this she is in news for starting surrogacy in nepal for outside clients.
surrogacy clinic nepal in conjunction with surrogacy clinic nepal has offered a new ray of hope for intended parents to check out surrogacy options at much affordable rates in nepal. thus, choosing nepal for infertility treatment or for surrogacy is a benefit for patients in a number of ways. if we see the scenario with the legal aspect, intended parents offered protection. considering the financial aspect, it is always a much affordable business for intended parents if the costs are compared with foreign countries.
the pivotal wander of offering surrogacy in nepal is a help for singles as they are allowed to get surrogacy advantages here. the same is limited by number of nations including india.
besides offering a chance to singles for having a newborn child through surrogacy or ivf procedure, the same is generally as open there for married couples.
on the other hand, a reference of a reason is most discriminating to be there with arranged couples wishing to get the organizations.
surrogacy clinic nepal in conjuction with surrogacy clinic nepal to offer surrogacy furthermore ivf business locales to proposed people.
the most beneficial part of getting surrogacy advantages here are, patients are given organizations from a share of the to a great degree famous helpful experts that cranes the shots of achievement of organizations publicized.
gih i.e. surrogacy clinic nepal is a champion among the most prestigious intercontinental specialist's offices settled in nepal that has 18 icus, 12 ccus and 4 nics with discrete restorative gas supply for the imprisonment rooms.
adequate offices in every room helps organization individual offer the best with respect to pre and post specialists advantages there at gih.
surrogacy and ivf frameworks have starting late been added to the opened up extent of organizations offered by gih and thusly the center continues being the one unmistakable offering every sort of treatment for every possible physical distortion.
for surrogacy purposes, the offices pick surrogate mother just in case they clear the measures made by the center itself.
the underlined rules supported by gih in consent with surrogacy clinic nepal for a lady to be a surrogate mother at gih reports that the lady must have a posterity of her own and she must have a good general wellbeing to experience the procedure.
she (the surrogate) must have the consent of her family fusing her mate and in laws with the goal that no honest to goodness issues can be raised out the decision taken by the lady (surrogate mother) by her relatives.
it is imperative to the surrogate mother to have the consent of her family with the surrogate mother so she can have the energetic help that would help her survive successfully.
the women for a surrogate's part needs not being more than 35 years of age.
the women ought not to be a smoker and must be an educated lady.
educated women are important with the objective that she can understand the technique well going before taking the decision of coming into the surrogacy business.
organizations do a cautious examination about the establishment of a woman before enduring her as an issue mother.
the woman moreover obliges going under a helpful examination to check she is physically fit for the normal livelihood.
besides testing the physical condition of the women, she is moreover reviewed rationally.
such tests exhibit for the workplace of the surrogates and make them an impeccable contender for the surrogacy procedure.
the surrogate must stay in the nepal rather in the surrogacy homes settle inside surrogacy clinic nepal.
the surrogate is met all requirements for live in the gih surrogacy home for the entire nine months time till the pregnancy gets over.
the rebuilding of surrogate at gih surrogacy homes is given unprecedented basics as the mending focus rooms are outfitted with all the obliged incitement and treatment business locales required to a surrogate in the midst of the pregnancy days.
the thing that makes surrogacy a simple occupation to get into is obviously the vague laws for surrogacy in nepal.
legal structure for surrogacy in nepal is not as strict as it is in different parts of the world like india and uk and us and due to this very reason various remote customers consider surrogacy in nepal.
surrogacy in nepal is effortlessly accessible for singles and for wedded couple. this is a standout amongst the most essential reasons of fame of surrogacy in nepal.
undefined surrogacy laws make it simple for restorative association to begin surrogacy and offer administrations to planned folks.
despite the fact that gih has set up its set of principles relating to which surrogacy administrations are offered to planned folks in nepal.
in expansion to all these profits to planned folks going out for surrogacy in nepal, gay couples can likewise consider this chance to parent a child.
surrogacy clinic nepal in conjunction with surrogacy clinic nepal has begun the wander of keeping record of egg benefactors.
their profiles are generally imparted to the planned couple or either with gay competitors.
these applicants can then pick one candidate according to their craving and budgetary requirements.
intended people coming to nepal for surrogacy have the opportunity to pick their egg giver as indicated by their essential.
surrogacy clinic nepal in conjunction with surrogacy clinic nepal has started the meander of keeping record of egg sponsors.
their profiles are by and large granted to the arranged couple or either with gay contenders.


text:
Our dedicated AV retail and installations divisions are among the best in the business. Offering only the latest equipment, PAV seeks the best product and tailored audiovisual solution that suits your needs. Our team are fully accredited and trained on programming and installing each product we sell.
We specialise in houses of worship, education facilities, restaurants & bars, boardrooms, fitness centres and sporting facilities. PAV are LED specialists and have wide experiences within sporting arenas and bars.
© 2018 PAV Sales & Installation. All Rights Reserved.

lowercased:
our dedicated av retail and installations divisions are among the best in the business. offering only the latest equipment, pav seeks the best product and tailored audiovisual solution that suits your needs. our team are fully accredited and trained on programming and installing each product we sell.
we specialise in houses of worship, education facilities, restaurants & bars, boardrooms, fitness centres and sporting facilities. pav are led specialists and have wide experiences within sporting arenas and bars.
© 2018 pav sales & installation. all rights reserved.


text:
These buttery brown sugar cookies are shortbread-like cookies made with only 5 ingredients. These are excellent cookies to bake for a special occasion or everyday treat, and they are egg-free.
They're delicious with only the chopped pecans for flavor and crunch, but there are many other variations you might want to try. See the tips and variations for many possible add-ins, decorating ideas, and some tips for chopping pecans.
Heat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour.
Scoop portions of cookie dough with a tablespoon or small cookie scoop and shape each into a ball. Arrange the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart.
Lightly grease the bottom of a glass or other small container with a flat bottom and dip it in granulated sugar, pourable brown sugar, or raw sugar. Press the bottom of the glass lightly on a cookie ball to flatten slightly. Redip the glass in sugar and repeat with the remaining balls of cookie dough.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are firm and lightly browned on the bottoms.
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month, or freeze (undecorated) for up to 2 to 3 months.
*If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of table salt or fine sea salt.
If pecans are rancid, they will ruin your cookies. Always sniff or taste pecans before you use them. If you don't bake often, store any remaining pecans in an airtight container or zip-close plastic bag and refrigerate them for up to 4 months (depending on their freshness). Or freeze pecans (or any nuts) for up to 8 months.
How to Chop Nuts: For best results, chop the pecans by hand with a sharp knife. If using a food processor, use quick pulses and don't overprocess or you'll end up with ground nuts or nut butter.
Add 1/2 cup of Bits O' Brickle Bits or Heath Toffee Bits to the cookie dough with the pecans.
Add 1/2 cup of regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough with the pecans.
Replace the chopped pecans with chopped walnuts.
Put 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted. Stir until smooth and blended. Dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate to partially cover, or drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.
Sift confectioners' sugar over the cooled cookies.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter with the flour for spiced pecan cookies.

lowercased:
these buttery brown sugar cookies are shortbread-like cookies made with only 5 ingredients. these are excellent cookies to bake for a special occasion or everyday treat, and they are egg-free.
they're delicious with only the chopped pecans for flavor and crunch, but there are many other variations you might want to try. see the tips and variations for many possible add-ins, decorating ideas, and some tips for chopping pecans.
heat the oven to 325 f. lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. add the brown sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. stir in the vanilla.
with the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour.
scoop portions of cookie dough with a tablespoon or small cookie scoop and shape each into a ball. arrange the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart.
lightly grease the bottom of a glass or other small container with a flat bottom and dip it in granulated sugar, pourable brown sugar, or raw sugar. press the bottom of the glass lightly on a cookie ball to flatten slightly. redip the glass in sugar and repeat with the remaining balls of cookie dough.
bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are firm and lightly browned on the bottoms.
store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month, or freeze (undecorated) for up to 2 to 3 months.
*if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of table salt or fine sea salt.
if pecans are rancid, they will ruin your cookies. always sniff or taste pecans before you use them. if you don't bake often, store any remaining pecans in an airtight container or zip-close plastic bag and refrigerate them for up to 4 months (depending on their freshness). or freeze pecans (or any nuts) for up to 8 months.
how to chop nuts: for best results, chop the pecans by hand with a sharp knife. if using a food processor, use quick pulses and don't overprocess or you'll end up with ground nuts or nut butter.
add 1/2 cup of bits o' brickle bits or heath toffee bits to the cookie dough with the pecans.
add 1/2 cup of regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips to the cookie dough with the pecans.
replace the chopped pecans with chopped walnuts.
put 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. microwave the chocolate for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted. stir until smooth and blended. dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate to partially cover, or drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.
sift confectioners' sugar over the cooled cookies.
add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter with the flour for spiced pecan cookies.


text:
Since Phia Foundation calls the 21st century Indian poverty a scandal, the organization vows to eliminate it paving the way for a society where the people of all walks of life have access to justice and dignity. Local partners are spreading across the country to help proliferate development and humanitarian initiatives which will, in the long run, stem the root of poverty. A strong bond and understanding with many grassroot level organizations is of no less help to reach the poorest and most disadvantaged communities.
Special thrust on women, young ones and disadvantaged groups.

lowercased:
since phia foundation calls the 21st century indian poverty a scandal, the organization vows to eliminate it paving the way for a society where the people of all walks of life have access to justice and dignity. local partners are spreading across the country to help proliferate development and humanitarian initiatives which will, in the long run, stem the root of poverty. a strong bond and understanding with many grassroot level organizations is of no less help to reach the poorest and most disadvantaged communities.
special thrust on women, young ones and disadvantaged groups.


text:
SendOvernightMail.com is the fastest and easiest way to print and ship letters, documents, forms, and other time sensitive items online via Fedex or USPS Priority Mail. SendOvernightMail delivers quickly to Perris, California and allows you to meet all your shipping needs online. All Fedex orders are fulfilled via a Fedex Kinkos location. Get instant delivery times, pricing and tracking numbers at the one stop shop for all your expedited document and mailing needs.
If you're wondering how much it costs to send overnight mail, whether single letter, or bulk mail, to Perris, California, see the table with costs and delivery estimates below. Click Get Started to get send your mail now!
Perris, California is the number 466 city in the US, with a population of over 72326. SendOvernightMail makes it a breeze to print and mail expedited letters, documents and forms to Perris. Try us out now, or email team@sendovernightmail.com with questions, comments or suggestions!

lowercased:
sendovernightmail.com is the fastest and easiest way to print and ship letters, documents, forms, and other time sensitive items online via fedex or usps priority mail. sendovernightmail delivers quickly to perris, california and allows you to meet all your shipping needs online. all fedex orders are fulfilled via a fedex kinkos location. get instant delivery times, pricing and tracking numbers at the one stop shop for all your expedited document and mailing needs.
if you're wondering how much it costs to send overnight mail, whether single letter, or bulk mail, to perris, california, see the table with costs and delivery estimates below. click get started to get send your mail now!
perris, california is the number 466 city in the us, with a population of over 72326. sendovernightmail makes it a breeze to print and mail expedited letters, documents and forms to perris. try us out now, or email team@sendovernightmail.com with questions, comments or suggestions!


text:
Britain's Andy Murray beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 on Sunday to win the Miami Masters and clinch his third title of the year.
The world number four wrapped up victory after reeling off the last five games of the second set having seen Djokovic, the world number three, throw away his chance to level the final.
The Serbian, the champion here in 2007, had served for the second set leading 5-3, but a fifth double fault disrupted his fightback and his game quickly fell apart.
Murray, the first three-time winner on the ATP Tour in 2009, also made further inroads on Djokovic's world number three ranking with only 170 points now separating them.
The 21-year-old Scot dominated Djokovic for most of the match as the Serbian fell prey to a total of 43 unforced errors.
Djokovic called for the trainer early in the second set and Murray's level subsequently dipped slightly, although the Scot said it wasn't necessarily due to any distraction.
"If you look at the next game or so, he started rushing me," Murray said. "He started coming forward more, and he hadn't been doing that.
"He went for broke a little bit and tried to shorten the points. He hit the ball well. I struggled a little bit, but it wasn't just because of the timeout he took."
Djokovic broke Murray twice to win four games in a row, then the Scot won a marathon game to hold for 2-4 and regained the momentum.
Overall Murray kept Djokovic off-balance with his variety of pace and direction and thwarted his attempts to come to the net with precise passing.
Murray's day included two second-serve aces, including one 76 mile per hour ace that flummoxed Djokovic.
"The majority of players now play so well from the baseline and both sides, that if you can use some slice and drop shots, some high balls and stuff, it just takes them out of their comfort zone," Murray said.
"It's my way of dictating how the match is getting played. A lot of people might not necessarily think my game looks the most aggressive or offensive, but very few times will I not have the points played how I like them to be played."
Murray said he also believed he had benefitted from his improved fitness. He has an apartment in the area and did pre-season fitness training here.
"I think mentally it makes a difference," he said.
"Even if you're struggling, you know your opponent is going to be feeling the same. Whereas before, sometimes you could get tired and look over at the other side and the opponent seems fine.
"A match like today - it was hot out there. A few long rallies and I would be a little bit out of breath. I could look down the court and see him struggling, as well."
Murray, the first British finalist here for 25 years, took victory when Djokovic went long with a lame volley after an hour and 42 minutes on court.
The 21-year-old Scotsman, who had raced through the first set with two breaks taking him to 4-0 lead, has now won three Masters titles. He was the champion in Cincinnati and Madrid in 2008.
"I think any time you win a tournament, obviously it gives you confidence," said Murray, who had also reached the final of the Masters event at Indian Wells in March.
"The Masters Series have always been, after the Slams, tough tournaments to win."

lowercased:
britain's andy murray beat serbia's novak djokovic 6-2, 7-5 on sunday to win the miami masters and clinch his third title of the year.
the world number four wrapped up victory after reeling off the last five games of the second set having seen djokovic, the world number three, throw away his chance to level the final.
the serbian, the champion here in 2007, had served for the second set leading 5-3, but a fifth double fault disrupted his fightback and his game quickly fell apart.
murray, the first three-time winner on the atp tour in 2009, also made further inroads on djokovic's world number three ranking with only 170 points now separating them.
the 21-year-old scot dominated djokovic for most of the match as the serbian fell prey to a total of 43 unforced errors.
djokovic called for the trainer early in the second set and murray's level subsequently dipped slightly, although the scot said it wasn't necessarily due to any distraction.
"if you look at the next game or so, he started rushing me," murray said. "he started coming forward more, and he hadn't been doing that.
"he went for broke a little bit and tried to shorten the points. he hit the ball well. i struggled a little bit, but it wasn't just because of the timeout he took."
djokovic broke murray twice to win four games in a row, then the scot won a marathon game to hold for 2-4 and regained the momentum.
overall murray kept djokovic off-balance with his variety of pace and direction and thwarted his attempts to come to the net with precise passing.
murray's day included two second-serve aces, including one 76 mile per hour ace that flummoxed djokovic.
"the majority of players now play so well from the baseline and both sides, that if you can use some slice and drop shots, some high balls and stuff, it just takes them out of their comfort zone," murray said.
"it's my way of dictating how the match is getting played. a lot of people might not necessarily think my game looks the most aggressive or offensive, but very few times will i not have the points played how i like them to be played."
murray said he also believed he had benefitted from his improved fitness. he has an apartment in the area and did pre-season fitness training here.
"i think mentally it makes a difference," he said.
"even if you're struggling, you know your opponent is going to be feeling the same. whereas before, sometimes you could get tired and look over at the other side and the opponent seems fine.
"a match like today - it was hot out there. a few long rallies and i would be a little bit out of breath. i could look down the court and see him struggling, as well."
murray, the first british finalist here for 25 years, took victory when djokovic went long with a lame volley after an hour and 42 minutes on court.
the 21-year-old scotsman, who had raced through the first set with two breaks taking him to 4-0 lead, has now won three masters titles. he was the champion in cincinnati and madrid in 2008.
"i think any time you win a tournament, obviously it gives you confidence," said murray, who had also reached the final of the masters event at indian wells in march.
"the masters series have always been, after the slams, tough tournaments to win."


text:
2009-10 House Bill 3849. An Act Relative To Public Utility Shareholders Dividends.
Title 2009-10 House Bill 3849. An Act Relative To Public Utility Shareholders Dividends.

lowercased:
2009-10 house bill 3849. an act relative to public utility shareholders dividends.
title 2009-10 house bill 3849. an act relative to public utility shareholders dividends.


text:
Palo Alto and San Diego — Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that David Beckwith, a seasoned trial and appellate lawyer with three decades of experience, has joined the firm’s Intellectual Property practice, and will be based in Palo Alto and San Diego. He joins from a litigation boutique firm, and previously was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery.
Beckwith’s arrival follows several additions to the firm’s Intellectual Property practice in 2018, including Robert Unikel and Michelle Marek Figueiredo in Chicago, Robert Laurenzi in New York, and Marisa Williams in San Francisco.
The firm was named American Lawyer’s 2018 Transatlantic IP Team of the Year.
The firm was named LMG Life Sciences 2018 Hatch-Waxman Litigation Team of the Year – Branded.
The firm was nationally ranked in the 2018 edition of Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars in Patent Contentious, PTAB Litigation, and Life Sciences.
The firm received top rankings, and 15 partners were recognized in the 2018 edition of IAM Patent 1000.
Isaac Ashkenazi and Philip Ou were recognized by Law360 as Rising Stars in Life Sciences and Technology, respectively.
Yar Chaikovsky was named by Law360 as a Technology MVP for high-profile patent wins on behalf of Trend Micro and HTC.
Joseph O’Malley was named an Intellectual Property Trailblazer by the National Law Journal for his work on behalf of Helsinn Healthcare.
The Daily Journal named Yar Chaikovsky and Chris Kennerly to its list of Top IP Lawyers in California.
In 2017, the firm was named one of Law360’s Life Sciences Practice Groups of the Year.
Patexia, Inc. recognized Naveen Modi as the most active attorney representing petitioners and patent owners in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, noting that Modi's workload of 240 cases is the most among the 5,000 attorneys who have worked on IPRs since 2012.

lowercased:
palo alto and san diego — paul hastings llp, a leading global law firm, announced today that david beckwith, a seasoned trial and appellate lawyer with three decades of experience, has joined the firm’s intellectual property practice, and will be based in palo alto and san diego. he joins from a litigation boutique firm, and previously was a partner at mcdermott will & emery.
beckwith’s arrival follows several additions to the firm’s intellectual property practice in 2018, including robert unikel and michelle marek figueiredo in chicago, robert laurenzi in new york, and marisa williams in san francisco.
the firm was named american lawyer’s 2018 transatlantic ip team of the year.
the firm was named lmg life sciences 2018 hatch-waxman litigation team of the year – branded.
the firm was nationally ranked in the 2018 edition of managing intellectual property ip stars in patent contentious, ptab litigation, and life sciences.
the firm received top rankings, and 15 partners were recognized in the 2018 edition of iam patent 1000.
isaac ashkenazi and philip ou were recognized by law360 as rising stars in life sciences and technology, respectively.
yar chaikovsky was named by law360 as a technology mvp for high-profile patent wins on behalf of trend micro and htc.
joseph o’malley was named an intellectual property trailblazer by the national law journal for his work on behalf of helsinn healthcare.
the daily journal named yar chaikovsky and chris kennerly to its list of top ip lawyers in california.
in 2017, the firm was named one of law360’s life sciences practice groups of the year.
patexia, inc. recognized naveen modi as the most active attorney representing petitioners and patent owners in inter partes review (ipr) proceedings at the patent trial and appeal board, noting that modi's workload of 240 cases is the most among the 5,000 attorneys who have worked on iprs since 2012.


text: Bees! These adorable little guys from Junipurr are cast in 14 karat yellow gold, and have a very low profile. Available threadless for most piercings.

lowercased: bees! these adorable little guys from junipurr are cast in 14 karat yellow gold, and have a very low profile. available threadless for most piercings.


text:
Anywho...im not sure when i will reveal myself just yet.
I thought you were going to "nevah >D" reveal yourself, Genks.
EDIT: Let's keep the posting concentrated here. Try not to post things in multiple posts when it should be one, and dont keep a conversation going about one particular pic or set of pics. This is not Aeria Games lawlz we need to be short and sweet. Let's keep the pics coming! What about all your ex-Celestians.. show yourselves, warriors!
I got some more pics for u all to see.
This Pic i was dress for Halloween . I dress up as a princess . since i was into knights and those fairy tales.
On the left is my sister and in the middle is my so cute cousin that i so love so much as a cousin. He were always pick on us if we were at his house . flip us over and we sister always make sure the guys dont do that or we get paid back lol.
this outfit i had a a talent show. I was posing for it before they time to come. i sang lucky by Britney Spears.
This is when my sister and i were with my mom. My mom was divorce when we were little but they togetheir now. the left is me and one on the right is my sister.
Good to see our fellow guildies irl.
Since baby pictures were posted and I'm lazy..here's Aya at 5!
and an old senior ball pic from 05..XD cause I look hawt..

lowercased:
anywho...im not sure when i will reveal myself just yet.
i thought you were going to "nevah >d" reveal yourself, genks.
edit: let's keep the posting concentrated here. try not to post things in multiple posts when it should be one, and dont keep a conversation going about one particular pic or set of pics. this is not aeria games lawlz we need to be short and sweet. let's keep the pics coming! what about all your ex-celestians.. show yourselves, warriors!
i got some more pics for u all to see.
this pic i was dress for halloween . i dress up as a princess . since i was into knights and those fairy tales.
on the left is my sister and in the middle is my so cute cousin that i so love so much as a cousin. he were always pick on us if we were at his house . flip us over and we sister always make sure the guys dont do that or we get paid back lol.
this outfit i had a a talent show. i was posing for it before they time to come. i sang lucky by britney spears.
this is when my sister and i were with my mom. my mom was divorce when we were little but they togetheir now. the left is me and one on the right is my sister.
good to see our fellow guildies irl.
since baby pictures were posted and i'm lazy..here's aya at 5!
and an old senior ball pic from 05..xd cause i look hawt..


text:
Handheld devices, such as programmable cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), have already become more numerous than PCs. Students need to be prepared today to work on the most widely available computing platforms of tomorrow. With their small size and mobility, these handheld devices present both new opportunities and unique software engineering challenges. J2ME stands for Java 2 Micro Edition that is one of the three Java Editions (J2SE, J2EE, and J2ME) specially designed for handheld devices. J2ME plus handheld devices are the platforms for wireless Internet and mobile business in the future.
Chong-wei Xu. 2005. J2ME programming. J. Comput. Small Coll. 21, 2 (December 2005), 272-272.

lowercased:
handheld devices, such as programmable cell phones and personal digital assistants (pdas), have already become more numerous than pcs. students need to be prepared today to work on the most widely available computing platforms of tomorrow. with their small size and mobility, these handheld devices present both new opportunities and unique software engineering challenges. j2me stands for java 2 micro edition that is one of the three java editions (j2se, j2ee, and j2me) specially designed for handheld devices. j2me plus handheld devices are the platforms for wireless internet and mobile business in the future.
chong-wei xu. 2005. j2me programming. j. comput. small coll. 21, 2 (december 2005), 272-272.


text:
Concrete Landscape Edging or also referred to as Concrete Landscape Curbing will Beautify your yard with an attractive new look. Curb Designs Inc. was established in 1997 and we are continually growing due to our experience and quality of workmanship. Thank you for stopping by and please consider using concrete landscape edging in your next landscape design.
Flexibility allows curves & turns.
problems of costly form work.

lowercased:
concrete landscape edging or also referred to as concrete landscape curbing will beautify your yard with an attractive new look. curb designs inc. was established in 1997 and we are continually growing due to our experience and quality of workmanship. thank you for stopping by and please consider using concrete landscape edging in your next landscape design.
flexibility allows curves & turns.
problems of costly form work.


text:
The Global Voice Network is developed to change the way companies connect in the Telecoms sector and is a truly global network which enables organisations to connect with TelServ easily in 21 countries and 153 datacenters around the globe. Within the Global Voice Network, customers can connect to 225+ operators, ~1400 partners, 1000+ SIP trunks and 12.000+ community members!
As a global provider, Telserv is always evaluating where it can improve and deliver high quality solutions for its customers.This highly innovative network enables our customers to connect their networks to all Telecom networks around the world with ONE single connection!
The Global Voice Network enables organisations to connect with TelServ easily in 21 countries and 153 datacenters around the globe. With 153 datacenters across the globe, the Telserv Global Voice Network provides Telserv's customers with secure, simple and direct access to a global ecosystem of termination networks, cloud infrastructure providers, SaaS providers, software partners and many others.
The Global Voice Network is the foundation of the TelServ Number Management cloud platform, On Telserv's cloud portal, our customers are able to buy, route and service their virtual numbers globally. Supported by TelServ's Regulation matrix and Porting Services, TelServ offers you a single, all included experience, taking away all complexity.
Would you like to assure call quality and extend your business with Telserv? Contact us and we will support you!
ONE connection, 21 countries, 153 datacenters, numbers in 145+ countries!
Making use of the Telserv Global Voice Network enables you to connect to 145+ countries through ONE interconnect!
"With Telserv, we are able to deliver our solutions in new markets effortlessly"
The Telserv Global Voice Network is connected to all major operators around the world.
Contact us to discuss possibilities to connect to the Global Voice Network in one or more of our 21 countries with 153 locations worldwide and connect to 225+ operators, ~1400 partners, 1000+ SIP trunks and 12.000+ community members!

lowercased:
the global voice network is developed to change the way companies connect in the telecoms sector and is a truly global network which enables organisations to connect with telserv easily in 21 countries and 153 datacenters around the globe. within the global voice network, customers can connect to 225+ operators, ~1400 partners, 1000+ sip trunks and 12.000+ community members!
as a global provider, telserv is always evaluating where it can improve and deliver high quality solutions for its customers.this highly innovative network enables our customers to connect their networks to all telecom networks around the world with one single connection!
the global voice network enables organisations to connect with telserv easily in 21 countries and 153 datacenters around the globe. with 153 datacenters across the globe, the telserv global voice network provides telserv's customers with secure, simple and direct access to a global ecosystem of termination networks, cloud infrastructure providers, saas providers, software partners and many others.
the global voice network is the foundation of the telserv number management cloud platform, on telserv's cloud portal, our customers are able to buy, route and service their virtual numbers globally. supported by telserv's regulation matrix and porting services, telserv offers you a single, all included experience, taking away all complexity.
would you like to assure call quality and extend your business with telserv? contact us and we will support you!
one connection, 21 countries, 153 datacenters, numbers in 145+ countries!
making use of the telserv global voice network enables you to connect to 145+ countries through one interconnect!
"with telserv, we are able to deliver our solutions in new markets effortlessly"
the telserv global voice network is connected to all major operators around the world.
contact us to discuss possibilities to connect to the global voice network in one or more of our 21 countries with 153 locations worldwide and connect to 225+ operators, ~1400 partners, 1000+ sip trunks and 12.000+ community members!


text:
Several seminal works of educational research have espoused the virtues of feedback. First came Black and Wiliam’s Inside the Black Box, then Hattie’s Visible Learning, followed by the Educational Endowment Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit.
Each posited that feedback was one of the most impactful teaching strategies at our disposal, adding eight months of extra progress every year and leading to at least half a GCSE grade’s improvement. But is feedback in danger of being the next big fad?
To be clear, there is no doubt that feedback is important. It is not the next Brain Gym. If pupils didn’t know what to improve and how to improve it, they would be unlikely to make any progress.
But our obsession with feedback has led to an unhealthy teacher workload which, in turn, has adversely affected recruitment and retention in the profession.
For proof of this, look no further than the government’s Workload Challenge (2015) survey, which found that 53 per cent of respondents thought that, while marking pupils’ work was necessary and productive, the excessive nature, depth and frequency of marking was burdensome.
Last week I explored ways of ensuring that marking and feedback are made more meaningful, manageable and motivating. This week, I will turn my attention to what the evidence tells us works best.
Time spent on marking and feedback can be time well spent. However, when teachers spend so much time marking that they burn out, or when time is spent engaged in ineffective marking, then something has to change.
What’s more, the quality of the marking and feedback that steals so much of teachers’ time is often questionable. Indeed, as the Carter Review of Initial Teaching Training (January 2015) found, there are gaps in some teachers’ capacity “in the theoretical and technical aspects of assessment”.
In fact, of all the areas of ITT that Sir Andrew Carter reviewed, “the most significant improvements are needed for training in assessment”.
Assessment skills are not sufficiently prioritised in either initial teacher education or CPD. There is an assumption that assessment is a natural intuitive skill possessed by all new teachers but that is, it seems, a false assumption.
Assessment, the report argued, is part of every teaching activity and is the means used by good teachers to evaluate progress and diagnose the needs of their pupils. As such, the best marking and feedback are neither wholly formative, nor wholly summative; they are embedded in the classroom, not activities of reflection outside the classroom.
The best marking and feedback also help pupils to engage more fully in their own development and learning. After all, a pupil responds better to new challenges if they understand what they need to do in order to progress and why doing it matters.
What’s more, the best marking and feedback are at the heart of every classroom because they provide evidence that guides teaching and learning. The best marking and feedback also provide an opportunity for pupils to demonstrate and review their progress.
The NAHT report stated that assessment should be fair – in other words, it should be inclusive of all abilities and free from bias towards factors that are not relevant to what the assessment intends to address.
They say that assessment should be honest – in other words, assessment outcomes are used in ways that minimise undesirable effects, are conveyed in an open, honest and transparent way to assist pupils with their learning, and judgements are moderated by experienced professionals to ensure their accuracy.
They say that assessment should be ambitious – in other words, it should place achievement in context against nationally standardised criteria and expected standards, and embody, through objective criteria, a pathway of progress and development for every child. Assessment objectives should set high expectations for pupils, too.
They say that assessment should be appropriate – in other words, the purpose of any assessment process should be clearly stated and conclusions regarding pupil achievement should be valid and the assessment method appropriate to the pupil’s age, to the task and to the desired feedback information.
They say that assessment should draw on a wide range of evidence to provide a complete picture of pupil achievement – in other words, it should demand no more procedures or records than are practically required to allow pupils, their parents and teachers to plan future learning.
And they say that assessment should be consistent – in other words, judgements should be formed according to common principles, the results should be readily understandable by third parties and a school’s results should be capable of comparison with other schools, both locally and nationally.
Furthermore, the NAHT says that the outcomes of assessment should provide meaningful and understandable information for: pupils in developing their learning; parents in supporting children with their learning; and teachers in planning teaching and learning.
They say that the result of assessment should be to provide information that justifies the time spent on it, and that feedback should inspire greater effort and a belief that, through hard work and practice, more can be achieved.
The term “feedback” originates from the field of engineering and was first used, to the best of my knowledge, by Norbert Wiener in 1946.
To Weiner and his fellow engineers, feedback formed part of a loop – it was about the discrepancy between the current state and the desired state, but this alone was deemed useless unless there was also a mechanism within the feedback loop to bring the current state closer to the desired state. In other words, feedback was about correction and progress.
Translating this notion for use in education, we can conclude that simply telling pupils that their current performance falls short of where they need to be isn’t feedback in the original engineering sense of the term. Rather, to be effective, feedback must also embody a mode of progression for pupils.
In practice, this means that the teacher should be clear and constructive about pupils’ weaknesses, offering suggestions on how they might be addressed, identify pupils’ strengths and offer advice on how to develop them, and then – crucially – provide planned opportunities in class for pupils to improve upon their work.
In order to do this well, the teacher needs to articulate clear assessment criteria before pupils engage in a piece of work and ensure these criteria guide the marking and feedback. In other words, if the learning objectives for the work being marked do not specify expectations around, say, presentation, then the teacher should carefully consider whether comments about pupils’ presentation should in fact be made.
The most effective feedback requires small incremental improvements of pupils’ work. Feedback is most impactful when it is given infrequently – what we might call “quality marking”, given for targeted pieces of work and not for every piece.
And feedback also works best when time is given for pupils to act upon it. In fact, the latter prerequisite is the most important. As Dylan Wiliam once said, the only useful feedback is that which is acted upon.
How well has the pupil understood the task?
What does the pupil know and not yet know?
What does the pupil need to do next to improve?
How will the pupil be informed of the required next steps?
How can feedback help encourage pupils to review their work critically and constructively?
Dialogic marking is misguided – it is time-consuming and yet often ineffective. But that isn’t to say that comment-based marking isn’t worthwhile. Indeed, we know from Ruth Butler’s research that providing feedback in the form of comments only (rather than giving a grade or a grade and a comment) is the most impactful strategy because it focuses pupils on what they need to do next to improve, rather than on comparing their summative performance with their peers.
However, when giving written comment-based feedback, we need to be mindful of the fact that pupils rarely read comments. A culture shift is therefore needed and that starts with providing time in class for pupils to read and reflect on the comments.
It also involves giving pointed comments – that is to say, brief and focused on the next steps, not long-winded and focused on correcting every mistake. Comments, if they are to be helpful, also need to be specific – pinpointing particular changes that are needed and providing examples. Vague suggestions such as “Details?” are unhelpful.
Comments need to offer something new, too, rather than simply repeating what has been said before. If the same written comments keep reappearing in a pupil’s book, it suggests they aren’t paying attention to them or don’t know what to do with them.
John Hattie says that the best way in which to understand feedback is to consider Sadler’s (1989) notion of the “gap”. The purpose of feedback, Sadler argues, is to reduce the gap between where a pupil is and where she is meant to be – that is, between prior or current achievement and the success criteria.
To make feedback effective, therefore, teachers must have a good understanding of where pupils are, and where they are meant to be. Hattie argues that “the more transparent (teachers) make this status for pupils, the more pupils can help to get themselves from the points at which they are to the success points, and thus enjoy the fruits of feedback”.
Feedback can help to reduce this gap in several ways. First, it can provide cues that capture a pupil’s attention and help her focus on succeeding with a task. Second, it can provide information about ideas that have been misunderstood. Third, it can be motivational, encouraging pupils to invest more effort or apply greater skill to a task.
Matt Bromley is an education writer and author with 18 years’ experience in teaching and leadership. Visit www.bromleyeducation.co.uk. To read the previous articles in this series or Matt’s archive of best practice articles, visit http://bit.ly/1Uobmsl. The next article in his feedback series is due to publish on May 24.

lowercased:
several seminal works of educational research have espoused the virtues of feedback. first came black and wiliam’s inside the black box, then hattie’s visible learning, followed by the educational endowment foundation’s teaching and learning toolkit.
each posited that feedback was one of the most impactful teaching strategies at our disposal, adding eight months of extra progress every year and leading to at least half a gcse grade’s improvement. but is feedback in danger of being the next big fad?
to be clear, there is no doubt that feedback is important. it is not the next brain gym. if pupils didn’t know what to improve and how to improve it, they would be unlikely to make any progress.
but our obsession with feedback has led to an unhealthy teacher workload which, in turn, has adversely affected recruitment and retention in the profession.
for proof of this, look no further than the government’s workload challenge (2015) survey, which found that 53 per cent of respondents thought that, while marking pupils’ work was necessary and productive, the excessive nature, depth and frequency of marking was burdensome.
last week i explored ways of ensuring that marking and feedback are made more meaningful, manageable and motivating. this week, i will turn my attention to what the evidence tells us works best.
time spent on marking and feedback can be time well spent. however, when teachers spend so much time marking that they burn out, or when time is spent engaged in ineffective marking, then something has to change.
what’s more, the quality of the marking and feedback that steals so much of teachers’ time is often questionable. indeed, as the carter review of initial teaching training (january 2015) found, there are gaps in some teachers’ capacity “in the theoretical and technical aspects of assessment”.
in fact, of all the areas of itt that sir andrew carter reviewed, “the most significant improvements are needed for training in assessment”.
assessment skills are not sufficiently prioritised in either initial teacher education or cpd. there is an assumption that assessment is a natural intuitive skill possessed by all new teachers but that is, it seems, a false assumption.
assessment, the report argued, is part of every teaching activity and is the means used by good teachers to evaluate progress and diagnose the needs of their pupils. as such, the best marking and feedback are neither wholly formative, nor wholly summative; they are embedded in the classroom, not activities of reflection outside the classroom.
the best marking and feedback also help pupils to engage more fully in their own development and learning. after all, a pupil responds better to new challenges if they understand what they need to do in order to progress and why doing it matters.
what’s more, the best marking and feedback are at the heart of every classroom because they provide evidence that guides teaching and learning. the best marking and feedback also provide an opportunity for pupils to demonstrate and review their progress.
the naht report stated that assessment should be fair – in other words, it should be inclusive of all abilities and free from bias towards factors that are not relevant to what the assessment intends to address.
they say that assessment should be honest – in other words, assessment outcomes are used in ways that minimise undesirable effects, are conveyed in an open, honest and transparent way to assist pupils with their learning, and judgements are moderated by experienced professionals to ensure their accuracy.
they say that assessment should be ambitious – in other words, it should place achievement in context against nationally standardised criteria and expected standards, and embody, through objective criteria, a pathway of progress and development for every child. assessment objectives should set high expectations for pupils, too.
they say that assessment should be appropriate – in other words, the purpose of any assessment process should be clearly stated and conclusions regarding pupil achievement should be valid and the assessment method appropriate to the pupil’s age, to the task and to the desired feedback information.
they say that assessment should draw on a wide range of evidence to provide a complete picture of pupil achievement – in other words, it should demand no more procedures or records than are practically required to allow pupils, their parents and teachers to plan future learning.
and they say that assessment should be consistent – in other words, judgements should be formed according to common principles, the results should be readily understandable by third parties and a school’s results should be capable of comparison with other schools, both locally and nationally.
furthermore, the naht says that the outcomes of assessment should provide meaningful and understandable information for: pupils in developing their learning; parents in supporting children with their learning; and teachers in planning teaching and learning.
they say that the result of assessment should be to provide information that justifies the time spent on it, and that feedback should inspire greater effort and a belief that, through hard work and practice, more can be achieved.
the term “feedback” originates from the field of engineering and was first used, to the best of my knowledge, by norbert wiener in 1946.
to weiner and his fellow engineers, feedback formed part of a loop – it was about the discrepancy between the current state and the desired state, but this alone was deemed useless unless there was also a mechanism within the feedback loop to bring the current state closer to the desired state. in other words, feedback was about correction and progress.
translating this notion for use in education, we can conclude that simply telling pupils that their current performance falls short of where they need to be isn’t feedback in the original engineering sense of the term. rather, to be effective, feedback must also embody a mode of progression for pupils.
in practice, this means that the teacher should be clear and constructive about pupils’ weaknesses, offering suggestions on how they might be addressed, identify pupils’ strengths and offer advice on how to develop them, and then – crucially – provide planned opportunities in class for pupils to improve upon their work.
in order to do this well, the teacher needs to articulate clear assessment criteria before pupils engage in a piece of work and ensure these criteria guide the marking and feedback. in other words, if the learning objectives for the work being marked do not specify expectations around, say, presentation, then the teacher should carefully consider whether comments about pupils’ presentation should in fact be made.
the most effective feedback requires small incremental improvements of pupils’ work. feedback is most impactful when it is given infrequently – what we might call “quality marking”, given for targeted pieces of work and not for every piece.
and feedback also works best when time is given for pupils to act upon it. in fact, the latter prerequisite is the most important. as dylan wiliam once said, the only useful feedback is that which is acted upon.
how well has the pupil understood the task?
what does the pupil know and not yet know?
what does the pupil need to do next to improve?
how will the pupil be informed of the required next steps?
how can feedback help encourage pupils to review their work critically and constructively?
dialogic marking is misguided – it is time-consuming and yet often ineffective. but that isn’t to say that comment-based marking isn’t worthwhile. indeed, we know from ruth butler’s research that providing feedback in the form of comments only (rather than giving a grade or a grade and a comment) is the most impactful strategy because it focuses pupils on what they need to do next to improve, rather than on comparing their summative performance with their peers.
however, when giving written comment-based feedback, we need to be mindful of the fact that pupils rarely read comments. a culture shift is therefore needed and that starts with providing time in class for pupils to read and reflect on the comments.
it also involves giving pointed comments – that is to say, brief and focused on the next steps, not long-winded and focused on correcting every mistake. comments, if they are to be helpful, also need to be specific – pinpointing particular changes that are needed and providing examples. vague suggestions such as “details?” are unhelpful.
comments need to offer something new, too, rather than simply repeating what has been said before. if the same written comments keep reappearing in a pupil’s book, it suggests they aren’t paying attention to them or don’t know what to do with them.
john hattie says that the best way in which to understand feedback is to consider sadler’s (1989) notion of the “gap”. the purpose of feedback, sadler argues, is to reduce the gap between where a pupil is and where she is meant to be – that is, between prior or current achievement and the success criteria.
to make feedback effective, therefore, teachers must have a good understanding of where pupils are, and where they are meant to be. hattie argues that “the more transparent (teachers) make this status for pupils, the more pupils can help to get themselves from the points at which they are to the success points, and thus enjoy the fruits of feedback”.
feedback can help to reduce this gap in several ways. first, it can provide cues that capture a pupil’s attention and help her focus on succeeding with a task. second, it can provide information about ideas that have been misunderstood. third, it can be motivational, encouraging pupils to invest more effort or apply greater skill to a task.
matt bromley is an education writer and author with 18 years’ experience in teaching and leadership. visit www.bromleyeducation.co.uk. to read the previous articles in this series or matt’s archive of best practice articles, visit http://bit.ly/1uobmsl. the next article in his feedback series is due to publish on may 24.


text:
The good news is the Vaping Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) program is a quick and easy to use screening and brief intervention for professionals, peer leaders and others who want to prevent e-cigarette and drug use and promote protective wellness lifestyles and identities among youth.
Vaping PPW is an evidence-informed intervention adopted from the SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness program which is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development and other evidence-based program registries.
Vaping PPW is the country’s only single-session e-cigarette prevention program designed to increase wellness-enhancing behaviors including physical activity, sports participation, healthy eating, getting adequate sleep, and practicing stress control.
It can be implemented in any setting where youth are found and now comes in both high school and middle school adolescent versions.
Vaping PPW is founded on a marketing-related model that targets naturally motivating positive peer and desired future images to increase multiple health behavior goal setting.
Vaping PPW is highly flexible and can be used as a stand-alone program, or as an add-on component to other prevention, health, sports, fitness, recreation, education or intervention programs.
Coming Soon: New Marijuana Prevention Plus Wellness program version for high school adolescents.

lowercased:
the good news is the vaping prevention plus wellness (ppw) program is a quick and easy to use screening and brief intervention for professionals, peer leaders and others who want to prevent e-cigarette and drug use and promote protective wellness lifestyles and identities among youth.
vaping ppw is an evidence-informed intervention adopted from the sport prevention plus wellness program which is listed on the national registry of evidence-based programs and practices (nrepp), blueprints for healthy youth development and other evidence-based program registries.
vaping ppw is the country’s only single-session e-cigarette prevention program designed to increase wellness-enhancing behaviors including physical activity, sports participation, healthy eating, getting adequate sleep, and practicing stress control.
it can be implemented in any setting where youth are found and now comes in both high school and middle school adolescent versions.
vaping ppw is founded on a marketing-related model that targets naturally motivating positive peer and desired future images to increase multiple health behavior goal setting.
vaping ppw is highly flexible and can be used as a stand-alone program, or as an add-on component to other prevention, health, sports, fitness, recreation, education or intervention programs.
coming soon: new marijuana prevention plus wellness program version for high school adolescents.