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When Griffin Dunne announced he had the go-ahead to film a documentary about Joan Didion, the great writer (and, as it happens, his aunt), he crowdfunded the money needed in a day. Netflix kicked in with the rest and the result is The Center Will Not Hold, streaming now.
Didion has been the master of holding readers back while appearing – in her prose at least – to let you in. So fans, of which there are many, have been hoping for an unguarded moment – something that unwraps the enigma.
Those moments in the documentary are few and far between. But that a film as slight as this is still a must-watch is testament to Didion's extraordinary and enduring appeal. New generations discover her as they discover The Catcher in the Rye. She becomes their author. Falling-apart copies of Slouching Towards Bethlehem get passed down the generations. And the thrill of discovery is not just in seeing the 1960s represented through a dark mirror, but in the prose style: long, breathless sentences that chart an inner turmoil combined with an astute eye for the times and what those times might mean.
Didion is a favourite writer of young women. Her instructions for packing (leotards and bourbon and cashmere shawls and … a typewriter) are republished in fashion magazines, and her look (ironic, sunglasses at all times, a scarf tied under her chin) has never really gone out of style. Old photographs of her look achingly chic, and in her later years, she even modelled for Céline.
Caitlin Flanagan in the Atlantic writes: "Women who encountered Joan Didion when they were young received from her a way of being female and being writers that no one else could give them. She was our Hunter Thompson, and Slouching Towards Bethlehem was our Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
Part of Didion's appeal has always been her "coolness". That famous picture of her leaning against a Corvette was an Instagram moment decades before Instagram. But beneath this cool exterior, there is the suspicion that she was always a lot frailer than she let on. In The Center Will Not Hold, we see her as physically very frail, but still presenting as the "cool customer" who, as she recounts in The Year of Magical Thinking, didn't cry at the hospital after her husband died. As film-maker, Dunne is protective of her: we don't see her crack.
In writing about "serious" matters, Didion never sought to excise fashion or fabric from her prose. She started her writing career at Vogue and her descriptions of political or the personal often break to include descriptions of furnishings or curtains or clothes.
She writes in her essay, Goodbye to All That, about how "all that summer the long panels of transparent golden silk would blow out the windows and get tangled and drenched in the afternoon thunderstorms".
The curtains are never just curtains, however – the details always mean something more. Those curtains mark the turning point where the exterior world and inner tumult meet and something must change. Similarly, the dress worn in the trial of Linda Kasabian in The White Album essay is a vehicle to describe Didion's horror at both the banality and evil at the heart of the Charles Manson murders.
Martin Amis, when reviewing The White Album in the London Review of Books, noted "the volatile, occasionally brilliant, distinctly female contribution to the new New Journalism, diffident and imperious by turns, intimate yet categorical, self-effacingly listless and at the same time often subtly self-serving ... Miss Didion's writing does not 'reflect' her moods so much as dramatise them. 'How she feels' has become, for the time being, how it is."
Amis's review reflected a long line of disdain from "serious writers" for the personal essay, the practitioners of which are mainly women.
"How she feels" did become "how it is". The work has lasted, and although there are many imitators – and even more, like the novelist Bret Easton Ellis, are heavily influenced – Didion's voice remains singular.
It's her voice that is part of the appeal of her writing – at least for me. Her fragmentary style, particularly in the early collections The White Album and Slouching Towards Bethlehem, renders an event closer to a form of poetry than the blunt instrument that is the inverted pyramid of news or even more conversational-style features.
Didion's style works because of, not in spite of, its fragments. It is closer to how we actually see the world – like the moment you heard big news, and how that moment is compromised of many things: how you felt, where you where, the people you were with, how cold it was outside. In Didion's world, how we experience news is how we experience the world and that is why the temperature of the air and background music in the bar can seem inseparable from our experience of the event. To shear one off from the other is to only convey a part.
After Didion, it seems incomplete to ask only "what happened" and neglect "how did it feel?" (Ta-Nehisi Coates's brilliant We Were Eight Years in Power does both to great effect.) Her strongest essay Slouching Towards Bethlehem – an exploration of the dark side of the 1960 – expresses dismay at the disorder of the times, and uses Yeats' poem, The Second Coming, to describe a collapse of common values.
But as disorder burrowed more into Didion's own life, with the deaths of her husband and daughter, her work and her sentences became even more fragmentary.
Her 2011 book, Blue Nights, is a book of shards – shorn-off sentences, fragments, words, repetitions, images held tight – like talismans that litter the text. Those of us who had fallen in love with the fragmentary, collage-y nature of Didion's work were left without anything to hold those fragments together or give them shape.
This film picks up the pieces, a bit, and gives a softer, less alarming view of Didion than the one the writer chose to represent herself in her later works. There are things the film doesn't address – darker topics, such as the deaths of her daughter and husband, and charges that she failed as a parent are left well alone.
Instead, we see Didion dwarfed by her giant refrigerator. We hear her talking about what she used to have for breakfast (always sunglasses-on in the house in the morning, always a cold Coca-Cola from the fridge), we hear about her morning routines with her daughter and husband, and see her now in cashmere and a gold chain – very thin, but very in control, telling us just enough about her life to keep us interested, yet also, perceptibly, holding back.
• The Center Cannot Hold is showing now on Netflix
• Brigid Delaney is a Guardian columnist


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Hot Tub Transfer
The climbing project certainly wasn't good for my health long term. All worth it, I'd make the same choices again. I knew it was going to hurt doing countless chin ups in essentially handcuffs. Our group made many wrist splints and tried many techniques for me to pull on the rope: all of them put all the pressure on my wrists and thumbs. Nerve pain and all kinds tissue...
Belgian Documentary
Belgian Documentary on Cheating in Sport a crew from Belgium found the me via the "boosting" news stories and planned a trip to come climbing in squamish. they chanced the weather for mid October but we got lucky, very lucky. that's what I remember most about any of our big climbs, constantly checking the forecast leading up to the event. It was looking like rain, so we had the...
Back to the Wall
BACK TO THE WALL chronicles the 10-year journey of a quadriplegic rock-climber, Brad Zdanivsky, as he pursues his dream of climbing the 1700-foot vertical wall of the Squamish Chief. But sheer desire it not enough. An epic attempt like this also needs passionate support and a strong team to make it happen, and for Brad, it's his dad that leads the pack. With the support of professional mountain guide...
Arduino Pan and Tilt Servos
Testing pan and tilt from servo city here is an arduino sketch (below) to control a pan and tilt system from your keyboard. I chose high torque servos hoping they would be a bit smoother and less "buzzy" when tracking into new positions. with the lightweight gopro camera there is still some jittering, but nothing that can't be removed with a good video editing tool. servo city claims this...
Testing Wheelchair Brakes
Here is a short video of us testing the elevation wheelchair with the disk brakes we designed. This project has been both frustrating and rewarding. The tiny details add up quickly. The disk brakes require a bit of extra chair width and this can be deal breaker for most users. It can make getting into older buildings, especially bathrooms, impossible, but outside all that matters is stopping force and...
Wheelchair Disk Brakes
disk brakes for wheelchairs it's been a braking with software (on board arduino or android). As a quadriplegic I don't want to take my hands off the wheels to apply the brakes because this throws off my balance (especially on uneven ground or with muscle spasms to contend with). When adding power assist motors, a user must have the ability to stop even if that motor is malfunctioning. So...
Testing the GoPro Hero 3
A Wheelchair as a GoPro dolly? Testing the camera on the seawall in Vancouver. this is simply the GoPo handle bar mount attached to my wheelchair. I imported into final cut and shared to youtube directly. I did the colour balance step after a few basic edits. be sure to try it in different resolutions. the 720p and 1080p version look really good. youtube's on stabilization took out most...
Super Humans
c4 meet the superhumans from envy post on Vimeo. About bloody time I say. Please no more of the warm and fuzzy videos of Paralympic games. In the past these ads have been simply vomit inducing and don't do the athletes any justice. Finally the marketing people are getting it — these athletes are badass. They work hard for years to get to the games and then they throw...
Sexual Health Education
Sexual Health Education for Spinal Cord Injury These are a few videos we made with Dr. Elliott(sexual health doctor) discussing sperm retrieval and vibro-stimulation with Dr Ip (family doctor). This is basic information for quadriplegics that are going through rehab and want to avoid dangerous Autonomic Dysreflexia while being sexual. More here on things you didn't know about orgasm on TED talks.
Paralympic Torch Relay
squamish paralympic torch relay I wish I had more to say in this video. It really took some time for it to sink in. Certainly a once in a life time opportunity. Everyone was really excited and to be honest.. the thing I remember the most was the things fellow torchbearers said. I recall two guys that had autism and were better prepared to answer the question than I...
icord ramp record for women
Amira (able bodied and a swimmer) sets the record for women at icord and gets close to the times of a T4 para in an everyday chair. She is using Pat Anderson's Basket Ball chair here).
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel news show we agreed to do after the Back to the Wall (on IMDB) documentary short was air on CBC and later on the Knowledge Network.
Leaning Tower Rope Jumps
Safety is an illusion. This kind of adventure just makes it very clear that you are playing with fire. Evey day we take great risks without truly knowing them, because we'd rather not know. Now jump off a cliff with only an 11mm rope to stop you from hitting the dirt... now that is about as "real" as things get. I've never done anything even close to this, but...
When your vibrator lets you down
Reading about vibrator quality from a male quadriplegic seems a touch odd to you? Well, that is why I'm writing about it. After a spinal cord injury we really just want to feel normal, and the basic bodily functions are a always affected. Worse, some folks with spinal cord injuries simply cut off sexual activities because they don't dare mess with Autonomic_dysreflexia
vo2max testing at UBC
First VO2max tet done at UBC. My score is about as bad as you'll ever be able to find -- somewhere between an old woman and a cancer patent. But, this is something one can train, and I try to post other results to add some context.
icord ramp tests
DR. Andrei Krassioukov measures change in Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in a quadriplegic vs a paraplegic.
evening rock
This is the only footage I have pre-injury. It was taken on a Father's day circa 1992 in Prince George buy my Dad. He belayed me off of a large tree and put a VHS camera on a tri pod. this crag no longer exists, it was blown up by the quarry company long ago and is/in probably someone's driveway now.

subset: commoncrawl


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Today's post is about Mitchel Maddux's recent story in the NY Post. His childlike adjectives, and disregard for detail coupled with the writings of John Marzulli, Jerry Capeci, etc., has convinced me that the laziest, untalented, IQ deprived "reporters" go into the field of organized crime reporting. They just spout uncorroborated facts. Even in this age of cell phones they rarely leave their desk on assignment. Every time they collect a paycheck it's like extortion. They know that no one will dispute theirs and the government's stories. So they just rant on, slander on, and taint juries with impunity. Let's take Mitchel the Moron's article from 3.28.11. He states that the dual approach led to the biggest single mob sweep in US history, more than a hundred wiseguys arrested. Ha! WIth the exception of very few people, that was a roundup of neighborhood kids, sports betters, family and victims of Dino "Hemorrhoids" Calabro. Like I've said before "a publicity stunt." My views are vindicated by the fact that the very squads that the moron cites as producing hugely successful results have been eliminated by the Bureau of the FBI. Then… Thomas Gioeli arrested last year, TG brought down by his nephew, Joe Competiello's arrest in Miami… all lies that would take no more than five minutes to verify as faults on his ipad. He just doesn't give a shit about the people he writes about. He doesn't give a shit about the people that read him. He doesn't give a shit about the people he works for. And finally he doesn't give a shit about the quality of the work he produces. No self pride. Shame on you. Your father will be ashamed. In this era of budget deficits I shudder at what the price tag for such a "mob bust" fiasco might cost. Now there's a story, Mitchel.
Mitchel the Moron says that the new FBI gets wives involved. Well maybe in the case of Dino "Hemorrhoids" Calabro. The FBI can make the same arrangements they made for Carmine Sessa. Like Carmine, Dino can bring his girlfriend into the "witness protection" program so the taxpayers can support them all. Dino, Andrea, Michelle, their four kids, his two illegitimate kids and all of his inlaws all at the expense of taxpayers. What a disgrace this program has become.
The Moron says that the rats make easier targets for Team America if they're broke. Every criminal witness I am aware of is a multimillionaire; Sammy (the Bull) Gravano, Joe (the Sausage) Massina, Salvatore Vitali, Dino (Hemorrhoid) Calabro, and countless others. All multimillionaires, and all receiving tax dollars.
Mitchel the Moron says that the FBI uses psychological profiles in targeting who will lie for them. I wonder if the FBI sent a psychologist to help the family that Guy Fatato (their criminal informant) tortured with an electric cattle prong. Did they give some psychological help to the 15-year-old girl that their rat Jude Buoneto raped and prostituted for years while the FBI knew? I know it's too late for the other 12-year-old girl that he raped because she took her own life by jumping from a rooftop. The FBI still used him as a "STAR WITNESS" and gave him a sweet plea deal. I wonder if they provided help to the parents of the 17-year-old that the father and son rats (the Libitores) killed in a bagel store. Again, this list is much too long.
The FBI pretends it's a BIG SECRET how to make a rat. It's no secret. Take the most vicious, violent, child-abusing, greedy psychopath… give them their freedom for their crimes, give them a free pass to commit more crimes, add a suitcase full of money, a new life, and a rat is born. No talking to wives, no psychological evaluation, no magic, no nothing.
Stronger than Yesterday,
Where's Bin Laden????


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Apple, Fox News hacked over Fourth of July weekend
This post has been corrected. See the notes at the bottom for details.
Despite a long holiday weekend, hackers kept working, targeting Fox News and Apple Inc. in the latest round of cyber attacks.
Hackers exposed numerous email and password combinations related to Apple and infiltrated a Fox News' Twitter account, sending out several tweets falsely claiming that President Obama had been assassinated.
As America celebrated its independence, hackers took control of the Fox News' Twitter account and tweeted six messages to @foxnewspolitics' 34,000 followers stating that the president had been killed early Monday morning, according to Fox News.
The tweets, which were noticed about 5 a.m. EDT, were deleted after Twitter suspended the account around noon and returned control of it to Fox News. The news outlet was unable to access the account for hours as the hackers changed the password once they were in.
The news network addressed the intrusion in a post online and said it was working with Twitter to figure out what had happened.
"We will be requesting a detailed investigation from Twitter about how this occurred, and measures to prevent future unauthorized access into FoxNews.com accounts," said Jeff Misenti, vice president and general manager of Fox News Digital.
[Updated, 12:15 p.m., July 5: "The network was not in control of the account once it was hacked, and Twitter was unreachable until late morning eastern time yesterday," Misenti said. "The tweets were taken down as soon as Twitter gave back control of the account to the network."]
Hackers of the online activist group Anonymous went after tech leader Apple a day prior.
A Twitter account associated with the group made a tweet Sunday implying that Apple could be a future target of a larger hack attack as it also linked to a document on PasteBin with a list of emails and passwords.
"Apple could be target, too," the tweet read. "But don't worry, we are busy elsewhere."
For the record, 12:15 p.m., July 5: An earlier version of this post stated that hackers of a Fox News Twitter account had tweeted five messages. They tweeted six messages.
For the record, 2:01 p.m., July 5: An earlier version of this post stated that a cyber attack targeting Apple Inc. exposed a list of email and password combinations. The list was of user and password combinations.
LulzSec calls it quits after 50 days
Hacker group publishes list of alleged LulzSec members
LulzSec claims hack into Arizona Department of Public Safety
-- Salvador Rodriguez
Image: A screenshot of a tweet by a Twitter account associated with hacker group Anonymous regarding an attack on Apple. Credit: Twitter


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How to do SEO with Site Structure (2019)
Many people are still trying to understand and figure out how they can do SEO of their website with proper site structure. Are you looking for the answer, its right here.
So, Neil Patel in one of his blog post on Kissmectrics said and I quote, every website stand a higher chance of ranking high in a search engine provided the website is structurally designed with features that support SEO.
Every website we see these days comes with one structure or the other depending on the preference of the owner and what the website does. Sites come with various structural designs, some come rigorous while other comes streamlined.
But if you can be meticulous and careful enough when designing your website layout you stand a higher chance of ranking organically than someone with a disorganised website with pages jumbled all together.
In today's article, I will be showing us how to create the perfect site structure that will resonant with our users.
I will also be giving tips on how we can get our website crawled and indexed better by search engines robot with a perfect site structure.
Now before we delve in too much on how to go about creating the perfect site structure. Let me quickly intimates us with some of the pros of having a perfect site structure
Pros of having a site with good site structure
- An awesome site structure simply implies a great user experience. The more appealing your website is to we human the more appealing it becomes to search engine such as Google as it uses website user experience as one of its criteria while ranking websites during search queries
- With a great site structure, your bounce rate will be greatly reduced as users tend to spend more time surfing through pages of your website.
- With a great site structure your websites get often crawled by search engines
Cons of not having a good site structure
- Bounce rate will skyrocket to more than 80% in no time
- Such a website might not rank high organically
Having known this, am sure we should now be aware of the significance of a good site structure to our business. Now let's get back to the business of the day, now here is how to go about creating the perfect site structure for your website.
Hierarchy development should come before web development
Now, here is the common mistake most people make. A lot of people tend to delve straight into development without first taking out some time to carve out the hierarchy of how the website should look.
We should at least have a mental picture of how the site should look and pen it down on a white board. There are a lot of software's that can help with the developing of a site structure.
Google Spreadsheet, and Visio just to mention a few should get you the job done. Generally, most site structure takes the form in the picture below.
Photo credit: Moz
Basically, on any website, you will have headings and sub headings. Here is how to go about creating the perfect heading and sub heading.
It must be simple and logical
Simplicity is the key, do not over complicate your website with too many headings and sub headings. Every of your headings should be distinct and unique. Every sub category should at least have a relationship with the main category under which it is listed.
Keep the numbers down
Unless you are Konga.com the number of headings should at least be a minimum of two and a maximum of seven. If your website main heading is more than seven.
Then, we need to find a way to streamline it down to less than seven or at most seven. And we must do it in a way that will not jeopardize the overall objective of the website.
Keep the number of sub headings even
Be sure that there is a balance in the number of sub heading. This concept has been clearly depicted in the picture given above by Moz
Be sure the site URL structure is in line with the site navigational hierarchy
Photo credit: Kissmetrics
Let's say the above diagram is my site structure. Then my URL(s) should be in the form
Now, this is how my site URL should look. This simply implies that my URL will always come with real words without symbols.
Doing this make the website more user friendly and Google often leverage on user experience in ranking most of the time.
Develop your site navigational systems with HTML or CSS
Be sure to develop your website navigation with HTML or CSS as it gives more flexibility to search engines to index your website better. Developing a website navigation with Java and Ajax just to mention a few, sometimes impedes the ability of search engines to properly crawl a site. Take note of this
Shallow depth site structure is preferred
While developing header for our website, we should be sure that the header describes and summarise the website. I should contain a list of the main headings or pages and it must be as shallow as possible. Doing this prevents contents from staying buried during search engine query.
A website with a deep site structure impedes crawling be a search engine. Even from user's perspective, most users prefer to surf through websites with shallow depth navigation structure as it gives more fluidity during query/surfing.
Be sure to link several pages of your website
The following reasons are why internal link building is very important
- It gives the flexibility of navigating better through a website
- Internal links building is one the criteria considered by search engines while ranking during a search query.
You do not need to go complicated with this, just be sure to have links on the website that will take user to some parts of the website.
In summary
- Leverage on hierarchy development
- Leverage on user-friendly URL(s)
- Develop your site navigational systems with HTML or CSS
- Shallow depth site structure is preferred
- Be sure to link several pages of your website (Internal link building )
The best time to go about creating a decent site structure is before development. After development, we can now proceed with implementation of the site structure through development. There are a lot of things that comes to play while optimising a website for a search engine, site structure has some important role to play and that's why it must be done properly. Please do well to subscribe to our mailing list for more marketing tips.
Need On Page or Off Page SEO done for your website? Visit LeadByWebricots.com
Hope this information was useful for you. We will keep coming up with more valuable content.
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Thank you so much for your time.


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The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs (SCVA) is to consider an American Legion-favored legislation that would allow taxpayers to use their IRS tax refunds to help homeless veterans.
On Jan. 22, S. 62 — Check the Box for Homeless Veterans Act of 2013 — was introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., along with fellow Democratic senators Mark Begich, Dianne Feinstein, Chris Coons, Mary Landrieu, Barbara Mikulski and Jeff Merkley. The measure has been referred to the SCVA for consideration.
If enacted, S. 62 would "amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow taxpayers to designate overpayments of tax as contributions and to make additional contributions to a Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund." The legislation would give taxpayers the option to check a box on their annual tax return and make a donation of $1 or more to the federally maintained fund. Donations to the fund would be used to provide assistance to homeless veterans through programs currently in place at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Labor.
The Legion adopted Resolution 308 during its 94th National Convention in Indianapolis, which urges Congress to "establish a fund in the Treasury of the United States to be known as the 'Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund' to provide assistance to homeless veterans as a supplement to, but not a replacement for, existing funds for such assistance." The resolution also urges Congress to amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers with income tax liability of $3 or more to contribute to the fund.


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I pulled a free copy of Alive, Ireland's Catholic Monthly Newspaper from our letterbox yesterday evening. I threw the pile of mail onto the kitchen table and took off my coat. I proceeded to filter out the junk flyers and fire them into the recycling bin. In a lazy attempt of avoiding dinner preparation, I stopped when I reached Alive. I sat down and began to flick through the pages. I had a pre-conceived idea of what the topics literature would focus on. So it's with utter disgust that I say it was far worse than my initial predictions. I got all the way to page 2 before encountering what was to be the first of 7 articles perfectly intertwined with modern day homophobia.
The initial article presented itself as a weak argument against marriage equality. In the opinion column, Derek Byrne writes that gay couples are not monogamous. He insists that the majority of gay couples don't lead monogamous lifestyles. And well, since Mr. Byrne is himself a gay man, this sweeping, generic and fact-less statement must be true. Lies! The article is a pathetic attempt to smear the assumed stereotypical over-erotic or sensuous lifestyle that gay people, even gay couples lead. Well I'm sorry to disappoint the readers, but the lives of my friends and I are just as normal as yours. I lead an entirely monogamous lifestyle consisting of regular early nights and the occasional breakfast in bed. Not exactly exotic, or any different to the rest of Irish couples. Thank you though Derek, for feeding the readers an absolutely ridiculous lie and painting a truly flawed picture of genuine gay couples in Irish society. Two pages in and Alive have already managed to plant their 'subtle-not-subtle' seed of homophobia. A seed which steadily cultivates as one reads on.
Grudgingly turning to page 4, we encounter the first of Alive's articles concerning Marriage Equality. Here we go. Author Gerard Murphy marvelously conveys a condescending and arrogant response to the Marriage Equality campaign underway in Ireland. The RTE Saturday night show had Minister Simon Coveney as a recent guest. On the show he spoke of how he is part of the campaign fighting for Irish law to introduce Marriage Equality. That's it. Plain and simple. But Murphy just can't fathom this. It's an 'odd notion' as he calls it. Poor Gerry. Butter wouldn't melt. He just can't understand why Minister Coveney (and hundreds of thousands others might I add) are fighting for this equality. It is absolutely astonishing how he manages to write the article in such a subtle passive aggressive tone. It is equally if not more frightening, that some readers might not pick up on this, and simply take what Murphy says as Gospel (excuse the pun). Looking at it through my eyes, all I see is blatant pro-inequality rambling. But what do others see? This worry's me. Finishing page 4 has turned my dinner preparation procrastination into a much more sinister affair.
On we go to page 7 where Alive have managed to pack two anti-marriage equality two onto the same page. How economical. First up, it's Ashers Bakery in Belfast. This made headlines back in November when the bakery refused to bake a cake for Queer Space, a volunteer organisation supporting LGBT people in Northern Ireland. Why did Ashers refuse to bake the cake? Well, in the words of their General Manager David McArthur,
"In the past, we've declined several orders which have contained pornographic images and offensive, foul language."
Ok David, but what has that got to do with gay people? Am I missing something? Hang on… Oh. He's grouping porn, foul language and gay people all together. As Irish Central author Cahir O'Doherty points out –
'the ease with which McArthur compares all three says all you need to know about his – and his company's [discrimination]'.
In this particular Alive article, it's the editor McKevitt who has a few words to say. He thanks the bakery for their practice of discrimination (albeit not in those words), insists that the issue at hand is not actually about discrimination, and compares equality laws to the Sharia. Sharia! After a weak argument against secularization, McKevitt goes on to say that our society is now centred on "empty notions like 'equality', 'tolerance' and 'rights'." Since when are these empty notions? Not in any society that I want to live in. I'd also like to add that McKevitt put 'Sharia' in his article title, big and bold, yet he mentions it just once. In the second last paragraph. Shameful scare tactics there, continuing to water this seed of homophobia.
I don't have to look far for the next article, as on the same page lies yet another concerning Minister Conveney and RTE's Saturday Night show. One piece just wasn't good enough for the Alive readers it seems. On it goes repeating itself, and introducing some new discriminatory views. Referencing the recent show with Minister McConveney as a guest, editor McKevitt calls RTE out for not allowing both sides of a debate to be heard. Well now, where have we heard that before? Ah yes, that small Pantigate affair. No one from Alive seemed to have a problem when only their side was being heard then did they? The editor then actually calls our equality striving government 'thugs' for this reason alone. I'm really hoping that people aren't falling for this.
Let's move on to page 10. Here we have an article shedding light on the health risks to gay men. Now I can't imagine many gay men look to Alive when they want to get some helpful medical information. So what's the point of this article in a Catholics newspaper? The only reason for this disgustingly written article is to 'gay shame'.
"American government officials have reported that men with same-sex attraction, just 2% of the total male population, accounted for 63% of all new HIV/AIDS cases in the US in 2010."
JUST 2%. Just 2%. In other words, we're going to make it look like we genuinely care about the health of gay men, when in fact we're actually just trying to portray them as a small and 'infected' minority. This is too much condescending to take. The article proceeds to highlight plenty more facts about how gay men are at risk despite knowing how to protect themselves. Why don't they just use condoms? If they were in straight or monogamous relationships then this wouldn't be happening to them. It's all their fault etc. etc. Not a very original attack, but hey, anything to help water that seed.
My patience is certainly wearing thin. Finally, on page 14 the last article is basically a repeat of the praise given to Ashers Bakery for their act of discrimination. Huzzah Ashers Bakery! Two articles in Alive newspaper. Flippin' famous. I threw the magazine in the bin and angrily began to make dinner. How in God's name (pun entirely intended) is this the written word of modern Catholics? I am a Catholic. Yet when I read a newspaper for my own faith, there are 7 entire articles that criticize who I am.
The authors of this newspaper are undoubtedly model citizens. They're probably dream neighbors. And it's these exact people who cause the biggest threat to Marriage Equality in Ireland and worldwide. No one favours an extremist. Just look at the Westboro Baptist Church. They have successfully turned the entire world against them. Unfortunately this isn't just because of their message, but rather because of their methods. People favour a more subtle approach when it comes to homophobia. You know, 'Oh I'm not homophobic, I just think that marriage just be between a man and a woman'. Awh, you said it so sweetly I could almost agree. Wait, WHAT? You are against Marriage Equality. You are against EQUALITY. That is entirely homophobic. By all means, make up your own mind. But please, do not entertain the warped views of these authors. Alive, Alive No.


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Imagine joining Mickey and friends in a once-in-a-lifetime chance for your kid's to relive some of their favourite Disney moments and stories, with some of the most recent and timeless Disney Characters. Imagine being able to laugh, dance and skip-a-di-doo-da along with the likes of Baloo, Cinderella, Timon, Woody and Pinocchio.
This once in a lifetime chance could be yours and to make things better you can get cheap Euro Disney holidays by checking out these hotels.
Probably the dearest part of a holiday is accommodation so we have done a bit of research and recommend that you check out the Euro Disney Hotels on lastminute.com and from our research they seem to be the cheapest.
You can get a nightly rate in the beautiful Dream Castle Hotel for £157. This price is for two adults and two children in August. If you want to book this hotel just log on their website and just follow the steps and you can be booked in a few minutes.
If you are planning on going in September you should check out the residence du parc hotel. For a two night stay you and another adult accompanied by one child can stay for £186. This hotel is three star and is only a short stroll to all the fun and games at Euro Disney.
If you are finding it difficult to book on line or you want to check other dates you can contact a member of their team on 0871 222 5969.
We hope you have found this blog beneficial and it helps you get the cheap Euro Disney holidays that you are after. Have fun!


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Louise Moillon
Still Life with a Basket of Fruit and a Bunch of A
- Louise Moillon (French, 1610–1696)
- Oil on Panel, 53.3 x 71.3 cm
- 1630
- Art Institute of Chicago; Wirt D. Walker Fund, 1948.78
The Artist
Born into a family of artists—her father and her stepfather were painters and art dealers, and her brother was a painter—Louise Moillon specialized in still life painting, especially of fruits and vegetables. Her patrons included members of the French
Learn more about Moillon's painting Still Life with a Basket of Fruit and a Bunch of Asparagus: Art Institute of Chicago
Books about Louise Moillon
Louise Moillon:
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Smokies News: Winter Hiking & Sightseeing in the Smokies
It's well documented that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in the nation, drawing millions and millions of sightseers, hikers and campers each year. The winter months are the least busy time of year in the Smokies, making it one of the best times to hike some of the more popular trails if you're looking for less trafficked hiking and sightseeing opportunities.
Winter is also a great time to take historical hikes because there's less foliage to camouflage old home places and farmsteads making them much easier to spot. Prior to the creation of the national park in 1934 hundreds of families lived in the Smokies and many remnants of their legacies are still standing today.
Old engine wrecks can be found from a time when railroads were one of the primary methods of transportation through the mountains. The Grapeyard Ridge trail in Greenbrier is an excellent place to see one of these wrecks as the old engine, which turned over in the creek, is still largely intact.
Unlike some of the other areas of the park, most home places in Greenbrier were torn down following the parks creation. Today only remnants like chimneys, rock walls and scattered cemeteries are left. A good place to see some of these are along the aptly named Old Settlers trail.
The Elkmont and Treemont areas were hotbeds for logging communities and many of the places and trails in these areas get their name from that time period. Cabins are scattered throughout the park, especially in the Cades Cove and Elkmont areas. Many of them have been restored and look quite similar to how they looked over 150 years ago.
View the Great Smoky Mountains National Park map for trail locations.


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BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A shooting involving Livingston Parish Sheriff's deputies and a car chase, led to the arrest of a wanted suspect in Denham Springs on Sunday.
Around 9:30 A.M., Deputies were called to Robbie Lee Drive for a domestic battery call. Once there, investigators realized the suspect, 20-year-old Jessie Mouille, had a warrant out for his arrest.
Authorities say that is when Mouille resisted and fled the scene in a car.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the suspect attempted to run down deputies and ram units that were set up in the area, causing the deputies to open fire on Mouille.
The suspect then led officials on a chase which ended at a gas station a few miles away. Mouille was arrested and taken to the hospital to be treated for non life threatening injuries.
No deputies hurt.


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|First Western Zone Science Congress
Held at the Buffalo Museum of Science and hosted by the Junior Hobby Club, Buffalo Museum of Science Congress limited to members of Hobby Club
The Purpose of Western New York Science Congress, Inc (1939)
To enable science students and science teachers of Western New York schools to see what is being accomplished in school and out in the various sciences, through projects and lecture demonstrations.
|2nd Congress
1st Buffalo Salon of Photography (Photograph contest attached to Congress) First Lunch Menu: ("Plate Lunch 25¢, milk, ice cream, etc. 5¢ each. Sandwiches and soup, 10¢ each. Pie 7¢")
|4th Congress
First Radio broadcast interviews on WGR 55 AM and WBEN 930 AM
|Congress suspended because of W.W.II
|5th Congress
Invitations extended to those who are not members of the Science Clubs of America Monetary awards, certificates, plaques, and trophies given as prizes
|6th Congress
Grand Prize: Merchandise certificate ($5.00)
|7th Congress
First ever televised presentations by WBEN TV
Post cards used to confirm acceptance of entry of Lecture-Demonstrations
|10th Congress
1st MOTOR building Contest sponsored by Westinghouse Electric Co.
1st POSTER CONTEST started
|16th Congress
Visitors time they can view projects limited
Lecture-Demonstrations no fee, individual exhibits 25¢ ea., group exhibits 50¢
|21st Congress
Divisions changed from Senior and Junior to Senior, Intermediate, and Junior
|46th Congress
Congress begins modernization
|47th Congress
Start of Incorporation procedures and Constitution
|48th Congress
Beginning of major computerization of entries
|49th Congress
Incorporated as the Western New York Science Congress, Inc.
Moved to Buffalo State College after 49 years at Museum of Science
|50th Congress
50th anniversary celebration
Fee raised to $3.00 per entry/student
Novice Division Philosophy adopted
Inauguration of Novice Division allowing 6th grade students to participate since 1950's
1st medals given for Novice Division
|51st Congress
New judging procedures tested
Judges in Novice Division judge with students present
|52nd Congress
First time ever that 5th Grade students can compete in Congress Novice Division
Novice Division: 5th and 6th Graders
Updated Constitution adopted
New application form tested
Final adoption of Congress logo
Monetary awards increased substantially for Lecture-Demonstrations in Intermediate
and Senior Divisions. Intermediate = half of Senior Division. Teams splits prize money.
Congress condensed into single Saturday competition
Divisions standardized to Novice (5/6), Intermediate (7/9), Senior (10/12)
|53rd Congress
Applications form refined
Teams allowed for first time since 1960's. Size: 3 students max
New Safety Rules written and adopted. Committee formed
Creative Cover Contest revived on trial run. (Revival of Poster Contest)
Judging standards and form adopted for 1996
First time Judges judge all Divisions with students present to interact
New and established Judges view judging video
First time public viewing opened during entire Congress including judging since 1958
Novice Division Philosophy (1995) The Novice Division is established to reintroduce the 5th and 6th Grade students into the Science Congress.We believe students at this age express a natural curiosity and spontaneity that is the essence of experimentation and discovery. We believe every student has the ability to demonstrate their knowledge of the world around them and should receive the maximum encouragement to continue exploring that world.Students may participate as individuals or in teams of two (2) students. The number of students or teams per group shall be established at 6 with a maximum of 7.Students shall present and explain their project to the judges. In turn, the judges shall ask questions and discuss the project with each student or the team members. Group sizes are small to allow more time for students and judges to ask questions and exchange ideas.The number of medallions awarded in each group shall be a minimum of three (3) and maintain a 50% award ratio for each Novice Group. The award categories shall be: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. All awards given shall be determined by the judges.Beverly Hill & John-Paul Martin
|54th Congress
Animal usage criteria being drafted
Group size set at 2 students per Team. Lecture Demonstrators included
Safety Rules updated and new booklets printed, Committee established
Group size limit tested at 6 students per group.
Lecture-Demonstrations limited to 6 students per group no overall runoffs between
Cover Contest reintroduced as part of Congress $25.00 prize per cover
|55th Congress
Introduction of new Congress medals for Grades 5-12
First time Lecture-Demonstration students must mail in synopsis of project prior to Congress
Group sizes standardized. Novice (6, max 7), Intermediate & Senior (8, max 9) per group
|58th Congress
First website established. wnysciencecongress.org
|65th Congress
NEW website introduced: [wnysc.org]. Forms available on website
Student exhibit rooms closed to public during judging
|68th Congress
Online registration available
WNY Science Congress, Inc enters the world of social media
Sponsors of students expanded to include After School Organizations, Boy/Girl
Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs
|71st WNY Regional Science and Engineering Fair (WNY RSEF)
Name of annual event changed
All entries are projects (lectures eliminated)
Names of categories changed
Divisions renamed as Gr 5-6 (Novice), Gr 7-9 (Intermediate), and Gr 10-12 (Senior)
Entry fee $7.00 per student
Online registration and abstract submission initiated
|72nd WNY Regional Science and Engineering Fair
New by-laws and WNY Science Congress, Inc. Board of Directors reconfigured
Entry fee $10.oo per student
|74th WNY Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Website redesign, new email address, updated logo
Commitment made to host the STANYS New York State Science Congress for the next 3 years in Buffalo
First steps taken to become an Intel ISEF affiliate
|75th WNY Regional Science and Engineering Fair (Diamond Anniversary)
Became an affiliate of International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
Student opportunities and funding for four new advancement awards were made available by Terra Science and Education Foundation and Ying TRSEF
Judging rubric updated
Safety Checklist and Considerations updated
|77th WNY Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Monetary awards increased for Grade 7-12 (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and Gr 5/6 (Gold)
2020 78th WNY Regional Science and Engineering Fair was postponed due to the COVID-19


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- PhD – Lousiana State University Health Sciences Center
- BS – Clinical Biology, Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Pacheco-Quinto established his research career examining the risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). His previous work focused on understanding the correlation between the toxic accumulation of the Aβ peptide in AD patients and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as cholesterol, homocysteinemia and hypertension. Dr. Pacheco-Quinto has also investigated the role of ischemic insults in the initiation of AD and other neurological disorders.
As a postdoctoral fellow at MANA, Dr. Pacheco-Quinto is involved in an important study to assess how the endothelin system, which controls blood pressure, impacts the development of neurological diseases. He is also developing and testing compounds for the treatment of ischemic disorders in neonates. Dr. Pacheco Quinto has a diverse skill set that includes techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, microscopy and animal modeling. His expertise is a valuable asset to preclinical research at MANA.
(973) 971-8945


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Easily Create Website
Boomerang – is clean, modern and responsive Bootstrap 4 template developed for corporate or any other business company sites to showcase their company, services, portfolio, team, blogs in most professional looking manner. The Boomerang template supports parallax, Vimeo, Youtube and local video backgrounds. Template also includes blog pages, portfolio pages and shop pages.
Modern Tools:
Boomerang Bootstrap 4 template is built using modern tools: Gulp, PUG(Jade – high performance template engine), SASS, HTML5 and CSS3.
What's Included:
The package include two versions of template:
- Simple HTML/CSS Template
- Gulp/PUG/SASS Template
Core features:
- Multi-page sites and one-page sites
- General purpose pages like about us, services, contact, team, FAQ, pricing and many more
- Fullscreen Parallax background
- Fullscreen Slider background
- Fullscreen Youtube video background
- Fullscreen Vimeo video background
- Fullscreen Local video background
- Blog Pages
- Shop Pages
- Portfolio Pages
- Working AJAX contact form (PHP mail)
- Multi-column "mega-menu" and double-level drop-down menus
- Off-canvas sidebar
- Form validation
- Font awesome, Themify and Simple line icons font icons.
- Free Google web fonts
- Twitter feed integration
- Youtube and Vimeo embed modals
- Filterable portfolio sections
- Touch swipe supported carousels
- Accordion content
- Lightbox Gallery
- Multiple Google maps
- Responsive video
- Pricing tables
- Pie charts
- Tabs with title and icon
- Animated progress bar
- Testimonial grid and carousel
- Sticky header menus
- Documentation
- Performance Optimization
- Built with Bootstrap 4
- Free updates and support
📬 Support
Please feel free to email here — firstname.lastname@example.com


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Einstein's Razor: The Principle of Making Scientific Models as Simple as Possible but Not Simpler Is Difficult to Do
Woronow, Alex, Skeptic (Altadena, CA)
ALBERT EINSTEIN SAID, "EVERYTHING SHOULD BE made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Whether in the physical, biological, or social sciences, this admonition applies, from the hypotheses generated to the explanatory models proposed. Over-simplification could omit one or more important causal variables, or might not adequately capture the interactions among the variables. Overly simplistic models will arouse doubts and fuel skepticism--with justification. Upon reading the article by Frank Borzellieri in SKEPTIC ("Roswell, Aliens, and Belief: Who Believes that Aliens Landed at Roswell?" Vol. 16, No. 4, 21-28), I realized that I was not fully convinced by the explanation of why survey respondents tended (or not) to believe in an alien visitation at Roswell, NM. His conclusions may well be correct, but they are based on a model that may be unnecessarily simplistic.
Although Borzellieri captured many variables in his survey, his conclusions devolved from a set of isolated bivariate analyses. That approach alone is sometimes problematic in social science research. But I also had suspicions that not all relevant variables had been captured in the survey. Furthermore, the survey data were self-volunteered. Such data may have biases that arise because the respondents hold very strong opinions, which they are predisposed to "share" whenever given the opportunity. Conversely, others may not want to respond to a survey, fearing ridicule for their opinion. Less committed individuals may not care to get involved at all in a study that holds little interest for them. Still others may never have heard of Roswell, yet feel compelled to express an opinion.
These potential problems and biases are, in fact, common in scientific research, and I have spent a career implementing methods to deal with them. Thus, Borzellieri's study provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how to design and analyze a multivariate study in a complete, transparent, and rigorous multivariate framework. The technology that enables these improvements is the Bayesian Belief Network (BBN). BBNs provide a computational, probabilistic framework for modeling causal relationships among any reasonable number of variables. This somewhat opaque statement should become less so as we progress through an example. For the best learning experience, download the BBN modeling program Netica from its developer's (Norsys) web site (Norsys.com). The program is free and fully functional, though it has limitations unless licensed. In addition to the program, you will need the network described below, which is available at awkml.com/Roswell_BBN.zip. This network appears in Figure 1. Be aware that the network is a "toy," that is, a teaching tool only. It is not based on the data collected by Borzellieri, and does not reproduce or challenge his results. That being said, it is not an arbitrary network, and a research-grade network would probably be quite similar to this one in many regards.
In the next few paragraphs, I just scratch the surface of the BBN approach to probabilistic data modeling, analysis, and hypothesis testing as an example of how to think about applying Einstein's principle of simplifying without over-simplifying. One hopes this discussion will be as simple as possible, but not simpler. The Norsys web site has abundant information about BBNs, with numerous examples, and a web search will produce abundant additional information, not all of it reliable, of course. Basic to our usage, BBN system models are rigorous probability models (unlike, say, fuzzy-logic models), and can address linear and nonlinear dependencies.
Most researchers have familiarity with regression analysis: one variable's response or value is predicted from the value of one or more predictive or covariate variables. The goal is simply prediction and usually nothing else. The issue of causality does not arise. In a sense, a BBN generalizes and expands upon a regression analysis. …


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Get a G.R.I.P. to Avoid Bottom-Line Bottleneck from Leadership Failures
No matter the size of the company or team, we are all responsible for the bottom line. Leaders should feel responsibility for the bottom line, but sometimes can be the bottleneck that limits bottom-line success. We see it all the time as adventure consultants—leaders approach us saying they need to get their team "back on track" or "increase efficiency," and as we dive deeper, we find some common failures almost every time. It happens so often actually, we rarely conduct a program that doesn't use our G.R.I.P. model for success to combat these common failures. We outline the model and then put it into action at our adventure facilities with our teambuilding initiatives. We then are able to make the connections back to the workplace, creating flow where a bottleneck once was! Let's run through the model here.
The G.R.I.P. Model
The first key of G.R.I.P. is GOAL CLARITY. There is no bigger failure that can lead to a bottleneck than not having clearly defined goals. Goal ambiguity can cause a decrease in morale, resulting in poor work ethic, and an abundance of wasted time. To avoid frustration in this area, we work with teams on problem-solving initiatives that have a clearly defined goal. Leaders need to ensure their goal is clear with every member of the team. This sometimes can be difficult, and requires trust from top to bottom. Without trust, team members might not feel comfortable asking for clarity, while leaders often assume that their way of communicating the goal resonates with everyone immediately. Great leaders always follow up with questions to their team to ensure everyone understands the goal of the team.
The second key of G.R.I.P. is ROLE CLARITY. Now that we clearly defined our goal, does everyone know how they are contributing? Role clarity can be immensely motivating, and can minimize a great deal of stress and potential friction within the team. This also creates accountability and ownership, which leaders can follow up on to ensure the team reaches the goal. I love the metaphor given in the book, "Good to Great," by Jim Collins, of not only getting the right people on the bus, but going to the next step of making sure everyone has the right seat. This often can be difficult within teams, but if you have team members who do not have clearly defined roles, then the leadership might need to make some tough calls to reallocate some of their resources. At the end of the day, if both the leader and team member can articulate their role and how it contributes to the goal, you are heading in the right direction.
The third key of G.R.I.P. is INTERACTION. Communication improvement is one of our most common requests in terms of principles to work on with teams that come through our programs. With the advances in technology, there are so many ways to communicate, but also so many ways to misread communication. Leaders who succeed identify norms within the team of what tools or methods are to be utilized. We drive home the point in our programs by asking the question, "Do you say what you mean, and mean what you say?" This pointed question also requires trust from both parties, teams that have been together for multiple years or teams that might have to build trust if it has been lost in the past. Leaders face the challenge of keeping their teams accountable to the norms established, and that communication exists in whatever form the team needs to succeed.
The fourth and final key of G.R.I.P. is PROCESS. Can leaders navigate their team to collectively agree on the process? One of the best outcomes of teambuilding challenges is that there is usually more than one way to succeed, and this can translate into the workplace. We specifically design challenges in which teams have a certain amount of resources, creating the possibility of several solutions, thus creating an environment where effective communication is required to agree on a process to achieve the goal. We often see that process is the bottleneck as teams try to go from brainstorm to execution. Teams struggle with in-the-moment changes, and especially failure. Leaders should not be afraid to fail! Take failure as an opportunity to recalibrate, take pieces that work, and move forward to another solution. It can be hard to keep up positive communication as you are working through process conception and testing, but the rewards and ultimate team cohesion will prove to be better than ever. We see it all the time with just a few hours of challenges that test the team on how members build and work through the process.
One of the most rewarding pieces of working with teams is getting e-mails months after a program has ended, and leaders giving us an example of how they used G.R.I.P. with their team. Some leaders have even built it into their culture. It is simple to remember, and even catchy to say: "Let's stop and get a G.R.I.P." If you use it as a leadership tool and can identify each component, the team will see more results and fewer bottleneck failures that can prevent bottom-line success. More often than not, the challenges you face within your team, just like the ones we create at our adventure facilities, can be solved by running through and assessing the four keys of G.R.I.P. However, just like any model, if left unused, your investment in the teambuilding adventure will just turn into that "fun outing" instead of the turning point for a successful team. Now it is your turn to go and get a G.R.I.P. on your team, and on the bottom line.
Trevon Hauth is the general manager and facilitator at Empower Adventure Middleburg. He has a rich history of outdoor adventures and pursuits. Growing up as a Boy Scout and working towards his Eagle Scout, Hauth was exposed to all the benefits of the outdoors and the education that comes from experiencing nature. Since then, he has obtained a degree in Recreation Management and Outdoor Leadership, as well as his Master's in Business Administration, which allows him to create one-of-a-kind adventures for both corporate and leisure groups at Empower Adventures. Hauth continues to pursue the outdoors through trail running, camping, and hiking with his wife and three daughters.


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Geek Fashion Fix | Brand Spotlight: Adorned By Chi
I stumbled across the Adorned By Chi Instagram after scrolling past an ad for their 'Wakanda Forever' tees. I loved the retro, graphic feel of the design and how it only encouraged my ever-growing Black Panther hype.
"Wakanda Forever!" Unisex Long Sleeve T-Shirt, $34.00+
And while we here at Jordandené just introduced two new Black Panther-inspired designs, we understand that some fans would rather give their money to black artists and businesses for them. Adorned By Chi is the perfect brand for that.
Adorned By Chi describes themselves as "a lifestyle brand for misfits & magical girls" and I think they wear that title well. Their aesthetic is as gentle and pastel as they come, with tees sporting bubble letters and a website dipped in the prettiest shade of pink. But, the best part of this awesome brand is that spotlight the black nerd community, one that's so often overlooked in the world of geekdom.
Also, their mascot is a doe-eyed poodle named Chi Chi Poo. Find something cuter than that. I dare you.
T'Challa Makes Me Holla Unisex Ringer T-Shirt, $29.50
They also sell these adorable and hilariously accurate ringer tees that speak to everyone's thirst for the holy trinity of Wakandan men. (You can also shop the design in "M'Baku's Boo" and "Kilmonger's Queen". I'll take one of each, please and thank you.)
Besides all of the Black Panther goodness that I never want to end, Adorned By Chi also carries an array of other t-shirt designs, home goods, pins, patches and lots of other fun stuff. Here's a little preview of everything else sitting in my cart right now.
"Chi Chi Poo at the Spa" Make Up Pouch, Large, $17.00
Shop all of this & more today at Adorned by Chi. You won't be disappointed. I promise.


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Deciding to go with online invoicing services is a positive step for most freelancers and small business owners. Online invoices save both time and money by simplifying the billing process and allowing you to get back to earning fast. But with a myriad of options on the market, which online invoice generator is for you?
Today we're looking at some of the top choices for online invoicing software, and the pros and cons of each. Deciding on the right program for you is important, since you want a product that you're satisfied with as well as one that's going to be efficient and simple to use.
The big hitters on the online invoice software market are going to be your best bet, quite simply because they're going to offer you better support and more reliability than smaller, and often cheaper, options. So, if the overwhelming choice of programs is slowing down your decision making process, here's a quick rundown of the biggest invoice programs on the market...
Invoicera: Simple and Popular
By far the most popular choice at the moment is Invoicera. This huge popularity has resulted in a product that meets the needs of a wide range of users.
There's multi-currency billing support, as well as multi lingual options. But probably the main selling point of Invoicera, particularly for those that frequently deal with overseas customers, is the sheer number of payment options that are offered.
Invoicera has a massive twenty one different online payment options, meaning that there's no excuse not to opt for the convenience of an online payment service.
Another big plus of Invoicera is that it is extremely simple to use, and involves little knowledge of any kind of accounting or financial vocabulary or processes. For beginners in online invoicing, Invoicera is by far the easiest choice. There is a range of plans to choose from, from a free option to large packages going for around a hundred bucks a month, and the array of add on options means that you can get a package that truly reflects your needs as a customer.
Downsides? There aren't many, to be honest. It's an Indian based company, and the English on the site isn't always up to scratch, though the language used on invoices themselves is fine. Other than that, Invoicera is the most popular choice for a reason, and is definitely worth a free trial as one of the best online invoicing programs out there.
Xero: For Pros Only
By far the most professional of the available options is Xero. You get the features that you'd expect from a solid invoicing program, including one click payment, a range of online invoice templates, time tracking and expense tracking.
Amazon Price: Buy Now
(price as of Sep 17, 2015)
But Xero excels in offering a one stop shop for online finance management. The program allows bank feeds, meaning that statements, credit card info and even PayPal balances are all automatically imported into the program to help you track all your financial information from the same place.
It's mobile friendly too, so there's no problem in using it from your cell. However, it's truly a professional product, and that means that if you don't have at least a basic grounding in accounting and finance terms then you're going to find Xero tough to use.
Pricing options range from free to forty bucks, depending on the size of the package you're looking for and which features you want. Though Xero is slightly less customizable than Invoicera, it's a solid choice for customers with a financial background who will be most likely to effectively make use of its many professional features.
Freshbooks: Easy and Money Saving
Freshbooks is a relative newcomer to the online invoice market, but it's making big head way, with more than five million users online already.
It's a back to basics service, allowing you to make and send invoices, receive payment (PayPal, credit card and direct deposit are currently the only payment options), as well as letting you track invoices and time.
This simplicity makes Freshbooks incredibly user friendly. They also score top marks for friendly and helpful customer service, no matter what time you call in. For a freelancer with basic invoicing needs, Freshbooks is perfect. There's no learning curve, all the basics are covered, and you're not going to spend a fortune.
More experienced users, or those with more than a few clients are going to be disappointed with the lack of complexity that Freshbooks offers though. But if you've got three or less clients to bill each month, Freshbooks is free, so you might end up saving more than you think.
Harvest: More than Just Time Tracking
Harvest made its name as a time tracking program to help freelancers bill efficiently and clients to know how many hours were being put into a project. However, Harvest does also offer online invoicing.
This invoicing system is a relatively simplified version of what is found in other online invoice programs, but for some that's an advantage. You get a basic invoice set up, but no choice of templates. Harvest does support Excel data uploading, which is a nice touch if you're doing your own invoicing but need clear records to hand over to the accountant come tax time. It's also supported on both the iPhone and Android, so you'll have full invoicing capabilities wherever you go.
This isn't going to be the software for advanced users, or, indeed, for anyone requiring anything other than very basic services. But for ease of use, Harvest gets full marks. The monthly price is just ten bucks for each user.
Quickbooks: Comprehensive and Simple to Use
Quickbooks has Simple Start, Pro and Premier versions of its invoice management software. The Pro version is the one that will suit most small businesses and freelancers. The Simple Start is short on too many features that you actually need; it cannot import from Excel and there is no Calendar View.
If you are looking for an online accounting package that does not overwhelm you with its complexity and make you wary of logging in every day then this is the program you need. It is one of the easiest to get used to and it will scale up as your business grows.
Which Business Management Software Will Work for You
As far as online invoice management programs go, there are a lot of options. However, finding the software that matches your needs as a user is by far the most important part of your decision. Recommending one program over others isn't necessarily a great idea, since different users require different services, though Invoicera does tend to be the best general choice to go with. But a brief look at the intro video on any of these companies web sites should be more than enough to let you know whether or not a service is for you.
Amazon Price: $249.95 Buy Now
(price as of Sep 17, 2015)


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By Mandi Favreau
As the fall rains move in, it's not uncommon to see buckets strategically placed in school hallways. Parents may have a little difficulty navigating parking lots marked more by potholes than traffic indicators, or they may notice more signs of wear and tear to the buildings and grounds.
At a time when most school districts in the state are struggling, RSU 18's story isn't new; it isn't even the worst. The core of the problem centers around the reduction in state funding.
This year RSU 18 received 3 million dollars less in state funds than we did in 2010. " With this decrease, our district has struggled financially," said Superintendent Carl Gartley. "Facilities always suffer under these conditions."
A prior solution, proposed in 2010, was to close Atwood, add an addition to Williams, and move all 5th graders to Messalonskee Middle School. A vote made it clear that this was not the right solution for our community at the time.
Solutions still needed to be found, however, and so, a little over two years ago, the RSU 18 Facilities Committee was put into place to determine how to best address the impact these budget cuts were having on the buildings. Over the last two years, the committee has taken a long hard look at the needs and necessities in each of our buildings across the district. With input from this committee, the district came up with several options. The least expensive of these options, combined with the proposed athletics complex, led to the 13.9 million dollar bond that will be put in front of voters this November.
The plan addresses key safety and accessibility issues in all RSU 18 buildings, and each town will benefit from the bond. Approximately half a million dollars is marked for repairs needed to bring our schools back up to code according to the report from the state Fire Marshal's office, as well as needed upgrades to our kitchens. Other projects target necessities like heating, roofing, masonry, electrical work, and air quality. The improvements to the athletics facilities are also aimed at increasing safety and accessibility for students and community members.
The changes to the high school's athletics complex are centered on the football field, which would be upgraded to synthetic turf, and an 8 lane synthetic track which would be built around the perimeter. The planned changes would offer a safer and more accessible practice and competition area for our football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, cross country and track teams. The money would also be used to upgrade lighting, renovate the grandstand, and expand the bleachers. The changes will make the grandstand much more handicap accessible, and the synthetic track will provide the community with a safe place to walk and run.
"The athletic complex has been discussed in our district for many years," said Superintendent Gartley. "We all want a facility we can be proud of; our students and our community deserve this."
There are still many potential changes that need to be considered. Messalonskee Middle School, our newest building, still offers some untapped potential; we need to figure out how best to use this space, whether or not that includes relocating the 5th graders. The facilities committee has determined that spending money on our portable buildings is not efficient; we need to determine how to phase out their use. We are also in desperate need of storage.
"There are still decisions that need to be made if this bond passes," added Superintendent Gartley, 'or even if it does not."
Bond distribution
|Fire Marshal Report Work
|Heating Controls / Infrastructure / Boilers, etc.
|Construction / reorganization / Masonry work / Gym Repair
|Lighting / Electrical Work / Fixtures
|Pavement / Parking Lot Work
|Windows / Ventilation Unit / Air Quality
|Roof Work
|Athletic Complex


text: Nothing's better than biting into an ice cream cone on a hot summer's day — until that nasty brain freeze comes along. Caused by a sudden constriction of blood vessels, this painful sensation may last up to one minute, taking all the joy out of that double-scoop. To avoid this headache and make the most of the cone, savor that frozen treat and eat slower Already unfrozen? Read What Happens During Brain Freeze to learn more.


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Tuscany is colors, smells, food, wines, and much more...
Which are your favorite "About Tuscany"?
Tuscany is colors, smells, food, wines, and much more...
Which are your favorite "About Tuscany"?
Casale Lorenzo is a beautiful stone villa for 10 persons set at the gates of the green and wooded dell of Casentino, one of the four valleys which surround the city of Arezzo.
The Casentino Valley, placed north of Arezzo, have nowadays become a National Trust of the Natural Reserve of Casentino Forests.
The Casentino valley, crossed by the River Arno, during the centuries had been a land of armies transit and conquest. One of the most remembered battles is Campaldino fought in 1289 between Florence and Arezzo, where also Dante Alighieri struggled together with the Florentine army.
Casale Lorenzo is composed of a main villa on two levels and an annex equipped with a billard table, all around a wide park completely fenced with a beautiful swimming pool (size 15x8 m., depth 1,00-2,40 m.) and a small children play area. Table, chairs and barbecue for outdoor eating. Next to the pool a locker room and a bathroom with shower.
The furnishing is cured, refined and comfortable and fits perfectly in with the features of the villa.
Moreover, respecting the need of energy saving, the house Casale Lorenzo is also endowed with solar panels.
For more information and reservation: http://www.eurocasa.com/en/toscana/arezzo-and-casentino/villas-with-pool/casale-lorenzo/casale-lorenzo/
Podere Mugnana is an ancient farmhouse composed of a main villa and an independent house, typical of the Tuscan hills in the famous region of Chianti, a few km far from Firenze and, at the same time, not far either from Siena, placed in one of the most beautiful and evocative areas of Tuscany.
The house is situated in an extremely panoramic position and overlooks magnificent vineyards, silver olive groves, small hamlets and the splendid, medieval Castle of Mugnana, which is less than 1 km far from the property. Strada in Chianti, the closest village, is only 3 km far and endowed with small shops and restaurants, all the same Greve in Chianti, 13 km far, is the typical village of the area, immersed onto the renowned vineyards which produce the Chianti, one of the most celebrated wines all over the world. In the main villa there are two apartments, in one of them live the owners, the other IL GLICINE (4 persons) is at clients disposal.
I PINI, (6 persons) on the other hand, is an adjoining independent house, born from the careful restoration of an ancient barn with a private, enclosed garden.
The beautiful swimming pool (size mt. 6x10, depth mt. 1,30-1,50), edged round with natural stone, is placed among olives and is occasionally used also by the owners. At clients disposal a very panoramic terrace which dominates the below valley, a well-kept garden, equipped with swing seat, barbecue and wood burning oven.
The two apartments, well furnished in the typical Tuscan style, offer a good level of comfort which, bond to the uniqueness of the place, will ensure an unforgettable holiday in the Chianti region.
For more information and reservation: http://www.eurocasa.com/en/toscana/chianti-and--valdarno/apartments-with-pool/podere-mugnana/i-pini/
Villa La Scatolaia is a pretty stone house divided in two apartments set in the hills on the borders of the National Park of the Casentino, an area of great natural beauty with many castles, monasteries, and ancient parish churches. All around La Scatolaia a wide green space (approx. 1.500 m2) completely fenced and overlooking the valley below .
Each apartment has its own entrance and outdoor area equipped with garden furniture and barbecue. At guests disposal a beautiful and fenced swimming pool (size m 5x10 - depth m 1,50), children playground and table tennis.
The property, when you reserve both apartments, is comfortable and convenient for group rentals (up to 12 persons).
For more information and reservation: http://www.eurocasa.com/en/toscana/arezzo-and-casentino/apartments-with-pool/la-scatolaia/la-fonte/


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Have you had chips in your grout or been dealing with stained grout under your dish washer or in walk ways for years? Was your grout once beige, but now it's black? Without having sealed tile and grout you will encounter all these problems but even with protection, your flooring can still become discolored.
Tile & grout cleaning and grout & tile sealing will bring the life back to your floors. Once clean, you may want to consider updating your home with professional tile & grout staining and recoloring. To take care of the problem areas we offer grout repair & replacement and tile repair & replacement.
If your entire floor is in need of a full tile installation, regrout, recaulk in wet rooms, and restore, contact us for a quote and see how much you can save.
Ask a Question


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Many of my favorite dwarf conifers were first discovered as witches' brooms growing high in the branches of their parent trees.
"Witches' brooms? What are you talking about, Ed?" You may ask.
I'm glad you asked! Horticulturally speaking, witches' brooms are tightly congested formations of twigs and foliage that are often, but certainly not always, caused by pathogens – insects or other biological pests. Sometimes though, a witches' broom develops because of a genetic mutation. When cuttings are taken from these genetic abnormalities, new plants can be propagated with the characteristics of the mutated original.
"Yes, Ed, that's all well and good, but why use the term witches' brooms? Where did that originate?"
Great question. According to an article I found in volume 27 numbers 4-5 of Arnoldia, a bulletin of the Arnold Arboretum, the term originated back in medieval Europe. The genetic or pathogen influenced growth looked a lot like the rustic brooms that were in common use. And hey, if they couldn't explain it, there must have been a witch involved! Not only that, but apparently, these congested foliage areas were the Motel 6 of medieval witches because they were thought to be the resting places of witches when traveling!
These days, dedicated conifer collectors are always keeping an eye out for witches' brooms in the trees overhead for the potential of discovering what may be a really great new dwarf conifer for the garden!
One such conifer was discovered by Don Shadow. In 1984, he gave Jean Iseli some cuttings of his new discovery and these cuttings were grafted and evaluated for several years. Picea orientalis 'Shadow's Broom' is a great plant with its bright spring-green new growth that quickly matures to one of the darkest and richest greens in the garden. It has short, glossy needles and slowly forms a broad mounding specimen. I've been growing mine in full sun where I needed a good dark foundation to my garden. It really stands out nicely surrounded by other more brightly colored dwarf conifers and other exciting garden plants.
Conifer Lover
Thanks to my friends at Iseli Nursery for the photo link


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Day 2 of our journey to Cymru startet with the last road segment of nearly 500 km! It took us almost seven hours to drive from Ashford to Llanaber, where we rented a cottage for two weeks. On our way north we crossed the Thames River through the Dartford Tunnel where you have to pay a toll. But there is no booth. Roadsigns indicate that you should pay your fee by midnight of the following day though Dart Charge on the Internet. That sounded quite convenient because the last time we took this tollway, we got fined after returning to Germany. (I replied to this fine immediately and paid the necessary fare and they didn't charge me the additional "punishment fee" for this fraud.) After arriving at our cottage, I forgot about our charges. But two days later got somehow reminded – already two days delayed. I jumped on the Internet and found it easy to pay my toll dues for a return ticket. That took the sweat off my forehead and made me feel comfortable again.
On arrival at our cottage in bright sunshine but temperatures around 19 °C we found the place up in the hills charming. From the terrace you were overlooking the Irish Sea. We started unloading our car and I reassembled our foldable e-tandem which we had placed into the passengers compartment. I loved this way of transportation because I had not to lift the tandem on top of our car where a bike roof rack is in general mounted. How convenient to be able to use the eButterfly again after fitting a few things again.
The cottage smelled a little mouldy so we opened up all windows and doors to ventilate the it a little bit. Climbing up to the master bedroom I realised that the bed size did not match my expectations. The bed was too tiny for a 6'3″ person because it was only 6'3″ in length. And the width was 135 cm! What a nightmare for me. I immediately contacted the agency and they replied, that I should have done some research before I signed the contract with them because a British standard double bed is of this size.
Sorry to say this, but this is unacceptable: They have to point at this fact on their Internet ad. International guests won't do any research for bed sizes when renting a hotel room or cottage – would you? The Welcome Cottage support team was not very helpful. They denied any compensation for this issue as well for other upcoming complaints from our side regarding the cleanliness and fittings of the cottage. You can read about it when you click this link. Anyway we started cleaning up the oven before we could preparing any meal, we tried to arrange our toiletries although shelfs and racks we missing, etc. We felt like being trapped – but the spectacular view calmed us down again. We finally made us feel somehow comfortable.


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Police Corruption In the news, many citizens hear that police corruption has occurred in their neighborhood and country. They hear many cases of officers shooting innocent people or beating citizens. Corruption is to be dishonest. Also, to make dishonest practices like bribery and lack of integrity. Leadership is strictly enforced in law enforcement to be against corruption. Although many may believe that police officers show the best leadership, police officers do not show leadership. Ethics Ethics is a central belief system in a high regard for human worth and dignity.
Ethics is a service to others and a commitment to greater good for more people. In law enforcement ethics is important because police officers serve the community and protect the innocent against corruption, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder. This also respects the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice. A police officer doesn't show ethics when they bribe citizens by payment. (Polanski) Bribery isn't correct because people have to do whatever they are told to get in trouble with law enforcement.
Officers should not have the right to bribe even though they have an authority to protect or make people do whatever they have to do. Integrity Integrity is seen as honesty, truthfulness, and accuracy of one's actions. Integrity is important in showing leadership in law enforcement. Public integrity is the quality of acting with the moral values, norm and rules accepted by the public. Framing is when a police officer threats innocent people just to get money out of them. (Walker) This is wrong in trying to do this because those innocent people don't have the fault of the officers needing more money.
It is using immoral means to achieve moral ends. Morale Morale is the mental and emotional condition of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand. It is motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. This is important to police officers because their purpose is to protect and serve citizens. Police officers don't show morale when they extort people by forcing them to give them money with threats. This is wrong because citizens wouldn't feel safe on the streets if officers were to extort them just for money.
Officers are supposed to make right decisions and not the bad decisions that can affect their career. Ethics, integrity, and morale are all characteristics of what makes a leader a well educated leader. In any profession there can be awful leaders and great leaders. Like in law enforcement, corruption is also shown in the government where people's rights are also being violated. Leadership is very important in society because the citizens who live in the country want to feel safe and free.


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I want to thank everyone who stopped by the book signing table and bought a copy of my memoir Left of the Dial.
I was also glad to talk to people who didn't buy the book.
Yes: I sold a ton of copies. Yet the reality is most mental health authors aren't going to get rich selling books. We're happy to earn the money that will enable us to get a haircut or eat a restaurant meal as a treat one night.
The thing is: I was a good salesperson. As people walked by I made eye contact and said, "Hi. I've written a book about recovery from schizophrenia that you might be interested in." As soon as people zoomed over I started to tell them: "I credit my mother and my family's support with enabling me to recover."
I was surprised with how easy it was to sell the books. Yet then again the topic of the education conference was "Redefining Recovery."
The point is not that everyone will be able to do what I do. Or that everyone should be able to do what I do. My recovery illustrates that with family support and with a compassionate treatment team it's more likely you will have a better outcome.
Let's here it for the mothers and fathers.
The point is that I make the case as I have for going on nine years that the secret to success in recovery is to do what you love, do what you love, do what you love.
It was fun to sign books at the convention and talk to everyone who stopped by.
And like I said I was glad to talk to everyone not just the customers.


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Posted by admin on Feb 22, 2018 in Courses, Workshops | Comments Off on Learn how to blog and design a website with WordPress
Learn how to use the easiest and most powerful blogging and website content management system (or CMS) in existence today.
This 4 week course will start in March on a Saturday from 10am – 3pm. Please contact the centre for further details.


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This weekend, George Town will be the venue for a uniformed parade in celebration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's birthday.
While most of us make do with only one birthday, Queen Elizabeth II has two, with her actual birthday falling on April 21, and official celebrations taking place in June, this year on Saturday.
The official birthday celebrations for 2016 mark the monarch's 90th birthday, and events in London include the annual Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade, as well as more events taking place on the surrounding days.
In Cayman, the public is invited to the Queen's birthday proceedings, which are organized by the Protocol Office.
Official celebrations will kick off outside the Legislative Assembly building in George Town with a parade by uniformed services at 9:30 a.m. The public being asked to be in place by 9 a.m. A brief awards ceremony will follow, with Queen's Honours recipients recognized. In the event of rain, proceedings will be moved into the Town Hall.
Managing Partner of EY and first chairman of the Cayman Islands Judicial and Legal Services Commission, Layman Daniel Scott, will be recognized with Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), and Rudy Myles will be honored with the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour for commitment to arts and the community. New Queen's Birthday Honourees will also be announced the day of the ceremony.
Following the parade and awards ceremony, the public is welcome to attend a garden party on the grounds of Government House from 10:15-11:45 a.m. Semiformal day dress is required; food and drink will be provided.
In recognition of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the Cayman Drama Society will perform an excerpt from "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," and the Cayman National Youth Choir will perform songs inspired by Shakespeare's works.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to the all-access pass for the Cayman Compass.


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He Shells Corn Cobs in the Barnyard
(Aged 15)
Wea. THU. DEC. 10, 1896 Ther.
Went to school.
(Aged 17)
Wea. SAT. DEC. 10, 1898 Ther.
In A.M. Leon Page + I went hunting killed 2 woodpeckers. In P.M. shelled corn with the new shellers which we got today + read.
|Corn Sheller
(Aged 18)
Wea. SUN. DEC. 10, 1899 Ther.
Left Bunce's went to Mr. Lord's where I will stay tonight. Wrote a letter home + one to Irma.
(Aged 19)
Wea. MON. DEC. 10, 1900 Ther.
Cut wood all day. Cut 3 cd. In eve read.
(Aged 20)
Wea. TUE. DEC. 10, 1901 Ther.
Took 4 pigs off weighed 93lb each 6 1/2 cents per lb $24.18. Geo. Weyman began work at noon at $6 per month to work till April 1st. In eve Pa came over.
(Aged 21)
Wea. WED. DEC. 10, 1902 Ther.
Drew bolts. Got up 12 cd. John gave me a check of $15.36. Alice went up home.
Editor's Note: I can only hope Allen wasn't eating those woodpeckers.


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I'm Amman from Bamboocid.com, and I havent got any sales yet. I'm looking for different strategies to bring in revenue. Im a 14 year old entreprenuer, so any feedback and tips regarding my website will be highly appreciated :). I have tested facebook ads so far, but had no luck with that. http://bamboocid.com (use the code BAMBOOCID15 to get 15% off your total order; offering this in return for good feedback)
88,000 Unique Pageviews, 0.14% Conversion Rate, 29 Sales in a WEEK???
These numbers don't make sense. I have made some updates to my site to address performance and optimization. I know there are still some improvements to be made, but from what i can see, the site provides a pretty smooth experience. I've even managed to streamline the checkout process (ApplePay, Amazon Pay, Paypal, as well as consolidating to one page for regular 'Checkout'). On top of that, I have Free US Shipping and upfront 30 day return policy. Business was launched in 2012, so it's an established brand.
So then why do I still have such a low conversion rate? My traffic is very strong, bounce rate is acceptable, and pages per session have drastically improved. Any ideas why I would still not be getting the amount of sales I would expect? What can I do to get my conversion rate to 0.50% let alone 1.5%? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Here's a sample of my numbers for the last week:
87,689 Unique Pageviews, 0.14% Conversion Rate, 29 Sales
Please help!!! Site critiques welcome.
Ive been running an accessories store for a month or so now and my paid fb advertisements have been garnering a few hundred visits per day. My budget on ads is $100 for an entire month and so far each day ive been getting at least 15 adds to cart and consistantly at least 50% initiate a checkout. But for some reason i cant figure out why i have only one sale when i get this many initiate checkouts daily. Ive been constantly cleaning up my sight and adding apps for sales boosts along with reengineering my ads to be more precise but to no avail.
If you can checkout out my sight and give me some feedback that would be greatly appreacited!
Thanks for posting!
As for advertising, our experience shows that video converts waaaaaay higher.
Couple of tips to help:
First, capture attention quickly. Front-load the video with attention-grabbing content to ensure they don't just scroll-and-go. Next, design for sound off. Most video ads in the mobile feed are viewed without sound. Use captions if there is dialogue. Facebook's caption feature works really well. Finally, produce for mobile. Consider your dimensions. Make sure your story is told well on a small screen.
Anyway, hope that's useful. Wrote more about this on our blog this week if you need more ideas: https://bit.ly/2s0G4lj
Im almost the same as you. 1 yr in shopify only 19 sales in total. {Surely shopify is the only one making money.} On top of that i advertised and have SEO with rich content blogs and email marketing, and its still hard to make a sale. All i want is a constant sale everyday :(
It's not east getting someone to your site/store in the first place and a lot of people are advertising on facebook.
Capturing visitor details is crucial in my opinion and using the Instant Messenger app with a simple, single sign up procedure is one way to do it.
It strikes me that so many people have facebook pages with hundreds/thousands likes which when a post is put up on the wall, gets around 6% reach. Using Messenger increases this to 100% unless they're using a fake ID.
By putting in some work and converting some, you'd like to think all but that's unrealistic to subscribers would increase the post reach instantly and the great thing is, they already like you.
Linking in with a rewards/loyaty program and offering points to people who share, everyone loves points.
What do you think of my site?
Jeremy, T.W.D.
Having the same challenge here. Lots of traffic but no sales!
Had a look at your site, Corsetnow.com. I think it looks great. One thing I think you should look at is when you add to cart, it says : ship from china or US. I must admit that put me off a liittle bit. Also, right at the bottom of your page, it came up with a box, If you're not going to buy, then why. I attached it, that's too aggressive, from my point of view.
Also, checked out your facebook page, you've got nearly 6K likes but not taking full advantage of this in my opinion.
Facebook reach is about 6% on posts, so let's round it up to 10 and say 600 fans have seen the post.
I personally think that with some work, you should be able to sign up, let's say 60% onto messenger which will enable you to direct message 3600 fans directly.
You could look to link this in with a rewards/loyalty program where points are awarded to fans who share. Those points could be exchanged for goods/discounts in the store. New visitors to the store could be presented with a sign up to messenger and the loyalty program, you look to integrate them..
It may be worth trying.


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As we plot and plan for what to add to our own fall wardrobes, we can't help but wonder what our favorite fashionistas are adding to their fall wardrobes. So we did what any curious cat would do and asked them: What is one item you are adding to your wardrobe for fall? Their answers provided us with tons of inspiration and an even longer shopping list than we previously had — imitation is the best form of flattery, right? Below, 11 local fashion icons whose fashion choices are worth noting share their top picks for fall.
Holly Williams of H. Audrey and White's Mercantile
I will be getting a Sam outerwear jacket with the fur lining. We sell them at H. Audrey and White's. They are the most fabulous jackets for any weather — but actually stylish! A must have!
Hud Hudson of Jamie
I am going to have to go with a deconstructed sweater!
Libby Callaway of The Callaway
With its perfectly proportioned wooden heel and slim ankle shaft, Ceri Hoover's Benson Bootie is calling my name! I'm especially psyched that Ceri's coming out with a limited edition run in cherry red for the holidays.
Eric Viars of The Oxford Shop
Wool/cashmere overshirt … it's made to be worn in place of a jacket or sweater; wear it over a knit, a sport shirt or a dress shirt and tie. Casual and sophisticated.
Savannah Yarborough of AtelierSavas
For fall, I'll be adding a bright camel suede studded jacket with a black coyote fur collar to my wardrobe.
Gen Sohr of Pencil & Paper Co.
I always love a classic winter coat in a statement color. This fall, I'm coveting all things in a deep, rich shade of hunter green!
Gavin Ivester of FLO | THINKERY and Nashville Fashion Alliance Board Member
I'm all about tailored comfort during the work week — so I love great fit and the way technical performance fabrics are becoming the norm in more dressed-up looks. And as a board member of the Nashville Fashion Alliance (please join!), I'm working to build the fashion industry in the region, in line with a longstanding fascination with wearing made-in-the-USA shoes and clothes whenever possible. That all comes together in a couple of items I have my eye on for fall: a pair of wingtip boots from Allen Edmonds and another pair (in a color I don't have yet) of technical-fabric, five-pocket Slim Dungarees from Outlier.nyc.
Emil Congdon of Emil Erwin
I am really looking forward to adding a custom leather jacket from AtelierSavas. Other than that, I am strictly jeans and t-shirts.
Cavanagh Baker of Cavanagh Baker
My absolute must-have for this fall season would have to be the Serena Coat from my Fall/Winter 2016 collection. I plan to wear it with everything, from day to night. It will look great with a pair of wide-legged wool pants — like our Taylor pant — during the day. On chilly nights, I'll layer it over a cocktail dress or jumpsuit, like our Naomi.
Phillip Nappi of Peter Nappi
I will be adding the quilted indigo blazer from Shockoe Atelier that we will carry this fall.
Beth Franklin of Gus Mayer Nashville
I love texture and layering in the fall. I am adding great oversize tops with suede jackets this season. Of course, I can't not add the choker into the mix. It makes for more fun layering with jewelry!
SB note: shop the stores mentioned (everything in the coral color is hyperlinked to their business, so just click!) for these suggestions and more.
Thanks to each of these tastemakers for sharing the looks they're most looking forward to wearing this fall. Find the best places to shop these looks for yourself in our SB App — click here to download!


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- This event has passed.
SHIFTS3CTOR California Airstrip Attack
October 1, 2017 - October 31, 2018
Event Navigation
THE CALIFORNIA AIRSTRIP ATTACK : Brought to you by Speed Society
What: ½ Mile Side by Side Racing Event and Trap Speed Competition.
Gates open at 7AM. Mandatory drivers meeting at 8:00AM.
Where: The New Coalinga Municipal Airport. 27500 West Phelps. Coalinga, CA.
Spectator tickets are $20 per-day/$30 for both Pre-Sale, or $25 per-day at gate