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HomeLos AltosLos Altos isn't requiring masks
Los Altos isn't requiring masks
An N95 mask. Photo from 3M Corp.
The Los Altos City Council has rejected a last-minute proposal by City Manager Chris Jordan to require people to wear masks in public places to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The county's health order only advises people to wear masks, but doesn't require it.
Council convened over a telephone conference Thursday night to make the decision. Since the meeting was a "special meeting," the city only had to provide 24 hours' notice. The meeting wasn't broadcast over cable TV or the city's Facebook page like most meetings.
Instead, listeners had to call in to hear what was said.
Jordan advised the council to pass an emergency ordinance, which would have gone into effect immediately, to require masks for people on public transit, in businesses and while in line at businesses.
Unlike the county guidelines, which advise wearing masks, the ordinance would have made it possible for police to cite people for not wearing masks.
Councilwoman Neysa Fligor said she has seen people not wearing masks at the farmers market. She said she is worried people won't wear masks when they line up outside retailers now that curbside pickup is allowed.
She said some people are confused about when to wear masks, and the new ordinance would make it clear that they are required.
Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins responded that she thinks another ordinance on top of county and state orders would confuse people.
"This whole hierarchy of orders … anybody who thinks that is adding clarity, I think you are out of your cotton-picking mind," she said.
Councilwomen Anita Enander and Lynette Lee Eng said they didn't support the new rule.
Council didn't take a vote since it was clear the ordinance would fail. Mayor Jan Pepper asked Jordan to do more to educate the community about the need to wear masks.
Correction: Masks are required in stores with certain exceptions such as children under 6.
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Local says:
May 23, 2020 5:20 pm at 5:20 pm
Unbelievable. I will avoid shopping in Los Altos in the future.
I think that's the idea. The fewer outside people in town strolling around the better. The more people keep 6 feet away the better. A mask doesn't provide as much protection as being 6 feet away, especially ouside. But the county order to stores still requires masks at businesses. That is legally binding.
People, you need to understand something. A virus is 1 micron (and that is a very large virus) or much smaller.
The mask that starts to filter that size is an N100 or P100 which filters "down to 1 micron" but not always. They both come with a seal that does not allow air in from the sides and straps that have to be adjusted to ensure the edges are right and seal. And you can't wear a beard with any mask.
Anything bigger, even a N95 is like having a beautiful home and not having a front door and expecting the rest of the house to keep out robbers. Literally. And the "around the ears" types are like having a frame with mosquito netting around it as a house an expecting it to prevent robbers.
Viruses also look like sea urchins. They have a lot of proteins sticking out of them that gives them a lot of surface area. That means water evaporates quickly when you sneeze. So yes, a mask may cut down on projectiles, but the moisture evaporates and then all viruses can spread readily out of your mask or in your mask.
Now are you wearing a hat? Your hair is a magnet for everything and viruses, mold spores, pollen – you name it – your hair is like a huge sieve. So if you are not wearing a hat and an N100 or better mask, you are doing very little.
And your social distancing does very little. Something smaller than 1 micron floats endlessly in the air.
The actual death rate is projecting to be 0.05% for covid-19 or lower, which is lower than the flu.
Now to the positives. It is almost summer. The sun is out and it is very dry and viruses are destroyed very quickly (within minutes) in dry and sunny conditions.
You are better off taking 600 iu of vitamin D3 daily which has been shown in very large clinical trials to turn flu (influenza) and colds (coronaviruses) into moderate infections or to where you hardly notice.
Also, wash your hands and get a flu shot. A flu shot helps you build immunity to your body specifically for the flu, but in so doing it also primes the immune system so that it is ready for any viral infection.
And no, vaccines do not cause autism. There was a study done on 1.2 million children and the study showed if a child was NOT vaccinated it had a greater risk of becoming autistic. Vaccines save lives, pathogens kill millions of people.
And yes, most us have partial immunity to covid-19. It is a coronavirus, which cause the "common cold." There are 4 proteins on all coronaviruses that our body recognizes. 3 of the 4 are unchanged on Covid-19 and most of the fourth is the same except where it binds to enter our cells.
This is why millions and millions of people don't even know they had covid-19 because their body reacts and clears it very quickly.
And the biggest problem in the US from late February until April 11 was the flu. From early March until April 5 it crossed the epidemic threshold of 7.3% death rate and was as high as 7.8%.
If you have high blood pressure, make sure you are not taking an ACE type med. You can check online. If you are, keep taking it until you can have your doctor switch you.
If you are diabetic, obese, have had a heart attack or stroke, or have a chronic illness or autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis, MS, etc) you are at higher risk. There are two studies that have shown that if you do come down with a bad respiratory infection, you can take famotidine (pepcid) and cetirizine (Zyrtec) and they work together to shut down the wrong response and allow our immune system to correct and eliminate the infection.
Do not take hydrochloroquine or chloroquine. Both promote the wrong type of immune response and can make the infection worse.
And enjoy a beautiful stroll downtown Los Altos
Are you an expert in infection diseases?
If you are not, please follow CDC guidelines for masks.
May 26, 2020 3:14 am at 3:14 am
So it's a secondary measure with the primary measure being >6 feet of distance between people. And not a Mask, but a cloth face covering.
Here's the reference on CDC guidelines for cloth face coverings for members of the public in a non medical setting. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html
Anna E says:
You make a lot of statements without citing your sources. Also, are you an expert in infectious diseases? What medical studies (Where published) have you read that a flu vaccine helps the immune system fight other viruses? That's false.
I hope me and other People will read your note with healthy skepticism since you do not provide any evidence for any of your statements. I agree with some and disagree with others. Even published statistics sometimes lead lay people to over simplify conclusions. My fave: heart attacks cause baldness. So please, give sources or be dismissed.
Kehlar c says:
'Councilwoman Neysa Fligor…said some people are confused about when to wear masks, and the new ordinance would make it clear that they are required.
Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins: "This whole hierarchy of orders … anybody who thinks that is adding clarity, I think you are out of your cotton-picking mind," she said.'
I cannot believe she said that: "out of your cotton-picking mind". It was bad even without "cotton-picking mind". She needs to go…
My jaw was on the floor when I read that. It's 2020, anyone who's still so out of touch to say something like this doesn't deserve to serve on a city council. She's lost my vote.
Toni Moos says:
May 27, 2020 12:52 pm at 12:52 pm
Agreed. That racist rhetoric is not acceptable. She has lost my vote and she's got to go.
June 7, 2020 8:32 pm at 8:32 pm
I think you really need to understand the meaning of the phrase. ( Something people say when they get mad.
Or it is a replacement for GD or Gosh Darn it.) 90% of Americans say that or get your cotton pickin hands off of me. If you are under the age of 40 you take it as being racist. Sorry but she is the best thing that has happen to Los Altos.
Kim Hester says:
I'm 66 years old & I find it offensive. If that woman can fly off the handle in response to another member stating the obvious (that people are confused about when a mask should be worn) & can't take the time to form a civil reply to respond in a civil manner, IMHO she doesn't comport herself in a manner befitting a council member and should either apologize or go or both. Jesus' half brother gave some wise counsel in James 1:19: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger".
If that's your best, I'd hate to see what your worst produces.
Barbara Arden says:
Are you kidding. I am a local, white and a former cotton picker on our cotton farm in Alabama
This is a typical southern saying having only to do with picking cotton and alluding to an unwise decision. Barbara Arden, arden.barbara@gmail.com.
Meek says:
I think everyone missed that because racism is sometimes looked over a lot smh but I'm so thankful that you caught that
Jeannice Samani, PhD says:
As a resident of Los Altos and supporter of the Framers Market if masks are not required, I am not going to shop this season at the mask!
You sound like a wise and sensible woman and I applaud your choice.
I like the one on California Ave in Palo Alto better, anyway….
If you are that afraid of catching something then simply stay home and quit letting your cowardice dictate how the rest of us live.
Stan, your rights end when exercising them harms others. Deal with it.
And Jeannie Bruins accused our multicultural neighborhood of being racist when we didn't want a lot subdivided. Go figure. She should have been removed from office last year with the Council Chambers fiasco.
Masked Man says:
It is a reluctance to be a transmitter, not personal cowardice. Your carelessness endangers others.
Not wearing a mask isn't carelessness, it's a right, just as the choice to wear one or not go out in public if you're scared of is. Mental health and economic strain is more concerning at this point than wearing masks.
yea it's not like anyone has died from the virus or anything
Your right to not wear mask – is that like your right to smoke around non-smoker? Have some empathy about how your choices affect others. Play a part as a citizen in a society. I guess you are saying that your personal right is more important than public health.
No it's not a choice when Santa Clara county was initially 2nd only to LA county for number of COVID cases back in April (it's now ranked #8 of all CA. counties) and your governing State officials are requiring you to wear a mask in public. Your choice doesn't override legal authority or even just plain common sense. Let me explain something about common sense. Our bodies are designed to deal with viruses and germs because they help build our immune systems. Because no one really knew what to do about this virus, we were told to mask, social distance & isolate for several weeks. Common sense tells me we now have a large population of people with compromised immune systems. What do you think is going to happen when the sanctions are lifted; or, do you care, as long as you can do what you choose with no regard for others?
Out of my cotton-picking mind says:
Given Jeannie Bruins mysterious medical problem that forced council to re-locate last year, you'd think she'd want to force everybody to wear a mask.
Joanne Narad says:
Fligor says having an ordinance consistant with the county and surrounding communities would be less confusing. Bruins says it's more confusing, and adds an insult. Next election Fligor gets my vote, Bruins does not.
Second that!
Read the order says:
Apparently, you didn't read the order. Los Altos would have passed something different from the county. If it had been the same, then it would have been unnecessary.
Fligor wanted more stringent measures than the county. By eliminating the option, it would be clear.
I agree it would be clear, but the confusion would be – whose rules to follow and where to find those rules? Do I need to check the state, county and individual city?
Just this comment thread shows the amount of confusion out there on what is required and by whom.
The county rules apply everywhere in the county, unless a city passes something different.
The county rules requires face masks in certain situations and recommends it in others.
Read the county order. Read the proposed city order which wasn't passed, if you want.
If you haven't don either, then I wonder why you think you know what they contain?
I've read the County order and I understand it to say that the only time you DON'T have to cover your face is when you are alone or only with members of your household. When leaving your home, a face covering is required anytime you come within 6-ft of someone from outside your household. As bad as COVID has been in Santa Clara county, it boggles the mind that there are some folks who just don't get it.
County employee says:
May 24, 2020 10:03 am at 10:03 am
When Fligor and others say a Los Altos ordinance would be consistent with "the county," they're stretching the truth. "The county" implies the whole county, as in ~15 cities and 1.9 million people. Actually, "the county" ordinance applies only to the unincorporated areas, which includes just a handful of retailers and no cities. But calling that ordinance "the county" ordinance makes it seem as if everybody in Santa Clara County is going along with this except for Los Altos. This is what you call slight of hand. Fligor should be forced to clarify her comments at the next council meeting.
patty hurley says:
County Health Dept is not limited to unincorperated parts of the county—It covers the whole county and Los Alto does NOT have its own health dept. Consequently, our County Health Dept requires
a mask, so that overrules Los Altos directives. We Should Wear Masks!!
Good for Los Altos! When this started we were told the goal was to flatten the curve and that a large number of people would catch the virus and a second wave will be inevitable. Somehow it morphed into we need to achieve no sickness or deaths anywhere. That's impossible. Meanwhile lives are ruined by other means. We need to be less draconian and loosen restrictions.
Whatever happened to the good advice of erring on the side of caution? Guess common sense just really isn't all that common anymore.
I live in Los Altos and will only shop in cities that require masks. Honestly, it's such a small thing to reduce transmission short of the shelter in place. Even then, only until a vaccine and decent treatment becomes available. To the people whining about their "rights," there are countless instances in public where your "right" to do whatever you want is limited by public safety concerns. Get over it already.
Ben F says:
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
And, I assume, your idea of essential liberty extends to masking or not in the midst of a pandemic. You'll have to forgive me, but I kind of think African Americans being able to walk, drive and jog while Black without fear of losing their lives as essential. Compared to wearing a mask or not; I think you get my drift….
Jean Danver says:
It is now clear that it is not safe to go to Los Altos. Will likely cost merchants a lot of money. I,for one, will stay away.
Joe Camel says:
Great, we could do with less complainers! We already have enough of those.
"The expression 'out of your cotton-picking mind' is no longer deemed an acceptable description of a black person in the USA. In April 2018 a white commentator (Brian Davis) said in a broadcast commentary of a basketball game that a black player (Russell Westbrook) was 'out of his cotton-picking mind'. The perceived racist connotations caused an uproar of protest. Davis, while claiming that the remark was unintentional, apologised, describing the comment as insensitive and a lapse of judgement. Davis was suspended from his position with the broadcaster." https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cotton-picking.html
Vikram Patel says:
Listen we've earned a right and privledge to live in snooty Los Altos. I was so happy when my company finally went IPO so this immigrant could finally live amongst you white folks and join this exclusive club! So back to the point I'm glad they didn't enforce us to wear mask because us 1% should be exempt from common folk laws…I worked hard to finally earn these "hidden" privledges. BTW I'm choosing to wear a mask but that was my choice.
Lots of outrage here, people missing the point. Council decided not to require masks "in public". It's still required to wear a mask inside of a business.
"Stores can still require customers to wear masks, but there's no law requiring them."
Jelly says:
Are masks required in banks? I wanted to know because I'm a little short of money and was considering my options.
Kim Silverman says:
Isn't "out of your cotton-picking mind" a racist expression, historically?
Yes it is! It's about slavery.
Local Observer says:
The preceding discourse suggests there are too many people at home with too little to do.
Why did my comments get removed???
Vikram, isn't that your comment above?
Shocked n disbelieved says:
I am shocked and in disbelief. Aside from the terrible phrase (which by itself is shocking), the face covering should be discussed fully in the meeting. Palo Alto, Cupertino, Milpitas, Mountain View, San Mateo, SF…are not dumb — their city representatives only performed their duties.
Have you visited the Los Altos downtown lately? I went there yesterday. It was still like a ghost town. Is the city going to make this worse?
I'm not aware of Mountain View requiring masks beyond the scope of the county health order. This applies to Los Altos as well. Los Altos Hills has no public mask rule for just being outside either. Sunnyvale ditto. San Jose is set to discuss possibly doing so but the Police Chief there is opposed and it is not clear that it will be adopted. Santa Clara has made an ordinance. Palo Alto only repeats the rules in the health order–the Los Altos proposal was broader, or at least potentially so. 4 out of 5 of the city council members didn't see the benefit.
Concerned Citizen says:
There is a healthy debate to be had about the need to pass an ordinance for mandatory masks or not! However, Counsilwoman Jeannie Bruins comment the " " this whole hierarchy of orders … anybody who thinks that is adding clarity, I think you are out of your cotton-picking mind " in response to Counsilwoman Neysa Fligor's advocacy in support of the ordinance was absolutely unacceptable and truly despicable! i wouldn't have expected blatantly racially insensitive commentary in the Los Altos Counsil meetings!


I.O.I, ASTRO, and HELLO VENUS are going to participate in Seo Kang Jun's upcoming fan event.
On May 20th, actor Seo Kang Jun is going to hold a major fan event at Lotte World in Seoul under the title of 'We Like 2Night,' and Choi Yoo Jung, Kim Do Yeon, ASTRO, HELLO VENUS, and I.O.I have confirmed their participation.
Many people are showing particularly huge anticipation for Choi Yoo Jung, Kim Do Yeon, and I.O.I's participation in the event.
In addition, new boy band ASTRO is going to showcase new music during the fan event, and HELLO VENUS will also present impressive performance.
Furthermore, 5URPRISE's Yoo Il, Gong Myung, Kang Tae Oh, and Lee Tae Hwan will also participate in the event.
The first batch of tickets (1000 tickets) for 'We Like 2Night' were completely sold out just in one minute, and second batch of tickets have also been sold out in less than five minutes, further indicating Seo Kang Jun's colossal popularity and fans' excitement for the event.
Meanwhile, Seo Kang Jun's 'We Like 2Night' will be held from May 20th 10:30 PM until May 21st 5 AM at Lotte World in Seoul.


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McDonald Law Firm is located in Boone County Missouri.
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Consumers Unexcited for Mobile Location Ads
August 10, 2011 | By Anne Sherber
Mobile ads targeted to specific tastes and interests are four times more effective than mobile ads that use time, location or lifestyle as benchmarks, according to new research released by Upstream.
According to the research, users of both feature phones and smart phones respond to personalized offers more favorably than any other kind, including location-based offers. The research also revealed consumer preferences about the kinds of advertising that they receive on their mobile devices. In content preferences, feature phone users and smart phone users diverge. Smartphone users most often cited a preference for ads for content for their mobile devices, whereas feature phone users most often cited a preference for ads from their mobile-service provider. But the research demonstrates that users of both categories of handsets are somewhat underwhelmed by location-based marketing.
"Location clearly is an important aspect in mobile marketing, but we were surprised at the dramatic lack of consumer interest in it at this time," said Assaf Baciu, Upstream's vice president of product management. "Right now, people want mobile offers that are personalized to their interests ahead of other more hyped criteria such as time or location."
The data demonstrated that even consumers using feature-rich smartphones are susceptible to low-tech methods of persuasion like text messaging. Ad channel preferences differed slightly from smartphone to feature phone users. Smartphone users most preferred to receive coupons followed closely by an opt-in text alert or message. For feature phone users, the preferences were reversed.
https://digiday.com/?p=2977

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Ballmer, Zafirovsky On Unified Communications
Greg Galitzine
Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog
| VoIP and IMS News and Views
With much fanfare, and the requisite loud introductory music, the Innovative Communications Alliance — which is the Microsoft/Nortel Unified Communications initiative announced back in July, 2006 — the two companies held a press conference to announce some new developments.
The event had the production values of bona fide television show, which should not be all that startling considering it took place in the cozy confines of Studio 8H in Rockefeller Plaza, — the studio where Saturday Night Live is taped — with an estimated 150–200 media, analysts, and customers in attendance.
The crowd gathered to hear Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer and Nortel's CEO Mike Zafirovski, together with the first high-profile customer of the unified communications solution, Johan Krebbers, Group IT Architect & Advisor of the Shell CIO Council of Royal Dutch Shell.
According to Ballmer, "The average employee gets over 50 messages a day across up to seven different devices or applications. Software can and will help address the ongoing challenge of managing communications and this challenge is the driving idea behind our alliance with Nortel. Together we will evolve VoIP and unified communications to integrate all the ways we contact each other in a simple environment using a single identity across phones, PCs and other devices."
"We are executing forcefully on the vision of this alliance and have made tremendous progress," Zafirovski added. "We completed the planning stages and are now delivering unified communications solutions to businesses around the world. Our goal is to close the gap between the devices we use to communicate and the business applications we use to run our businesses, giving employees the power to use information more quickly and effectively."
Among the salient points of the briefing:
The Innovative Communications Alliance announced the first three concrete deliverable solutions and spoke of a roadmap for the future. Among the products announced:
UC Integrated Branch: Microsoft's Ballmer discussed this standalone hardware product that will incorporate both Nortel and Microsoft technology to deliver VoIP and unified communications to remote offices. Currently, expected availability of the product is in late 2007.
Unified Messaging: Zafirovsky explained that there would be native SIP interoperability between Nortel Communications Server 1000 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and that this would be readily available by the second quarter of 2007.
Conferencing: Nortel's CEO further explained that this offering would expand Nortel's multimedia conferencing solution to integrate with Microsoft Office Communicator Server 2007, thus delivering a single familiar client experience across voice, IM, presence and audio/video conferencing. Expected availability: Fourth quarter of 2007.
Joining the two CEOs onstage was Shell's Johan Krebbers. "Innovative communications and collaboration technologies are critical to fully enabling Royal Dutch Shell's global work force, and key to operating at top quartile in our industry. We believe in and support the vision Nortel and Microsoft have outlined," said Krebbers, when describing why the multinational selected this solution.
As a customer with 112,000 employees in over 130 countries, Royal Dutch Shell is truly an example of a company with a global operational environment. Krebbers explained that for his firm, large projects obviously benefit from — indeed depend on — virtual teaming.
"One of our greatest challenges," Krebbers said, "is the need to access to unique experts whenever and wherever they may be."
Krebbers and his team were impressed by the solution's ability to enable a unified user interface with a choice of collaboration solutions that makes employees accessible anywhere. Shell plans to consolidate their global data centers, to a scant three locations, and will deploy Nortel's Communication Server 1000 and Microsoft's Office Communications Server and Exchange to make this a reality.
New locations will be hosted from the central data centers, while existing sites will migrate to the centralized solution when the currently deployed local PBX requires a major upgrade or is written off (end-of-lifed).
The audience was treated to a brief demo of the solution as well showcasing some of the solution's promise.
Also announced were the implementation of and the deployment of over 20 joint demonstration centers worldwide, with a roadmap that included the opening of up to 80 more such demo centers bringing the total to 100 by mid 2007.
The two CEOs spoke of some of the early successes of the alliance, including dozens of new customers, in markets as diverse as heavy industry (oil, etc…) and education. They also proudly pointed to hundreds more customers) in the pipeline.
The news is certainly exciting for an enterprise market that's been waiting for Unified Communications for over 10 years, but in this editor's humble opinion, much of the story at yesterday's briefing has got to be more about he marketing aspect and less about the pure technology. Presence is not new. A unified inbox is not new. Integration with a PBX or IP PBX is not new…
What is new, and perhaps what is the greatest strength of this alliance is the sheer muscle that is now being applied to the promotion and implementation of a first-class unified communications solution. Microsoft knows the enterprise desktop and Nortel knows communications. It's my belief that having two of the strongest, most well-known companies partnering on this type of solution might finally help push Unified Communications into the mainstream.
Those of you who have been around long enough know that we've been on the cusp of "The Year of Unified Messaging (later Unified Communications)" every year since about 1995. I'm not going to take the bait and name 2007 as "the year" but I certainly believe that the strength and capabilities of these two market giants and their combined ability to make this technology accessible to more people will go a long way towards making it a reality.
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You were meant to be here. This is your time.
History marks great moments when an unlikely victor emerges against incredible odds. In the 1980 Olympic Games, a young, unproven U.S. hockey team—made up of amateurs and college stars—faced the hardened Soviets, who came into the match with a long winning streak.
When desire, preparation and sheer tenacity come together, the outcome can be explosive. On that day in 1980, a powerful combination of momentum and belief made it possible for 20 young men to overcome one of the greatest teams in the world of hockey. Their achievement—which became known as the "Miracle on Ice"—set the stage for the team to go on to win a gold medal. Most importantly, they raised the bar for hope and inspiration for themselves, for their families, and for anyone who faces a great challenge.
This billboard about Believe features Team USA 1980.
Miracles can happen all the time.
I am battling cancer but believe that I am going to beat it. My faith and the love of my family and friends have been bringing me through another journey God has chosen for me.
I will always believe in miracles. People say there aren't miracles, but they just need to see something like this that can't be a mere coincidence.
I will never forget the moment when our team won! It was a fantastic feeling! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! We actually beat the Soviets! Amazing!!!
"Do you believe in miracles? YES!" -- Al Michaels Greatest line in sportscasting history. EVER.
Holy cow! This is the greatest story of all time! We believe in miracles!
I LOVE THIS PARTICULAR BILLBOARD FOR MANY REASONS (DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES). IS THERE ANYWAY I COULD OBTAIN A POSTER SIZE OF THIS?
Yes, I believe in miracles and magic.


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   xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
   	http://www.springframework.org/schema/context http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/data/jpa http://www.springframework.org/schema/data/jpa/spring-jpa.xsd">

	 <context:property-placeholder location="classpath:db.properties" system-properties-mode="OVERRIDE" ignore-resource-not-found="true" ignore-unresolvable="true"  />

	<bean id="dataSource" class="org.springframework.jdbc.datasource.DriverManagerDataSource"
	p:driverClassName="${db.driver1}"  p:url="${db.url1}" p:username="${db.username1}" p:password="${db.password1}"  />

	<bean id="hibernateJpaAdapter" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.vendor.HibernateJpaVendorAdapter" />
	<bean id="jpaDialect" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.vendor.HibernateJpaDialect" />
	<bean id="entityManagerFactory" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.LocalEntityManagerFactoryBean"  p:persistenceUnitName="unitPU"  p:jpaDialect-ref="jpaDialect"
	 p:jpaVendorAdapter-ref="hibernateJpaAdapter"/>
	<bean class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.support.PersistenceAnnotationBeanPostProcessor" />
	<bean class="org.springframework.dao.annotation.PersistenceExceptionTranslationPostProcessor" />

	<bean id="transactionManager" class="org.springframework.orm.jpa.JpaTransactionManager" p:entityManagerFactory-ref="entityManagerFactory" p:jpaDialect-ref="jpaDialect"/>

	<jpa:repositories base-package="pl.java.borowiec.dao" />

</beans>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mascot 03 — Super dog that can fly like Superman. Hope you like it.
App Icon / UI Challenge 07 — The icon is for environmental sustainability.
Italic Font Design — Working on designing the italic version of my typeface design.


I found this Zombie related sales pitch on the intertubes the other day.
David & his roommates arent satisfied to just mow down Zombies on Xbox. So they use Windows 7 with Intel Wifi to enjoy an up-close-and-personal Zombie blog from the Internet to their big screen TV. And enjoy some real, live intimacy with the undead.
Um, David, if you want some intimacy with the undead click here.
And when you finally succumb to zombification go here for some zombie romance.
Some of the things that make it up on the site are things that people send me, others, the result of me casually wondering the intertubes.
There's really no rhyme or reason to it. It's all subject to my shifting whims and whatever medication I'm on that day.


text:
Home > V4 > Introduction: The Invisible Giant
Introduction: The Invisible Giant
Within the world of jazz, Dan Morgenstern's name is universally known, not merely as a critic, reporter, and editor but also as the man primarily responsible for the emergence of the Institute of Jazz Studies as the world's most important jazz archive. Every jazz scholar esteems his work, and many have profited personally from his guidance. It is impossible to sensibly discuss jazz journalism and scholarship in the twentieth century and beyond without making prominent mention of him.
Yet outside that world, Morgenstern is all but unknown. He almost never publishes in the mainstream media and is mentioned or quoted there infrequently. His name has appeared in The New York Times on only 43 occasions since 2000, usually either in passing or in the obituaries of older jazz musicians, the writers of which occasionally call upon him to supply a trenchant summary comment. Not even his seven Grammy awards have penetrated the consciousness of the cultural commentariat, and when he received an NEA Jazz Masters honor in 2007, few but his colleagues knew why.
While the gap between Morgenstern's achievement and his réclame is distressingly wide, there is nothing surprising about it. Part of the problem, as all who know him can attest, is that he is that rarity of rarities, a genuinely modest man. "Honors go to those who want them," Michael Oakeshott once observed, and Dan Morgenstern has never sought any form of recognition for his lifelong labors in the vineyard of jazz. Not until 2004 did he bother to publish a volume of his writings about jazz, and it is characteristic that the idea for Living With Jazz came not from Morgenstern himself but from editor Sheldon Meyer, who understood how important it was to collect his occasional pieces. Left to his own devices, Morgenstern would doubtless have allowed them to molder in his scrapbooks.
But Morgenstern's modesty is not the only reason why he is not as widely known as his achievements merit. It is also a sign of the increasingly marginal position of jazz in the larger world of American art and culture. If jazz had a cultural standing in this country that was commensurate with its historic significance, then Dan Morgenstern would be at least as well known as, say, Edmund Wilson or Pauline Kael. Instead, he is an invisible giant, content to labor in the shadows.
Born in Munich in 1929, Morgenstern grew up in Vienna, the child of an artistically cultivated family of Central European Jews. His father, the novelist Soma Morgenstern, was a cultural feuilletonist for the Frankfurter Zeitung who at one time worked for Max Reinhardt, the great theater director; and Alban Berg, a friend of the family, gave him a recording of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik for his sixth birthday. Under other circumstances he might well have ended up playing violin in a symphony orchestra, but Hitler intervened, and in 1938, the Morgensterns, having been tipped off that Soma figured prominently on the Gestapo's blacklist, escaped the wrath of the Nazis by fleeing to Denmark.
Later that year, Morgenstern heard Fats Waller playing a concert in Copenhagen, a youthful encounter that was to prove fateful:
Seeing Fats Waller in the flesh — and there was a lot of flesh there — was quite an amazing experience. [...] I was not quite nine years old, but old enough to really be impressed by this wonderful, vibrant pianist. He did a solo act. He didn't have his combo with him so he just played piano and sang, and he was remarkable. [1]
He promptly began to collect jazz 78s, and not long afterward he heard live performances by the Mills Brothers and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. From then on his interest in jazz grew into a consuming passion.
In 1943, Morgenstern and his mother were smuggled into Sweden by the Danish underground. His father, who was temporarily interned in Vichy France, eventually made his way to the United States, where he was reunited with his family after the war. By then Morgenstern had heard a considerable amount of jazz, both on record and on the radio, and by the time he arrived in New York in 1947, he was both eager and thoroughly prepared to immerse himself in the 52nd Street scene. Because of his European background, he was more readily accepted by black musicians who might otherwise have been unwilling to talk openly to a white man, and by the early Fifties, when he began to write about jazz, he was on friendly terms with many celebrated jazz musicians, most notably Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, and Hot Lips Page.
The singular catholicity of taste that would be a hallmark of Morgenstern's writing — he has written with discerning enthusiasm about everyone from Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor — was rooted in these friendships and acquaintances. At a time when jazz fans were bitterly divided between "moldy figs" and so-called progressives, he believed deeply that traditional jazz and bebop were both valid forms of musical expression:
This is another thing that I owe to hanging out with musicians. There was this stupid warfare going on between traditionalists and progressives. But I found out very quickly that musicians didn't think like that.... Needless to say, there were musicians who were limited in their outlook, but that was relatively rare. You would find musicians who did not approve of certain things that went along with a style like bebop, which would have to do with social attitudes and their economic consequences, as far as these musicians were concerned. But there were not musical prejudices. [2]
Starting in the Fifties, Morgenstern became a sometime impresario, presenting such noteworthy events as the only public solo recital ever given by Art Tatum and the 1964 concert by Earl Hines that was responsible for reviving the pianist's then-dormant career. But his true m�tier was as a writer and editor, and in 1959 he joined the staff of Metronome, becoming the magazine's editor a year or so later. From there he went to Down Beat, which he edited with distinction from 1967 to 1973. At a time of near-convulsive musical and cultural turmoil, his openness to the widest possible range of musical styles was noteworthy, and had he written nothing during that time, he would still be remembered as a key figure in the world of jazz journalism. But he simultaneously continued his writing career, producing an astonishingly large number of essays, articles, and reviews, some of the best of which are collected in Living With Jazz.
Though he wrote fluently in all genres, Morgenstern appears in retrospect to have done his most consequential work in the field of liner notes. A case in point is the miniature essay that he wrote to accompany Decca's Louis Armstrong: Rare Items, a 1967 album devoted to Armstrong's big-band sides. "Musicians and dyed-in-the-wool Armstrong devotees...more often than not will cite examples of Louis' big band work when asked about their favorites," he said, astutely going on to praise "Ev'ntide", "Jubilee", "Skeleton In The Closet", the first version of "Swing That Music", and the 1938 remake of "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" as "miniature concerti for trumpet (and sometimes also voice) and orchestra, but miniature only in size; the conception is grand." [3] Written at a time when Armstrong's middle-period work was widely dismissed as inferior to the masterpieces of his youth, this essay would rightly come to be seen as prescient. It is to the Armstrong literature what Malcolm Cowley's introduction to Viking's 1946 Portable Faulkner was to the William Faulkner literature: the first step in the revaluation of a major artist whose work was not properly understood or sufficiently appreciated by the critics of his own time. [4]
In 1976, Morgenstern left journalism to take on the herculean task of transforming Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz Studies from a moribund depository into what it is today, a veritable Mecca for jazz scholars from around the world. As Michael Fitzgerald observes in his contribution to this volume, "Morgenstern's tenure at IJS, from 1976 to 2011, essentially defined the state of the jazz archives in the United States in the last quarter of the twentieth century." [5] Had it not been for his assiduous efforts, jazz scholarship today would be an infinitely more laborious task.
Every contributor to this volume has personal knowledge of Dan Morgenstern's comprehensive knowledge and infinite generosity. Rather than allow it to become a heartfelt but repetitive assemblage of personal tributes, perhaps I may be allowed to speak for us all in describing what he did for me.
When I started work on Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, my 2009 biography, I knew that it would be essential for me to interview Dan, whose longstanding friendship with Armstrong is chronicled in Ricky Riccardi's essay. I also knew that his help in picking my way through the labyrinth of Armstrong-related documents in the collection of the IJS would be indispensable. What I did not expect — what, indeed, was beyond my wildest dreams — was that Dan would then offer to read the manuscript of Pops, and would comment on every page in painstaking and illuminating detail. The brief acknowledgement of his contribution to Pops that appears in the book's afterword only hints at the magnitude of his contribution.
Even more, if possible, do I treasure the opportunity to have spoken with Dan at length about the life, work, and character of his friend, whom I am not old enough to have met, much less to have known intimately. It is in large part because of what he told me that Pops became something more than a mere synthesis of the existing primary and secondary source material on Armstrong. If I succeeded in conveying the smallest part of Armstrong's personality in the pages of my book, I owe it to Dan.
Mine is, as I say, a common enough story, but Dan Morgenstern's collegiality is uncommon to the highest degree. This Festschrift is a tribute not merely to his significance, but to — if I may say so — his goodness. He has been everywhere and known everyone; he gives the uncanny impression of remembering everything that he saw and heard along the way; and he is touchingly eager to share his knowledge with all who care to learn from it. Not all great men are good, but Dan Morgenstern is both. We who know well what he has given to jazz are proud to do honor to one who has never shown any sign of wanting it.
[1] Dan Morgenstern, "Lifetime Honors: National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Interview." Interview by Molly Murphy with Katja von Schuttenbach, October 25, 2006. http://www.nea.gov/honors/jazz/jmCMS/master.php?id=2007_04&type=int
[2] Dan Morgenstern, "Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program NEA Jazz Master Interview." Interview by Edward Berger, March 28–29, 2007. Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/oral_histories/pdf/Morgenstern.pdf
[3] Dan Morgenstern, liner notes to Louis Armstrong: Rare Items, 1935–1944 (Decca DL 9225, 1967, 33 rpm).
[4] The absence of these notes from Living With Jazz is one of the few regrettable lacunae in an otherwise impeccably edited volume.
[5] Michael Fitzgerald, "Reflecting on Jazz Archives: Past, Present, and Future," Current Research in Jazz 4, 2012.
Terry Teachout is author of five books, including Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009). He writes for The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, and his blog About Last Night. He is currently writing a biography of Duke Ellington, to be published in 2014. He was awarded a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship to assist with this work.
Within the world of jazz, Dan Morgenstern's name is universally known. It is impossible to sensibly discuss jazz journalism and scholarship in the twentieth century and beyond without making prominent mention of him. Yet outside that world, Morgenstern is all but unknown. He is an invisible giant, content to labor in the shadows.
Dan Morgenstern
Chicago 15th ed.: Teachout, Terry. "Introduction: The Invisible Giant." Current Research in Jazz 4, (2012).
MLA 7th ed.: Teachout, Terry. "Introduction: The Invisible Giant." Current Research in Jazz 4 (2012). Web. [date of access]
APA 6th ed.: Terry, T. (2012). Introduction: The Invisible Giant. Current Research in Jazz, 4 Retrieved from http://www.crj-online.org/
This page last updated July 01, 2012, 22:07


Ralls singled; Getz advanced to third.
Dix reached first on an error by ss, RBI; Pearce scored, unearned.
Ralls advanced to second on a passed ball.
Ralls advanced to third on a passed ball.
Wolff grounded out to 2b, RBI; Ralls scored, unearned.
Lochhead, Jake singled; Wilkinson, Brady advanced to third.
Lewis, Shane singled, RBI; Wilkinson, Brady scored.
Lochhead, Jake advanced to third.
Falls singled, advanced to second, RBI; Dix advanced to third; Pearce scored.
Torbeck doubled, 2 RBI; Hodges scored; Marsh scored.
Pearce singled, RBI; Torbeck scored.
Wilkinson, Brady reached first on an error by ss.
Lewis, Shane singled; Wilkinson, Brady advanced to second.
Diaz, Steven singled; Lewis, Shane advanced to second; Wilkinson, Brady advanced to third.
Durand, Tyler tripled, 3 RBI; Diaz, Steven scored; Lewis, Shane scored; Wilkinson, Brady scored.
Bassett, Nathan singled, RBI; Durand, Tyler scored.
Lamb to p for Alender.
Lochhead, Jake singled; Wilkinson, Brady advanced to second.
Hodges struck out, reached first on a wild pitch; Marsh advanced to third.
Torbeck flied out to cf, SAC, RBI; Marsh scored.
Hodges advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Dix singled, RBI; Hodges scored.
Rexroad to p for Lamb.


text:
require 'kerio-api/session'
require 'kerio-api/chainable_method'
require 'kerio-api/method/generic'

module Kerio
	module Api
		class Client
			include Kerio::Api::ChainableMethod

			# Create new instance of the client
			#
			# @param url [URL] an URL of the API endpoint
			# @param insecure [TrueClass] whether to ignore ssl verification error (true/false)
			# @param debug [TrueClass] whether to print json-rpc data sent over network
			def initialize (url: nil, insecure: false, debug: false)

				@session = Kerio::Api::Session.new(url, !insecure, debug)
			end

			def method_missing(method, *args, &block)
				return next_method(names: [method], session: @session, args: args, block: block)
			end
		end
	end
end


text:
Trampolining club on the up after 12-hour Open Day
Photo credit: Terry Benson
A local trampolining club held a 12-hour Open Day last month raising hundreds of pounds for a child mental health charity in the process.
Bromley Trampolining Academy (BTA), which only opened in September last year, held the marathon Open Day on June 16 at The Spa leisure centre. More than 250 people attended along with Mayor of Bromley, Kim Botting.
More than £1,500 was raised on the day with the profits split equally between BTA and mental health charity Young Minds – a cause close to the heart of head coach, Rosh Mulvany.
Rosh told News in Beckenham: "Sport is such a positive way to influence mental health and create a supportive atmosphere for young people. I'm a firm believer that sport should be accessible to all. It's not just about winning medals, but about creating a strong network which enhances physical, mental and social attributes.
"A couple of years ago, a young girl that I used to coach took her own life. She was 14. A life that was taken far too early; the pain lives on in those that knew her. As a community it is important to tackle such issues. With 1 in 10 young people in each classroom suffering from a diagnosed mental illness our club decided to fundraise for Young Minds.
To date the academy has 28 competitive members and coaches a further 51 recreational members. 14 members of the club have also qualified for the London Regional Championships 2018; a remarkable achievement for a club who has only been running for nine months.
Rosh thanked the BTA volunteers who have had an "incredible impact" and gave a special thanks to Mytime Active for their support. General Manager of The Spa Leisure Centre, Brian Lamplough, supported the event and even had a bounce on the trampolines himself.
Money raised for the BTA will go towards a new trampoline, which will create an additional 30 spaces every week.
The club offers a pay as you go adults session and a family session which offers an open session for age two through to adult, including the provision for those with special needs. From September 2018 they will be extending their provisions to include a session for young people with autism.
Anyone interested in trampolining, whether it be trialling out for the competitive side of the club, enjoying recreational trampolining, coaching or volunteering they should contact bromleytrampoliningacademy@outlook.com or contact Rosh Mulvany on 07835 536965.


Accessible Yoga Teacher Training is an Integral Yoga teacher training certification program specifically designed for training people with disabilities to become Yoga teachers. It is the only program in the U.S. that meets national standards and focuses on being available to people who have paralysis, a disability, chronic illness, or physical limitation.
Our Basic Training offers a foundation in basic Yoga principles and teaching methodology. The curriculum is very similar to the content of the Integral Yoga Basic Teacher Training program, giving teachers all the knowledge they need to teach beginners-level Yoga. The main difference in this program is the extra effort made to make the material easy to learn and integrate. We also offer extra support for students as they experience the transformational process of a teacher training program. Also, sliding scale tuition makes the program financially accessible.
We will be examining the therapeutic effectiveness of a wheelchair ballroom/Latin dancing program that will take place for six weeks, from July 16th to August 24th. The dance program will run simultaneously at three different locations in the Bay Area (San Jose, Palo Alto, and the East Bay). At each location, there will be two dance sessions a week for the six weeks. Each dance session will be approximately two hours. Participants will have to come to the Palo Alto VA for assessments before and after the study. Each assessment session will take approximately three hours and will be performed by our research staff. The last day of the dance program will be a voluntary dance competition combining everyone from all three locations. The participants of the dance competition will be competing for cash prizes.
American DanceWheels (americandancewheels.com) will be coming to teach the full dance course at each location. They specialize in wheelchair ballroom and Latin dancing and normally partner one able-bodied person with one disabled person. Along with the wheelchair dancing study, American DanceWheels will be holding a teacher certification course for wheelchair ballroom dancing over the course of two weekends.
Feel free to forward this information along and those who are interested or have questions can e-mail meela.mehdi@va.gov or call (650) 493-5000 ext. 65635.
The BORP Bay Earthquakes and Crushers ended local season play on a high note on May 19-20 with some thrilling games in Alviso. These games presented the last opportunity for both teams to test themselves in competition before going to their national Conference Cups in June.
On May 19 the Crushers played with great spirit but took 3 tough losses against strong opponents, including the Vancouver Lightning, a team whose players all played at the 2011 World Cup on the Canadian team. The Crushers were the only team to score on the Vancouver side all day with a surprising deep strike from Margaret Mele that slipped past the frozen Lightning defense.
On May 20 the Bay Earthquakes showed power soccer at its best in their final tune up game before the Premier Conference Cup with a relentless attack and a dominating win versus the Vancouver Lightning. Following a tough loss against San Jose in their first game of the day, the Earthquakes applied constant pressure on the Lightning defense and used their passing to open up numerous scoring opportunities and score 3 goals (that easily could have been 6-7).
The Earthquakes will head to Tampa for the Premier Conference Cup on June 15-17 and the Crushers will be in Minneapolis for the Presidents Conference Cup June 21-23. Both teams have improved tremendously throughout the season and are looking forward to taking on the best teams in their conferences.
Registration for the REV is OPEN!
Join BORP on Saturday October 6th for a fantastic festival, as well as great rides. BORP is excited to be celebrating our 10th annual ride this year! In addition to a new route we have added a roll and stroll through the Trentadue vineyards. So if cycling isn't your thing you can roll or stroll among the vines and help support BORP.
The brand new REV registration portal is now open. Click Here to get to our website registration page. Start your engines and let the world know that the Revolution Ride is coming!
Kapoeira for the Visually Impaired at the BORP Fitness Studio!
Master Raiul's Kapoeira (pronounced kap-oh-ehda) is a Brazilian art form that combines minimum-contact martial arts and self-defense with rhythm and music. Kapoeira involves many different movements and musical instruments. It is a fun way to develop physical coordination, endurance, rhythm, flexibility, strength and self-defense! Come get energized and join the fun!
Check out these links to hear what some Kapoeira participants have to say about taking this class from Master Raiul.
Master Raiul is a highly qualified teacher who is specialized in teaching Kapoeira to the blind and visually impaired. Along with 36 years of martial arts training and experience, Master Raiul also has a degree in Physical Education. He developed Cerqueira's Methodology, which enables blind and visually impaired students to learn Kapoeira. He used this teaching method to start this unique class in 2004 in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the CADEVI Institute, a support center for the visually impaired that collaborates with the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, and he taught over 50 students at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, CA. His Kapoeira classes enable all visually impaired and blind students to be able to exercise, learn self-defense, and play musical instruments through the practice of Kapoeira in both group and individual settings. Not only do these classes improve physical fitness, but they also provide a cultural experience while building community.
BORP and Master Raiul are offering Kapoeira classes on Tuesdays from 7:15-8:15pm, and Fridays from 6:30-7:30pm.
BORP's Wheelchair Basketball and Adaptive Cycling Programs teamed up with several other Paralympic Sport Clubs throughout California to introduce over 140 injured US Army and National Guard soldiers to adaptive sports in Sacramento last week.
"Adaptive sports give our Soldiers the chance to see how they can still be athletic and participate more in life by showing them what they can do to stay physically fit and stay more engaged with their families, friends and communities," said Lt. Col. Moira Carpenter, Community Based Warrior Transition Unit – California commander. The CBWTU has the unique mission of allowing wounded, ill and injured Guard and Reserve Soldiers to live with their families and to receive local healthcare in communities not near Army medical facilities.
Although Soldiers in the unit live in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, they are gathered in Sacramento for a one week conference to meet with leadership, train and interact with one another. At the multi-sport event, injured soldiers had the opportunity to try adaptive handcycling, wheelchair basketball, scuba-diving, rock climbing, softball, and track and field events.
The event was organized by The City of Sacramento Paralympic Sport Cluband funded by United States Olympic Committee, Paralympic Division and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Spina Bifida Genetics Research Project is starting the second phase of a study to determine if genetic variations in folic acid metabolism account for an increased risk of having a child affected by Spina Bifida.
From the results of the study, it may be possible to develop a test that can identify women who may not be adequately protected by standard prenatal vitamins, but who might benefit from high dose folic acid therapy prior to conception.
They are seeking mothers who have children with Spina Bifida, and who did not participate in the first phase of this study, which was conducted in 2009-2010. They are also enrolling mothers of children who have not been affected by Spina Bifida to serve as controls for the analysis. They want to avoid collecting from close relatives (sister or 1st cousins) as that could skew the analysis.
Participants in the study are asked to complete a brief online survey and provide a DNA sample using a simple, at-home saliva collection kit that is delivered and returned by mail. For more information and to enroll in the Spina Bifida Genetics Research Project, please click on this link http://sbgenetics.org/enrollment.html and select 'Click here to ENROLL'. The website and survey are available in both English and Spanish. The study will only be open until July so it is important to participate today!
Upon completion, participants may choose to receive a $10 gift card or we will donate $10 to a spina bifida organization of your choice (including BORP).


Access your customers and contacts at any time and from anywhere.
All the information of your clients anywhere and at any time.
Improve the relationship with your customers thanks to uSell CRM guards all information for you.
Adapt speeches to the needs of your customers, thanks to the historical of each client.
Knowing customers better, it will allow you to create a stronger relationship. If you know customers' requirements they will feel better advised.
When you have a large database of clients it is difficult to remember the details of each and every one of them. Therefore uSell CRM allows you to have the information organized in headlands. Easily access your general information, contacts, budgets, order history, locations, activity and the calendar option of the tasks and events you must carry out with this client.
Each customer may have different contact persons with whom we interact. With uSell CRM you will access to the information of all the contacts of each company. You can get in contact with them at any time and from any place. With uSell you can create new contacts on your existing accounts as well as create new accounts with new Leads.
In the customer's account you can also access quotes that have been offered before and if they have been closed or not. Knowing this information you can understand the situation in which the client finds himself. You will find a way to close open quotes or propose a new one, more adjusted and customized to close the sale. The budgets allow to give the information of the final price to the person who has the power of purchase decision before placing the order.
We can also know the orders that they have already made. In this way we will obtain the information of what we can offer again to make recurring orders. Or complementary products to complete an order making a cross-saling opportunities.
Access from the uSell CRM customer section to the different locations of the company. You will easily see all the information of the different locations: turnover location, shipping site and / or work center. The locations have a lot of value because they allows locating the clients on the map and making the best commercial routes. You can enter automatically new addresses with geolocation on your mobile device.
Know the customer's commercial activity history at all times. Know everything that has been done and in what position the client is, plan strategies and carry out commercial actions to close sales or open new opportunities.
Viewing the tasks and events that you have planned for each client will allow you to do it on time. With uSell CRM you will have this information on the web and in the application. This will help you to know and improve task planning.


Thursday, April 19, 2018 .
On Monday, I shared one of my favorite go-to spring appetizers, Grilled Veggie Bruschetta. Let's imagine you are hosting an outdoor party this weekend. If you start with the veggie appetizer, you can continue the grilling party with everyone's favorite summer staple, steak. Grab a few filets from your local butcher, grill them to everyone's liking, and top them with charmoula. Charmoula, is a great herby, spicy sauce that pairs perfectly with meat and fish. It's one of my go to recipes and is such a crowd pleaser.
Let me know if you give this, or any other of my recent recipes a try. I love hearing from you!
In a food processor, add all ingredients and pulse until it forms a loose smooth sauce. Serve on the side of any meat or fish.
Note: this sauce is best made ahead. I usually make it in the morning and leave it out all day.


For an unique touch, think about working with a magician to entertain both children and grownups for the celebration. A magician is a great method to entertain the crowd while preserving a distinct aspect for your kid's party.
When it comes to hosting a birthday celebration, a Dallas magician is a classic method to amuse and intrigue the young and the young at heart. Utilize magic as the style for his or her celebration if your child is interested in becoming the next Houdini. If you are preparing to employ a magician to offer entertainment for you kid's birthday celebration, you might need to plan ahead and book the magician's services beforehand to prevent any eleventh hour cancellations or reservations.
Call around if you have decided to use the services of a magician in your kid's birthday party. Ask friends, family members, or colleagues for a referral of a particular magician they have worked with or seen carry out in the past. Likewise, think about calling your local chamber of commerce or business to see if there is someone providing their home entertainment services for hire. You will discover that word of mouth is extremely powerful; as you can be sure the magician you work with to perform at a birthday celebration or any event will provide age appropriate home entertainment.
Be sure not to alter the date and time of the party when you have reserved your magician. Doing so may cost you added money or trigger you to lose the magician due to previous commitments. A magician might reserve numerous parties or events on a given day, so his or her schedule is unable and tight to be altered.
Employing a magician is an exceptional way to captivate everybody present at the party. Your child is sure to enjoy the fun filled techniques, jokes, and impressions that a professional magician can offer.
For a special touch, think about working with a magician to captivate both children and grownups for the party. A magician is an excellent method to captivate the crowd while keeping a special element for your child's celebration.
If you are planning to work with a magician to provide home entertainment for you child's birthday celebration, you may need to prepare ahead and book the magician's services in advance to avoid any last minute cancellations or reservations.
If you have actually decided to consist of a magician in your child's birthday celebration, call around.
Find a magician in Dallas.
Here are some tips on how to throw a magic-themed birthday party for your child.
Make or purchase invitations shaped like any of a magician's famous tools like a black top hat, wands, playing cards, rabbits or capes. You can also be creative with a DIY black top hat with a rabbit insert where the party details are printed.
If the guests are old enough they can make their own edible magic wand. You just have to provide pretzel rods, dark chocolate and white chocolate. Instruct them to dip the pretzel rods in dark chocolate. After the chocolate hardens, let them dip both ends of the rod in white chocolate. A healthy alternative to this is threading fruits like strawberries, grapes, watermelon and grapes along a kabob stick. To finish the magic wand top it off with a star-shaped cookie.
If the guests are too young to make their own magic wand, you can make them ahead of time yourself.
Wow your child with a three-dimensional top hat shaped birthday cake. Just bake enough layers of chocolate cake to form a top hat. Hollow out the inside and put a rabbit inside made from a vanilla cake.
For your party drinks, you can make a magic concoction by scooping some strawberry sherbet into a fruit punch then sprinkle it with edible glitters. This swirly magic potion will surely amaze the guests once you serve it with a lot of ice.
An actual magician who'll do a magic show for your kids party entertainment will truly make the party a blast. If you're on a tight budget you can ask someone to dress up as a magician and learn some tricks to impress the guests.
This can be a good take home gift for the guests. You can provide swaths of fabric which the guests can decorate with glitter glue, foam letters or fabric markers. They'll have fun creating them and wearing them all throughout the party.
A red curtain hung on the doorway will give each guest a spectacular entrance. Use garlands or tablecloths in red and gold and create unique centerpieces like top hats and wands. You can also dim the light for a mysterious feel. Don't forget to dress-up your child in a magician's costume to put emphasis on the theme.
A top hat filled with goodies is a nice party favor for the guests. Include some bubbles, glitter glue, candies and some magic accessories in the bag.
MrGoodfriend is the best party magician in Dallas, TX.
Making a kid's birthday party amazing and fun can sometimes be a daunting task. MrGoodfriend, Dallas party magician, is one professional that can make your child's special day so much fun and relieve some of the party stress from you.
MrGoodfriend knows that as a party magician the path to a successful party is not something thrown together in the last minute. Even so, with his years of experience, he is able to consult and advise you with all aspects of a successful kids birthday party.
When you start looking for a good kids party magician, it can be tough. If you have never attempted a search like that, that makes it even tougher. Since you have landed here, I will show you the ropes, and help you miss the traps other searchers fall into when trying to find a good magician for their event. You can find a premier magician just by taking a few steps and searching in places that are closer to you than you might have expected. Let me explain.
If you know where to search, you can find the best party magician for your kids special event. Here are four things you should start doing, and that will get you right on track in finding the perfect magician. You can find a good magician with proper planning.
First, look to your neighbors and friends. "Seriously?" you ask. Yes, your neighbors and friends are a good starting point; here's how. You can't be everywhere, but with trusted sources such as those who care about your success may have a lead on someone they have seen. Maybe they went to dinner and saw a good magician at a local restaurant, and just because you asked they now get to relive their wonderful evening, and you get a terrific recommendation. You have a huge leg up in the process, because you already know this magician can and will perform.
Second, online searching. That doesn't sound very easy, does it? If you know how to look, it is quite simple. Start by doing a search for "kids party magician" and be sure to add your location, i.e. "Dallas". When you do this type of search, you will eliminate the magicians in other areas most of the time. Once you've got the listings, IF you look at the first few business listings, whether that is in Google, Yahoo, Bing or some other third party business listing service, you will find an area for reviews. This is significant. Look at the ratings and see if one listing has several reviews. If they are mostly good, but maybe one or two not so good, go ahead and look at the reviews to see if the magician responded. A response will mean someone who is professional and treats everyone with the courtesy of a response.
Third, you can reach out to the local professional associations for magicians. Now, if you live in a small town, it may not have a professional magicians association, but all larger cities will have one. This is a significant place to look, because they have standards that they want their professionals to adhere to. They don't let just any person calling himself a professional magician join. Magic organizations have a code of conduct their members promise to abide by. This step will not guarantee a quality performance, but is certainly will provide a filter for eliminating the unprofessional for your kids party magic show.
Finally, take the time to have a quality budget. You don't have to spend it ALL on the magic entertainment; but do keep in mind that you are looking for a quality magical experience for your kids special event.
You can find a good magician in Dallas TX that will entertain your kids at their birthday party magic show. All you have to do is look in the right places. Some of the places you look might surprise you, but when you do, the search will yield a great experience for you and your kids.


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How To Identify Antique Furniture Styles
Is your chair Empire, Queen Anne, Chippendale, or even French Empire? Our identification guide will help you identify your collectible tables, chairs, chests and more.
Image courtesy of Getty Images
Furniture styles can be determined by careful study and remembering what design elements each one embraces. To help understand what defines each period, here are some of the major design elements for each period.
William and Mary, 1685-1720
The style is named for the English King William of Orange and his consort, Mary. New colonists in America brought their English furniture traditions with them and tried to translate these styles using native woods. Their furniture was practical and sturdy. Lines of this furniture style tend to be crisp, while facades might be decorated with bold grains of walnut or maple veneers, framed by inlaid bands. Moldings and turnings are exaggerated in size. Turnings are baluster-shaped and the use of C-scrolls was quite common. Feet found in this period generally are round or oval. One exception to this is known as the Spanish foot, which flares to a scroll. Woods tend to be maple, walnut, white pine or southern yellow pine. One type of decoration that begins in the William and Mary period and extends through to Queen Anne and Chippendale styles is known as "japanning," referring to a lacquering process that combines ashes and varnish.
Queen Anne chair
Image courtesy of Krause Publications
Queen Anne, 1720-1760
Evolution of this design style is from Queen Anne's court, 1702 to 1714, and lasted until the Revolution. This style of furniture is much more delicate than its predecessor. It was one way for the young Colonists to show their own unique style, with each regional area initiating special design elements. Forms tend to be attenuated in New England. Chair rails were more often mortised through the back legs when made in Philadelphia. New England furniture makers preferred pad feet, while the makers in Philadelphia used triffid feet. Makers in Connecticut and New York often preferred slipper and claw and ball feet. The most popular woods were walnut, poplar, cherry, and maple. Japanned decoration tends to be in red, green and gilt, often on a blue-green field. A new furniture form of this period was the tilting tea table.
Notice the pronounced claw-and-ball feet of the Chippendale chair.
Chippendale, 1755-1790
This period is named for the famous English cabinetmaker, Thomas Chippendale, who wrote a book of furniture designs, Gentlemen and Cabinet-Maker's Director, published in 1754, 1755 and 1762. This book gave cabinetmakers real direction and they soon eagerly copied the styles presented. Chippendale was influenced by ancient cultures, such as the Romans, and Gothic influences. Look for Gothic arches, Chinese fretwork, columns, capitals, C-scrolls, S-scrolls, ribbons, flowers, leaves, scallop shells, gadrooning and acanthus leaves.
The most popular wood used in this period was mahogany, with walnut, maple and cherry also present. Legs become straight and regional differences still existed in design elements, such as feet. Claw and ball feet become even larger and more decorative. Pennsylvania cabinetmakers used Marlborough feet, while other regions favored ogee bracket feet. One of the most popular forms of this period was a card table that sported five legs instead of the four of Queen Anne designs.
Reflecting the architectural ornamentation of the Hepplewhite period, inlays were popular, as was carving and even painted highlights .
Federal (Hepplewhite), 1790-1815
This period reflects the growing patriotism felt in the young American states. Their desire to develop their own distinctive furniture style was apparent. Stylistically it also reflects the architectural style known as Federal, where balance and symmetry were extremely important.
Woods used during this period were mahogany and mahogany veneer, but other native woods, such as maple, birch or satinwood, were used. Reflecting the architectural ornamentation of the period, inlays were popular, as was carving and even painted highlights. The motifs used for inlay included bellflowers, urns, festoons, acanthus leaves and pilasters, to name but a few. Inlaid bands and lines were also popular and often used in combination with other inlay.
Legs of this period tend to be straight or tapered to the foot. The foot might be a simple extension of the leg, or bulbous or spade shaped. Two new furniture forms were created in this period. They are the sideboard and the worktable. Expect to find a little more comfort in chairs and sofas, but not very thick cushions or seats.
When a piece of furniture is made in England, or styled after an English example, it may be known as Hepplewhite. The time frame is the same. Robert Adam is credited with creating the style known as Hepplewhite during the 1760s and leading the form. Another English book heavily influenced the designers of the day. This one was by Alice Hepplewhite, and titled The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Guide, published in 1788, 1789 and 1794.
Mahogany, mahogany veneer, maple and pine were commonly used in the Sheraton period.
Sheraton, 1790-1810
The style known as Sheraton closely resembles Federal. The lines are somewhat straighter and the designs plainer than Federal. Sheraton pieces are more closely associated with rural cabinetmakers. Woods would include mahogany, mahogany veneer, maple and pine, as well as other native woods. This period was heavily influenced by the work of Thomas Sheraton and his series of books, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, from 1791-1794, and his The Cabinet Directory, 1803, and The Cabinet-Maker, Upholsterer, and General Artist's Encyclopedia of 1804.
During the Empire (Classical) period, feet could be highly ornamental, as when they are carved to look like lion's paws
Image courtesy of Krause Publicaitons
Empire (Classical), 1805-1830
By the beginning of the 19th century, a new design style was emerging. Known as Empire, it had an emphasis on the classical world of Greece, Egypt and other ancient European influences. The American craftsmen began to incorporate more flowing patriotic motifs, such as eagles with spread wings. The basic wood used in the Empire period was mahogany. However, during this period, dark woods were so favored that often mahogany was painted black. Inlays were popular when made of ebony or maple veneer. The dark woods offset gilt highlights, as were the brass ormolu mountings often found in this period. The legs of this period are substantial and more flowing than those found in the Federal or Sheraton periods. Feet can be highly ornamental, as when they are carved to look like lion's paws, or plain when they extend to the floor with a swept leg. Regional differences in this style are very apparent, with New York City being the center of the design style, as it was also the center of fashion at the time.
New furniture forms of this period include the sleigh bed, with the headboard and footboard forming a graceful arch. Several new forms of tables also came into being, especially the sofa table. Because the architectural style of the Empire period used big, open rooms, the sofa was now allowed to be in the center of the room, with a table behind it. Former architectural periods found most furniture placed against the outside perimeter of the walls and brought forward to be used.
Late Victorian Carved Mahogany Slant-lid Desk sold at auction for $4,000.
Image courtesy of Skinner
Victorian, 1830-1890
The Victorian period as it relates to furniture styles can be divided into several distinct styles. However, not every piece of furniture can be dated or definitely identified, so the generic term "Victorian" will apply to those pieces. Queen Victoria's reign affected the design styles of furniture, clothing and all sorts of items used in daily living. Her love of ornate styles is well known. When thinking of the general term, think of a cluttered environment, full of heavy furniture, and surrounded by plants, heavy fabrics and lots of china and glassware.
French Restoration, 1830-1850
This is the first sub-category of the Victoria era. This style is best simplified as the plainest of the Victorian styles. Lines tend to be sweeping, undulating curves. It is named for the style that was popular in France as the Bourbons tried to restore their claim to the French throne, from 1814 to 1848. The Empire (Classical) period influence is felt, but French Restoration lacks some of the ornamentation and fussiness of that period. Design motifs continue to reflect an interest in the classics of Greece and Egypt. Chair backs are styled with curved and concave crest rails, making them a little more comfortable than earlier straight-back chairs. The use of bolster pillows and more upholstery is starting to emerge. The style was only popular in clusters, but did entice makers from larger metropolitan areas, such as Boston and New Orleans, to embrace the style.
Gothic Revival chair.
The Gothic Revival, 1840-1860
This is relatively easy to identify for collectors. It is one of the few styles that celebrates elements found in the corresponding architectural themes: turrets, pointed arches and quatrefoils—designs found in 12th through 16th centuries that were adapted to this mid-century furniture style. The furniture shelving form known as an étagère was born in this period, allowing Victorians to have more room to display their treasured collections. Furniture that had mechanical parts was also embraced by the Victorians of this era. The woods preferred by makers of this period were walnut and oak, with some use of mahogany and rosewood. The scale used ranged from large and grand to small and petite. Carved details gave dimension and interest.
Rococo Revival chair.
Rococo Revival, 1845-1870
This design style features the use of scrolls, either in a "C" shape or the more fluid "S" shape. Carved decoration in the form of scallop shells, leaves and flowers, particularly roses, and acanthus further add to the ornamentation of this style of furniture. Legs and feet of this form are cabriole or scrolling. Other than what might be needed structurally, it is often difficult to find a straight element in Rococo Revival furniture. The use of marble for tabletops was quite popular, but expect to find the corners shaped to conform to the overall scrolling form. To accomplish all this carving, walnut, rosewood, and mahogany were common choices. When lesser woods were used, they were often painted to reflect these more expensive woods. Some cast-iron elements can be found on furniture from this period, especially if it was cast as scrolls. The style began in France and England, but eventually migrated to America where it evolved into two other furniture styles, Naturalistic and Renaissance Revival.
Elizabethan, 1850-1915
This sub-category of the Victorian era is probably the most feminine-influenced style. It also makes use of the new machine-turned spools and spiral profiles that were fast becoming popular with furniture makers. New technology advancements allowed more machined parts to be generated. By adding flowers, either carved or painted, the furniture pieces of this era had a softness to them. Chair backs tend to be high and narrow, having a slight back tilt. Legs vary from straight to baluster-turned forms to spindle turned. This period of furniture design saw more usage of needlework upholstery and decoratively painted surfaces.
Straight legs or fluted and slightly tapered legs and ovals and arches are fixtures of Louis XVI chairs.
Louis XVI, 1850-1914
One period of the Victorian era that flies away with straight lines is Louis XVI. However, this furniture style is not austere; it is adorned with ovals, arches, applied medallions, wreaths, garlands, urns and other Victorian flourishes. As the period aged, more ornamentation became present on the finished furniture styles. Furniture of this time was made from more expensive woods, such as ebony or rosewood. Walnut was popular around the 1890s. Other dark woods were featured, often to contrast the lighter ornaments. Expect to find straight legs or fluted and slightly tapered legs.
Related Material: Hans Wegner: Master of The Chair
Naturalistic, 1850-1914
This furniture period takes the scrolling effects of the Rococo Revival designs and adds more flowers and fruits to the styles. More detail is spent on the leaves—so much that one can tell if they are to represent grape, rose or oak leaves. Technology advances enhanced this design style, as manufacturers developed a way of laminating woods together. This layered effect was achieved by gluing thin layers together, with the grains running at right angles on each new layer. The thick panels created were then steamed in molds to create the illusion of carving. The woods used as a basis for the heavy ornamentation were mahogany, walnut and some rosewood. Upholstery of this period is often tufted, eliminating any large flat surface. The name of John Henry Belter is often connected with this period, for it was when he did some of his best design work. John and Joseph W. Meeks also enjoyed success with laminated furniture. Original labels bearing these names are sometimes found on furniture pieces from this period, giving further provenance.
Related Material: Say No to Linseed Oil in Restoring Furniture
Renaissance Revival, 1850-1880
Furniture made in this style period reflects how cabinetmakers interpreted 16th- and 17th-century designs. Their motifs range from curvilinear and florid early in the period to angular and almost severe by the end of the period. Dark woods, such as mahogany and walnut, were primary with some use of rosewood and ebony. Walnut veneer panels were a real favorite in the 1870s designs. Upholstery, usually of a more generous nature, was also often incorporated into this design style. Ornamentation and high relief carving included flowers, fruits, game, classical busts, acanthus scrolls, strapwork, tassels and masks. Architectural motifs, such as pilasters, columns, pediments, balusters and brackets, are another prominent design feature. Legs are usually cabriole or have substantial turned profiles.
Néo-Greek, 1855-1885
This design style easily merges with both the Louis XVI and Renaissance Revival. It is characterized by elements reminiscent of Greek architecture, such as pilasters, flutes, column, acanthus, foliate scrolls, Greek key motifs and anthemion high-relief carving. This style originated with the French, but was embraced by American furniture manufacturers. Woods are dark and often ebonized. Ornamentation may be gilded or bronzed. Legs tend to be curved to scrolled or cloven hoof feet.
Eastlake design ornamentation was created through the use of brackets, grooves, chamfers and geometric designs.
Eastlake, 1870-1890
This design style is named for Charles Locke Eastlake, who wrote a popular book in 1872 called Hints on Household Taste. It was originally published in London. One of his principles was the relationship between function, form and craftsmanship. Shapes of furniture from this style tend to be more rectangular. Ornamentation was created through the use of brackets, grooves, chamfers and geometric designs. American furniture manufacturers were enthusiastic about this style, since it was so easy to adapt for mass production. Woods used were again dark, but more native woods, such as oak, maple and pine, were incorporated. Legs and chair backs are straighter, often with incised decoration.
Art Furniture, 1880-1914
This period represents furniture designs gone mad, almost an "anything goes" school of thought. The style embraces both straight and angular with some pieces that are much more fluid, reflecting several earlier design periods. This era saw the wide usage of turned moldings and dark woods, but this time stained to imitate ebony and lacquer. The growing Oriental influence is seen in furniture from this period, including the use of bamboo, which was imported and included in the designs. Legs tend to be straight; feet tend to be small.
Sideboard by Gustav Stickley, circa 1905. Arguably the most famous of all Arts & Crafts furniture designers, Stickley advocated a return to a simple, vernacular aesthetic that exploited the natural beauty of pure materials, and that depended on the skill and acuity of the craftsman.
Image courtesy of Indianapolis Museum of Art/Getty Images
Arts & Crafts, 1895-1915
The Arts & Crafts period of furniture represents one of the strongest trends for current collectors. Quality period Arts & Crafts furniture is available through most of the major auction houses. And, for those desiring the look, good quality modern furniture is also made in this style. The Arts & Crafts period furniture is generally rectilinear and a definite correlation is seen between form and function. The primary influences of this period were the Stickley brothers (especially Gustav, Leopold and John George), Elbert Hubbard, Frank Lloyd Wright and Harvey Ellis. Their furniture designs often overlapped into architectural and interior design, including rugs, textiles and other accessories. Wood used for Arts & Crafts furniture is primarily oak. Finishes were natural, fumed or painted. Hardware was often made in copper. Legs are straight and feet are small, if present at all, as they were often a simple extension of the leg. Some inlay of natural materials was used, such as silver, copper and abalone shells.
Related Material: Stickley Brothers Style
A glorious Art Nouveau bed with female head on the headboard, in molded and carved walnut.
Art Nouveau, 1896-1914
Just as the Art Nouveau period is known for women with long hair, flowers and curves, so is Art Nouveau furniture. The Paris Exposition of 1900 introduced furniture styles reflecting what was happening in the rest of the design world, such as jewelry and silver. This style of furniture was not warmly embraced, as the sweeping lines were not very conducive to mass production. The few manufacturers that did interpret it for their factories found interest to be slight in America. The French held it in higher esteem. Legs tend to be sweeping or cabriole. Upholstery becomes slimmer.
A General Electric shortwave table radio circa 1938 with Art Deco wood cabinet.
Image courtesy of J. B. Spector/Getty Images
Art Deco, 1920-1945
The Paris "L'Exposition International des Arts Décorative et Industriels Modernes" became the mantra for designs of everything in this period. Lines are crisp, with some use of controlled curves. The Chrysler Building in New York City remains among the finest example of Art Deco architecture and those same straight lines and gentle curves are found in furniture. Makers used expensive materials, such as veneers, lacquered woods, glass and steel.
The cocktail table first enters the furniture scene during this period. Upholstery can be vinyl or smooth fabrics. Legs are straight or slightly tapered; chair backs tend to be either low or extremely high.
The Charles Eames designed DCW chair from 1946. The all-plywood chair is an exceptional example of Mid-Century Modern design. Image courtesy Indianapolis Museum of Art/Getty Images
Image courtesy Indianapolis Museum of Art/Getty Images
Modernism or Mid-Century, 1940-1970
Furniture designed and produced during the Modernism period is distinctive, as it represents the usage of some new materials, like plastic, aluminum and molded laminates. The Bauhaus and also the Museum of Modern Art heavily influenced some designers. In 1940, the museum organized competitions for domestic furnishings. Designers Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames won first prize for their designs. A new chair design combined the back, seat and arms together as one unit. Tables were designed that incorporated the top, pedestal and base as one. Shelf units were also designed in this manner.
Hans Wegner: Master of The Chair
ModernismNaturalisticEastlakeVictorian furnituredecorative artsChippendale furnitureLouis XVIEmpire furnitureRenaissance RevivalGothic RevivalArts and CraftsFederal furnitureRococo RevivalArt NouveauElizabethanSheraton furnitureFrench RestorationHepplewhite furniture