text:
Dana Fuchs: Love Lives On Review
It's tempting to think that the Internet destroyed the music business, but music has always been driven by economics, to a certain extent. When touring became too expensive, the big bands became smaller bands. It had less to do with choice than with salary. But there's still a place for that large, lush sound. Even in this streaming age. Dana Fuchs shows that with Love Lives On.
Love Lives On has an old-fashioned sound. There are horns, there's guitar, there are backup singers. And then there's her voice–a voice that rumbles and growls while still managing to flash just the right amount of vulnerability–leading this huge swell of voices and instruments through each song. The result is an album that perfectly marries the rich production of 1960s soul music and the more natural sounds of the early 1970s.
"Backstreet Baby" the lead track, grooves, thanks to a simple rhythm guitar riff that supports the song as the horns, backup vocals, organ, and of course, Fuchs, mesh perfectly over it all. "Callin' Angels" is like a lost Motown track, slowly building in intensity, as guitar and organ are eventually joined by those incredible horns and backup vocals. "Sittin' On" is a funkier, bass-driven song, but with a wonderfully sad chorus melody.
The album isn't just about soul, though. "Ready to Rise," is a straight-up rock song, albeit one with some definite soul-inspired touches. But it's as much power ballad as it is anything, as the horns and background singers take a rest. "Battle Line" has a Band vibe, with lush organ and guitar. "Fight My Way," a country-folk number, is even more stripped down, with just Fuchs, guitars, and mandolin. Her cover of "Ring of Fire" is similarly stripped down, but with a sweetness and vulnerability that reimagines the song as a question, rather than Johnny Cash's petulant statement.
Fuchs is at her best when she's pushing her voice. She sounds great in the less densely produced songs, but when she's in the thick of a wall of sound, she's extraordinary. Not many contemporary artists have the voice to survive in this kind of rich, throwback production environment. Fuchs thrives in it.
– Backstreet Baby
– Fight My Way
– Ring of Fire
– Sittin' On
– Ready to Rise
Posted in Reviews Tags: Dana Fuchs
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If there's a job of work Kate hasn't done - and done consummately well - in her over two decades at Barron's, it completely eludes us. Reporter, writer, associate editor, managing editor - she has filled all those roles with unfailing distinction, verve, energy and imagination. She's that exceedingly rare bird in this trade who's tough but fair, smart as a whip but commonsensical, serious but endowed with an engagingly self-deprecating sense of humor.
Kate turned the Q&A into a kind of art form, week after week skillfully extracting invaluable (for her readers) information, disclosure and opinion from Wall Street's and the world's best investors, not a few of whom also rank as among Wall Street's and the world's most inarticulate human beings. Only those of us who have sat in on some of these interviews fully appreciate the miracle that Kate routinely wrought.
We obviously feel an especial loss, since Kate has long been a co-perpetrator of this column and responsible for more than a little of the mischief strewn.
Our sorrow at her leaving is tempered only slightly by the sure knowledge that her talent, temperament and ability make it a cinch that she and her new enterprise will be a resounding success.."
-Alan Abelson, the nonpareil dean of American financial journalism, in his Up and Down Wall Street column, Barron's, March 8, 1999.
"Alan Abelson's words well described your professionalism and capability. Speaking for myself, my words always came out better as a result of your handiwork."
"Wow. Again, you exceeded my expectations. You captured my sentiments extremely well."
"As usual, another spectacular interview.They are like no other in which I participate. You certainly got the essence of my new ideas. Several of my friends also commented that you also caught the my enthusiasm for my work."
-Martin E. Zweig, Zweig Advisors Inc.
"You've done it again! I'm agog at your ability to synthesize it all. Thank you for the most beautifully integrated presentation. There is no one else who could present the material in such a balance of intellectual vibrancy and light touch."
"I-and no doubt many others-have been enjoying the tour, and anticipating with pleasure the next one, Up and Down Wall Street, with you as the perceptive guide. I like the irreverent style, the "wink in the eye", the wit and the humor, with which you have managed to perform the vital journalistic task of independently analyzing data provided by others, and transmitting the information to the reader with a good dose of skepticism. It is an elegant accomplishment made all the more noticeable through the colloquialisms with which you so appealingly sprinkle your writings."
"I had fun during our interview. Thank you for the wonderful piece that resulted."
-Steven Romick, First Pacific Advisors Inc.
"I get squeamish about reading stuff about myself, but so many friends and clients called with compliments about the interview that I sat down and read it. So I saw why they thought it was terrific-You did it. The bits and pieces and scraps you pulled together to make the material coherent and flowing emerged as a marvelous achievement. My compliments, so to speak, to the chef."
"I've given a number of interviews during my career and none have previously been able to capture my personality and the dynamic investment opportunity of my subject. Your very concise overview is clearly an example of a professional journalist at the height of her profession."
-John R. Tozzi, Cambridge Investments Ltd.
".Although I felt poorly prepared and a little incoherent, you did a masterful job of weaving it into an intelligible piece. I am amazed by the accuracy and could never plead that I was quoted out of context."
-Martin L. Roth, Ferret Capital Management Inc.
"You handled a complex topic beautifully. Congratulations!"
-Charles G. Callard, Callard, Madden & Associates Inc.
"I've been a loyal reader of your work for longer than you look like you've been alive."
"Sometimes the papers get it wrong-but in Alan Abelson's description of you, he got it exactly right. Having been on the other side of an interview, I concur with every word..."
-James Barksdale, Equity Investment Corp.
Please tell Kate I loved the writing below. It brought a big smile to my face.
Foster, Dykema, Cabot & Co.
I think the diversity of opinion is great and helps add important perspective to many of us who have our face buried in the micro situation of the companies we are researching. I look forward to your next collection of missives.
Wow! Once again Kate it has been wonderful to collaborate on many dimensions. I enjoyed a thought provoking discussion, and was also very thrilled that you put together such a comprehensive and thorough representation of that discussion (w@w- June 24, 2011).
I have shied away from press/media, as in my experience, an hour-and-a-half of in depth discussion boils down to a weird sound bite taken completely out of context - usually the least important thing that I said in the hour-and-a-half. Your article in contrast was thoughtful and I felt represented my views (time will tell if they are valid) much better than I ever could!
Please keep in touch, and let me know if/how I can be of help in any way as we go forward.
LIKE A HEART ATTACK IN AN OVERWEIGHT CHAIN-SMOKER, last week's events in the market for subprime mortgages occasioned shudders but hardly surprises.
Headlines about losses on formerly lucrative loans to least creditworthy home borrowers at HSBC Holdings (ticker: HBC), one of the world's largest banks, and New Century Financial (NEW), a small real-estate investment trust specializing in speculative mortgages, unsettled the credit and equity markets. The clearest picture comes in the market for credit derivatives; prices of contracts plunged further and sent the cost of insuring against this gathering storm soaring. The ABX-HE BBB-minus 07-01, which tracks subprime loans, continued its headlong slide by losing nearly 7% last week, according to Markit.com, which keeps these indexes.
"What's extraordinary is that this is news to anybody who's been halfway paying attention," observes former colleague Kate Welling in the Welling@Weeden newsletter following the page-one play given HSBC's hit. Indeed, Jon Laing warned about the risks of subprime loans and New Century in particular in these pages starting back in October 2004 (see "Follow-Up1"). And Jim Grant, another Barron's alum, has been detailing the accelerating deterioration of subprime mortgage-backed securities in his Grant's Interest Rate Observer in recent months.
It has been a long time coming. Observes Jeffrey Rosenberg of Banc of America Securities debt research, HSBC's purchase of consumer lender Household International in November 2002 marked the beginning of the bull phase of the credit cycle.
Last year may have seen the peak. As Jay Diamond of Annaly Mortgage points out, 2006 saw a rush on Wall Street to acquire subprime mortgage originators, starting with Deutsche Bank's purchase of MortgageIT in July followed by acquisitions by Morgan Stanley (MWD), Merrill Lynch (MER) and Bear Stearns (BSC) of Saxon Capital, First Franklin and Encore Credit, respectively. And just recently, Bank of America (BAC) and Countrywide Financial (BSC) have discussed a link to form the nation's largest mortgage-lending group. "While perhaps a viable long-term strategy, we have to wonder about the timing of these acquisitions given where we are in the credit cycle," he concludes.
• "There Is No Asset Class That Too Much Money Can't Destroy"
The above quote is a Barton Biggs observation in an interview with Kate Welling. The subject was private equity. If you didn't see this "Welling @ Weeden" issue (August 4), check it out. In terms of the longer term outlook for private equity, I'm in 100% agreement with Barton (see my "2006 Outlook", a special research study we published in December 2005). LBO's are now often looked upon as get-rich-quick schemes, at least by their sponsors. In reality it should take years to build value, restructuring a company, be it private or public, and making the operation more efficient. And this is what provides good long term returns for private equity investors.
But today many private equity firms immediately load a company with debt in order to quickly pay themselves huge dividends, drawing out cash and overloading the company's debt levels and debt service costs. Burger King and Hertz are current examples. In addition, many private equity firms charge hefty professional and advisory fees flowing to the sponsor, not to the investors in the private equity fund. From 1995 through 2003, the 52 LBO debt deals tracked by S&P had a default rate four times the average default rate for typical higher risk corporate loans. With the current flood of deals, this high default rate of 6% for LBO deals seems almost certain to rise. Hedge funds are increasingly active in private equity deals, segregating these investments in so called side pockets. Over the next few years, I suspect many of these side pockets will turn out to have big holes in them, even as the sponsors prosper.
Economist John Williams says 'real' unemployment and inflation numbers -- figured the old-fashioned way -- may be two or three times what the government admits. Here's why, and what it means for Social Security.
Corporate America likes to play that game, the better to boost stock prices. Folks might be surprised to learn that "Governmental" America also plays the game in its compilation of macroeconomic data. Beneath the surface are undesirable, sobering consequences for us all.
Last weekend, the always-terrific Kate Welling published an interview with an economist named John Williams. It will be available on the free portion of her "pay" site via this link starting March 11. This article is the first one that I have seen in which all the flaws in the government data, pertaining to the Consumer Price Index, unemployment, Gross Domestic Product, etc., are disclosed in one piece by someone who's been following the data for a long time.
I have been aware of nearly all the statistical tricks used by the government since they were implemented. Nonetheless, seeing them collectively described in one article is incredibly sobering. Having said that, there is a bit more "black helicopter" insinuation and fewer data points than I would like to see in an article such as this. However, the main points are the math that most folks need to know, but likely do not.
Once you read it, think about it and understand it, you will see why so many thoughtful people - like Jim Grant, Warren Buffett, Marc Faber, Bill Gross, Fred Hickey and Paul Volcker - have grave concerns about the future of the dollar (due to the macro imbalances that exist today).
In fact, reading this article, you will conclude that there's no way out, short of running the printing presses. The problem with that end game: At some point, foreigners will revolt. One can only hope that, somehow, there will be a way out. But without an understanding of the issues, folks will have no way to react as events unfold, and adjust their assets as we get more clues as to how all this will play out. Thus, I would encourage everyone to print out the article and read it as many times as necessary, in order to gain a full understanding of the issues. Since we don't know at what rate some of these problems will start to impact the markets, all we can do is be prepared -- by having our insurance policies (in the form of the metals and foreign currencies), and then being alert to signs that the beginning of a chain reaction may be under way. Meanwhile, to pique folks' interest in the article, I'm going to take the time to provide some "Cliffs Notes" here.
He then explains how the employment data are compiled, noting that 5 million chronically unemployed people are not included in the statistics. In fact, there are seven or eight different employment statistics. One called U-3 is the official one. The broadest one, U-6, currently shows unemployment as running around 8.4%. As he explains, the one that's the most historically consistent is running around 12%.
Williams differentiates between two data-manipulation practices. One is "systemic manipulations, where methodologies are changed." That's done in order to align the government's view of the world with the world, i.e., make things look better than they are. The second practice is out-and-out fudging of the data to produce whatever result is desired. Williams describes instances where various administrations have literally reverse-engineered the data to achieve that result (though politics is not the main purpose of the article).
For those not familiar with "substitution," he explains the practice's evolution in the CPI calculations. The concept of substitution was a concoction of Alan Greenspan and Michael Boskin, who basically argued that if one item were too expensive, consumers would substitute that with a cheaper one. Williams' response: "The problem is that if you allow substitutions, you aren't measuring a constant standard of living. You're measuring the cost of survival. You can keep substituting down and have people buy dog food instead of hamburger. It happens. But that's not the original concept behind the CPI."
Williams says that the government's motive in all of this, if there is a motive (of the government collectively; don't picture a group of men cooking up something in a back room), is its desire to put a favorable spin on all the data. Another motive? Transfer payments like Social Security are indexed to the CPI, and they would be far higher if the CPI were accurate. In fact, says Williams, if the "same CPI were used today as was used when Jimmy Carter was president, Social Security checks would be 70% higher." That's seven-zero.
Though Williams doesn't get much into hedonics, he does talk about the inflation-understating impact of geometric weighting versus arithmetic weighting in the CPI statistics: "Geometric weighting ... has the 'benefit' that if something goes up in price, it automatically gets a lower weight, and if it goes down in price, it automatically gets a higher weight."
Then for the ticking time bomb: Social Security. The proceeds from withholding do not go into a lockbox or trust fund. They are spent, thereby reducing the size of the stated deficit. More importantly, he notes that the government's accounting for the deficit doesn't include any accruals for Social Security or Medicare liability.
In fact, if that were done and the government used GAAP accounting, the deficits for 2003, 2004, and 2005 would each have been around $3.5 trillion. That's a trillion, not billion. In 2004 alone, the deficit on an accrual basis would have been $11.1 trillion, due to a huge one-time spike for setting up the Medicare drug benefits. In essence, as he points out, we're piling up additional liabilities in an amount roughly equivalent to our total GDP every three years.
Lots of these imbalances have existed for some time, and they haven't mattered. Such macro problems only matter when they matter. Once that point in time is reached, events have a way of swiftly getting completely out of control - which is why one has to understand the nuances and be alert for potential signs of chain reaction, as I mentioned earlier.
Returning to the subject of GDP, Williams illuminates a wrinkle that I had not known about, called "imputations": They are "an outgrowth of the theoretical structure of the national income accounts. Any benefit a person receives has an imputed income component. If you're a homeowner, the government assumes that you pay yourself rent on your house, so that's rental income. ... Imputed interest income, for instance, accounted for 21% of all personal interest income in 2002, and was growing at an annual rate of over 8%. Meanwhile, fully 62% of total rental income that year was the imputed variety."
He goes on to point out that folks really aren't doing that well, which is why their incomes aren't growing, which is why they've borrowed money. And that's why understanding the housing ATM is so important - because as that sputters to a halt, folks will be stuck in the same place they were before (which precipitated the borrowing, i.e., not enough income growth). Only now, they're going to be stuck with incremental debt of their own creation.
Next, he strings together the stock-market and housing bubble, for a summation of where we are: "When that (stock) bubble burst (in 2000), without a foundation of strong income growth, or a financially sound consumer, it triggered a recession that was a lot longer and deeper than the government would have you believe.
"In fact, I contend that what we are in now is a protracted structural change that goes back to the beginning of that 2000 recession, which eventually may be recognized as a double-dip downturn. We did have some recovery in 2003, but in 2005, you started to see signs of a downturn in a variety of leading indicators that I use.
"That's not so far off from what I believe. In other words, if you really looked at the data and understood them, you'd see that what appears in the headline numbers is nowhere near what the real supporting data show. Our financial condition is a ticking time bomb. What none of us knows is when it implodes.
Bill Fleckenstein is president of Fleckenstein Capital, which manages a hedge fund based in Seattle. He also writes a daily "Market Rap" column on his Fleckenstein Capital Web site. His investment positions can change at any time. Under no circumstances does the information in this column represent a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. The views and opinions expressed in Bill Fleckenstein's columns are his own and not necessarily those of CNBC or MSN Money.


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Below is shown a strobe diagram indicating the position of four objects at successive (equal) time intervals. The objects move from left to right.
During the intervals shown, which of the objects are accelerating?


One of the biggest things to putting a wedding together, is the coordination. If you know how to put things together in an order, then 1/2 the battle is won. You need to figure out what kind of food there is going to be, alcohol, if any, the clothing for the ceremony, needs to be decided, and sized for everyone.
When you decide what you are having for food, you need to make sure that the order is put in, and that it can be at the site of the reception in time, so you want to get this done as early as possible, and call often to make sure they are on top of it. You will need dishes, see to it that they are going to furnish this.
Have the napkins made, and the invitations, definitely make sure that the cake order is in, and very well described if you want something special on it. Let's see, what else am I missing. The music, where is it going to be held, who will officiate the wedding?
The flowers need to be ordered, and the vows need to be gone over if there are going to be special vows. I know it's a lot, but you can do it, you just have to pay attention to it just about every day, and make sure that if you think of anything else, that you write it all down, because it's so easy to forget something during all the hustle and bustle of all of this. Hope this helps you out, good luck to you dear.
Thank you for your advice... This should help her out a lot!
You are welcome, and not to be too shameless here, could you please leave a rating for your friend?
If you wanting to travel, Gatlinburg is absolutely beautiful and inexpensive (plus great anniversary place to go to in later years) and they will set up the whole wedding for you. They have wooden cabins can stay in and even cute little wooden chapels with waterfalls just outside for the best pictures!
If you doing local, start calling for locations and reception area's now, those tend to book up fast. Also flowers can be extremely expensive if you wait till the last minute! Best is to get an idea on what you wanting to spend and then go down the list in the Yellow Pages and see what's available for your dates and cost. Going to spend A Lot of time on phone but if spend a few days nailing those big details the others will fall into place. Besides you need to know the where and when exactly before sending out invitations and want those out soon as you can so family and friends can start making preparations to be there!
ps...don't forget to register too! that's the most fun and some guests will want to shop for you soon as they get the invitation!
Well that's a very difficult thing to do in my view because a wedding is not just having married it is a decision about a whole life ahead. And considered its preparation, that's a real fun to get ready for a wedding specially when its of someone that dear that make it a fun. Three months can be challenge to arrange a full fledged wedding ceremony because there are loads of tasks to perform, and when its gone ten regret that it was too early might have taken a bit more days.
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text:
International interest in Iffitel
Iffitel
Talented jumper Iffitel extended her impressive hurdles record to three wins from four starts on Saturday when taking out the Waikato Hurdles (3200m) at Te Rapa.
The Glynn Brick-trained seven-year-old has pulled up well after her 6-1/2 length victory and there are plenty of options open to her connections, including an overseas sale.
"She looks fantastic. I could only look from afar (on Sunday), I couldn't catch her. She was out in a big grassy paddock on Saturday night and she was full of herself on Sunday morning," Brick said.
"There's an offer on the table from England to buy her, so there are a lot of options that we are talking about. It's very much up in the air at the moment.
"It's been an offer via text, and at the moment we have said that it's not enough.
"Mr Hopson (part-owner) loves racing his horses and he just said this (Monday) morning he loves watching them and he doesn't really know what he wants to do.
"I don't own any shares in her, so it's really up to Mr and Mrs Hopson and Ron MacDonald and what they want to do."
If a sale doesn't eventuate, Brick said there are plenty of options for his mare on both sides of the Tasman.
"We are just taking stock of things. There's possibly the KS Browne or the Awapuni Hurdles and Australia is getting kicked around.
"You have to do what's best for the horse. She's going to get a lot of weight now and there's a lot more money in Australia. I have suggested they send her over there for a couple of big races."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to get dynamically changing Key's value in Json using jackson in java below is my json string parsing using jackson using java , in which the storage array values  will be dynamically changing based on the region , US, UK or any region. how to handle these objects
{
"serviceType": {
    "US - Northern California 1": [
      {
        "serviceName": "Virtual Private Cloud",
        "tenantType": "VP",
        "licenseType": "EDUCATIONAL",
        "description": "Virtual Private Cloud",
        "defaultFlag": "N",
        "tooltip": "",
        "storage": [
          {
            "ACC STORAGE": {
              "storageName": "SSD Accelerated Storage",
              "terms": [
                [
                  "12 months",
                  "12_MTH",
                  [
                    "Prepaid",
                    "Monthly"
                  ],
                  "N"
                ]
              ]
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "US - New Jersey 1": [
      {
        "serviceName": "Air Dedicated Cloud",
        "tenantType": "DCP",
        "licenseType": "EDUCATIONAL",
        "description": "Air Dedicated Cloud",
        "defaultFlag": "N",
        "tooltip": "",
        "storage": [
          {
            "STD STORAGE": {
              "storageName": "Standard Storage",
              "terms": [
                [
                  "12 months",
                  "12_MTH",
                  [
                    "Monthly",
                    "Prepaid"
                  ]
              ]
            ]
            }
          }
        ]
      }
        ]

    }
}

My question is: how do I access the content of "storage" since "ACC STORAGE", "STD STORAGE", etc are all dynamic values?
  public class ServiceType
{
    @JsonProperty("US - Northern California 1")
    public List<serviceTypes> USNorthernCalifornia1;
    @JsonProperty("US - New Jersey 1")
    public List<serviceTypes> uSNewJersey1;

     //getters and setters
}

public class serviceTypes
{
   public class serviceTypes
{
    @JsonProperty("serviceName")
    public String serviceName;
    @JsonProperty("tenantType")
    public String tenantType;
    @JsonProperty("licenseType")
    public String licenseType;
    @JsonProperty("description")
    public String description;
    @JsonProperty("defaultFlag")
    public String defaultFlag;
    @JsonProperty("tooltip")
    public String tooltip;
    @JsonProperty("storage")
    public List<Storage> storage = new ArrayList<Storage>();
 //getters and setters
}

public class storage
{

}

the  class storage left blank as i am confused wht to declare as the values will dynamically change
Please help me . thanks in advance

A: Usually this means that some properties use basic Map to contain values (where keys can be arbitrary Strings), instead of only using POJOs. Map values can still be POJOs, as well as Maps or Lists.

A: Just go on and write the Storage class. Jackson will map the values automatically into your storage List via the Objectmapper.
One solution might be inheritance. You need multiple  classes with different "IDs" but same properties.

A: I would simply use a Map.
public class ServiceTypes {

    private List<Map<String, Storage>> storage;

    // other fields ommited
}

Where the Storage class would now become:
public class ServiceTypes {

    private String storageName;

    // etc
}

I´ve changed the visibility of the fields to private, you need the corresponding getters and setters.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Don't you wish you could go back in time, like to the days we were in grade school and could all enjoy a zero-pressure Valentine's Day? Remember when your entire class had a party, you made heart-shaped decorations for your family, and everyone got the same amazing amount of candy? I still vividly remember these days, most likely because I got to vicariously re-live them for a bit through my own child, but otherwise, the last two decades (at least) I've had a love-hate relationship with this holiday– on the one hand, I think it's great to have a day where you acknowledge those you love, but on the other hand having just gotten through the holidays, I am often at a loss for what to get a significant other (when there is one) or myself (when there isn't).
If you are in a good and healthy relationship when this holiday rolls around, God bless you. Hopefully you can plan something nice together, without the need to succumb to the ridiculous holiday-surcharge at restaurants or flower shops. I always found a nice, quiet dinner at home on V-Day with some pretty tulips was far more enjoyable than stressing over impossible reservations, traffic, parking, and a bill that was never less than $120 (which is probably the equivalent of a week's groceries for some of us).
If you are not in a good place with your partner, well of course you are going to want to avoid this holiday– but even that is going to tell the other person where you are in your head, so really there isn't a nice way to avoid having an honest talk. Here are just 2 examples of huge V-Day fails by some of my past beaus: 1) I had a guy wait until 11pm on 2/14 to send me a "Happy VDay" text. My response was to sign up on some dating site the next day. 2) Another guy once told me on V-Day, "I didn't get you anything because you've been criticizing my spending so much." After that, I canceled a trip we'd be planning to take, and the biggest effort I put forth thereafter was to get him out of my life for good.
So now we get to the option of being single on V-Day, and I'll admit that my feelings on this have varied greatly– some years I've gone all out for myself, although most years as a mom I have focused my efforts on my son. There was one particularly bad year when I hosted a girls-only party, where we all took turns smashing a heart-shaped piñata. The funny thing is this: there is no right or wrong way to celebrate V-Day when it's just you. If you want to book a massage or other spa appointment for yourself, do it. Splurge on tickets to a concert, game, or maybe go big and get Hamilton tickets in NYC. Or, if you just want to stream movies in your pjs with a bowl of your favorite Ben & Jerry's, do that! When you are single on V-day, the best part of that day is that you can make what you want of it, with absolutely no pressure and no disappointment because you are not counting on anyone else to make the day for you.
It's taken me years to realize that the only way to completely avoid being disappointed is to not count on anyone else. Once you can accept this fact, then you can take control to ensure that not just V-Day, but every day, lives up to your own expectations. So whether you are single, committed, or in a "it's complicated" situation, there shouldn't be a reason to dread Valentine's Day if you don't expect anything from others and instead make your own plans to celebrate love in a way that brings meaning to you, not just in terms of romantic love, but something far more lasting and profound–particularly love of self, and the various roles we may play as a mother, sister, daughter, friend, mentor, activist and/or philanthropist.


Working professionally for over thirty years, Maarten Platje's paintings reveal his ability to depict historic topics with a stunning level of detail. Dedicated to marine paintings, Platje's carefully-orchestrated compositions are created from an assembly of several old pictures, old drawings and ship models discovered at antique stores or placed at his disposal from private collections. Maarten Platje has been exhibiting his signature maritime art paintings since 1986.
He studied at the Ars Aemula Naturae Art Academy in Leiden, in addition to his attendance at several artistic courses and studies. Upon graduating, he spent part of his youth as a sailor before devoting himself to the painting of ships; this period certainly contributed to his ability to transform his impressions and observations into highly accurate and lively marine paintings.
Today and during his professional career, Maarten Platje's impressive body of work traveled internationally, and has acclaimed him several achievements. Some of which include, an official invitation by the Royal Dutch Navy to embark on a frigate during NATO operations in the Mediterranean waters, and an invitation to exhibit his work at the yearly international commercial maritime manifestation 'Europort' in Amsterdam.


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HomeDipNote: All Posts ...A Treaty That Helps Protect Nuclear Material
A Treaty That Helps Protect Nuclear Material
DipNote
Kathryn Crummitt
Radiation sign scientist hands, exclusion zone, disaster area, ecological crisis
As the nuclear age advanced, concerns grew that nuclear material used for peaceful purposes could instead fall into the hands of non-state actors looking to do harm.
That is why, in 1974, the United States proposed an initiative to bring the international community together to improve the physical protection of nuclear material used for peaceful purposes.
This initiative became the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), an international framework to combat such criminal activity. Since it entered into force on February 8, 1987, 164 countries and EURATOM — the European Atomic Energy Community — have become parties to the Convention.
The CPPNM is a foundational, binding agreement aimed at reinforcing global nuclear security. It established legal obligations to protect nuclear material intended for peaceful purposes during international transport. The Convention also required parties to criminalize the theft, embezzlement, or fraudulent obtainment of such nuclear material. Parties to the CPPNM recognized the need to address critical gaps in the protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities.
In 2005, parties came together for a conference to amend the convention. The result was a critical amendment, which entered into force on May 8, 2016. This amendment greatly strengthened the Convention by adding obligations relating to the protection of nuclear material in domestic use, storage, and transport and the protection of nuclear facilities, as well as protection of nuclear material in international transport. It also expanded the list of offenses that parties are obligated to criminalize to include smuggling of nuclear material and sabotage of nuclear facilities.
Together, the Convention and its Amendment (known collectively as the A/CPPNM) allow countries to collaborate in establishing and implementing their obligations while enhancing information sharing. In particular, the Amended Convention contains specific provisions to help bring to justice those who commit acts of nuclear theft, smuggling, or sabotage.
"The Convention and its Amendment play a critical role in ensuring that the nuclear material used for peaceful purposes doesn't get into the hands of people who may want to misuse it."
Rafael Mariano GrossiDirector General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Not only does the A/CPPNM strengthen the world's ability to combat nuclear terrorism and bring criminals to justice, but it also helps countries around the world benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, whether for energy, research, or sustainable development goals. By expanding parties' obligations to physically protect nuclear material and nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes, the A/CPPNM helps to sustain access to peaceful uses and preserve its benefits for all.
The Amended Convention helps make our world safer, and from March 28 to April 1, 2022, States Parties from across the globe will meet in Vienna for the A/CPPNM's very first review conference. At this unprecedented event, they will demonstrate their commitment to strengthening and advancing global nuclear security.
This conference takes place at a critical time for nuclear security. It has never been clearer that the international community must come together to protect nuclear material and nuclear facilities. The United States strongly supports and reaffirms its commitment to the A/CPPNM and looks forward to working with our partners to strengthen this critical tool to improve our collective nuclear security.
Kathryn Crummitt is an intern in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation Nuclear Energy Nuclear Nonproliferation Office of Global Social Media
Atoms for Prosperity: A Sustained Dialogue to Expand Access to Nuclear Technologies
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology: A Powerful Tool for a Better World
Countries Prepare for Critical Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference


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"Home" is a single by German DJ Topic featuring German singer-songwriter Nico Santos. The song was a hit in Australia, Germany, and Austria.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

2015 songs
2015 singles
Topic (DJ) songs
Songs written by Topic (DJ)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Client: Custom Home Remodeling & Roofing, Inc.
Case Summary: This roofing installation company was started by a husband and wife team going door to door. They help improve homes and we helped them improve their results.
This roofing company wanted to attract more customers and have a site that allowed customers to easily get quotes and schedule jobs. They turned to Coalition to help with SEO and reputation management both on and off-site.
Coalition has begun work on their website using our thorough SEO process. We have completed our initial SEO research of their site, improved navigation and optimized indexing of content, fixed crawl errors, added customer reviews, and that is just the start.
As this is a new project for us, we don't have any hard data to give you, yet. However, you can look at all of the work that's been done to the site and decide for yourself if we've built a user-friendly customer experience.


We understand that the Reformer can seem a little intimidating when you are new to it but we promise you'll love it. Did you know we have "Reformer Basics" class on our schedule. It's the perfect place to start. Get to know how the reformer machine works and how your body moves on it all while getting a fun and effective workout so that feel comfortable and you're able to get lost in movement.
Book your first class now.
Get on your carriage and ride. Only 18$ for a reformer class on Saturdays.' Sign up and pay for it online as spaces are limited.
Add resistance to your yoga poses to help you find the deep strength to take your physical practice to a new level. Lengthen, strengthen, balance, challenge, tone and post-modernise your yoga practice. Shake it up.
This is a four week pre-registered class. Participants must already have a yoga practice. This class is very challenging and students should feel comfortable physically pushing themselves. There is no reformer experience necessary for this class. We will break down each pose and sequence week by week and move through a full flow on the reformer by week four.
When: Friday's at 3:30pm, May 8, 15, 22 and 29.
Using Yoga Therapy Balls and various other props we will get deep into your muscles and connective tissue. Part restorative yoga, therapeutic Pilates and yoga, active release stretching, gentle hands on adjustments and all goodness, your body will feel like new. Restore, relax, renew and re-juvinate with this blended and blissful practice.
Wednesday October 21, 7:45- 9:15.
A reduced rate private session. Work one-on-one with a handpicked, MuseMovement trained, apprentice to achieve your goals. Your instructor will customize your workout for your body's specific needs. All this for just 50 dollars.
Email info@musemovement.ca to book your appointment.
We are looking for a passionate, knowledgable, creative and personable Pilates mat and reformer certified teacher to join our crew. Please email keri@musemovement.ca to introduce yourself.
We are always looking for substitute teachers to join our crew of Muses. It is from this roster of teachers where we do more permanent hiring. If you want to be put on our sub list PLEASE COME INTRODUCE YOURSELF. We do not hire instructors from resume's with no faces.
We are always taking applications for energy exchange candidates. Work the front desk, clean the studio or if you have other skills you would like to exchange for let us know. In exchange get three weekly classes.
Please contact keri@musemovement.ca if you are interested.
Are you interested in being part of a loving, supportive team and teaching in a beautiful and healing studio with a great community?
We are looking for energy exchange candidates for light cleaning and front desk duties. Shifts are three hours and in exchange you get four mat classes a week.
Candidates who come to the studio and take a class or two will be the first to be considered. Please also email keri@musemovement if you are interested.


Search Engine Optimization has transpired to be one of the leading online brand building tools. However, there are various misconceptions surrounding it. Hence, before believing anything about SEO, check it for yourself.
Submit website link every week?
Submitting your website links regularly to search engines is one of the common myths held so far. However, the truth is that the submission of a link can help once, but not each and every time. Hence, the best option is to submit your site link once.
No, not at all. SEO is one of the most cost effective marketing tools available. The cost of setting up an SEO campaign is quite cheaper compared to any other marketing tools.
Does SEO stand a chance before PPC?
Comparing SEO with PPC will not be fair. While PPC brings in immediate results, SEO wins hands down in the longer run. Most Internet users trust the organic search results over sponsored links.
Wrong. Optimizing your Homepage alone will not work. You need to optimize all the pages of your website to get optimum results.
Hiring in-house SEO personnel is cheaper?
No. In-house SEO personnel are paid hourly. SEO service providers charge by project. You pay once or in installments and they will take care of your website.
No. Content is the king. Good content with appropriate keyword density will bring in greater results.
Service providers can guarantee high search engine rankings?
Wrong. The reality is no one can guarantee a high search engine ranking for your website as it depends on innumerable variables. It is impossible to promise immediate results and those who promise it are lying.
Websites must be updated regularly?
Don't go by the myths. Contact some SEO experts before running a campaign. You can contact the experts at Digital Marketers for more information.


One of Penzance's most popular bars has closed suddenly. The Vault bar has closed its doors for good.
The owners of the business have posted on their Facebook page that they have "callled time at The Vault".
The post says: "Dear PZ as we're sure you already know, we've (really sadly) called time at The Vault for many many reasons. Thank you so much to our fiercely loyal customers/friends for supporting our small business over the past couple of years & to our team.. the life, soul & backbone of all things Vault."
A post on the A Future for Penzance Facebook page said The Vault bar has shut its doors and ceased trading. It states that the coffee shop, bar and music venue will be closed for the forseeable future.
The bar, coffee shop and music venue opened in Regency-era building in Market Place that used to be a bank.
It's website told the story, from licensees Simon and Sara Taylor: "Originally a bank, The Vault is situated within a light and airy Regency-era building with full-height windows, comfy booth seating and café-style dining tables, where the new, modern decor blends with the laid-back ambience to create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.
"Pop in for an award-winning coffee with breakfast, or call in later for a delicious, signature build-your-own burger, or make an evening of it with our a la carte menu.
"The Vault also offers an excellent cocktail menu, ranging from the classic Mojito to the indulgent Espresso Martini. You can also choose from a wide range of gins, which are beautifully displayed on the wall. The team garnishes each one differently depending on the gin's unique undertones, from liquorice to fresh thyme.
"On top of all this, an array of local ales, ciders and pilsners is available, to satisfy your thirst – whatever you're looking for. Whenever you come and visit, we'll guarantee you a warm welcome and an enjoyable experience at The Vault."
Customers have reacted to the news on Facebook with shock and sadness.
Caron Poe wrote: "I am so sorry to read this, wishing you all the very best for the future."
Linda Bailey: "So sad to read this."
Debbie Sims: "So sorry to hear that! I hope you all find other jobs to go to... Sad that Penzance has lost another business."
Hilary Ann: "Very sad to read this."
Matt Hosking: "What a joke! What's the point in penzance nightlife. Can't go out locally and have a good night anymore."
Harlequin Saraji: "I loved this coffee shop. Why?"
Abigail Callaghan: "The only decent place left."
Saz Hopwood: "Damn... no more decent cocktails then."
Mia PT Ricardo: "Gutted PZ has gone to the dogs!"
Bert Wright: "Another place same same in Penzance. Give young business owners incentive to open up bars shops and clubs and watch Penzance thrive. Full of dinosaurs that own everything don't wanna see anything succeed."
The Taylors officially took the helm in January 2017 and undertook a remarkable transformation.
The couple used to run the Humphry Davy pub just up the road on Alverton Street, but left to raise their family. They returned to the scene just under two years ago, joined by young sons Theo and Toby, with a plan – to create a business they could be proud of within a town that they both loved.


Yesterday I wanted to calculate how many world tour (meaning the world circumference) I am about to do in the next few weeks, and sadly realized it's almost two.
I have been silent during the summer, because I really thought family deserved a long quality time, and also because – as always – something (else) is on the making.
We are launching something called FinTechStage LEAP, (for Learn, Experiment, Accelerate, Partner) in Africa (to start with) as part of our engagement with Omidyar Network. These guys are awesome : the objective is to make FTS sustainable in its quest to help FinTech (and InsurTech and RegTech) thrive in emerging markets.
We are not into maximise profits, but we are a commercial company.
What we REALLY want is to make a difference, an impact, something that someone else can pick up and run with it better than we do. We want to accomplish that with a team of likeminded people who don't need holidays from the work they do (that one is not about Stakhanovite lifestyle, but about passion for what you do devouring you).
If you remember, back in the Innotribe days, we created something called the Enablers.
A mix of Investors, Financial Institutions, Tech experts and Entrepreneurs helping the Innovation, scouting, vetting, productisation of ideas potentially helping SWIFT and the community.
Same concept in a different twist was also implemented by my dear friend Kosta for the BMGF (the Gates Foundation) to help the organisation become smarter about some of their emerging markets next moves (and their Level One project).
Well, no surprises here, we want to build the same community for Africa and use it as a soundboard, a community Enablers, a knowledge and connection catalyst.
Now : I have the simplest possible answer to what would look like a complex and political questions : HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CHOOSE THE ENABLERS ?
If we were a power-political control freak organization, we would need 15 charts and 5 committees to establish geographical, influence and members seniority criteria.
Since we are not, the simplest answer is : whomever GETS it.
It s not a remunerated role, we might partner with some event organiser to fund some of the T&E and take advantage of a speaker role to gather these people together, but we are offering an invaluable bridge with funding, network, knowledge and innovation and we hope that will be more than enough to reunite an awesome crowd.
Remember, the objective is to make it "sustainable" so long term no one would pay from his own pocket to be part of this, once we rally the right partners.
Action. As I said, we will start gathering our Enablers community during ad-hoc or existing events and start making connections, having an eco-system approach.
This – of course – sounds BS unless you have – like we did – already experimented that in other countries, and exchanged with the players behind the most successful FinTech players of the planet.
Concrete example : Omidyar Network is now experimenting in Tanzania a Venture Builder approach (like the one of FinLeap in Germany, for the ones who are familiar with it). It is about challenge lead entrepreneurship, starting by a problem that eco-system has to solve (SME credit, for instance) and putting the right ressources and seed capital in place to make it happen.
Well, guess what : you need all the players (VC, Regulator, Incumbents, Tech players, Entrepreneurs) to play ball. And you need a catalyst for it. That's why we build the Enablers and the LEAP program.
There are a million things to sort out, and the right business/funding model is one of them, but the beauty of this approach (we are not exactly college freshmen) is that we will put enough brains together to figure that out, and Omidyar Network gave us the head start to allow us building the foundation of it.
So CALL TO ACTION, PLEASE : reach out to me and share contacts we should NOT miss that could help us in this endeavour. We have a good growing list of people already, but you guys will be very powerful in making it much better!
Find the right partners. We have already lined up a number of meetings with like-minded organisations (both working with emerging markets and kickass FinTech folks rocking the world, but also official Financial Inclusion pan-African agencies) because we are not stupid enough not to understand this has to be a combined effort.
There is more to come, but 6 weeks planning seems good enough.
I think I will do Facebook Live videos from each of these events, rather than writing, will see what happens.


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South Dakota's Kristi Noem Unveils Proposal To Ban Nearly All Abortions, Mimicking Texas LawSouth Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Friday unveiled a proposal to ban nearly all abortions, mimicking a Texas law that leaves enforcement up to private citizens through lawsuits instead of through prosecutors and criminal charges.
'We Can't Live In A Cave The Rest Of Our Lives': Restaurants, Attorney Speak Out About Lawsuit Against City Of MinneapolisThe plaintiffs listed on the suit include Smack Shack, Sneaky Pete's, Jimmy John's, Bunkers Music Bar & Grill, The Gay 90's, Wild Greg's Saloon, and Urban Forage.
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Minnesota Weather: Rounds Of Light Snow Expected Over The WeekendSeveral light snow systems are expected over the next several days.
How Does Minnesota Cold Stack Up Against Other States?
Minnesota Weather: More Dangerous Wind Chill Early Thursday, Light Snow FridayThe Twin Cities will have a high of 2 degrees Thursday, with pretty much the entire state in the same frozen boat.
Pond Hockey, Snow Sculpting Events Bringing International Attention To MN Winter FunOur local pride in bundling up to head outside in the cold is getting international attention this week.
Owatonna Igloo: Family Builds Giant, Colorful Shelter In Front YardA southern Minnesota family is embracing the cold in a creative, vibrant way.
'We Did Pretty Good': Hopkins Girls Basketball Take On No. 1 Team In The CountryThis is as good as it gets in girls prep basketball. ESPNU was in town to broadcast the game between No. 1 in the country Sidwell Friends and No. 3 Hopkins. For the host Royals, who have blown out every opponent so far this season, it was a chance to see how they measure up.
Ryan Hartman Carries Wild Over Blackhawks 5-1Ryan Hartman scored twice, Marcus Foligno had a goal and an assist, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Friday night.
AP Source: Vikings Target General Manager Finalists From Browns, ChiefsThe Minnesota Vikings have targeted two finalists for their general manager job: Cleveland vice president of football operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kansas City executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles.
Caitlin Clark Sets Big Ten Record As Iowa Women Rout GophersCaitlin Clark recorded her second straight triple-double, setting a Big Ten record with her fourth of the season, and was responsible for more points than Minnesota scored as No. 25 Iowa rolled to a 105-49 victory over the Golden Gophers on Thursday night.
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Why Is 5G A Concern Around Airplanes? And What Solutions Are In The Works?Warnings of a "catastrophic disruption" to the air travel industry have subsided, for now.
What Is 'Wordle'? And Why Is It So Popular?"Our world is very distracting. You need to stand out, and that level of simplicity plus scarcity is how you get people to build a habit with your app, website," said Brandon Gains.
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Paul Simon Reveals The Story Behind "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Filed Under:Simon and Schuster
Robert Hilburn was the chief pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades. Author of the bestselling biography Johnny Cash: The Life , which Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times selected as one of her top ten books of 2013, Hilburn has reported extensively on most of pop music's giants, including Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and U2. He lives in Los Angeles. His book Paul Simon:The Life is available now wherever books are sold from CBS sister company Simon & Schuster.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" began one night in early 1969 as Simon sat in his East End Avenue apartment hour after hour, strumming on his guitar and listening to a gospel album by the Swan Silvertones. His rule continued to be: never set out to write a song by picking a theme; let the music itself lead the way. Once again, it was not misleading to think of his subconscious as his co-writer. In fact, Simon sometimes spoke about an "imaginary friend" who accompanied him and often whispered things in his ear—things, he suggested, he might not have consciously noticed but that provided interesting lines or images.
READ MORE: South Dakota's Kristi Noem Unveils Proposal To Ban Nearly All Abortions, Mimicking Texas Law
Simon had been interested in gospel music ever since hearing Sonny Til and the Orioles' recording of "Crying in the Chapel" as a teenager. "I loved the emotion of the singers and the songs, and there was something mysterious just about the word chapel because I didn't know, at twelve or thirteen, what a chapel was or looked like. It probably would have been different if they had sung, 'Cryin' in the Synagogue.'" Now he was drawn to one track on the Silvertones' album: "Oh Mary Don't You Weep," a spiritual from pre–Civil War days. At one point, the group's lead singer, the Reverend Claude Jeter, injected a line common in church parlance: "I'll be a bridge over deep water, if you trust in my name." The line doesn't standout in the clamor of the record. You have to be paying attention to even catch it. Simon was paying attention.
Cover of "Paul Simon: The Life" (Courtesy of Simon & Schuster)
Out of the blue, he wrote his own melody, which felt gentle, caring, and undeniably beautiful. Then he started writing the words that became the first two verses…
READ MORE: 'We Did Pretty Good': Hopkins Girls Basketball Take On No. 1 Team In The Country
"It was just like that," Simon said. "The essence of the song took maybe twenty minutes; the first two verses were done in two hours. And the melody was something like fifteen notes, which is long. I thought, 'This is better than I usually write.' It just seemed to flow through me. In a way, you don't feel you can really even call it your own, but then again, it's nobody else's. I didn't know where it came from, but I knew it was exceptional. It's as if there's this chemical feeling, the creating of something that is so exceptional it's addictive. It's one of the things that keeps you writing your whole life — you're trying to get to that place again."…
Though the song's theme fits nicely into Simon's tendency to empathize, the opening lines contain a strong element of memoir. "I like the first lines of a song to be truthful, and those were," he said. "I was feeling weary because of the problems with Artie and other things. I was also feeling small. But then the song goes away from memoir. It comes from my imagination." Regarding the song's open arms, he said, "I've always been able to feel what it's like to be on the outside even though I've kind of been at the center of things in my own life. On the other hand, I'm in a minority, and I'm unusually small for someone who is at the center of attention. I'm essentially a selfish guy. I always did for the most part what I wanted, but with something inside saying, 'Don't step on people.' I know everything could be reversed in an instant."
Excerpted from Paul Simon: The Life by Robert Hilburn. Copyright © 2018 by Robert Hilburn. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
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Can Maren Morris Make the Taylor Swift Crossover to Pop?
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS; Mike Coppola/Getty Images for People.com
In 2014, Taylor Swift cast aside her country origins and released 1989, a retro-leaning pure pop record that launched her from Nashville standout to mainstream chart star. She's far from the first to make the crossover leap — country pop can be traced back to the "Nashville sound" of the 1950s — but she's inarguably one of the genre's greatest success stories. And in the four years since, no one has come for her crown. Now, Maren Morris is making a good case for next-in-line with her insta-addictive Zedd team-up "The Middle," but does she have what it takes to follow Swift's meteoric rise?
A fellow Music City export, Morris has, until now, solidified herself as an auspicious country darling. Her debut studio album, 2016's Hero, notched critical acclaim, four Grammy nominations, and a top-five perch atop the Billboard 200. And while her music is overarchingly country, there are glimmers of pop potential: the soaring, shout-along chorus of "'80s Mercedes," the R&B tinge of "Just Another Thing," the name drop-laden sing-rap of "Rich." Her 2017 Niall Horan duet, "Seeing Blind," even has the same genre-fusing appeal as Swift's first crossover hit, "Love Story," a deft blend of folk acoustics and sky-high refrains.
As with 1989, "The Middle" marks a distinct shift in tone for Morris, melding trendy, synth-saturated production with a radio-destined hook. It's currently charting at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, only a few slots down from the No.16 debut of "Love Story." And, like Swift, Morris is a gifted songwriter: She co-wrote every track on Hero. Pair that with her demonstrated genre fluidity, and certainly, Morris has crossover chops.
Now also seems like a particularly apt time for a Swiftian changeover. Songs like Beyoncé's "Daddy Lessons" and Bebe Rexha's Florida Georgia Line-featuring "Meant to Be" — and even full-tilt albums, like Lady Gaga's Joanne — have further blurred the bounds between country and pop. And Morris, too, seems eager to step beyond her Nashville roots. In an interview with Billboard in January, she cited Ed Sheeran — a longtime co-writer for Swift — and Bruno Mars as dream collaborators.
But like all great pop stars, Swift isn't just a singer, she's a brand, and her global ascension is as much indebted to her tabloid-rife love life and precision-planned image as it is sharp songwriting. She's methodical and stylized, maintaining the business-first foresight to lean into whichever narrative can best augment her career. She's also personal enough in her lyricism to preserve a semblance of intimacy with her fan base, but distant enough to avoid alienating any single market. Her music is all-encompassing, appealing to everyone from the red states to the liberal elite.
Morris, on the other hand, is openhearted and outspoken: She isn't coy about her politics, and has been engaged to songwriter Ryan Hurd, her partner of nearly three years, since last July. That, in and of itself, is not a bad thing — in fact, it is objectively good — but it doesn't lend itself to the kind of headline-kindling back-and-forth that's made Swifties so invested in Taylor's every move. Maren Morris is a person, real and accessible. Taylor Swift (as a pop star, not as a woman) is a cultural commodity, idolized and intangible.
That doesn't necessarily mean Morris can't chase a similar trajectory, but if she's eyeing the same sort of worldwide takeover, she will have to take a different route. In an era smartly defined as the Great Awokening by The Cut's Molly Fischer, people want different things from their icons than the do-no-wrong adoration of decades past — things like honesty and awareness and authenticity. Amid that shift, Swift's steely strategizing has begun to fall on deaf ears, and that could play to Morris' benefit: Her profanity-laced lyricism and sass-streaked bravado could easily turn her into the Chrissy Teigen of country pop.
So, if "Seeing Blind" and "The Middle" are testing the waters for a crossover, the sea feels open to a new captain. How Morris fares will just depend on which way she sails.
Source: Can Maren Morris Make the Taylor Swift Crossover to Pop?
Filed Under: Maren Morris, Taylor Swift
Categories: Music News, News, Opinion


Perfect Starter Home Conveniently Located Near Madison's New Hospital, Target And Walmart. Completely Remodeled So Nothing Will Need To Be Replaced For Many Years!! New Cabinets In Kitchen And Bathroom With Granite Countertops And Stainless Appliances. All New Floors, Hvac, Water Heater And Even The Door Knobs. Beautiful Sunroom And Nice Large Deck For Entertaining. Fully Enclosed Privacy Fence Back Yard. The Yard Is A Little Larger Than Most In The Neighborhood. The Roof Is Only 7 Years Old.
Directions: From 72 Go North On Balch Rd. Turn Left Into Knox Creek Subdivision. Take The First Right, Then Turn Left On Deer Bridge Dr. 209 Is On The Left Side Of The Street.
Please contact me regarding 209 Deer Bridge Drive.


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