text:
Zak Starkey's Work with:
The Who - 2006
| summary | releases | live |
Early promises of 2006 Who activity ...
Through out 2005, there were on-again, off-again type indicators coming from various factions about the possibility of Who activity for 2006, after Zak finished up the Oasis tour. On Aug 6th, Pete posts a Diary about doing lunch with Roger, and how they talked about "possible work in the coming six months", which some news services were quick to blow out of proportion. Only a few days later, Pete' diary about his laborious work pattern seemed to end those initial hopes. ( see the full summary in the Who 2005 section)
Oct 2005: Bloggers of the World, unite and take over ...
Rachel Fuller during the end of 2005, launched her In The Attic series of informal, home-grown, fly-on-the-wall, internet-video-chat-performance, waynes-world-meets-real-world, live-blog type of get togethers, broadcast over Who TV. Frequent guests included her band members, Simon Townshend, and Pete. The programs (10 in all) were well received by many Who, Rachel, and Simon fans and were tightly related to Rachel's rather prolific Blog activity. Both on the program and in her blog, she repeatedly refered to upcoming 2006 WHO TOUR plans ... thus fanning the flames of hope. Even Pete in the infamous 'c*nts' episode, did not really downplay the tour idea, though he did fall back on the 'work out the logistics' conditional statements.
Nov 2005: UK Ticket Tout site taking orders ...
Around mid-November, Krystal's Box Office was taking orders based on provisional dates:
[as of Dec 3]
Apr 30 - Wembley (this was originally listed as "Lansdowne Road Dublin (Provisional)" in mid-Nov)
May 02 - NEC Arena (Provisional Date)
May 04 - MEN Arena (Provisional Date)
May 06 - SECC Arena (Provisional Date)
Dogs Part 3 ...
Pop Matters (popmatters.com) ran an interview with the UK band Dogs dated Nov 30th, that starts out by relaying this little story:
"We got a call from Roger Daltrey!" beams Dogs' singer and songwriter Johnny Cooke in between sips of lager. "Well, we didn't. We got a call from Roger Daltrey's management. Roger Daltrey was in their office and said 'I love this band Dogs. I would love them to play the Teenage Cancer Trust Gig at the Albert Hall in March'. So their management rung us and said 'Would you like to play with the Who?'" - Barking Mad: An Interview with Dogs, by Robert Collins 2005-11-30
Dec 22 2005: The Who's 2006 Plan to Tour Officially Announced
Rollingstone.com reported on Dec 22nd that:
The Who will launch a world tour this summer that will bring the band to North America for its first extended trek in nearly four years. "We plan to visit the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia and also South America," manager Bill Curbishley says.
The group -- which now consists of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend backed by bassist Pino Palladino, keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, drummer Zak Starkey and guitarist (and Pete's brother) Simon Townshend -- was forced to take a hiatus in 2005 due to Starkey's touring commitments with Oasis and Palladino's stint with the John Mayer Trio.
However none of the reporting outfits so far have mentioned specific dates, or even if specific dates had been disclosed.
Dec 2005: Pete says definitely maybe!
In classic Pete-isms, he posts a diary on Dec 24th titled "I will go on tour ....." on his website (www.petetownshend.co.uk)
"As it seems everyone in the world is already making announcements about a forthcoming Who tour I figured I should make my own statement.
I have said many times, repeated up until a few days ago, that I am reticent about committing to a tour without a completed new Who album under my belt.
As things stand I am still pushing to produce some more songs. So the announcement may seem premature. It is not."
He goes on to talk about not caring if any new material is a hit, or gets airplay - only that Roger is comfortable with it.
And talks about a grand Curbishley sceme to circumvent the need for a full cd release, nor even an EP to be announced at a later date.
"What his brilliant idea means is that if I don't have a full thirty tracks ready to go, we can settle on what I do have. So I can commit."
Other ideas are for free and pay-per-view internet broadcasts of gigs on the tour!
He also mentions that Casbah Club (Simon Townshend's current band with Bruce Foxton (Jam) and Mark Brzezicki (Big country)) will most likely be the opening act!
"I also have a very, very cool surprise to announce in June, just before the tour kicks off."
[Let's hope it's not what one Who mailing lister predicted: "The June announcement will be Pete will announcing that his December announcement was premature!" - LOL!!!]
Feb 2006: Pete says the tour's on unless of course, life throws him a curve ...
In his Feb 1st diary (www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/), Pete responds to some rumors that the impending tour will not be happening, by saying that "It is true as of today, but obviously life has a way of throwing curved balls." He goes on to say that they already have European dates slotted in June and July, and that the American dpart of the tour will happen in 3 or four legs from September to December. The rest of the world will see them in 2007. Why the gap? Well, that's because he says a new CD will be out in the early summer. "I know I've cried wolf a few times, but this time I have committed because I have about enough music for a new CD, and I'm still producing."
All sorted ...
The band hits the road in June, the EP of the mini opera is released in July, the album in October and the band continues to roll on through 2007!
It must be nice to be wanted ...
Back in March of 2006, Noel Gallagher made a few statements that indicated that he would love for Zak to become a full-time member of Oasis. Seems Pete has had some similar notions. In November, Pete posted a series of Diary entries that were various interview Q&A's he's done so far for Endless Wire. In the Diary titled "French Grasshopper - 7, 23 Nov 2006" there is question about who makes up The Who:
Question: "What is the real Who line-up? Do you consider Rabbitt – a long-time companion- and Zak –the natural son of Keith Moon- as full-time members for instance?"
Pete's Answer: " No. They are members of our touring band. They have no creative role in our music. They are exceptionally gifted musicians though and bring something very special to our music. Sadly, any one of them could be replaced, and often are. Rabbit did not perform with us at our famous 9/11 concert in NYC. Zak did not perform with us at our famous performance at Live8."
Pete's Footnote: " FOOTNOTE: Since this interview Zak has been invited to become a member of the Who."
Well, that certainly caused a buzz within whoville! Just what EXACTLY did Pete mean? There was almost a different theory for every theorist on the various internet lists and forums.
Pete would again address the subject in his diary entry titled "Zak and the Revision of History, 4 Dec 2006". The entry addresses comments made in an interview he gave to The Boston Herald ( 12/01/2006) that can be construed as it being all Zak's fault that the album Endless Wire was delayed. [He made a similair snarkey remark in his March 21st 2005 Diary entry that was later picked up by the press and headlined as 'Zak's Oasis jaunt' killing any new Who work, but I digress.] But in this December 06 entry he tries to explain the timeline a bit and exonerate Zak's roll in the delay "Who fans should not look for anyone to blame for delays - especially not Zak. Zak would work for the Who all the hours he had if only the Who worked all the hours he had."
Pete goes on to backtrack on earlier statements that the Tour might go on through 2008 - "It now looks likely that this tour will end in July 2007 rather than continue until the autumn. That means our proposed return trip to Japan and Australia may be postponed for a while. I suppose one result of that is that Zak may pick up his sticks for Oasis again later next year - and as Noel and Liam wished him good luck when he came to play this tour with us, Roger and I will wish him luck if he goes to play with them. We are all friends. Life is too short for petty recriminations and in this matter Zak has nothing to apologise for. He was available to work in early 2005, but I wasn't ready for him."
And as for that invite to be a member of the Who:
" One small thing - some of you may have noticed in one of my recent diary postings that I welcomed Zak into the Who as a permanent member. This is something he doesn't feel he needs or wants. Let's just say that the door is always open to this amazing musician, and - whenever we can - we will always try to make it possible for Zak to work with the Who in the future."
The new album :
Once again, Pete ended the previous year with small seeds of hope that there would be a new Who album to savor in the year to come. If you were to believe Pete's postings from Dec 05 and Feb 06, then you were planning on purchasing the new album in the summer of 2006! So far, [july 1 2006] it still looks like 'all systems are go'.
During the first installment of Rachel Fuller's The Attic II (March 1, 2006) on Towser TV, Pete mentions that he has 23 tracks in the works, many of which are a mini-opera, based on his novella - The Boy Who Heard Music, and they should be going in the studio as of the next week.
[March 8, 2006] Pete debuted a bit of a "Mini Opera" while appearing on the March 8th episode of "The Attic". He played a bit, called "Pick Up The Peace" on acoustic, and mentioned that it would be releases in June (12th or 15th-ish) as a maxi-single (just under 12 minutes long). He then stated that the album would follow in September.
Pete posted a Mini-Opera update in he 18 March 2006 Diary about how it all came to be, why the timing is as such, and stating that the mini-opera recordings feature Pino, Rabbit, Simon, Billy Nichols, and the killer [pete's word NOT, repeat, N-O-T mine -kvt] - drums by Peter Huntington [who !? -kvt] - NOT Zak. [Not Zak because he was still on tour with Oasis - a tour that ended March 31st!! - DO NOT get me started ... NOT at all a happy camper about this ... ESPECIALLY since all this 'get it done before the Euro tour dates' DID NOT happen anyhow. The June release is now slated for July 10th (or 17th, 24th depending on which online vender you believe) ]
On April 9th, Pete refers to the Mini-Opera as "The Glass Household" when he posts that he and Roger have completed recording, and says it should be released as a limited edition in June, prior to the full CD due Sept. But according to his 3rd May 2006 Diary, where Pete announces that the mastering of the Mini Opera - it is to be called Wire & Glass -- was finished and being sent off to Polydor.
The remainder of the full album was recorded in April and May and finished May 26th and scheduled to be mixed within two weeks after that.(Although on the July 7th In The Attic, Pete mentioned he still had mixing to do!) Again Pete had been talking of a September release, but it was finally announced on August 24th that The Who had signed a new deal with Universal Republic securing the Oct 31st release of the album "Endless Wire". The full track listing was revealed in a Sept 6th news posting on Pete's website.
the mini opera ep:
Wire & Glass
contains the 11 minute mini opera on which Zak DOES NOT play.
Listed as release date of July 27 on Amazon.com
the full album:
Endless Wire
Zak DOES play on this-though - exactly one song - "Black Widow's Eyes". Originally touted as coming in September, it was finally announced on August 24th, that The Who had signed a new deal with Universal Republic securing the Oct 31st release of "Endless Wire". The full track listing was revealed in a Sept 6th news posting on Pete's website.
official bootlegs
[May 24, 2006] In Pete's diary entry titled "The Master Plan": "... I intend to bootleg Who shows myself and give the proceeds to charity." In the past this was done through the Encore Series CD's. This time, Pete says they will sell DVD's as well as CDs. Going even more hi-tech, they will also sell BitTorrent downloads through www.longliverock.org, and Podcasts through iTunes. "In addition we will webcast a Live Stream of 30 minutes featuring at least one LIVE number by the Who from every show for 99c. Proceeds to local health, childrens' and street charities." The Attic will be in full swing on the road as well as "Rachel Fuller, Mikey Cuthbert, Simon Townshend and myself will appear LIVE with guests like PRIMAL SCREAM, ARCTIC MONKEYS, THE STROKES." Look for The Attic coming to TV in the near future as well. Pete also says that every few weeks they will webcast an entire show benefiting a major charity. So, start stocking up on additional external hard-drives now ...
Full release info 2006
Fall of 2005 began with a flurry of fuel for the tour rumor mill, and by Xmas time, we had a pronouncement from Pete that the upcoming tour was a definitely maybe. The year began as usual with anticipation of the announcement of the Royal Albert Hall, Teenage Cancer Trust shows. This time around, there was no mention of The Who for any shows held March 27 - April 1, 2006.
In January, Contact Music ran a basic rehash of Pete's Dec 24th "I Will Go On Tour" diary entry, where he talks about how they plan to shared shows via free and pay-per-view webcasts. Pete says "I also have a very, very cool surprise to announce in June, just before the tour kicks off." The Daily Express [Jan 12, 2006] reports that BBC2's Arena will present in the fall an all access documentary on the Who's world tour 2006.
The News section of Pete's site [May 25, 2006] posted the confirmed Euro dates, and hinted at the date time-frame for the US shows in the fall. "With venue details still to be confirmed for the US part of the tour, the band will be gigging Stateside between 7th September - 10th October & 5th November - 5th December. More info on the venues as it comes in."
Webcasts of parts of all shows (as well as some complete shows) are happening over at TheWhoLive.tv.
[July 4, 2006] Still no official US Tour dates announced ...
European Summer 2006 Dates - details
Euro dates trickled there way through the rumor mill, discovered on various Festival sites by searching fans and trotted out in an almost stealth manner from official sources - until they were finally officially compiled and listed on Pete's site in late May 206. They include Hedgestock,The Wireless Festival, The Oxygen Festival, T in The Park, Das Lovely Days Festival, Rock Werchter Festival, Hyde Park Calling, Montreux Jazz Festival, The Paleo Festival and dates in Bristol, Southampton, Liverpool, Germany, Monaco, France and Spain. The biggie event so far has been the triumphant return to the LEEDS refractory at Leeds Uni for "Live At Leeds 2"
US & Canada 2006 Dates
They tour the US during Sept - Dec 2006, with more dates in Feb 07!
The Rest of the planet
Said to be set for 2007 - In fact, Pete in his 16 June 2006 Diary Post (Ready to Roll, ...), Pete talks about the following night's start of a year long tour that "if I get my wish [is] to end it next year at Glastonbury. Now that will be the show to watch. We should be warmed up by then." That statement further enhanced by an article on the 19th at efestivals.co.uk that talks about the lack of a Glasto '06, and organiser's Michael Eavis' 2007 plans that claim he's booked "the biggest band ever for next year and nobody will guess who they are".
|back to Zak' work with The Who |
Other Who related sections on Kathy's Zak Starkey Site:
Quad Hyde Park and MSG * Quad USA '96 * Quad Europe '97 * Quad USA '97
Who's Serious? * Daltrey Sings Townshend * Who convention '95
Pete's Olivier Award Party * John Entwistle's The Rock * Pete's 98 solo gigs
* Who 1999 shows * The Who 2000 * Tony Ashton Testimonial Show
* The Who 2001 * The Who 2002 * The Who 2003 * The Who 2004 *
* The Who 2005 * The Who 2006 *The Who 2007 *
* The Who 2008 *The Who 2009 *The Who 2010 *The Who 2011*
* Kathy's Simon Townshend Pages *
- The Who at Amazon.com
"The Attic" refers to a streaming video program hosted by Rachel Fuller on 'Towser TV' at Petetownshend.com
Last Updated: Saturday, December 23, 2006
Created: Nov 10 2004
Copyright © Kathy VanTassell
Email Kathy!


Free Our Data: the blog » Blog Archive » Today in The Guardian: Berners-Lee talks; who should we be chasing?
Today in The Guardian: Berners-Lee talks; who should we be chasing?
The focus of the campaign this past week: which organisations to tackle and what data do they hold?
Unfortunately the table in the second piece hasn't reconstituted at all online – I may have a go at putting it in a more readable HTML form, at least for use here.
And anyone who would like to suggest some wiki software (thanks for the pointers to forum software) is welcome to, since I think we'll need it to corral all the data about who does what and what they own and charge.


I seriously hated the idea of creating a marketing plan the first time I was advised to create one. I didn't know where to start, it sounded hard and I honestly didn't know what it meant.
After a few years I changed my mind about the marketing plan and I began creating one every year. As usual, I kept it simple but it was good enough to get me organized.
In truth, I needed more than this to be more powerful in my message and attract new customers. I needed to connect to my customers from my heart and stop trying to sell. That created the single biggest shift in my marketing. I enjoyed the process as a result. It made marketing fun!
Then another big a-ha moment came several years ago when I was doing a VIP day with my mentor. I was complaining about marketing and planning, and she asked if I wanted to see how she planned her marketing campaigns.
She gave me the golden key to making my marketing efficient. She gave me a system. It was a month-at-a-glance calendar with 'post it' notes describing what was happening in the marketing department attached to the day it was happening.
Holy Hannah! Brilliant and easy. Right up my alley!
I went home and immediately did something similar. But what I realized instantly was that you couldn't just plan out a month at a time. If I was going to create a plan that flowed, I had to do a whole year at a time.
That got my ticker in overwhelm at first. So I chunked the process down.
1.	Decide the events and classes I would offer for the year.
2.	Choose dates for the above based on my marketing funnel.
3.	Choose dates for special promotions on my products.
4.	Leave enough room (white space) in calendar to do Joint Ventures with other people.
5.	Decide how I would deliver my buzz for each campaign. In my case, I use free teleclasses, video trainings, webinars, early bird pricing, special bonuses or a big sale.
6.	Choose specific dates that I would send out marketing.
This process takes me a few weeks to nail down. I carve out two hours, on several different days, to ponder my decisions. Then I send my team the details so they can keep me on track.
This may sound like a pain in the bum, but it's not. I love that I know exactly what is needed and when, for my marketing plan to be implemented. It also makes it easy to say 'yes' or 'no' when people want to partner with me or want me to promote them.
Even if you have never done a marketing 'campaign' for one of your products or services, you can create a buzz that creates sales. It is important that a marketing campaign is not made up of one email promotion or one postcard. A campaign means you are willing to be loud and proud of your offering.
I send out 2, 3 and 4 emails a week. Not everyone on my database reads them all, but they're still on my email list and haven't opted out. I truly believe what I offer makes a huge difference in the lives of my customers. So why would I be shy about sharing what's new?
Systems create freedom. Systems make it easier for everyone to do their job more efficiently and with less stress. Create your marketing calendar for the year or even one quarter and you'll dig the process, too. Most importantly, you'll see a bigger impact on sales. Kaching!


Hello! I'm in the Southtowns and enjoy your blog. Would you be at all willing to share your recipe for the mint juleps?
I would be happy to sir!
You will need 4 mint sprigs, 2 1/2 oz of Bourbon (anything from Jim Beam, Makers Mark or Woodford Reserve will do), 1 tsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of club soda.
Muddle the mint, sugar and club soda in the bottom of a glass. Add the ice and bourbon, then garnish with a mint sprig. Enjoy!


Do you get flushed when you drink? A little pink in the cheeks, perhaps?
If you turn red rather vigorously all over your face however, it may be a condition called "alcohol flush reaction" which can be cause for concern.
Alcohol isn't beneficial to our bodies, generally. It's addictive, intoxicating and largely unhealthy for you, even if it's been found that a glass of wine in the eveningcan be a positive.
Common wisdom is now that the best consumption is all about taking responsibility when you drink, not to excess, and not regularly.
It's caused by a buildup of acetaldehyde in the body, which is a carcinogen formed when alcohol metabolises in the liver.
It's usually converted in the liver more quickly into acetate, but in people who have alcohol flush reaction - thought to be inherited genetically, especially in South East Asia - it takes a little more time.
This is associated with a higher long term risk of mouth and throat cancers, Business Insider reports.
So, something to be aware of if you're of the genetic makeup that leaves you red in the face after a beer or two.


text:
And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie, G P Putnam's Sons, 1939, 252 pp
The first Agatha Christie I have read was for a reading group. I know she is considered to be one of the best mystery writers ever but the book was just not my thing.
The story was entertaining, the plot fiendishly clever, and she did create tension almost as well as Patricia Highsmith. I hated the ending, though at least we found out who did all the murders.
The other night at reading group I learned that Christie was a somewhat wild and interesting woman. But I won't be reading her again largely because the thought of doing so makes me collapse with boredom. Give me Tana French, Sara Paretsky, Janet Evanovich, and the other female mystery writers I love. Give me Raymond Chandler; actually I have read all of his.
I know many of you will want to tell me about all I am missing. Sorry.
(And Then There Were None is available in paperback on the shelf at Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Posted by Judy Krueger at 11:39 AM 10 comments:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1986, 311 pp
Summary from Goodreads:
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...
The first novel I read by Margaret Atwood was Cat's Eye in 1996. Back then I was still reading trashy bestsellers but branching out and checking out more literary stuff. I don't remember how I came to read Atwood. She had already been publishing for 30 years. Once I started though she quickly became one of my top three favorite novelists. I have read all her novels and marveled at her intelligence, her clear-eyed view of the plight of women and the future.
I first read The Handmaid's Tale in 2000. At that time I wrote, "This book is not about hope. It is a given that the human spirit will fight against oppression. This book is a warning of what could happen in America if freedom is not protected."
And here we are, post 9/11, post Obama, mid Trump. Our freedoms are dwindling away, our country divided it seems more than ever, some of us fighting for freedom and justice, many of us watching what is called the American Way of Life morphing into a very different way of life, some of us oblivious or misinformed about how we got here. And so it goes.
I read it this time for a reading group and because of the series on Hulu. Again I have not yet watched the series. The book had more of an impact for me this time. Those of us who have been around for a while, who are fairly financially secure but who thought we were keeping our eye on things, are not particularly at risk, but our children and grandchildren could be, especially our daughters and granddaughters. All the elements that created the theocratic governmental control of women's lives in the novel are simmering in the background.
I am glad to see the book have another burst of time in the spotlight. If it all goes to hell, we can't say we weren't warned. I wonder how The Handmaid's Tale will seem 20 years from now.
(The Handmaid's Tale is available in paperback on the shelf at Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Posted by Judy Krueger at 3:07 PM 10 comments:
BAD FEMINIST
Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay, HarperCollins, 2014, 282 pp
Note to my blog followers: I hope I don't wear you out as I double up on posts for the rest of the month. The reason is I have been finishing so many books this month and don't want to get hopelessly behind on posting my reviews. Most of the reviews are somewhat short so there is that. Also next month's reading is going to include longer books=less books read=less posts.
I have been reading this collection of essays over many months. I have followed Roxane Gay on Twitter for a couple years. If you have not heard of her, you live under a rock. I wanted to see what all the excitement was about.
First of all, the title is brilliant for our times when no one is sure what feminism is anymore or if anyone even needs to be a feminist these days. Having been one since about 1972, I can tell you it is a process and yes, the world is still badly in need of advocates for women. But we don't need anyone defining it for us.
I have lots of admiration for Roxane Gay, a woman of color who has overcome much adversity and with sheer hard work and no reticence about speaking out, has carved a place for herself in the world. She embodies and explicates the ambiguity and hypocrisy of the modern world.
I found the collection a bit uneven but since essays are not my go to reading genre I may not be qualified to say that. Her movie and book reviews and her takes on pop culture reminded me of James Baldwin. The female James Baldwin. Has anyone else felt that way? I have not heard that said about her.
The personal essays in which she recreates pivotal moments in life show equal parts naked self-analysis and sophisticated thinking.
I have owned a copy of her novel, An Untamed State, for a couple years. I am almost afraid to read it because of what I have heard about the rape scenes, but I know I should. For me at least, my fear of rape is stronger than my fear of death. Perhaps I will first read Ayiti, her collection of short stories set in Haiti where her family is from.
Forgive me Roxane. You are almost too much for me. You have however earned a place in my personal pantheon of bad women!
(Bad Feminist is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Posted by Judy Krueger at 12:39 PM 9 comments:
Labels: Nonfiction
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee, Grand Central Publishing/Hachette, 2017, 485 pp
I loved this saga of a Korean family spanning three generations and almost 90 years. It touched me emotionally, as both the female and male characters had to face hard challenges. It enlightened me as to Korean history and like several books I have read this year, the history is filtered through the lives of the characters. I enjoy learning this way.
If you look at a map, you see that Korea is a peninsula jutting out from the east coast of China between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. Just 120 miles further southeast lies Japan. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, making it their protectorate. From that time until the late 1980s, Koreans were first under Japanese rule and then, after WWII, either under Soviet or Chinese influence in the North or American in the South. The Japanese ran a protracted campaign to exterminate Korea as a nation, banning the language, religion and culture. Koreans were forced to take Japanese names and to support the Japanese war effort during WWII, either providing soldiers or "comfort women" for the military.
The upshot of all this was to make Koreans into second-class citizens and causing them to live under stereotypes not unlike what African Americans are subject to in the United States. The story opens with a quick look back at the married life of a Korean fisherman and his wife, how they came to run a boarding house for fishermen, how they found a wife for their only surviving son despite his cleft palate and twisted foot. This couple, Hoonie and Yangin, lost three babies in infancy but finally Sunja, a daughter, survived, thrived, and becomes the heroine of the novel. The guiding principal was survival.
So you see that nothing came easy for anyone and the struggle continues throughout the story. Even after Sunja relocates to Japan, hardships are ever present. The women work from daybreak to bedtime, and though the saying is that women are born to suffer, the truth is that almost all Koreans suffer.
This is not however an unrelentingly sad tale due in large part to Sunja and her sister-in-law who form a strong bond and are the backbone of two famililes. Because of their position in society there are inevitable questionable connections made with the underworld and in fact one of Sunja's two sons achieves success with a chain of Pachinko parlors, where people play pinball and gamble. The son is not a gangster but Pachinko was traditionally associated with crime, so people assume the worst. When this man's son reaches adulthood he finally assimilates into Japanese culture but home, Korea, and identity are lost and gone.
Pachinko tells the history of 20th century Koreans in the far east with a sweeping style and a passionate force. I could not stop reading it once I started.
(Pachinko is available in hard cover and audio by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Posted by Judy Krueger at 12:35 PM 14 comments:
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K Dick, G P Putnam's Sons, 1962, 274 pp
This was Philip K Dick's breakout novel. It won the Hugo Award in 1963. It is not science fiction but alternate history. I have read six of his earlier novels and pronounce that his writing has more polish without having lost any of his signature wackiness.
The United States in 1962 is occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan, because the Allies lost the second world war. Slavery is legal, Jews hide behind assumed names, and almost everyone consults the I Ching before making any major moves in life or business.
The country is divided into regions: Pacific States, Rocky Mountain States, etc. American handcrafts from the 1940s are collectors items and upwardly mobile Japanese purchase and display them in their homes as status symbols.
In San Francisco, political intrigue rules the day with the Japanese and the Germans in uneasy alliance. It is a convoluted story fraught with tension for each main character. The madness and fear felt not unlike the times we live in now.
I have not watched the TV series adapted from the book, mostly because I do not have TV in my house. Actually I would prefer to reread the book at some point, perhaps after Trump is no longer President.
(The Man in the High Castle is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Posted by Judy Krueger at 9:24 AM 12 comments:
THE NOISE OF TIME
The Noise of Time, Julian Barnes, Alfred A Knopf, 2016, 197 pp
Any novel about music is a novel I want to read. This one is a fictional biography of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. I had planned to read it since I heard about it last year. Meanwhile, earlier this year I read Madeleine Thien's astonishing Do Not Say We Have Nothing. In that novel, the young radical Chinese musicians disdain Shostakovich because he declined to leave the Soviet Union but continued to live and compose there, compromising his integrity as an artist in order to survive. I was even more intrigued.
The Noise of Time is a novel but Julian Barnes read just about everything he could find about the composer, including the man's own memoirs. One could say that Barnes interpreted all the conflicting facts and added his own artistry, much like a performer interpreting a composer's music. Perhaps it is a justification when he says in the Author's Note: "truth was a hard thing to find in Stalin's Russia." I thought he succeeded in extracting and teasing out as much truth as possible.
Shostakovich comes across as a brilliant composer but a weak and insecure human being. The more I got to know him the more I understood the choices he made. He could not have been all that weak because he lived and worked under constant fear of imprisonment or death for decades. As long as he remained free though, he cravenly gave in to pressures from Stalin and other Soviet officials. Reading about it is heartrending.
His first opera, acclaimed and successful, was rejected by Stalin after attending one performance. Therefore all reviewers and musicologists reversed their opinions and the composer himself was forced to issue an apology for composing "degenerate" music. What must that do to a man's soul?
The novel shows what it does in compact chapters, with humor and compassion and without missing a step as concerns the effect of power on the creative arts. Chilling! I was as absorbed as I expected to be. Despite all, the composer continued to compose and many of his works survived Communism to become acknowledged as masterpieces today.
(The Noise of Time is available in various editions by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
FALLEN INTO THE PIT
Fallen Into the Pit, Ellis Peters, Mysterious Press, 1951, 246 pp
Oh no! I have discovered a new (to me) mystery writer, as if I weren't already following enough of them. I blame it on My Big Fat Reading Project. It just keeps getting fatter, but better my project than me!
Ellis Peters is a pseudonym of Edith Pargeter, a British author who is best known for her Chronicles of Brother Cadfael historical mystery series. Both that series and her Inspector Felse series are set in Wales. I don't recall reading any mysteries set in Wales before.
In 1963, the author won the Edgar Award for the second book in the Felse series. Being, like my fellow blogger Dorothy, incapable of starting a series anywhere but at the beginning, I had to read Fallen Into the Pit before I read the Edgar winning Death and the Joyful Woman.
In a Welsh mining town just after WWII, a German ex-POW and ex-Nazi, a cruel coward and anti-semite, was found murdered in an area of deserted mine shafts. No one in the village is particularly sad to be rid of the man, who had never fit in there, but it was after all a murder and had to be solved. Because he was universally disliked, anyone could have been the murderer.
Sergeant George Felse must detect the murderer but since his son, 13-year-old Dominic, found the body, the boy keeps butting in on his father's investigation where he is not welcome. And that is not the only unusual aspect of this book.
It took me a good while to get into the story. Ellis Peters had been writing novels under various names since 1936, so I could not blame my reading difficulty on it being a first novel. I think it was partly the setting, not a familiar one to me except for some King Arthur novels. I also found the quite literary style of Ms Ellis's prose a bit daunting.
Eventually I was hooked and it turned out to be a good mystery. It was hard to figure out who the culprit was, the story was filled with fascinating characters and situations, and except for a slight tendency to fall into the pit of lulls in the action, it provided plenty of increasing tension.
One last unusual thing: that the murder victim was allowed to stay in Great Britain instead of being sent back to Germany once the war was over. Though that oddity fit with the time period and added to the tension in the village, I wonder if such a circumstance is historically accurate. Does anyone know?
I now look forward to the next book in the series, Death and the Joyful Woman. What a title.
(Fallen Into the Pit is available in paperback by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore. It is also available in eBook form from Open Road at your favorite eBook vendor.)
THE ESSEX SERPENT
The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry, William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2016, 418 pp
Summary from Goodreads: Set in Victorian London and an Essex village in the 1890's, and enlivened by the debates on scientific and medical discovery which defined the era, The Essex Serpent has at its heart the story of two extraordinary people who fall for each other, but not in the usual way.
They are Cora Seaborne and Will Ransome. Cora is a well-to-do London widow who moves to the Essex parish of Aldwinter, and Will is the local vicar. They meet as their village is engulfed by rumours that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist is enthralled, convinced the beast may be a real undiscovered species. But Will sees his parishioners' agitation as a moral panic, a deviation from true faith. Although they can agree on absolutely nothing, as the seasons turn around them in this quiet corner of England, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart.
I enjoyed this novel as much as I expected to. It suffers from a slow start but then picks up and brings the satisfaction of a well-written historical novel.
I especially liked the female characters. Cora Seaborne, released from a terrible marriage by the death of her husband, becomes a free-ranging woman in several ways. She reminded me a bit of Alma Whittaker in The Signature of All Things. Cora's companion Martha is an exquisite creation, a 19th century socialist/feminist, possibly bi-sexual creature who surprises at every turn. Stella Ransome, the consumptive wife of Reverend William Ransome, was glorious in her open hearted love for just about everyone but especially for her oxygen deprived ravings and preference for all things blue.
As far as the eponymous serpent goes, that was a bit of a bust once its true nature was revealed but served well to show what fear and superstition can do to a small village. The setting of Essex, the Blackwater River, the many moods of its estuary, and the almost haunted feel of the forest are much more scary than the monster. If you don't like a lot of description of the natural world though, be warned. You will get plenty.
I could say more but much of the pleasure in the novel comes from discovering it as one reads. I was drawn to it because of the supposed conflict between science and religion stressed in the marketing. In my reading experience, that was the least impressive aspect, more of a prop than an engine. What happens to the characters mattered most to me and that was all wonderfully unpredictable.
The reading group that indulged me and agreed to read it was split right down the middle and yet we could not stop talking about the book. And thanks to this being the May 2017 selection of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club, I got the hardcover with its beautiful dust cover at a darn good price.
(The Essex Serpent is available in hardcover on the shelves at Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
THE SAND PEBBLES
The Sand Pebbles, Richard McKenna, Harper & Row, 1962, 597 pp
This very long but extremely interesting novel was the #9 bestseller in 1963. I have completed the bestseller portion of that year's list. Now I am on to the Award winners of the year, of which there are six.
The Sand Pebbles are a nickname for the crew of the San Pablo, an old US Navy gunboat whose job is to patrol the Yangtze River, show the US flag, and protect American missionaries and businessmen. The story covers the years 1925 to 1927. Chiang Kai Shek was in those years a fairly young Chinese communist fomenting a revolution to do away with the power of the ruling dynasty, the war lords, and the unequal treaties that foreign businesses benefited from in China.
Jake Holman, a machinist, as the central character, is a maverick and loner who loves machines more than people. He ended up in the Navy as an escape from incarceration in his poverty-stricken small hometown. He hates authority figures and has no use for military regulations and procedures but he excels at keeping the San Pablo's steam engines running.
This is a big sprawling book but McKenna does an excellent job of melding story lines, building characters both American and Chinese, and keeping the excitement and tension high. As the political scene heats up, the San Pablo and its crew face danger, ridicule and even heartbreak. Jake grows into a man who does find many kinds of people he can relate to and possibly a way to deal with life.
According to the Introduction, the research is accurate. I was glad I read that first because I knew very little about that period of Chinese history. Thanks to the novel and a bit of internet study, I now know much more. My husband says he remembers seeing the novel on his mother's bookshelves when he was a kid. A movie starring Steve McQueen as Jake Holman came out in 1966.
Sailors, whores, coolies, communists, missionaries, warlords and what a plot! One of the best of the 1963 bestsellers.
Some of my blog followers have inquired about these bestseller lists I am reading, so for you, here is the list from 1963. You can find reviews of them all here on my blog.
1. The Shoes of the Fisherman, Morris L West
2. The Group, Mary McCarthy
3. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour, J D Salinger
4. Caravans, James A Michener
5. Elizabeth Appleton, John O'Hara
6. Grandmother and the Priests, Taylor Caldwell
7. City of Night, John Rechy
8. The Glass-Blowers, Daphne du Maurier
9. The Sand Pebbles, Richard McKenna
10. The Battle of the Villa Fiorita, Rumer Godden
THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS
The Warmth of Other Suns, The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson, Random House, 2010, 538 pp
I read this as part of my continuing quest to understand racism in the United States. It is an impressive work of history. The Great Migration of its subtitle refers to the period between 1915 and 1970 when 6 million black southerners left the region to resettle in the North. The repercussions of this migration would influence the country in many ways. The author calls it "perhaps the biggest under-reported story of the 20th century." I would say, after reading the book, that it has also been the biggest misinterpreted story until now.
Once again, I learned so much. I don't know if this part of American history is taught in high school these days. It certainly was not in my day.
The book is dense with facts and because it covers over 50 years of time it is dense with incidents. In order to bring human interest into such a vast body of research, the author follows the lives of three different characters who left at different times (1937, 1945, 1953) and settled in different cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.)
Through their experiences she brings to life the sordid details of Jim Crow discrimination in the South. Though slaves were emancipated in 1863 by President Lincoln's executive order, former slaves and all people of color in the South had barely any rights. When they came north of the Mason/Dixon line, they could drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, ride in the same bus seats and railroad cars as whites, sometimes, but a more subtle racism crowded them into city slums. All of this plays out in the lives of those three individuals and their Northern families. It also plays out in the social order of our land.
Some readers and reviewers have complained that the book is repetitive in an annoying way. Since I read it over a period of many weeks, I was grateful for that because there is so much information to keep track of. I thought Ms Wilkerson did an excellent job of organizing all that material.
One-hundred-fifty-four years have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation; fifty-three years since the Civil Rights Act. Many blacks have risen above discrimination and lack of good education to become successful members of American society but the fact remains that among much of our adult population, racism still operates. I ask myself how much longer it will take to right the wrongs of slavery and to correct the injustices of both slavery and current practices. I can't predict how long but I can predict that if Americans were better informed about our true history as a nation the time could be reduced.
The Warmth of Other Suns might not be a beach read, but if you are looking for answers to the puzzling times in which we live, you will find some of them here.
(The Warmth of Other Suns is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Labels: History, Nonfiction
A LITTLE MORE HUMAN
A Little More Human, Fiona Maazel, Graywolf Press, 2017, 346 pp
As my fellow readers know, I like to read all kinds of books in all kinds of genres. I especially like the younger female authors who are taking on the world-in-flux where we now live. Ever since I read her second novel, Woke Up Lonely, Fiona Maazel has been right up there near the top of my list.
The Los Angeles Times reviewer of this current novel said, "Imagine a situation comedy written by Philip K Dick or a telenovela penned by Thomas Pynchon." I didn't want to write down what I thought as I read the book (she writes likes a man) because that seems so conflictedly sexist, but Jim Ruland did it for me.
Fiona Maazel does the magic trick of creating completely unlikable characters that I grow to almost love. Phil Snyder and his equally wonky and hapless wife are two of those. Phil works as a nursing assistant at his parents' bleeding edge biotech research and rehabilitation center, SCET, where wounded soldiers and sufferers of brain disease receive experimental surgeries. On the side, Phil also has a weekend gig impersonating Brainstorm, star of a movie about a telepathic crime solver. The joke is that Phil can actually read minds but he can't solve the many crimes encircling his life.
Why did his wife turn to SCET for artificial insemination without telling him? How did his mother die? Is his current BFF Ben a true friend? And how the hell did he wake up one morning on the back of a horse, hungover, and covered in blood and semen? Did he really rape a woman while drunk?
This is a deep dark thriller that mines some of the horrible crimes going on at the fringes of modern society. The humor is black. The prose is relentless, jagged as a rapier in rapid action. As in her former novel, I spent the first half of the book crippled with doubt about why I was reading it, but I finished the book in awe. On Twitter I said I was left mentally gaping.
(A Little More Human is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
JULY READING GROUP UPDATE
The year is half gone, the sun is bright and hot, and another month of reading groups is starting. Only four again this month but an exotic selection of novels. I have already read two of the books some years ago, but I am going to reread one of those. Can you guess which one?
Laura's Group:
One Book At A Time:
Bookie Babes:
Tina's Group:
If you happened to be in Los Angeles this month, which book(s) would you like to discuss? You are welcome any time!!
Labels: Reading Group News
BOOKS READ IN JUNE
June was a hot month in Los Angeles. The traditional June Gloom did not occur, though we had plenty of May Gray the month before. My reading pace was only so-so. I only read 7 books, including the very long but great The Warmth of Other Suns (review coming soon.)
Stats: 7 books read. 5 fiction. 6 by women. 3 for My Big Fat Reading Project. 2 non-fiction as research for my memoir.
Favorites: The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks, The Shadow Land
Least favorite: The Battle of the Villa Fiorita
How was your reading in June? Any favorites you would like to recommend?
If I am going to meet my personal reading challenge for the year, I need to speed it up. I am already 12 books behind. It's just a game, I know. But I am going to read now!!
Labels: Lists, What I've Been Reading

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Support Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon
Leroy Douresseaux's Twitter
Leroy Douresseaux's Facebook
Publisher : Viz Media
Written by: Matsuri Hino, Tetsuichiro Miyaki, Nancy Thislethwaite
Art by : Matsuri Hino
Letterered by : Inori Fukuda Trant
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK, 208pp, B&W, paperback
Rating : T+ (Teen Plus)
Vampire Knight: Memories Volume 4 manga review
Vampire Knight Memories: Volume 2 manga review
Vampire Knights Memories manga review
Extended knight memories Search
Tag "knight memories"
Comics / Manga
By Leroy Douresseaux
Vampire Knight: Memories Graphic Novel Volume 2 cover image
Rated "T+" for "Older Teen"
Vampire Knight is a vampire romance and shojo manga from creator Matsuri Hino. It was published in the magazine, LaLa, from 2004 to 2013. It has been collected in 19 tankōbon (similar to a graphic novel), and VIZ Media has published the series in the United States as a series of English-language, paperback graphic novels.
A few years after the end of the original series, Hino began producing a series of "special chapters," episodes of Vampire Knight that take place after the events depicted in Vampire Knight Volume 19, which contained the final chapters of Vampire Knight. VIZ Media is publishing an English-language translation of the new chapters in the graphic novel series, Vampire Knights: Memories.
Vampire Knight focuses on Yuki Cross, who eventually learns that she is a pure-blood vampire. Her first love interest is Zero Kiryu, a human suffering from the curse of the vampire. Yuki eventually falls in love with Kaname Kuran, a pure-blood vampire. At the end of Vampire Knight, Kaname sacrifices his body to create new vampire-killing weapons for the vampire-hunting Hunter Society.
As Vampire Knight: Memories, Vol. 2 opens, Kaname experiences the events that occurred during his thousand-year slumber as memories. While Kaname sleeps, Yuki and Zero begin a romance and contemplate marriage. However, vampires begin threatening Zero because he is a vampire hunter, and they do not want him tainting, Yuki, their "pure-blood" princess.
Can Yuki and Zero overcome the forces arrayed against them? Meanwhile, vampire scientist and inventor, Hanabusa Aido, begins a doomed romance with Sayori Wakaba, a young human woman. Can either of them really accept the fact that Sayori will suffer the fate of all humans – to die one day, while Zero will not.
THE LOWDOWN: As I wrote in my review of the first volume of the Vampire Knight: Memories manga, I did not like the end of the first Vampire Knight manga, especially the "death" of Kaname. In general, however, I really liked the series, and I enjoyed the prettiness of creator Matsuri Hino's art.
Vampire Knight: Memories Graphic Novel Volume 2 is a little stronger than the first volume. The series is now more a melancholy supernatural romance, purely so. The original series deals with the politics of Cross Academy, a school attended by vampires and humans who did not know that vampires attended. Vampire Knight also focuses on the internal politics and intrigue of vampires and Hunters.
The new series is quite a bit different. I like its focus on themes of love, family, and obligation. The five chapters contained in this second volume also deal with how complicated relationships can be and with the fragility of life, especially that of humans. If fans did not get enough of Vampire Knight, Vampire Knight: Memories is a worthy second serving.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Vampire Knight will want the Shojo Beat title, Vampire Knight: Memories.
Rating: 8 /10
Last Updated: January 24, 2022 - 11:00


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Frontend Engineer / Generalist
Back to Coinbase
Frontend Engineer
501+ people
1 Front St Ste 3100
San Francisco, CA, 94111-5360, US
Coinbase has built the world's leading compliant cryptocurrency platform serving over 30 million accounts in more than 100 countries. With multiple successful products, and our vocal advocacy for blockchain technology, we have played a major part in mainstream awareness and adoption of cryptocurrency. We are proud to offer an entire suite of products that are helping build the cryptoeconomy, and increase economic freedom around the world.
There are a few things we look for across all hires we make at Coinbase, regardless of role or team. First, we assess whether a candidate demonstrates our values: Clear Communication, Positive Energy, Efficient Execution, and Continuous Learning. Second, we look for signals that a candidate will thrive in a culture like ours, where we default to trust, embrace feedback, disrupt ourselves, and expect sustained high performance because we play as a championship team. Finally, we seek people with the desire and capacity to build and share expertise in the frontier technologies of crypto and blockchain, in whatever way is most relevant to their role.
What you'll be doing:
Work with Product manager, engineers, and Coinbase senior leadership to turn our vision into a reality. Build reliable, secure, and user-friendly products. Contribute to the product and engineering roadmap by proactively identifying areas to focus on. Add positive energy in every meeting or interaction with your coworkers - it's one of the things that makes Coinbase a great place to work.
What we look for in you:
4+ years of experience in software engineering. Specific working knowledge/expertise in JavaScript/HTML/CSS. Solid UX and design sensibilities, and a desire to sweat the small stuff. Experience with React and other modern web technologies. You write high quality, well tested code to meet the needs of your customers. You've designed, built, scaled and maintained production services. You're staying on top of modern JavaScript and frontend best practices. You're passionate about building an open financial system that brings the world together.
Nice to haves: You've worked on front-end teams in the finance or security space. Crypto knowledge and/or curiosity.
About Coinbase
Founded in June of 2012, Coinbase is a digital currency wallet and platform where merchants and consumers can transact with new digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum and Litecoin. Bitcoin is the world's most widely used alternative currency with a total market cap of approximately $10 billion.
Our vision is to bring more innovation, efficiency, and equality of opportunity to the world by building an open global financial system. Our first step on that journey is making digital currency accessible and approachable for everyone.
Two principles guide our efforts. First, be the most trusted company in our domain. Second, create user-focused products that are easier and more delightful to use.
Coinbase Mission
Our mission is to create an open financial system for the world. An open financial system is one that is not controlled by any one country or company (just like the internet did for distributing information). We think this is the highest leverage way to bring about more economic freedom, innovation, efficiency, and equality of opportunity in the world. We have a ten year plan to get there.
Imagine if every payment in the world was as fast, cheap, and global as sending an email. Imagine if anyone who had an idea for a product could have customers all over the world from day one. Imagine if anyone with a smartphone had access to the the same financial services we enjoy in the developed world.
An open financial system can be a great equalizer and lift billions out of poverty while accelerating the pace of innovation around the world. This is the best way we know to change the world.
Our culture is best described through the values that every employee at Coinbase embodies:
CLEAR COMMUNICATION We share information efficiently, improving collaboration and productivity. We're succinct, candid, and kind. We practice active listening. We talk to people directly about issues, instead of concealing or choosing gossip.
POSITIVE ENERGY We're optimistic about the future and determined to get there. We co-create solutions instead of choosing blame and criticism. We create moments of play at work. We take care of each other and help each other grow.
CONTINUOUS LEARNING We view every situation as an opportunity to learn (especially when the going gets tough). We're more interested in learning than being right. We value giving and receiving regular feedback. We learn from and mentor those around us.
EFFICIENT EXECUTION We complete high quality work quickly by working smarter, not harder. We value completing tasks, instead of just talking about them. We prefer automation over manual work. We prioritize, focusing on the 20% that will get us 80% of the impact.
Other Roles at Coinbase
Backend Engineer - SF
Backend Engineer / Crypto 2
Backend Engineer / Generalist
Backend Engineer / Trading Platform
Frontend Engineer / Pro
Mobile Engineer, iOS
React Native Engineer
New York, NY, United States, San Francisco, CA, United States, Silicon Valley, CA, United States, or Remote
Senior Android Engineer / Consumer Android
Senior Android Engineer / Pro
Senior Backend Engineer (Trading Platform - Custodian)
Senior Backend Engineer - Coinbase Pro
Senior Backend Engineer / Asset Infrastructure
East Bay, CA, United States, Los Angeles, CA, United States, New York, NY, United States, San Francisco, CA, United States, Seattle, WA, United States, Silicon Valley, CA, United States, or Remote
Senior Backend Engineer / Backend Software Development
Senior Backend Engineer / Pro
Senior Backend Engineer / Trading Platform
Senior Backend Engineer, Payments
Senior Backend Software Engineer
Senior Software Engineer (Android)
Senior iOS Engineer
Software Engineer (Android)
iOS Engineer / Generalist
iOS Engineer / Pro


text:
Q: Laravel Action Facade\Ignition\Http\Controllers\ExecuteSolutionController not defined I added 2 fields in a table. Nothing crazy
When i want to save() my object i get this error.
$annonce = new Annonce([
            'user_id' => auth()->user()->id,
            'slug' => uniqid(),
            'is_active' => false,
            'energie_ges' => $request->get('energie_ges'), //field i added
            'energie_dpe' => $request->get('energie_dpe'),//field i added
            'active_until' => Carbon\Carbon::now(),
        ]);

        dd($annonce);//works

        $saved = $annonce->save(); //create the exception

I try to find out since 2 hours but i have no idea why.
I did a php artisan optimize and nothing change.
Thanks

A: I found. It was simple, just made a mistake in the name of the fields of my database i added in the migration file.
It was hard to find because the error of Laravel was wrong.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In the interest of the safety of Coolidge Corner Theatre patrons and staff, we've decided to close early today and open late tomorrow.
Our last show of the day will be the 4:30pm The Death of Stalin, cancelling all later showtimes for Wednesday, March 21. We plan to reopen tomorrow, Thursday, March 22, for the first afternoon show at 1:15pm, with our Box Office opening 30 minutes beforehand. Our full updated schedule can be found at coolidge.org.
Thanks, and be warm and safe!
We have rescheduled our Wide Lens screening of Get Out to Wednesday, April 4 at 7pm.
Boston University's Dr. Raul Fernandez will lead a panel discussion on race and micro-aggressions after the film, joined by Boston Globe editor Patricia Wen and Vice Chair of Boston Public Schools Committee Hardin Coleman.


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Walmart vs Amazon: Can the $514B Retailer Outmaneuver Amazon in the Ecommerce Race?
Whereas Walmart leads the brick and mortar world, when it comes to online retail space, Amazon is undoubtedly the game ruler. Notwithstanding that, the Arkansas-based behemoth has begun to evolve toward the online giant, adopting many strategic moves to approach the E-commerce throne.
Image source: Walmart
Kaley Nguyen
A few years ago, Walmart seemed to struggle in the quest to pull its online act together whereas its chief rival Amazon seized nearly half of the U.S. online shopping market and snared a dominant presence abroad. Now, everything changes! Over recent years, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based behemoth has begun to evolve toward the online giant – the thing it ever desires to become. The company's multibillion-dollar investment campaign seems to be paying off in the form of online sales that are beginning to rejuvenate the entire long-slumbering colossus.
To be more precise, based on the latest 2020 report of the retail giant, Walmart's e-commerce business in the United States grew staggeringly 97% in the company's second fiscal quarter, ended July 31. Notably, that amounts to more than $10 billion in quarterly U.S. e-commerce sales, exceeding 11% of the retail giant's overall U.S. net sales for the first time.
Notwithstanding that, there is no denying that for the time being, Amazon remains a powerful leader, with roughly 38.7 percent of the market share compared to Walmart's 5.3 percent. And in the light of the global pandemic shifting shopper's behavior for goods, dominance in online shopping is now paramount.
So, given Walmart's strong growth potential along with such a competitive landscape, are there any chances that the world's largest retailer catches Amazon and wins the eCommerce Crown someday in the future? Let's go through some key strategies that Walmart has taken to in its quest to better compete with Amazon in the e-commerce wars and predict your own answer!
Walmart's Competitive Moves in The E-Commerce Race Against Amazon
#1. Walmart Plus
Perhaps the clearest competitive move Walmart takes against Amazon up to date is the launch of Walmart Plus – a new membership program offering benefits that can't be replicated online.
"These guys are toe-to-toe and nobody wants to stop swinging. Nobody wants to back down. You know, the consumer is ultimately the beneficiary, clearly," stated Charlie O'Shea, Senior Retail Analyst at Moody's Investor Services.
Courtesy: Walmart
Taking a closer look, the retail giant has been working behind the scenes since at least 2018 to create such a competitor to Amazon Prime. Although the Walmart Plus launch date has been delayed a number of times, reports indicate that its debut is imminent. In a recent earnings call with analysts, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon confirmed the existence of a forthcoming membership plan and shared some details on Walmart Plus indicating that Walmart is ready to move forward with its new service. Nonetheless, McMillon declined to give an official date.
"If you want delivery from Walmart frequently, it's just more efficient for the customer to buy in bulk, and that takes the form of an annual membership. And then we'll add some things to it beyond just delivery."
In the meantime, the Walmart Plus teaser website has been live for weeks, dropping a hint that the service is "almost here." Furthermore, the landing page does give a few clues as to what consumers can expect from the service when it launches, which include:
Best laptop bags in 2020
Shop early: Best laptop deals
Best VPN deals right now
The official Walmart Plus price has not been confirmed, but some reports suggest that members will likely pay an annual fee of $98 for benefits like unlimited same-day delivery on groceries from the 1,600 of its 4,700 plus stores that do grocery delivery now. This membership fee would make Walmart Plus cheaper than Amazon's $119 annual cost for Amazon Prime – nevertheless, there remains every possibility that Walmart Plus offers various price tiers with different perks based on the tier that consumers choose. Not only is there no official word on whether there will be a monthly option for Walmart Plus, but it's also unclear if Walmart Plus will be rolled out nationally or limited to certain states only. Actually, in the past, Walmart has debuted services in select states only before introducing them nationally.
"When we did our data study, 81 percent of the consumers joined Amazon Prime because of faster free shipping. Only two percent joined because of grocery delivery. So, I think it's a real opportunity to leverage what they already have in groceries and maybe what Prime doesn't."
Just this mid-August, Walmart announced a partnership with Instacart – a large grocery delivery and pick-up service provider – and they did some testing out same-day grocery delivery in four markets across California and Oklahoma. Speaking of other Walmart Plus perks, the program will reportedly include early access to sale events, Walmart's new Express two-hour delivery offerings, discounts at gas stations outside of Walmarts and Walmart-owned Sam's Club stores and reserved parking spots in store lots.
"As you think about Prime, 150 million, why would you go head to head with that? If you take a unique approach, which it sounds like Walmart is doing, you might be able to get a lot of those customers"
Image source: Digital Trends
Talking a brief look over Prime, Amazon launched this membership program for $79 a year in 2005, at a time when Walmart's profits were greater than all of Amazon's revenue – $10.26 billion compared to Amazon $8.4 billion. "If you look back at 2005 Prime had one benefit, fast and free shipping, two-day shipping, which was like unheard of." Then, fifteen years later, more than 150 million "Primers" pay $119 a year for one-day shipping on more than 10 million items (with no minimum purchase amount), same-day shipping on some three million items, and two-hour grocery delivery in 2,000 plus cities, deals and sales events like Prime Day and access to Amazon's entertainment branch, Prime Video, Amazon Music, Prime Reading, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos.
Meanwhile, now that Walmart sold the Vudu streaming service to Comcast's Fandango in April, it is yet to have any entertainment offerings of its own.
What's also worth noting that Prime members make up about 65 percent of Amazon's customers and the program has a 95 percent renewal rate after two years. Walmart did start chasing this type of loyal customer in May 2019 by offering free next-day delivery on orders over $35, less than a month after Amazon announced its default one-day shipping. With the forthcoming inception of Walmart Plus, it's expected that all orders will default to free one-day shipping just like Prime.
#2. More Inventory with Jet.Com
Despite the launch of Walmart Plus and free fast shipping, Walmart still lacks one big thing that Amazon has – the sheer volume of inventory. The Arkansas-based behemoth has about 50,000 vendors selling items online, while Amazon "boasts" staggeringly 8,700,000. That explains why in 2016, Walmart bought Jet.com – a discount online retailer – in the 3.3 billion dollars deal.
The acquisition brought relationships with a slew of brands that were already comfortable selling on Jet.com. "They are on track to more than quadruple their online business since they acquired Jet," told Liz Dunn, CEO and Founder at Pro4ma.
Image source: Transport Topics
Marc Lore, CEO of Jet.com, also shared, "E-commerce is a scale game and you want to get as much leverage as you can on your fixed infrastructure. And as you get bigger, the cost of goods goes down and you get more leverage." Marc Lore spent two years at Amazon before breaking off to start Jet.com, working to undercut prices from the e-commerce megastores.
Actually, Walmart's decision to acquire Jet.com was considered a dramatic move that brought it into the big leagues of online shopping. Then, Walmart winds down Jet.com in May, yet, it had already brought an entirely new branch of online sellers onto its marketplace. Speaking of this, the Walmart CEO Doug McMillon shared he would buy it all over again. "If you look at the trajectory of our business, it changed when we made that acquisition and we've been able to attract brands to Walmart.com – S'well, Ray-Ban, and Champion."
#3. The Decision to Allow Outside Sellers and Team Up with Advance Auto Parts and Shopify
Historically, Walmart didn't sell things from third-party vendors, but since the Jet.com acquisition, the number of products sold on Walmart.com has grown up to 10 times higher, and the number of sellers on its site did double just in the last year (over 3,000 in this July). "So, they started attracting more brands. They retooled their website to be more streamlined and more intuitive, more user-friendly," told Liz Dunn.
Another noteworthy strategic step Walmart took is its partnership with Advance Auto Parts established last year. As Charlie O'Shea said, "Walmart was not going to be a 100,000 SKU auto parts retailer on its own. They get that with Advance Auto. This is probably the largest third-party relationship that any online retailer has with a brick-and-mortar retailer."
Furthermore, in an effort to reach a new type of customer, Walmart spearheaded the purchase of several specialty apparel companies such as Bonobos, ModCloth, and Eloquii, despite the fact that some have been sold again since. "A big portion of Walmart store customers are lower-to-middle-income. I think what they tried to do here and through the Jet.com brand was to continue to go upmarket and go for more profitable customers, urban millennials. And then they also introduced the service Jetblack, which is an upscale personal shopping service," told Andrew Lipsma, marketers Principal Retail Analyst.
Actually, for a large fee, Jet-black once allowed Walmart customers in New York to text orders to personal shoppers for home delivery. However, this service got to shut it down in February after Walmart only saw around 600 active members. "If we think about the dynamics of the very, very affluent and wealthy today, I don't know if Walmart is necessarily the company to be housing a brand like that."
Courtesy: Shopify
Notwithstanding that, in June, Walmart did pivot again, announcing a major partnership with Shopify – the world-renowned commerce platform – to take on the common rival. Often referred to as the king of mom-and pop-retailers, Shopify has empowered more than 1.4 million SMBs to run their online stores. Now, these businesses have a channel to try selling on Walmart.com – particularly, Walmart says it's adding 1,200 of Shopify's top merchants to its site in 2020.
"This integration will allow approved Shopify sellers to seamlessly list their items on Walmart.com, which gives Walmart customers access to a broader assortment," said Jeff Clementz, vice president of Walmart Marketplace.
On Shopify's side, the deal is a way to offer its sellers a much bigger potential client base and bolsters Shopify's value proposition that sellers don't need to turn to Amazon: Walmart's website gets about 120 million visits per week. generally, Shopify merchants in the U.S. will have to apply to sell through Walmart.com. If approved, they'll connect their Shopify store to their Walmart Seller Account, which will sync their product catalogs and create product listings on Walmart.com. This will keep inventory and order management, as well as listings, on their Shopify supported site and Walmart.com harmonized.
Commenting on such a partnership decision, Charlie O'Shea shared, "Walmart wants a curated assortment on the website. I mean, Amazon has a very wide-ranging third-party business, and with that comes some risk." Liz Dunn also expressed her standpoint, "the partnership with Shopify is really important, I think it's very strategic. And I do think it is an attempt to pull away from those third-party sellers on Amazon. There has been kind of a lot of tension between third-party sellers and Amazon."
To be more specific on that, on July 29th, Jeff Bezos testified before Congress for the first time in Amazon's 26-year history, partly in response to questions about the reported use of third-party seller data to launch Amazon's own competing products. The House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether Amazon, along with Apple, Facebook, and Google, needs to be governed by stricter antitrust laws. "Why should a third-party so list their product on Amazon if they're just going to be undercut by Amazon-owned product as a result of data you take from them?"
Although Amazon is struggling to establish and maintain the trust of its third-party sellers, it's undeniable that still, Walmart has a long way to go, should it wish to catch up with the millions of third-party sellers that make up more than half of Amazon's sales. "The Walmart marketplace is a lot smaller, so you could be, quote-unquote, crushing it on page one on Walmart and you're still not getting that many sales," said Bradley Sutton, Amazon Strategy Specialist at Helium 10.
Notable Walmart's Competitive Advantages
Given those outstanding stumbling blocks Walmart comes up against in its E-commerce's race, there do exist a couple of secrets weapons behind the retail giant's staying power that could probably outmaneuver Amazon.
#1. Being the World's Largest Brick-and-Mortar Retailer
Beyond any doubt, Walmart does own one huge and long-standing advantage over Amazon – its 11,500 global brick-and-mortar stores.
"If you're a third-party seller like if you can get into brick-and-mortar Walmart, you're going to crush whatever sales on Amazon you're doing," shared Bradley Sutton.
In fact, for sellers considering where to reach customers, physical stores are a big bonus and much more scalable. For instance, at a "…diet pill company I worked at, they had 30 different products that we were selling on Amazon. I launched a whole bunch of them. We brought their sales from one million to three million. And I thought that was like the greatest thing in the world. But that was nothing because I would see purchase orders come across my desk for the Walmart brick and mortar side, for the Walmart stores, there would be like two million dollars just for like one region of the United States," Bradley Sutton went on to exemplify.
In addition to such revenue scalability, Walmart stores also enable merchants to keep down its costs in the most expensive area of online retail – shipping. As Harris Diamand, Vice President Customer Experience at 1WorldSync said, "if you can leverage those stores as your fulfillment centers, meaning if I'm going to purchase something and I'm in the Philadelphia area, [I'll] have it come from the store that's three blocks from my house as opposed to Virginia, you know, price points go down and speed goes up."
Image source: Press associate
Whereas the E-commerce leader Amazon has been making the wild investment in testing and controlling the costly shipping process, its 175 fulfillment centers and owned network of planes, trucks and contracted delivery drivers will not likely come close to the reach of Walmart's whopping 4,700 stores that allow its trucks and drivers to travel a fraction of the distance. "Walmart had the advantage of getting a product from the distribution center to the store, and then the consumer handles the last mile for a lot of it."
In practice, while leveraging its stores as distribution centers for products, Walmart also has established its own dedicated network of warehouses without a front-facing store.
#2. Owning the Power of Grocery
"When it comes to grocery, Walmart doesn't need to adapt to Amazon," Forrester Research analyst Brendan Witcher said in an interview. "In grocery, it's quite the opposite."
Undoubtedly, the world's largest retailer remains dominant in another sector that's largely dependent on brick-and-mortar stores – groceries. "We're not very densely populated, and so it's hard to service, in an e-commerce model, grocery." Liz Dunn added, "so what that means is that Amazon is really at a little bit of a disadvantage relative to Walmart. They have stores within 90 percent of the population in the United States."
According to research and analysis firm Dazeinfo, Walmart Grocery business in the US accounted for a whopping 65.5% of the company's total US net sales in FY Q3 2020, making Walmart the nation's biggest grocer. To trace back, Walmart's been selling groceries directly to customers since the '80s, and the online sale of groceries is now boosting Walmart's overall online sales.
Notably, Walmart has always been a savvy user of technology in its stores, driving productivity gains that helped it cut prices, which in turn made it the dominant retailer in America by the time Amazon launched in the mid-1990s. The Food Marketing Institute study also reveals that several of those same characteristics — especially the ability to control inventory management and crunch consumer data, at which Walmart excels — are the keys to success in online grocery. That push to invest in back-end technology is continuing now and will help the push to build up Walmart's e-commerce business. In fact, the percentage of all U.S. grocery sales happening online is set to double from 20 percent in 2019 to 35 to 40 percent this year and beyond.
"You find your grocery vendor and you tend to stick with them. You also get a treasure trove of data from grocery customers about their preferences. And you can use that data, and I believe Walmart will use that data, to sell them other things." Commenting on it, Liz Dunn expressed her belief, "I think that Walmart is going to win in this grocery battle versus Amazon."
When Amazon acquired the Texas- headquartered supermarket chain Whole Foods for 13.7 billion in 2017, it was a clear move to compete with Walmart. Yet, with roughly 475 stores, Whole Foods only has about a tenth of the locations as Walmart does in the U.S. "You cannot find a tougher brick-and-mortar segment to get into than food. You've got to manage a million vendors – produce is hard and meat is tough. And they chose to get into that business. They're still learning."
Then in 2019, a month after Amazon announced free two-hour grocery delivery for Prime members in 2,000 regions, Walmart announced a membership program offering unlimited grocery deliveries from 1,400 stores. "Digital grocery is the next big battleground in e-commerce. It's one trillion-dollar retail category that is today the least penetrated category online. So, as it continues to grow at outsized rates, there are tens of billions of dollars at play," said Andrew Lipsma.
Additionally, one survey conducted before the pandemic does reveal that more or less 39 percent of U.S. consumers reportedly have shopped online for groceries at least once – by May, that figure was nearly 80 percent.
Yet, "how many people are going to go back to conventional shopping or how many people are going to stay with buying their staples online because they can?" This question remains unanswered.
#3. Smartly Navigating The COVID-19 Pandemic Situation
First of all, whereas the pandemic boosted the significance of fast grocery delivery, Walmart has an even faster, more cost-effective option – curbside pickup. In addition to this, Walmart also offers other convenient delivery features that keep shoppers out of stores, including grocery delivery and the ability to have shoppers' groceries loaded directly into their car. Whereas this is an option at Whole Foods stores, shoppers need to wait for regular Amazon.com purchases to be delivered.
In July, Prosper Insights & Analytics' report indicated that roughly 62 percent of adults are shopping in stores less. And as the corona outbreak results in social distancing and pushes so many individuals to go online for their shopping, Walmart's name recognition with older shoppers is also a strong plus. After all, "when forced to purchase things online, you're going to go with who you know and who you trust."
Notably, during the pandemic, Walmart did hire 200,000 employees to help clean stores and keep items in stock – which is giving a third round of bonuses to hourly employees working during the pandemic for a total of 1.1 billion dollars in bonuses this year while facing backlash for sick and dying workers. Now, for the first time in its 30 years, Walmart will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and also cutting some corporate roles as it merges its online and store businesses.
Amazon, in the meantime, decided to postpone its annual Prime Day event that usually sets sales records in July. Besides, it offered one-time bonuses to front-line workers totaling 500 million dollars and gave workers a two dollar-per-hour raise from March to May. Although the E-commerce leader hired 175,000 workers to keep up with demand during the pandemic, it still faced backlash for keeping all its warehouses operational despite worker deaths. Yet, in the second quarter of 2012, Amazon's first-party sales were up 48 percent year-over-year, with third-party sales up 52 percent. Walmart's online sales rose 74 percent in the first quarter of 2020.
"I mean, you could argue during the pandemic that Walmart's taken a bit of a lead because they haven't publicly had the delivery delays, the product to the consumer delays that Amazon has had," shared Charlie O'Shea.
Beyond any doubts, Walmart has gone to great lengths in its effort to take the fight to Amazon Prime for the e-commerce throne. Whereas Amazon does own key advantages within such a race, there exist golden opportunities for Walmart to bring the in-store and online arms of its business together to be at the top of the game.
So, could Walmart possibly catch Amazon in E-commerce someday? Actually, no one can answer that question with any certainty – what is definitely certain is that Amazon and Walmart are both reshaping the retail landscape and encouraging each other to continue to grow and develop!
About: Kaley Nguyen
As a Market Strategy Analyst, Kaley is passionate about strategically matching individuals and organizations with unique outsourcing solutions ranging from ecommerce, healthcare to hospitality and travel. Having gained working experience…
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Use the Attach File tool to embed a file at a selected location in a PDF, so that the reader can open it for viewing. By adding attachments as a comment, you can reference longer documents that can't easily be pasted into a pop-up note or text box. If you move the PDF to a new location, the embedded file automatically goes with it.
With the help of these best PDF editor apps, you can underline, highlight or strikethrough text, add a note and write on the PDFs. Best PDF Editor Apps 1. PDF Reader Pro Edition – Annotate, edit & sign PDFs ( iPhone + iPad + iMessage ):-PDF Reader Pro Edition is one of the best apps to read, manage and annotate PDF files on iPad and iPhone.
3) Annotations (which i'm using for notes and pronunciations) Cons: 1) The flipping of pages is smooth-ish at best and, even at it's fastest speed (Level 3), is still too slow to permit comfortable reading out aloud (never mind silently). The only solution is to flip the page at the start of the final line of text and hope that it'll be done.
2020-12-21 14:54:00 • Filed to: PDF Apps • Proven solutions
The iPad pencil provides iPad users with greater precision and power. From taking handwritten notes to manipulating documents and everything in-between, the iPad Pro pencil is an unmatchable input device for the iPad. But the default notes app does not allow iPad users to harness the full potentials of the pencil in terms of annotation and writing. Although it comes with veritable functions like text recognition search, annotation, and sketching, it still lags behind the best PDF note-taking apps for iPad in terms of cutting edge functionalities. It might prove a veritable tool for note-taking at school and other basic usages. But the following note-taking apps allow users to do more than just to annotate PDF iPad.
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Why is National Employee Appreciation Day important?
A holiday for those who work hard.
National Employee Appreciation Day is a non-official holiday that gives management an opportunity to show their appreciation for all the people they employ. It's observed on the first of March in the US, Canada and the UK. It's purpose is fairly self explanatory, to thank employees for all their hard work, demonstrate that their actions are not taken for granted and, ultimately, strengthen the bond between the employee and employer.
The first Employee Appreciation Day took place in 1995 and was created by the "Guru of Thank You," Dr. Bob Nelson. Dr. Nelson was a large part of creating a "culture of recognition" in the workplace in 1994. He has published several books discussing ways to reward and recognize employees in the workplace and has given many lectures pushing the same topic. Passionate about helping people understand the power of recognition, he has pushed Employee Appreciation Day into the spotlight where more and more companies have taken this opportunity to showcase their employees hard work.
With an ever growing number of opportunities for employees, it's important to provide different types of motivation for them to remain loyal to your company. You may already have great onboarding and training programs, but it's important to continue developing the employee relationship past the beginning of their employment. Appreciation is a fundamental human need. Employees need to be respected and valued by others for their contributions. It can be easy for people to get into a slump and feel unmotivated about their work. However, genuine appreciation can work as a great way to renew motivation in work.
When employees feel recognized they are more likely to stay with your company.
The cost of hiring and training a new person can be as high as $4,129 and take more than 40 days to get them to the level of the previous employee. Many employees leave their company because they feel unappreciated. This is a price many companies can't afford and recognition is an easy to to avoid it.
A successful company relies on a strong foundation of trust between top level decision makers and the people who are charged with implementing such decisions. However, that trust isn't always easy to come by and requires both employees and employers to take a leap of faith. A great way to start building this trust is by thanking your employees – demonstrating that the leadership team is paying attention to them and, overall, building a stronger connection between them and leadership.
Recognized employees are happier employees.
Happy employees lead to productive employees. There are many benefits to creating a positive atmosphere, such as your brain working better when you are feeling positive and people being more willing to dedicate themselves to their work if it makes them happy. Only 10% of employees are engaged at work, and a majority of working adults aren't happy in work. While all of the responsibility does not lie on the employer, there are small things they can do to show appreciation and make employees happier – such as demonstrate they appreciate their dedication.
It may seem overwhelming to create a more positive, appreciative work culture, but it's more about consistent genuine steps of acknowledgment than a huge grand gesture.
Try adopting one or two of the following to start showing your appreciation.
While this may seem too difficult if you have a large staff, try having a monthly birthday and anniversary celebration, just be sure the mention everyone who is being honored. A celebration of years spent at a company is particularly important today as employees are likely to leave after a year of employment, so don't let an anniversary go unnoticed.
Having a physical prize to give as a recognition of hard work can be motivating. Try implementing a small plaque or parking space for the employee of the month – you'd be surprised how much fun people have competing for it.
You may work in a large company where it can be difficult to make sure everyone feels appreciated. Try putting up posters of acknowledgment or, better yet, turn to social media! Share a genuine, appreciative post about your employees, it'll certainly help people feel seen.
A tried and true classic, but not to be overlooked. If you have a particularly difficult project and your team dedicated themselves to it, try writing personalized thank you notes to express how much you appreciate them.
Everyone gets into a work slump after some time, try to break up the monotony with catered breakfast or lunch, you can tie it to a fun holiday or use it as a "thank you" for working for the company. There's nothing like delicious food to boost morale!
Either help pay for educational events or give staff time to attend educational events. Investing in your employees helps them feel valued and worthwhile. It's important to reward a drive for education and improvement because in the end it benefits both the employee and your company.
This can be a great way for employees to get to know your company better and truly invest themselves into making it a better place. It can foster a greater understanding and patience between different departments who may not have had a great understanding of each other prior.
Something as simple as thanking someone can help change the culture in a company. No matter what the task is that you ask for, be sure to remember to appreciate the time and effort put forth.
If you are unsure how your employees would feel most appreciated, consider a survey to figure it out. Your employees are sure to be happy that you were considerate enough to consider their input.
Take advantage of holidays like National Employee Appreciation Day to recognize hard work.
Overwhelmed by balancing all the challenges that come with hiring, onboarding, training and managing talent? We can help you create a framework for these steps and help you focus on what's important in your business, while also supporting you throughout your process of implementing talent management strategies.