Twin Palms Restaurant at St James Country House Hotel on the Knysna Lagoon was Sedgefield's Slow Food October venue for the USA-Deep South Workshop.
Colin Capon introduced Barry Swart the owner to be who is taking over from Derek and Trish Goldby who are retiring after 16 years in the business to enjoy other things.
Barry has plans to introduce a terrace menu, that will capitalise on St James' spectacular setting. The casual dining menu will include favourites such as ploughman's platters, and fish and chips.
Soon traditional High Tea will be added and could fast become a favourite for summer afternoon get-togethers overlooking the picturesque Knysna estuary.
He also intends to give new life to the traditional Sunday fine dining lunch menu at Twin Palms.
Dewilton Lombard, an ex Zimbabwean farmer was our first speaker of the day at Twin Palms. His last 10 years read like a fast paced action adventure story.
His profitable farming operation in Zimbabwe consisting of growing tobacco, maize, groundnuts, paprika, beans and flowers (roses for Holland) and included a lucrative grading and stripping shed for tobacco growers throughout the country – was lost through the notorious land invasion process in 2003.
Hopeful in starting a new life far from African woes, he and his wife and 3 children flew to Brazil to set up a commercial grading factory that employed 360 locals. However, within a short 6 months through deception and collusion among the "local powers" aided and abetted by language difficulties he lost his life savings and was forced to beat a retreat back to Zimbabwe with his family.
He then set about farming roses for export –36 different varieties on his father-in-law's farm. After 2 months, the farm workers went on strike. It ended when Dewilton called in the CIO (dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation) who asked the workers who their leaders were. The CIO proceeded to beat the ringleaders to a pulp before taking them away. They were never seen again. The workers, needless to say, went back to work.
After some time there was a falling out between father and son-in-law and entrepreneurial Dewilton decided to go into the business of importing much needed fuel. This led to him "getting into bed" with General Solomon Mujuru (also known as Rex Njongo) who arranged an import licence for him in half an hour.
By 2007 a month's groceries were costing ZIM$15million but the situation arose when there were no groceries in the shops. The family moved to South Africa where they eeked out a meagre existence.
In 2010 Dewilton decided to move back to Zimbabwe and set up a tobacco grading shed again. This was much needed and was immediately supported by most of the big companies. After some strong resistence Dewilton persuaded his wife and children to return to Zimbabwe in 2011.
However BEE regulations insisted that businesses be 51% owned by black partners and when Zanu PF arbitrarily got involved in the business, the writing was on the wall, so the family took what possessions they could and literally "ran for their lives".
Now living in Knysna Dewilton got in touch with the Knynsa Municipality looking for some undeveloped municipal land and was directed to Ilsa Van Schalkwyk who fortuitously found 30 hectares of land at Karatara.
This gave Dewilton the opportunity to put together a business plan for a local community hydroponic herb and vegetable growing project at Karatara that he intends to mentor. Waste water channeled from the purifying plant to existing old maturation ponds, the first will be a reed bed, will be pumped on to the other 5 in order to breed Tilapia (bream) for local consumption.
The nutrient filled fish water will then be passed on to fertilise the herbs and vegetables hydroponically. Local engineer and member of the Slow Food Convivium, Terry Cockroft is assisting with managing the water requirements for the project.
It is envisaged that 40% of the produce will be used locally and 60% will be exported to provide funds to support the community in other ways. It is important Dewilton says to put in the ground what people want to buy. The aim is to take the middle-man out and sell direct to the consumer.
Potential partners in the scheme are Israeli, Austrian, and Swiss businessmen because it is cheaper to get foreign sponsorship than borrow money from local banks. Europe seeks after 'Green" and tax reductions are offered for such projects -a win-win situation all round. The folk at Twin Palms were riveted by Dewilton's story–we all wish him well with this innovative scheme that could go a long way in reviving the socio-economic environment of the Karatara community.
The next speaker at Twin Palms was Lindy, a web and graphic designer who's also experienced difficult times. After a messy divorce that left her with a small 11 hectare farm and nothing else she searched the world-wide web for some ideas for her farm and researched the concept of cage-free chickens.
She came across Joel Salatin a 2nd generation holistic American farmer of Polyface farms who uses innovative integrated sustainable farming techniques. He's an author of several books and a lecturer, who's also a subject in a number of alternative type documentaries. She noted his mention of portable coups for his chickens. Some time later she met Filip through the internet who was able to design cost effective movable chicken houses adapted for her environment and started her project with 100 chickens.
When it was time to slaughter them she went and bought a deep freeze from Kloppers. When it wasn't big enough, she asked her neighbours if they wanted chickens. The outcome was it kicked off the business …most effectively through word of mouth and its continued that way since. Presently producing 500 chickens a week, Lindy doesn't sell to big supermarket outlets but she's at the Outeniqua Market every Saturday and delivers along the Garden Route personally, every week.
Next Lindy researched free-range eggs and found Zimbabwean–born Mike Bosch of international repute at Bela Bela in the Limpopo Province. He had developed an indigenous breed of chickens known as Boschveld chickens to assist with de-ticking his cattle at their watering points. He found he was able to reduce expensive dipping from 26 to 14 times a year. Besides reducing the presence of chemicals in the environment this action had the unexpected knock-on effect of ox-peckers returning to his farm.
Lindy has purchased some of these resilient chickens as layers. The handsome Boschveld breed is a combination of hardy Ovambo, large Matabele and prolific egg-laying Venda strains that have beautifully diverse colours reminiscent of indigenous Inguni cattle. Ideal for the African environment, they clean up pests in the fields and flies around dairies and produce beautiful golden sunset yolks in their eggs.
Lindy now has a viable farming operation and supplies a wide range of products related to her chickens to Garden Route customers on a regular basis.
Nico and Maureen from their beautiful farm at the top of Montagu Pass then presented Herold Wines for tasting at Twin Palms. Among the mountains at high altitude Nico said the grapes have a long cool growing season. They use no pesticides or irrigation but spray for fungal diseases.
Their Sauvignon Blanc is more tropical with less grassy, greenpepper flavours because of an open canopy and exposure to lots of sunlight. On white grapes a reductive technique is used that also keeps the wine away from oxygen that results in less flavour and darker color. The cool sea air over the vines results in low sugars and low alcohol content.
Red grapes are processed in the regular way and after fermentation in open containers the wine is put into oak barrels, wood from oaks planted in Napoleon Bonaparte's life-time.
Nico mentioned that the Australians have developed a polymer that breathes the same as wood and then they add wood chips to mimic the oak barrel flavour. He said there is little difference between cork and a screw–top but that the screw-top was cheaper.
Twin Palms chefs had lunch ready to be served. Colin had made Southern Fried Chicken pieces with peanut and corn fritters and South Carolina Coleslaw. Chorizo and prawn Gumbo with rice was the signature dish of the Twin Palms Restaurant. Dessert was Pumpkin Pie.
Another fine day's dining at St James' Twin Palms Restaurant was enjoyed by everyone. Thank you to Barry for providing the venue and the chefs for the great food and the speakers for their interesting and informative presentations.
At Red Barn Farm outside George our small family tries to produce the very best free-range pastured poultry for the true farm fresh quality connoisseur.
Our free range eggs contain half the cholesterol, are twice as rich in Vitamin E, up to six times richer in beta carotene and a whopping four times higher in essential omega-3 fatty acids! Taste the difference for yourself!
Polyface Inc. a family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
We are in the redemption business: healing land, healing the food, healing the economy, and healing the culture with ethics-based contrarian business ideas.


text:
Q: How can i use ui button and ui toggle in a script to create/destroy objects on another script? In the Hierarchy i have a Canvas and under it as childs i have a ui button and ui toggle. On the button i attached a script with a onclick event.
The idea is when i click the button depending on the toggle state false/true decide if to just create more gameobjects or destroy first all the old gameobjects and create new.
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;

public class GenerateObjectsButton : MonoBehaviour
{
    private InstantiateObjects instantiateobjects;
    private bool toggleOnOf;
    public Toggle toggle;

    private void Start()
    {
        instantiateobjects = new InstantiateObjects();
        toggle.onValueChanged.AddListener((value) =>
            {
                MyListener(value);
            });
    }

    public void MyListener(bool value)
    {
        if (value)
        {
            //do the stuff when the toggle is on
            toggleOnOf = true;
        }
        else
        {
            //do the stuff when the toggle is off
            toggleOnOf = false;
        }
    }

    public void OnButton()
    {
        if (toggleOnOf == false)
        {
            instantiateobjects.generateObjectOnTerrain();
        }
        else
        {
            instantiateobjects.DestroyObjects();
            instantiateobjects.generateObjectOnTerrain();
        }
    }
}

The InstantiateObjects script:
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;

//[ExecuteInEditMode]
public class InstantiateObjects : MonoBehaviour
{
    public GameObject prefab;
    public Terrain terrain;
    public float yOffset = 0.5f;
    public int objectsToInstantiate;
    public bool parent = true;
    public bool randomScale = false;
    public float setRandScaleXMin, setRandScaleXMax;
    public float setTandScaleYMin, setTandScaleYMax;
    public float setTandScaleZMin, setRandScaleZMax;
    public bool generateNew;

    private float terrainWidth;
    private float terrainLength;
    private float xTerrainPos;
    private float zTerrainPos;
    private int numberOfObjectsToCreate;
    private GameObject objInstance;
    private GameObject[] createdObjects;
    private string objname;

    public void Start()
    {
        //Get terrain size
        terrainWidth = terrain.terrainData.size.x;
        terrainLength = terrain.terrainData.size.z;

        //Get terrain position
        xTerrainPos = terrain.transform.position.x;
        zTerrainPos = terrain.transform.position.z;

        numberOfObjectsToCreate = objectsToInstantiate;

        objname = prefab.name;
        MyCustomEditor.TagsAndLayers.AddTag(objname);

        generateNew = false;
        generateObjectOnTerrain();
    }

    public void Update()
    {

    }

    public void DestroyObjects()
    {
        if (createdObjects != null && createdObjects.Length > 0)
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < createdObjects.Length; i++)
            {
                DestroyImmediate(createdObjects[i]);
            }
            createdObjects = new GameObject[0];
        }
    }

    public void generateObjectOnTerrain()
    {
        for (int i = 0; i < objectsToInstantiate; i++)
        {
            //Generate random x,z,y position on the terrain
            float randX = UnityEngine.Random.Range(xTerrainPos, xTerrainPos + terrainWidth);
            float randZ = UnityEngine.Random.Range(zTerrainPos, zTerrainPos + terrainLength);

            float yVal = Terrain.activeTerrain.SampleHeight(new Vector3(randX, 0, randZ));

            //Generate random x,y,z scale on the terrain
            float randScaleX = Random.Range(setRandScaleXMin, setRandScaleXMax);
            float randScaleY = Random.Range(setTandScaleYMin, setTandScaleYMax);
            float randScaleZ = Random.Range(setTandScaleYMax, setRandScaleZMax);

            //Apply Offset if needed
            yVal = yVal + yOffset;

            //Generate the Prefab on the generated position
            objInstance = Instantiate(prefab, new Vector3(randX, yVal, randZ), Quaternion.identity);

            if (randomScale == true)
                objInstance.transform.localScale = new Vector3(randScaleX, randScaleY, randScaleZ);

            if (parent)
                objInstance.transform.parent = this.transform;

            objInstance.tag = objname;
        }

        createdObjects = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag(objname);
    }
}

The problems i'm facing now are:
In the InstantiateObjects when i click the button i'm getting null exception on the line:
createdObjects = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag(objname);

createdObjects is null. Except the first time i'm running the game then it's not null but then each time when i click the button it's null.
Second problem is that i need to change the toggle state to false then click the button true click the button false click the button and only then  it's getting the DestroyObjects method.

A: It might not be updating the array as the reference are the same. Reset the array to null at the start of each iteration and see if that works.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Five people were wounded Saturday morning after a drive-by shooting at a gas station on South Orange Blossom Trail near Kaley Avenue, according to police.
A drive-by shooting at a gas station on South Orange Blossom Trail early Saturday sent four people in their twenties to the hospital, officials said.
The shooting happened just after 3 a.m. near the Kwik Stop's Kaley Avenue entrance, according to Orange County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Neil Mitchell.
Officials say shots were fired at the group "loitering" near the gas station from a passing vehicle with multiple men inside.
The victims were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, Sheriff's Office spokesman Jeff Williamson said.
The shooting victims have been identified as Thomas May, 26, , Joseph Edwards, 28, , Demetria Childers, 27, and Roger Montgomery, 29.
Deputies continue searching for the suspected gunmen, Williamson said.
A description of the suspect's vehicle hasn't been released.
"There was a description but we rather not put that out considering it may not be accurate," Mitchell said.


text:
Scholarship honors former theater teacher
Joyce Orlando
jorlando@shelbystar.com
Nancy Weems' memory will live on in a new scholarship for students who share her love for theater.
The Nancy Weems Theatre Scholarship has been established at Shelby High School, where she was a teacher in the 1970s and '80s.
"She really laid the groundwork for the department today," former student and current Shelby chorus teacher Traci Aderholt said.
Decades ago, Aderholdt was a "meek" girl playing the piano for musicals put on by Weems at Shelby High School, but Weems saw potential in her.
"She managed to coax me on stage my senior year," she said. "I'm grateful for that confidence she instilled in me."
Weems taught classes in English, speech, theater and filmmaking during her tenure at the school. Many of her students, like Aderholt, pursued careers in those fields and related areas after graduation. The scholarship honors her trademark high bar for excellence both onstage and behind the scenes.
"She was a determined and disciplined woman. She never excepted mediocre from her students. She expected excellence out of all of us," Aderholt said.
Read the remembrance article by her daughter, Lee Ann Prescott, here.
The college scholarship will go to a graduating senior who has shown talent and dedication in the SHS Theatre Department, Shelby High School theater teacher Dan Treharne said.
"It is great we are able to honor the person who set the precedence here," Treharne said.
The modest $500 scholarship was awarded to J'Quincy Boykins, who will pursue theater at Lenoir-Rhyne University next year.
Weems also taught at Marion Senior High School, first in the 1960s, then again as Nancy A. Earp in the late 1980s and 1990s, in Marion, Va. She died in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 21, 2018.
Friends and family will host a memorial service at 4 p.m. Saturday in Malcolm Brown School-Civic Auditorium on the Shelby High School campus.
To make contributions to the scholarship in her memory, contact: Dan Treharne, Shelby High School Theatre Department, 230 E. Dixon Blvd., Shelby, NC 28150. Checks can be made to Shelby High School Theatre with Nancy Weems Scholarship as the note.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Exhibit launches search for Black Spudders
by: Shatanya Clarke
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)— An exhibit that will be opening at the Museum of North Texas History highlighting the old Negro League Baseball and KFDX got an exclusive first look on the inside.
This exhibit is just the beginning of a two-month search for more information on the Black Spudders, the perfect way for an early kickoff Black History Month next month.
While there is a lot of information about the Wichita Falls Spudders formed in the twenties there is very little information about the Black Spudders other than stories passed down through the generations.
That's why the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts is launching a search party with the Museum of North Texas History.
"We've been doing a lot of research and in search of the Spudders is a journey that kicks off with an exhibition at the end of January," Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture Executive Director Margie Reese said.
This exhibit sheds light, or sometimes reveals the lack of light on Negro Baseball Leagues before the integration of the major leagues.
Also, the little known connection between American Black baseball players and the Hispanic players and culture and it couldn't be happening at a better time.
"In honoring Dr. King, we also realize that we have to honor other heroes that have made significant contributions, not only to the African American heritage but to the American story," Reese said.
"Right behind me you can see the country profiles and it talks about the various countries that these players represented," Museum of North Texas History Executive Director Madeleine Calcote said. "We also have a timeline that discusses some of the important timelines of baseball in America and how the negro league played into that."
The community can also be apart of the search by displaying any keepsake they have of the Black Spudders or share any oral history on February first at the "Black History Month Kick-Off" at the All Hands Cultural Community Center.
Both Reese and Calcote said the end goal is to bring the community together to focus on such an important part of American and Wichita Falls history.
This exhibit will be open, at no cost to the public on Thursday, so come on down if you can.
If you would like to see our full story about the negro league baseball's 100th anniversary, follow this link.
Negro Leagues Exhibition Opening Reception
Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Museum of North Texas History
720 Indiana, Downtown Wichita Falls.
Family Day at the Museum of North Texas History
Negro Leagues Beisbol Exhibition
February 22, 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Senior Day at the Museum of North Texas History
February 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
If you would like to provide memorabilia for the Black Spudders pop up, contact the Art Alliance at (940) 500-4453.


text:
Mindful Metrics
How to establish key business metrics
Jonathan Milne
List articles abound on the topic of key business metrics. You can find 55 of "the best" metrics for this and 78 for that.
Some of them are actually quite good—but almost all of them assume you've mastered the behind-the-scenes work it takes to understand how those metrics fit into the inner workings of your business.
This is especially true in the modern business realm, where the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) industry is, as our own founder put it, "awash in metrics." There are thousands of articles debating the merit of this metric or that and, yes, a plethora of list articles about which ones you need now... or else your entire company will come crashing down.
Much of this conversation is based on an assumption that if you have this moment...
...then all you need is a list of key business metrics to get to this moment...
Business, life... nothing I've ever experienced works quite that way.
Truth is, there's no shortage of information out there if you already know exactly which key business metrics you need and precisely how to implement them. But many businesses aren't quite sure about either aspect.
Small businesses, for example, may just be seeing the initial signs of product/market fit and are searching for which key metrics they most need to focus on so they can start to scale.
An enterprise business, for example, may be navigating a major pivot and they now need a new set of metrics to spur growth. Or maybe that enterprise business has developed an in-house innovation unit that is now tasked with taking a brand new product to market—the key metrics that members of this unit once lived by now may no longer apply.
So this piece is for those humble enough to admit they're unsure, and hungry enough to continue a pursuit of learning. It's for those who want to go beyond the shimmering facade and into the trenches where there is important (but often unheralded) work to be done.
While there are many processes out there, including a bunch of proprietary methods that you have to pay good money for, here is a kind of amalgamation of what I've seen many teams (including a few of my own) have success with. It consists of one 4-step phase followed by one 5-step phase.
Phase 1 of establishing key business metrics:
Determine the stage (or even micro-stage) of your business
Assess the strengths of your team
Understand where your potential customers hang out (and where they go for answers)
Categorize which key business metrics you could pursue, and make a decision
Delegation and ownership
Benchmarking and goals
Processes and systems
Communication and transparency
Accessibility and visualization.
The first phase is all about determining which business metrics are actually important to track for your product/service, and from there finding the intersection between your team's capacity and your overall business strategy.
The second phase is all about action and putting a plan in place for who controls the machine and who owns each part of the machine (we'll explore what that means). Phase 2 is where you'll wrap your chosen business metrics into the fabric of your company.
Let's explore each component of Phase 1:
1. Determine the stage (or even micro-stage) of your business
Some metrics, depending on the stage of your company, are simply more important than others. If you're in the startup stage, for example, it's critical for you to know if users are actually engaging with your product—and if that engagement is the type of engagement you want.
If you've bursted out of the startup stage and entered into the growth stage, it's important to start thinking about Monthly MRR and Customer Churn Rate, as these will be the foundation for your company's growth and retention efforts.
And if you've established that you can grow (and are growing), it's time to focus on efficiency, which means it's time to think about CAC Payback Period and Quick Ratio—key business metrics to focus on when you're ready to become maximally efficient in your growth.
For more on the important metrics in each of these stages, see this list article (I know, I know):
The 14 key metrics of modern business leaders.
Which stage do you feel your business is in? Is it somewhere between those stages? Ask others in your company their thoughts, and when you've made a decision you'll have a torch that can light the way for some of the future steps we'll discuss.
2. Assess the strengths of your team
With the speed of business today, especially in the SaaS sector, I've grown into a big proponent of focusing on strengths rather than spending a ton of precious time trying to shore up weaknesses.
For a deeper glimpse into this mentality, check out the book StrengthsFinder 2.0.
Understanding the strengths of your team doesn't demand you master StrengthsFinder, but it does mean you take an honest look at what each member of your team brings to the table—not only in the context of your company but in the industry at-large.
For example, you may have someone on your team who is (or with a little help could be) a masterful project manager, but instead they are stuck and frustrated trying to single-handedly write all the technical documentation about how to use your product.
If you're a lean and scrappy team, this may simply be how it has to be for the time being. But if there's any capacity to nudge that teammate towards their natural mastery and away from what either a) frustrates them or b) they just aren't all that good at—strive to make it happen.
Additionally, the strengths of your existing team will help determine what kind of overall business strategy you can put in place. This is likely why you hired many of these talented people to begin with.
Here's an example of what I mean. Let's say you're short on cash to spend on advertising, but have built a team perfectly equipped to run a high-performance inbound marketing strategy. Not only should you lean into your strength, but you'll now need to lean into the metrics associated with that strength: unique readers, email subscribers, and organic-content-to-trial, to name a few.
3. Understand where your audience hangs out (and where they go for answers)
Even at major social media marketing conferences I've watched as seasoned marketers told the founders of marketing agencies not to spread themselves thin across too many platforms... while they themselves spread the content of their own marketing agency thin across too many platforms.
In the quest to grow your business, there's a constant itch to be everywhere any of your potential customers may be. But this is perhaps the quickest way to burnout, and perhaps the easiest way to get into that toxic rut of constantly starting and stopping metrics-based campaigns.
If you know where your audience is, you can create a strategy focused on empathically and creatively getting in front of them. If they are on LinkedIn, for example, there will be key metrics associated with this (such as impressions or click-through rate) that would be different than if you were scanning leads and collecting business cards at a trade-show booth.
Booyah, a small ice cream shop based in Toronto, knew exactly how to reach their targeted audience.
They knew, based on the visual appeal of their product, their own strength to capture this visual appeal, and people's habit of wanting to share their food photos, that Instagram would be a great platform for their growth.
In addition, because Instagram relies heavily on hashtags, especially location-based hashtags, they could target their efforts to potential customers in and around Toronto.
Here's a story about how they used the key metrics of Instagram, among others, to fuel their business.
Lastly, many of today's business efforts demand a two-fold approach; you at once must have a fantastic product or service while also being an educational resource for your potential customers.
This is why it's increasingly important to know where your customers go to answer their questions. Are they searching Quora or Google? And what questions are they asking that are in some way related to your product offering? Your job is to discover why they are asking these questions and, if possible, become their go-to source for answers.
Here are two free resources to help you learn more about your potential customer's questions:
Answer The Public
Bloomberry
The key metrics of content marketing will help you gauge whether or not you are increasingly becoming a trusted source. Here are some content marketing opportunities you may be missing out on (we were).
4. Categorize which key business metrics you could pursue, and make a decision
"Could" is the key word here. As with the example above, you may be barely hanging on with just rolling out updates to your product—let alone having the time or capacity to build out a content marketing strategy.
This is where capacity meets strategy. In (1) determing the stage of your company, (2) assessing your team's strengths, and (3) understanding where your customers hang out and what questions they're asking, you now have a far better ability to categorize which key business metrics you could pursue—and, as we'll explore shortly, what a strategy in pursuit of those metrics might look like.
Depending on the size of your team and the nature of the product or service you're offering, you may only have one road to go here. If so, now you know and can move to Phase 2. If, on the other hand, there are a few categories you could pursue, it's important to lay them all out and open up a conversation with your team about which of them you feel best equipped to pursue.
This can be done in a variety of ways—including anonymous surveys and 1-1 conversations to get a read on where each member of your business or department stands.
It may not be surprising, but I've found that finally making a decision on which business metrics to pursue typically comes together quite nicely.
If enough time and thought have been put into the previous three parts of this process, and if honest conversations have been had, there's usually a unanimous agreement on what is best to pursue. Especially because, as stated earlier, it's easier than ever before to learn about what business metrics you may potentially need.
Now, having made it this far in the process, you can essentially cherry pick those metrics that you and your team are ready to take seriously.
If you've made it through Phase 1, congratulations!
But you still have work to do.
As we did with Phase 1, let's break down each part of Phase 2:
1. Delegation and ownership
Establishing a key business metric is not enough; you must build it into your company.
The image above comes from Ray Dalio's Principles (PDF here), a classic business book that has been downloaded over three million times.
In it, Dalio describes the need to think of your business as a machine—which means there are people tasked with delegating responsibilities and others with carrying out those responsibilities.
It's a simple concept, but it's easily destroyed because the scarcity mindset of needing to deliver results often propels business leaders to spend far more time working on parts of the machine than in making sure the overall machine is actually working.
Dalio says it like this:
"Your 'machine' will consist of the design and people you choose to achieve the goals. For example, if you want to take a hill from an enemy you will need to figure out how to do that—e.g., your design might need two scouts, two snipers, four infantrymen, one person to deliver the food, etc. While having the right design is essential, it is only half the battle. It is equally important to put the right people in each of these positions."
Dalio continues by stating that great managers delegate details and set the course, while lesser managers feel the need to get their hands dirty.
"Managers should view the need to get involved in the nitty-gritty themselves as a bad sign."
While there are of course times when managers must get in the nitty-gritty, leadership around key metrics demands that everyone in the department/team is aware of who is delegating and who is taking ownership of individual key metrics.
Yes, the entire team's work impacts the resulting metrics of everyone else, but responsibly delegating and pointing out ownership makes it easier for individuals and teams to prioritize their work, say no when additional outside projects pop up, and remain laser-focused on what matters most.
2. Benchmarking and goals
Once your key business metrics are agreed upon, and the team understands who is delegating and who owns which part of the machine, it's important to understand benchmarks while setting appropriate, achievable goals.
There's often a tug-of-war at this point, because when the email marketing lead sees a 25% open rate for a list of 50,000 as the "industry benchmark," she is torn between shooting for this or pursuing her goal.
Her goal, however, is more important. Once set, she can simply achieve what she achieves and then set her own benchmarks based on the goals she reached in the previous weeks or months.
In so many facets of business, "benchmarks" become diluted by the differences in variables. It doesn't make sense to compare the email open rate for a newsletter in the financial services sector (where people may be receiving emails with pressing investment information that they must act on within 24 hours), to the email open rate of a 5-day email course where subscribers can learn at their own pace.
All to say: research industry benchmarks, but set your own goals, bookmark those goals, and eventually use those bookmarks to establish your own benchmarks around the key business metrics you've set.
3. Processes and systems
A process is the organized set of activities that help you get things done. When you put multiple processes together, and use them all on a regular basis, you begin to create a system.
For example, if you're conducting an A/B test on a new product tweak, you'll likely have a process in place for how you do this. I've watched some teams use tools like Trello, where they drag a card from the Test Launched column to the Collecting Data column to the Complete column so the team is in alignment and there's transparency around progress.
Another way to think about processes is as the step-by-step and often template-possible tasks it takes to keep each part of your machine running smoothly.
But efficient individual parts do not necessarily mean the machine is working. This demands a system.
And this, again, is where the manager's bird's-eye view is critical in allowing them to access the insights others on the team likely do not have the perspective to see. A manager constantly tweaking parts may lose sight of the forest for the trees, the system for the processes, the machine for those parts.
Creating easy to explain and easy to follow processes are critical so that each teammate can work toward their key metrics as efficiently as possible. Likewise, stringing all of these processes into a system can help you more effectively launch campaigns, and have the team all driving toward their individual key metrics and feeling inspired by how their work is impacting the overarching business metrics.
4. Communication and transparency
The greatest processes and systems (and machines!) will always break down if there are not proper lines of communication and if transparency is an afterthought.
The owners of each part should have some knowledge of what the others are working on, and why. They should know who to contact and when and how to contact them.
The owners of larger parts that impact the smaller parts should, as able, take on managerial responsibilities.
Likewise, the leader stepping back to see the whole machine, although they aren't in the "nitty-gritty," must make sure communication lines in the nitty-gritty are clear, that there are safe channels to ask questions, pride in part ownership, and that the key business metrics everybody is working toward are shared.
As Dalio writes:
"Be radically transparent. Provide people with as much exposure as possible to what's going on around them. Allowing people direct access lets them form their own views and greatly enhances accuracy and the pursuit of truth."
5. Accessibility and visualization
Which leads us to accessibility and visualization. Transparency can be and can certainly feel entirely meaningless without accessibility. It sends the message of, "Sure, the data is there but you don't have the key to it."
If you're in a position of leadership, it's critical that your team has constant and ideally real-time access to their key metrics and the key metrics of the business.
Perhaps the easiest way to do this while also creating a culture of data transparency is to display these metrics on a TV dashboard. Put one in your marketing department with that team's specific metrics, and one in your customer success area so everybody can see incoming tickets received and responded to.
Using such data visualizatons can foster within your data-driven culture a spirit of collaboration and a sense of shared ethics. These are the intangibles that can't be measured but that make the business a great place to work.
For additional reads on building world-class dashboards for your team, check out our Happy Dashboarding blog.
A few final thoughts on establishing key business metrics
First, if you haven't already, take some time and dig through Principles.
You may vehemently disagree with aspects of it, but Dalio's leadership at Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, has been quite remarkable. Consider that he led the company's growth even when the 2008 global economic crisis was sinking all other competitors.
And some of the quotes, like this one, are sure to stick with you:
"Create an environment in which... no one has the right to hold a critical opinion without speaking up about it."
Second, feel free to mix and match parts of the two phases presented here. You may be well beyond one, while another takes you a week or more to build out. There is no perfect formula.
Lastly, check out What are Business Metrics? and consider sending it to your colleagues before getting too deep into the phases. It will help make sure everyone is aligned at the start, and it may save you time from vetting those seemingly infinite list articles out there.
Topics: How ToKPIMetrics
Originally published June 20, 2017, updated Jun, 17 2019
3 KPIs that carriers & shippers should be tracking
By Sydney Wess — January 9, 2020
Top 6 KPIs to track for enterprise e-commerce organizations
By Brian Dainis — January 3, 2020
By Emil Kristensen — December 18, 2019


Generally speaking, in New Hampshire, a covenant not to compete means that the employee will agree not to work for any of their employer's competitors when leaving the company. Such agreements are also known by the term "non-compete clauses". An employee who signs a covenant not to compete can receive compensation for the agreement, or in some cases the agreement is a condition for their being hired.
Knowing in advance whether a judge will enforce an employee's non-compete clause can be challenging. While the employer?s interests are significant, New Hampshire courts place great weight on an individual?s freedom to pursue the employment they want. Accordingly, courts have only upheld those agreements that they consider reasonable under the circumstances. Covenants not to compete that a court will categorize as unreasonable include agreements that last for a long duration or that restrict the employee to an unreasonable geographic area around Goffstown.
Before you sign any provisions that could restrict your rights, you may consider hiring a Goffstown, New Hampshire attorney who can review the covenant. The attorney can negotiate modifications to the contract if they are needed, and can draft a new clause which is acceptable to the parties involved. Attorneys can provide valuable counseling to employers who are contemplating suing an employer who breached a covenant not to compete. They can also assist employees who have signed an agreement limiting their employment options.


Bel Air boasts some of the most magnificent property in the country. Located on the west side between Beverly Crest and Brentwood, the neighborhood is primarily residential with only a few shops within its 6.3 square mile area. Its remote location in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains provides privacy and beautiful scenery for the high-profile locals. Bel Air-Holmby Hills was established in the early 1920s by Alphonzo Bell, who bought a house on a large ranch after becoming a millionaire when he struck oil on his farm in nearby Santa Fe Springs. Bel Air-Holmby Hills is a neighborhood where privacy and high-priced real estate go hand in hand.


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In re Bleakley (Amicus)
The ACLU of Virginia filed an amicus brief in support of Connor Bleakley and Sami Alsawaf seeking to allow Brandon Bleakley to perform the rites of their wedding ceremony, arguing that the Virginia code sections that govern their choice of officiant is unconstitutional.
Connor Bleakely and Sami Alsawaf are planning to hold a wedding ceremony on April 29, 2023 in Albemarle County, Virginia. They are not religious, and they do not wish to be married in a religious ceremony.
Yet the Virginia Code sets out explicitly different rules for people wishing to be married in Virginia based on whether they or their officiant is religious. Three sections of Virginia Code authorize a person to conduct a marriage ceremony: one, Virginia Code § 20-26, governs people who are "members of a religious society having no minister;" another, Virginia Code § 20-23, governs officiants who are "minister(s);" and the third, Virginia Code § 20-25, governs officiants with no religious affiliation.
These are plainly more stringent requirements than those applied to religious ceremonies under Virginia Code 20-26 and 20-23. The fact that Virginia Code 20-25 sets out a more restrictive set of rules for non-religious wedding ceremonies than religious ones makes it unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Its discrimination against out-of-state wedding celebrants in favor of Virginia citizens also renders the law unconstitutional under the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV of the Constitution.
Attorney(s)
Eden Heilman, Matt Callahan
Circuit Court for the City of Richmond
W. Reilly Marchant
CL22002232-00-7
pdfBleakley Amicus Brief
pdfACLU Order Signed
pdfBleakley MFL Amicus Brief
https://www.acluva.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/bleakley-amicus_brief.pdf
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Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium
Home of the Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Team: Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Head Coach: John Grass
Team Mascot: Cocky the Gamecock
City / State: Jacksonville / Alabama
Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs Samford Bulldogs
Rival Team: Samford Bulldogs
The Gamecocks biggest rivals are the Samford Bulldogs who play 80 miles away in Homewood, Alabama. There are always a lot of fans of both teams at the games when these two Alabama-based schools clash, and there are lots of bragging rights as well making every matchup between Jacksonville State and Samford a must-see. The Gamecocks hold a slim 23-21-3 lead in the all-time series and won the only FCS playoff matchup between them in 2013.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs Chattanooga Mocs
Rival Team: Chattanooga Mocs
The Jacksonville State-Chattanooga rivalry may be relatively new, but that doesn't mean you won't have an incredible time taking in a game between the Gamecocks and Mocs. The rivalry between these two non-conference foes has really taken off in the last couple years as the teams have met in six of the last seven seasons, so make sure to be in attendance when the Gamecocks take on the Mocs.
Check out the University of Tennessee at Martin Stadium!
Check out the Tennessee Technological University Stadium!
Check out the Tennessee State University Stadium!
Check out the Eastern Illinois University Stadium!


An Chailleach sa Tornoig is a traditional Irish jig. A version of this tune was played by Dinny Delaney (1836-1919), a blind piper from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. Philippe Varlet states that Delaney competed in the Dublin Feis at the turn of the century and recorded this tune on a cylinder in 1899.
Established in 1896, the Feis Ceoil Association promotes excellence in the learning and performance of music across all ages, levels and disciplines. An festival is held before Easter each year in Dublin which comprises almost 200 competitions, attracting over 3,000 participants from all over the island of Ireland. Non-competitive events and concerts are held throughout the the year.


Ten-year-old Gabriella loves camping and fishing. She's a good soccer player and is on a summer swim team and a competitive dance team. Her energy amazes her parents, who remember how sick she was four years ago, before she began treatment at CHOP for Crohn's disease.
Gabriella was a healthy girl for her first four years of life. Then, in the summer before she turned 5, her parents, Lisa and Christian, started to notice red in her stool. At first, they thought it was something she ate. When it continued, they called their pediatrician. He didn't think it was a serious concern. He predicted it would go away, and it initially did.
Unfortunately, the problem came back that fall, and grew worse. On New Year's Eve Gabriella's stool was very bloody.
Lisa and Christian made an appointment with a GI specialist in Delaware. Tests showed that her hemoglobin counts were low. The specialist suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an immune disorder that causes inflammation in the tissue of the digestive system. IBD can cause the kind of bleeding that Gabriella was experiencing. The specialist scheduled a colonoscopy and endoscopy which confirmed the diagnosis.
Gabriella was put on steroids and low-level anti-inflammatory medications, plus iron supplements and antibiotics — a round-the-clock medication schedule that required her parents to wake her at night for doses. But she did not get better.
Lisa called Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to get a second opinion. In April, they brought Gabriella in to meet with Judith R. Kelsen, MD, Director of the Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease (VEO-IBD) Program at CHOP.
As the team worked on developing a treatment plan, they started with iron infusions to bring up the hemoglobin counts. At Gabriella's first infusion appointment her hemoglobin level was down to 4, the lowest it had ever been. She was admitted directly and given a blood transfusion. When her condition was stable again, Dr. Kelsen performed another endoscopy and colonoscopy, which showed that Gabriella's colon had grown worse.
Dr. Kelsen started to wean Gabriella off of the steroids, and put her on a medication that would directly attack the inflammation.
"Her hemoglobin stabilized. There was no red in her stool, and no belly pain. Her color was better," says Lisa. Over the summer her steroid doses were gradually reduced until she was off them entirely. By the time she started kindergarten in the fall, she had lost most of the extra weight she had put on with the steroids. With her renewed energy, Gabriella loved school and started dance lessons again.
Letting her go to kindergarten was one of those scary steps. Lisa was reassured to find out that the school nurse was familiar with IBD. She had it herself, and had been treated at CHOP as a child. "That was huge relief for me," Lisa says.
When Gabriella was 6, she started to have some blood in her stool again. Dr. Kelsen ordered another set of scopes. That led to a more specific diagnosis of Crohn's disease, the form of IBD in which inflammation is found beyond the colon. The new diagnosis didn't change her treatment, but it gave the medical team more precise information to work with as they continued to adjust her medications to address the symptoms. Gabriella continues to receive periodic iron infusions and regular infusions of a biologic immune suppressant. She also follows an anti-inflammatory diet under the guidance of the medical team.
"We're blessed to have CHOP so close to us," adds Lisa. "Gabriella is getting the best care possible. We're especially thankful for Dr. Kelsen. Gabriella's story is different. She's younger and sicker than most people with IBD. Dr. Kelsen is aware of all the new treatments." Gabriella is playing a role herself in the research into improved treatments by participating in some of the studies Dr. Kelsen is leading.
After his IBD diagnosis, Garrett couldn't be far from a bathroom after eating. Now, he eats nonstop.
Diagnosed with VEO-IBD when he was only 18 months old, Landen is now responding well to treatment.


Recently, while checking the e commerce overview on google analytics i got the message on some reports in red background.
This is a bug in google analytics. The google analytics appends . after Rs symbol which causes some parsing problems on generating reports. The work around for it is to change your currency to $. Your revenue and reports will still be in Rs. and figures will not change, it will simply append $ instead of Rs. You can change the currency by editing the profile of Google Analytics.
Hope this will save time for someone.


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Bering Strait Great Project on the Agenda This Year
Putin Underlines Importance Of Siberia
Russia Moves Ahead with Fast Breeder Reactors
From Volume 37, Issue 34 of EIR Online, Published Sept 3, 2010
Aug. 24 (EIRNS)—The Bering Strait tunnel project will be on the agenda of the November G20 summit in South Korea, Russian Federation Council member Aslambek Aslakhanov told Novosti in a live interview aired yesterday on the agency's English service. The G20 will be hosted by South Korea this year, he noted, and "as far as we know, our South Korean colleagues will put this project on the agenda." Aslakhanov, who was an advisor to Vladimir Putin as President, and geography expert Alexander Bgatov emphasized the critical role of the project for the industrial development of the entire region, by linking four continents.
Lyndon LaRouche, the world's leading proponent of this great infrastructure project, on Aug. 9, spoke of its worldwide significance. To deal with such crises as the recent drought in Russia, LaRouche said, there must be close collaboration between the United States and Russia, and other nations. "NAWAPA, a terraforming project which will open the way toward realization of the Bering Strait project linking the Americas and Eurasia, is a key ingredient in that."
Aslakhanov, who represents the Siberian region of Omsk, said that in the Russian government, "the overall attitude is positive" to the Bering Strait tunnel project. "One main advantage," he said, "will be creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs," as well as the "opportunity to build new houses, whole new communities, and develop industry and the whole region." It will also provide access to new mineral projects.
In 1997, the Russian government had held a conference, where it was agreed to actively pursue the project. But "political change" got in the way, Aslakhanov said. It is now back on the agenda. "We need to show the political will to translate the project into reality," he said.
There is opposition: Some economists doubt the economic viability of the project, he said, "but they are too young to see the big picture; they only consider the project as such, without thinking about the industrial and regional development the project could bring." Most of the leading Russian and foreign economists and experts believe the project is "very promising." It would take 10-12 years to complete, and pay for itself in another 10-12 years. Claims that it will be a net loss are "incomprehensible," Aslakhanov said, since the tunnel "would connect four continents and would spur the development of several regions in this country." Many countries are interested in building the project, and the prospect of earning solid dividends from it.
Bgatov pointed out that construction of the tunnel was prevented over 100 years ago, first by the Russo-Japanese War, and then by the 1917 revolution, and other events. In the 1990s, he said, specialists from the U.S.A., Russia, and the U.K. set up a non-profit corporation to study the project, and this group concluded that it had been known since 1902, that the project was feasible. They have already done many studies of the technological background.
The project concept has gone beyond a railroad tunnel to the "construction of a major transport route," with high-speed electric trains, an eight-lane highway, power lines, oil and gas pipelines, fiber optics, and other infrastructure. The major impact, Bgatov said, will not be the railroad itself, but "the project's influence on the development of the regions through which it will pass. We cannot even calculate what that will be," he said, but it will be "enormous." Economists claimed that the Trans-Siberian Railroad would not pay for itself, but it did so in only six years! Beyond that, it made Russia a continental nation: "Without the Trans-Siberian, our borders would be very different today," Bgatov said.
Aug. 24 (EIRNS)—While President Obama wallows in the rain puddles at Martha's Vineyard, Russian Premier Vladimir Putin has been travelling in Siberia and the Russian Far East. He visited researchers at the Tiksis Arctic Observatory, which concentrates on the study of the permafrost, and the nature preserve at Ust-Lenski, where he spoke with members of a Russian-German scientific expedition, Lena-2010, who are also investigating changes in the permafrost due to the fluctuations in the climate at the rich Lena delta on the Laptev Sea. "We are planning to develop in the direction of Eastern Siberia," Putin said, "developing here the economy and production, and your findings will help us determine the optimal method for that development." Putin praised the international scientific cooperation in investigating the resources of the Far East, and promised the researchers better working and living facilities (they are still living in tents). He also participated in drilling in the permafrost.
Putin spoke about the exploitation of new oil and gas reserves in eastern Siberia, but also underlined the importance of the mineral deposits of the region. He indicated that without the development of infrastructure, these resources could never be utilized. He stressed the role of the construction in Vladivostok of a major center as the site of the 2012 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting, after which the APEC facilities will be transformed into a new university for the Far Eastern region.
Putin also underlined the importance of the final construction of a highway between Chita and Khabarovsk, calling it an historic development. Although there has long been a railroad going through Russia, there has been no highway. He also underlined the significance of the establishment of a new space launch facility in the Far East, Cosmodrome Vostochny. Later he travelled to Kamchatka, travelling on a fishing trawler in the area, underlining the need for providing better facilities for the fishing fleet in the region.
Aug. 27 (EIRNS)—Some of the 26 reactors that Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, plans to build before 2030, will use the Fast Reactor technology, corporation spokesman Sergei Novikov said. According to the corporation's outlook, it will completely phase out the current, third-generation equipment by the start of next century.
On one hand, Rosatom's plan to commercialize the fast breeder reactor stems from the fact, Novikov said, that the world is set to run out of affordable uranium in about 12 years, given the plans by Russia, China, India, and other countries to build more reactors. "If all the plans ... are implemented—and they are getting to it so far—the market will have a shortage both of uranium and the facilities for its enrichment," he said. Uranium has already shot up in price from at least $7/pound in 2005, to $60/pound as of June 30, Novikov said. Beyond the depletion of uranium, the fast breeder reactor achieves what industry insiders call a closed fuel cycle, the ability to use by-products from one nuclear reaction as fuel for another, allowing for a spectacular expansion of fuel reserves. It usually uses mixed oxide fuel made up of about 20% plutonium and 80% non-enriched uranium that transmutes into more plutonium as it burns.
In addition to a better fuel situation, the fast breeder reactor produces waste that is much safer to store, because half of its radioactivity dissipates over 30 to 40 years. In contrast, waste from current nuclear reactors can take more than 25,000 years to decay.


A prayer mural that had been displayed on a high school auditorium wall in Cranston, R.I., for decades has been removed in compliance with a federal judge's ruling after an atheistic student complained.
The 8-foot-high banner, a 1963 class gift, had been attached to a wall in the Cranston High School West auditorium, Superintendent Peter Nero said. It was removed Saturday, and the auditorium remained closed Monday to allow workers to repair the wall, the Providence Journal reported.
The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union challenged the constitutionality of the display last year on behalf of 16-year-old student and atheist Jessica Ahlquist, who said the prayer made her feel "ostracized."
The banner now is stored in an undisclosed location, the newspaper reported.


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TOP STORIES / Culture / Music
Why Catalan separatists are singing a traditional German children's song
A dusty German children's song has gained new life after Catalans misheard the lyrics as "Viva Puigdemont" and turned it into a viral sensation. The hashtag #BiBaButzemann now leads to posts from the separatist movement.
A German children's song has become a beloved anthem of Catalan separatists. A woman listening to the radio broadcaster RAC-1 noticed a lyrical similarity between the chorus "Bi-Ba-Butzemann" and the chant, "Viva Puigdemont" ("Long live Puigdemont," a reference to the ousted president of Catalonia).
Read more: Catalans rally for freedom and return of independence leaders
After the broadcaster played the song repeatedly, the original German folk song went viral on You Tube and Twitter.
Although Germans would say you'd have to bend your ear quite a bit to hear "Viva Puigdemont" in the lyrics, in Spanish, the V and B are pronounced similarly, turning "Bi-Ba" into "Viva."
People in Catalonia went on to adapt the text at demonstrations held over the weekend, where the melody was played by a variety of musical instruments, including the accordion and drum duet seen in the tweet below.
In one video montage making the rounds online under #bibabutzemann, clips of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano, dancing at a wedding, are spliced with the song over the top.
The original song
In the German traditional folk song, children sing the lyrics "Es tanzt ein Bi-Ba-Butzemann" in alliteration as they tell of a Bogeyman who comes in at night. He dances and shakes his hips in the hallways of a house just before bedtime, distributing apples from a sack to all the good kids.
First appearing in Germany in a book by one of the Grimm brothers in 1808, the song was used as a warning to stay away from the demons, who will tempt them.
10 best Grimm fairy tales
This story was recorded by Dortchen Wild, a storyteller who married Wilhelm Grimm. As it turns out, the theme of leaving children in the woods was quite popular in European folktales. A French story, "Le Petit Poucet" from 1967, starts out almost identically, while Madame d'Aulnoy's "Finette Cendron" mentions three princesses who get lost in the woods and find their way to an ogre's house.
A miller's daughter is locked in a castle and forced to spin straw into gold. Fortunately, Rumpelstiltskin comes to her rescue, spinning straw into gold in return for her valuables. In the end, it doesn't quite work out for Rumpelstiltskin, who suffers the unusual death of being "split in two." The famous name comes from the German word "Rumpelstiltz," a type of goblin found in German mythology.
This sinister Grimm tale may be based on true events. A glass window in a church of Hamelin depicts a piper and has an inscription that states in 1284: "By a piper, clothed in many kinds of colors, 130 children born in Hamelin were seduced, and lost at the place of execution near the koppen." Even today, no one is sure why the children were taken away or what exactly happened that year.
Death's Messenger
Some Grimm fables are just too dark to be made into Disney classics. "Death's Messenger" tells the story of death, who appears as a person and is nursed back to life by a healthy man. Death promises to spare no one, but tells his savior that he will give him a heads-up before his final hour. Needless to say, death works in mysterious ways, and the youth doesn't quite get what he bargained for.
The King of the Golden Mountain
The Brothers Grimm are immortalized with this statue in Kassel. In their dark tale, a man makes a pact with an evil dwarf, promising to give up his son in exchange for riches. The outcast son goes on a series of harrowing adventures involving a snake, a princess and a magic ring. Atypically, nobody seems to have the redeeming qualities one would expect to find in a typical fairy tale protagonist.
Girl meets frog, girl kisses frog, girl gets frog-turned-prince. We all know this famous amphibious story by the Brothers Grimm, but many may not know it also goes by the title "Iron Heinrich." First published in their 1812 edition of tales, this was the first work in their collection. Moral of the story? Never say never.
German scholar Eckhard Sander revealed the story of the fair princess poisoned by her step-mother may have been based on the true story of Margarete von Waldeck, a German countess born to Philip IV in 1533. She fell in love with a Spanish prince, whom her parents disapproved of, then died at the age of 21 under mysterious circumstances. A poisoned apple, perhaps?
The Town Musicians of Bremen
The misadventures of a donkey, dog, cat and rooster are memorialized in the German town of Bremen where visitors are greeted by a large bronze statue of the group of critters. The story may have arrived in Europe via India as early as 91 B.C. As the town's historical website points out, in India, musical animals were thought to exist at that time and could have provided inspiration for the tale.
The story of the long-haired princess has been a favorite for decades. Few know that Rapunzel is another word for a vegetable called a rampion, which has leaves like lettuce and roots like a radish. The English phrase "let your hair down" may have hailed from the story of this golden-haired maiden.
The Elves and the Shoemaker
In this tale, a struggling, elderly cobbler is mysteriously aided by magical elves. Originally titled "Die Wichtelmänne," this tale has made numerous appearances in contemporary pop culture. In the Harry Potter series, for example, house elves like Dobby (pictured) look after human wizards and are never seen again once given clothing, just as in the Grimm story.
Author: Sarah Hucal
ct/eg (with dpa)
DW recommends
Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont released from jail in Germany
Puigdemont's €75,000 bail fee has been met and the former Catalan leader has left detention in Germany. He could still be extradited to Spain on charges of misusing state funds. (06.04.2018)
Why Little Red Riding Hood is caught between innocence and sexuality
Is Little Red Riding Hood just a naive little girl? Only in the tale by the German Brothers Grimm. In older versions of the story, she flirts and the wolf seduces her. Here's a look at various Little Red Riding Hoods. (29.11.2016)
10 classic German children's books
Germans are very attached to the books they grew up with as children, which is why they often end up reading these classics to their own kids later on. Here are some of the country's most famous authors. (13.12.2017)
Related Subjects Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont
Keywords Bibabutzemann, Children's songs, Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2wAYz
The iconic figures in 'One Night in Miami'
Regina King's film "One Night in Miami" imagines what happened on the night Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke hung out together in 1964.
A refugee's graphic journey to a better world
"Temple of Refuge" illustrates Iraqi-Kurdish migrant Sartep Namiq's journey to Berlin. It was commissioned with the help of a unique organization.
Why 200-year-old shanty songs embody the spirit of 2021
TikTok has turned "Wellerman," a 19th-century sea shanty, into a viral hit. The collective musical experience expresses the hopes and pain of our pandemic world.
Art to lighten COVID-19 vaccination
When the Bottrop coronavirus vaccination center opens, people will be in for what is a rare treat theses days: a sculpture exhibition in the middle of the vast hall.
Darknet: More than a cybercrime network
Drug dealers, contract killers, pedophiles: The darknet is too often associated with crime. But it's also an essential space for freedom of expression.


Most of the folklore that I keep posting on this blog is from what I can recall as far as my memory allows me to. I had a teacher back in school, Ms. Aryama, who used to teach us Sanskrit, and she oft-times talked about the mirroring nature of human beings; as to how humans are just like mirrors, and how our own behavior can go a long way in influencing the opposite person's reaction to your opinions and beliefs.
Be the change you want to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Gandhi.
She wanted us to behave in the same manner we wished our colleagues or acquaintances to behave in, in order to get them mirror our own spirit and soul.
I was a fan of this philosophy ever since, but the story she used to narrate this was rather weird, to like it or not, as I usually emphasize, is rather subjective, but the point here is it stuck, and that made all the difference.
nce a king wanted, as kings usually want, to do something substantial. We all seek an escape from oblivion; art, writing and architecture are merely some ways we can get any close.
He thus contemplated and settled on an idea of arranging a painting competition as a quest to find out the best painter in his kingdom. Time passes him by a few days and he decided upon two finalists that would, for a month each, stay in one of the palace's luxurious halls as the king's guest and spend their days painting to win, a prize, of course, and then their is, moral gratification.
But wait, what if they cheat? They could've looked at each other's work because they were in the same hall and so the king decided to put a circular curtain around both of their work-spaces.
Thirty long days, it was autumn, the first painter could've been painting drawing conscious inspiration from the window he was near to. We couldn't really guess what the second painter was up to, though, this guy was rather elusive.
The king walked up to them to decide upon which of the two masterpieces would hang behind the walls of the throne for the others to feast their eyes to. The first painter revealed his work.
Jaw dropping realism and attention was paid even to the minutest of details.
And when the second painter removed his curtains, every single soul present around was flabbergasted. Not a word was spoken for what seemed like eternity. Because what the second painter had drawn, was exactly the same as the first one! In fact, it was actually better.
The second painting had a characteristic shine to it that the first one lacked.
But, it was impossible to cheat! Was one of them sneaking around? Negative, the guards, who were appointed on duty to prevent this mishap, but apparently had failed, confirmed. The king, now confused, frustrated and baffled, took to inquiring the two. The second painter explained what had he been doing for the past month.
I didn't paint anything. All I was doing was polishing the surface I should've been drawing on. I kept on doing this till the curtains were lifted. My canvas, by now, had become a mirror. When this mirror witnessed the first man's work, and because the painting was a masterpiece and of great quality, it absorbed and embraced it.
Polish our inner selves to get them to be like mirrors, so that the next time we see a good quality, the mirror within us embraces it and the quality becomes one with our own self.


Janet McFarland is the real estate reporter for The Globe and Mail's Report on Business, with a focus on residential real estate trends. She joined Report on Business in 1995, and has specialized in reporting on corporate governance, executive compensation, pension policy, business law, securities regulation and enforcement of white-collar crime.
In 2002, she was instrumental in launching the Globe's Board Games project, an annual review of corporate governance practices of Canada's largest companies. Janet has also written extensively on issues related to women in leadership. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Carleton University, and has received a number of awards for her work. She has been nominated six times for National Newspaper Awards and has won twice. She has also received three nominations for Michener Awards, which are granted annually by Canada's Governor General to recognize excellence in public service journalism.
Janet was awarded a Southam Fellowship under a program allowing journalists to spend a year studying at the University of Toronto. In 2014, she was the inaugural winner of the Landsberg Award, presented by the Canadian Journalism Foundation and the Canadian Women's Foundation to recognize a journalist giving greater profile to women's equality issues. Before joining the Globe, Janet was a reporter at The Financial Post and The Winnipeg Free Press.


Our home décor ideas and home accessories are all in the details! Those little accents can give your home a whole new look with a special personal touch. The right decorations and home accessories create balance and harmony. At the same time, a quirky little detail perks you up if you're low on energy. Ironing is so much more fun on a multi-patterned ironing board cover for example. Let your imagination run riot, and go for striking home décor, accents and accessories from Gudrun!


Are you searching for a residential heating contractor in the Frederick, MD area? If so, you've come to the right place! Our highly trained team of technicians can help you with all of your heating system needs, including: gas furnaces, electric furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, ductless mini splits, etc. A professional heating contractor must know about a range of heaters and be capable of providing an array of services, from new installations to maintenance and fast repairs.
Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing has served Frederick, MD, Montgomery County, Maryland and the vicinity since 1995. We handle all types of central heating systems for households, and we're dedicated to customer satisfaction. All our technicians are fully trained experts on every major brand. We back up our work with a 5 year service guarantee, included with our USA Club membership!
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The first step toward great heating is calling our experts to schedule an appointment to find the ideal system to meet your needs. We can replace an older heater with a top-of-the-line current model, and we can install the first heater for a new house.
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We'll have a great technician out to your home to diagnose what's ailing the heater. No matter the type, no matter the brand, our experts can find a solution to restore your heating.
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We take pride in doing each job right the first time, and in hiring only the best technicians. Everyone at Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing wants you and your family in Frederick, MD to enjoy comfortable winters with few worries. We'll take care of all your heating needs, whether you want a new gas furnace or you have a heat pump that won't do the job you expect from it. If your heater is currently running fine, call us to sign up for maintenance—we'll make it run even better!
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The Tall Guy is a 1989 British romantic comedy and the feature film debut of screenwriter Richard Curtis and director Mel Smith. It was produced by London Weekend Television for theatrical release and stars Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson. Curtis's script draws from his experiences as straight man to long-time collaborator Rowan Atkinson.

Plot
The protagonist and narrator is Dexter King (Goldblum), an American actor working in London and living platonically in Camden Town with his "educated, charming... nymphomaniac" landlady (played by Geraldine James). He has just finished his sixth year playing "The Tall Guy", a straight man in a two-man, long-running comedy revue starring (and dominated by) Ron Anderson (Rowan Atkinson, playing a role based on himself).

Chronic hay fever prompts him to see a doctor, where he meets and falls quickly in love with Kate (played by Emma Thompson), who works there as a nurse.

Soon after meeting Kate, Dexter is fired by Ron. After being rejected for a role in a new Steven Berkoff play for "lacking anger", Dexter wins the title role in a new Royal Shakespeare Company musical based on The Elephant Man. It's "a sparkily nasty send-up of Andrew Lloyd Webber" called Elephant! which features a song called "He's Packing His Trunk" and a finale which ends with the lyric "Somewhere up in heaven there's an angel with big ears!"

During rehearsal, Dexter succumbs to the advances of a married co-star (played by Kim Thomson). On the new musical's opening night, Kate puts together evidence of the affair from a few subtle clues, and leaves Dexter without further ado.

After seeing a scene in a televised award show that suggests Ron is now dating Kate, Dexter impulsively gives up his role in Elephant! just before the curtain rises, with plans to make an impassioned plea to Kate to take him back. With Ron's involuntary help (Dexter ties him up in his dressing room and steals his car), Dexter presents his case to Kate in a busy hospital ward. Kate agrees to give him another chance.

Cast
The cast includes:

 Jeff Goldblum as Dexter King
 Rowan Atkinson as Ron Anderson
 Emma Thompson as Kate Lemmon
 Geraldine James as Carmen
 Anna Massey as Mary
 Kim Thomson as Cheryl
 Hugh Thomas as Dr. Karabekian
 Emil Wolk as Cyprus Charlie
 Tim Barlow as Mr. Morrow
 Harold Innocent as Timothy
 Joanna Kanska as Tamara
 Angus Deayton as Actor in Agent's Office
 Jason Isaacs as 2nd Doctor

The film also includes cameo appearances from John Inman, Melvyn Bragg, Suggs, Jonathan Ross and director Mel Smith.

Production
Principal photography occurred in 1988. Nearly twenty years later, Mel Smith, calling his directorial debut the high point of his career, commented on the directing experience:  "I didn't know enough about the film business, and so it seemed wonderfully easy."

Critical reception
Upon its September 1990 US release, Entertainment Weekly gave it a B−, describing it as "mildly charming and mostly too broad" and accusing it of overplaying "Dexter's dorkiness in the same way it overplays the big sex scene, the romantic montage, the breakup scene…" Caryn James of The New York Times wrote "even when its bright theatrical satire gives way to men dressed as nuns dancing in wimples and red sequined shorts, this modest comedy is always wickedly endearing, thanks to the off-kilter characters played by Mr. Goldblum and Emma Thompson as the unlikely woman of his dreams." Roger Ebert called the film a "sweet, whimsical and surprisingly intelligent comedy" whose "last third ...turns into a hilarious sendup of the modern musical" that "must be the funniest deliberately bad play in a movie since Mel Brooks' "Springtime for Hitler" in The Producers." The Deseret News called it a "most uneven romantic comedy," saying "If you're a Monty Python fan, lower your expectations a notch. We're more in Benny Hill territory here....The highlights here are easily the staged "Elephant!" sequences, with some very funny sendups of the gargantuan musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber."

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 20 reviews and an average rating of 6.7/10. In a 2003 mid-career retrospective about Richard Curtis, The Guardian described the film as being "patronised in one sense by critics while not patronised in the other by audiences.". It also identified several tropes from The Tall Guy that would be utilised in his subsequent romantic comedies, (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love Actually):
 romantic lightning strikes that "Curtis seems to believe in as much as any figure in history apart from Cupid";
 the "willingness to sacrifice realism to a gag" (e.g. turning cartwheels in front of a giant Moon to show that Dexter is in love);
 the "wacky but wise" flatmate;
 the use of eccentric obscenities (e.g. Ron's question "What in the name of Judas Iscariot's bumboy is going on?").

Soundtrack
The score is by Peter Brewis. The soundtrack also includes Labi Siffre's "It Must Be Love", performed by Madness. The film features a montage in which various characters sing along to this song, and which includes a cameo by Madness frontman Suggs. Other tracks include "Let the Heartaches Begin" (Long John Baldry), "Heartbreak Hotel" (Sam Williams), "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Crying in the Rain" (both performed by Phil Pope).

Home video
According to WorldCat, the film was released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1990 by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. It was released on VHS in the UK by Virgin Vision, and on DVD in 2003 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

References

External links

1989 films
1989 romantic comedy films
British romantic comedy films
Films about actors
Films directed by Mel Smith
Films set in London
Films with screenplays by Richard Curtis
Working Title Films films
1989 directorial debut films
1980s English-language films
1980s British films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Dimez to play alongside celebrities in first NBA 2K League Showcase
On Thursday, July 26, the NBA 2K League will host their inaugural NBA 2K League Showcase in what they describe as a tournament featuring "professional NBA 2K League players and influencers from the worlds of sports and entertainment in a quick-hitting, single elimination format."
Hosted in the same NBA 2K League studios in New York City, the tournament will feature four teams. Each team will consist of one NBA 2K League player and four other celebrities or influencers in the sports world.
One of the NBA 2K League players headlining their own team is none other than the point guard from Mavs Gaming, Dimez.
Dimez will man the point guard spot for Team Dimez and will be surrounded by four other celebrities and influencers. One of his teammates is seven-time NBA champion, Robert Horry, while another one of his teammates is the broadcaster of the NBA 2K League, Dirk.
I asked Dimez if he knows about Robert Horry's skills in the game and he admitted he doesn't, but knows who will be getting that last shot.
"That I do not know [on Horry's gaming skills], but I do know he is one of the most clutch players to ever play the game," Dimez said. "It is good to have him on my team in case we come down to the last shot…he is getting that last shot for sure."
I will be playing in the First Ever @NBA2KLeague Showcase Event Live this Thursday @ 7pm EST. Tune in! How did they let all of us get on 1 team? Y'all know what time it is! LETS GET THIS 🏆 ❗❗❗@RKHorry @FilayMovement @PrettyLovesPink @Dirk_JDR 💯 pic.twitter.com/apBJkWnXgM
— Dimez (@DatBoyDimez) July 25, 2018
But don't dismiss the broadcaster in Dirk, Dimez is thrilled to have another guy on his team who understands the game.
"I have Dirk who plays 2K and is the caster of the league," Dimez said. "He knows a lot about the game."
Rounding out Team Dimez is Filayyy and PrettyLovesPink.
The league will get underway Thursday evening at 5:00 p.m. CT on twitch.tv/nba2kleague where Team Dimez will square off against Team oFab of Celtics Crossover Gaming.
The other first round game in the tournament will take place directly after the first matchup and will be headlined by Compete from the Jazz and Adam from the Knicks. After both first round games, there will be a final match taking place between the two winning teams.
Other celebrities/influencers taking part in the event are Ronnie2K, NickTheBullsFan, and former NBA champion, Brian Scalabrine. There will also be four female NBA 2K players taking part in the event.
Follow along with Dimez starting at 5:00 p.m. CT and the championship game at 7:00 p.m. CT. All games will be broadcasted live on twitch.tv/nba2kleague.


The 26-year-old batsman/off-spinner has snapped the tendon in his finger and will need to wear a splint to keep it immobile for the next twelve weeks.
It definitely rules him out for the whole of the Steelbacks' campaign in the Vitality Blast which starts on July 4.
"The splint will keep the finger still – because if it bends in the first eight weeks, the process will have to start again," Keogh explains.
"It will then need to go into another cast for a further four weeks, so that takes us nearly to the end of the season.
"I'm absolutely gutted to be missing so much cricket, especially the Twenty20.
"I had one of my better seasons personally in the competition last year. All the players enjoy T20 – trying to get to finals day with that terrific atmosphere.
Keogh took an important catch to send Andre Russell on his way in the Semi- Final against Notts and then went on to hit the winning runs when the Steelbacks beat Durham in the 2016 T20 Blast final at Edgbaston.
NCCC Head Coach David Ripley commented: "I feel for Rob because his season hasn't really got going with injury through the pre-season period, and now another injury that's ended his campaign.
"He's started his spell on the sidelines with a very positive response in how he can still continue to work on his bowling - and as also support the rest of the lads in practice and pre-match preparation.


Description: High performance thermally broken curtain wall system, 2 1/2" wide. Glass is sealed on both exterior and interior surface. Mullion sections available in 4" (101.6mm), 5 1/4" (133.4mm) and 6 5/8" (168.275mm) depths.
Glazing: 8200 Series is an exterior glazed system that accepts 1/4" (6mm) single glass, 1/2" (12.7mm) and 1" (25mm) sealed units.


text:
Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe Kids
Shop by Celebrity: Michael Stipe X
Red Star (As worn by Michael Stipe of R.E.M) Children's T-shirt
Trust The Media (As Worn By Michael Stipe, R.E.M.) Kids T-Shirt
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Go to the create account page and fill in your personal information and credit card information. If you are a visitor, you can use your temporary address in Copenhagen. Remember your username and your password, you will need them when you go for a bike ride.
How do I change subscription?
Log in to your account using you username/email and your password. To change subscription, select 'Subscription' under 'My account' and choose your preferred subscription. If you change from pay as you go to monthly subscription, you will start paying the monthly fee the day you change to monthly subscription.
Log in to your account using you username/email and your password. Under 'My account', you can choose 'Deativate account'. This deletes any subscriptions you have with us, and you will no longer be able to log into your account. Bycyklen keeps your trip data for up to 5 years for statistics purposes.


Come and join KARI's Changing Lives Larapinta Trek and help raise funds to continue our mission. KARI aims to build strength in families and services for Aboriginal Australians with the funds from this trek.
Located in the Northern Territory, the Larapinta Trail stretches 223 kilometres along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges and is regarded as one of Australia's premier walking tracks.
This trek allows you the opportunity to challenge yourself and test your limits as you travel across the Red Centre. One of the world's oldest river systems will be by your side as you follow Aboriginal Dreaming tracks.
At night you get to fall asleep to the sounds of native wildlife under a blanket of stars.
The trek runs over the course of a week from the 10th of September-16th of September.
The funds you raise through the Changing Lives Larapinta Trek will assist KARI with the expansion of our programs. KARI aims to expand these programs in Western Sydney and Metro Sydney Regions.
These much needed funds will mean that we will be able to offer our holistic service and programs to all children and young people in our care.
If you would like to register to take on the adventure and challenge yourself, click here.


It's winter here in my part of the globe and a COLD winter it is. Over the past few weeks we have been experiencing unusually low temperatures for our region. When the weather gets like this I switch into to "warming" mode, which means that I focus on keeping my body as warm as possible and protecting against seasonal cold and flu.
I typically increase my intake of teas. However, this week I decided that I also felt inclined to add soups and hearty oatmeal. There is something that is comforting for me about warm, hearty oatmeal on a cold, winter morning. Because I am conscious of my sugar and carb intake, due to my challenges with PCOS and Insulin Resistance, I don't really trust the conventional store brands of oatmeal. I have found that most of them contain ingredients that are unhealthy for me like high fructose corn syrup, added sugars, and have a high carb load.
I'm excited to share this recipe with you! Give it a try and let me know how it turned out for you.
Once the liquid begins to "bubble" turn off heat.
So go ahead and give it a try! Then leave me a message to let me know how it went. I'd love to hear from you.


LANSING - Winter isn't going to go quietly.
Just days after the region basked in 70-degree-plus temperatures, a storm system sweeping in from the central and northern plains will bring a mix of rain, freezing rain, snow and even thunderstorms to the Lansing area, forecasters said.
Rain could start developing on Tuesday night, with a wintry mix likely on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said.
The region could see up to a half-inch of snow and up to a tenth of an inch of ice from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday afternoon, said Wayne Hoepner, a forecaster for the weather service in Grand Rapids.
Thunderstorms are possible Thursday night and Friday morning, the weather service said. And Thursday will be windy, with gusts from the east of up to 30 mph.
Don't expect a return of last weekend's warmth anytime soon.
Highs will stay in the 50s on Thursday and Friday, falling into the high 40s over the weekend. For the most part, lows will range from the low to mid-30s.
Lower Michigan will get only a glancing blow from the potent, late-season storm expected to bring blizzard conditions to the central and northern plains.
Parts of the Upper Peninsula could get six or more inches of snow along with some freezing rain on Thursday, the weather service said.


Max Lithium garden cultivator is ideal for cultivating garden beds, landscape beds and weeding. Also preps beds for planting and prepping dry and dead spots for seeding. The lithium battery allows the user to cultivate up to 325 sq. ft. of planted beds between charges, while ensuring long lasting battery life. 18 volt cordless power for quick and easy weeding and aeration. No more tangled weeds thanks to counter oscillating tines. Lightweight (8.1lbs) upright design helps lessen arm fatigue while cultivating.