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A Wishlist for the Post-Covid-19 Era: A Better Workplace for All
The article by Viswanathan Rajendran, a partner with Kearney, looks at eight precursors playing out today that can positively influence the workplace of the future.
ETHRWorld Contributor
Viswanathan Rajendran, Partner, Kearney
By Viswanathan Rajendran
The post-Covid-19 workplace could be more enlightened, joyful, flexible, and less biased. Even as we struggle to survive the enormous struggles of today's crisis, the foundations for a better tomorrow are getting built in parallel.
The last two months of near-global lockdown have helped corporations and individuals gain a new perspective on the meaning of work and how work gets done. The constraints imposed by Covid-19 and the new sustained habits and practices developed during this time can shape the future of work in many ways. In this article, we look at eight precursors playing out today that can positively influence the workplace of the future.
1. A Reimagined Employer-Employee Compact: Work in the 20th century was guided by the Scientific Management principles discovered by Frederick Winslow Taylor in the 19th century American steel mills: "It is only through enforced standardization of methods, enforced adoption of the best implements and working conditions, and enforced cooperation that faster work can be assured. And the duty of enforcing the adoption of standards and enforcing this cooperation rests with the management alone". The startup movement and the growth of knowledge work challenged several Taylorian principles. The Covid-19 crisis will accelerate the shift from 'enforced standardization, adoption, and cooperation' to 'enlightened collaboration, trust, agility, and creativity'.
2. The new Office is the "no Office": The daily rhythm of working in an office, commuting to work, and living the '9-5 life' has shaped humanity in unimaginable ways – in the design of our cities, in traffic patterns and the associated pollution, in urban diets, in sleep patterns, and in the increasing levels of stress that individuals face. With no physical meetings and no physical employee supervision, the past two months have helped organizations develop a new perspective on the role of the office as a "physical workspace". As we emerge from this crisis, many organizations will institutionalize some form of Work from Home more permanently and offices will morph into flexible collaboration spaces, with far-reaching positive outcomes for all humanity.
3. The Rise of Women: Germany's Angela Merkel, Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen, and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern have emerged as role models of leadership in the Covid-19 era. More broadly, Covid-19 is helping dismantle some aspects of the old boys' club, "after-work" networks, and other barriers that hindered the progress of women. Unfortunately, the current reality is that Covid-19 has possibly accentuated domestic violence and led to a further uneven distribution of domestic chores for women. However, there is reason for a sliver of hope that when get to the end of this crisis, women could potentially return to a workplace that is flexible, less biased, and more friendly.
4. Time to Shine for Introverts: An enduring cliché of the past 50 years is that "Words represent just 7% of human communication, tone of voice accounts for 38%, and the remaining 55% comes from nonverbal sources, such as body language and facial expressions." A veritable industry has grown to help people develop better networking skills, a better social presence, a firmer handshake, a wider smile, more direct eye contact, a sense of fashion, and other aspects of appearance and body language. As the world gets used to a higher degree of virtual work, there is hope that content precedes form, with what you say and how you perform getting valued 93% and how you look getting valued only 7%.
5. Work-Life Integration: Every day of the past two months has been a "Bring Your Child to Work" day. Organizations have adapted to the new norm of children and pets appearing in virtual meetings. Teams are scheduling work flexibly to help members integrate household chores and child-care into the course of the day. The boundaries blurred by this crisis can lead to a more permanent "Work-Life Integration", with individuals regaining agency over their work, their life, and more importantly, their time.
6. Digital Everywhere, Automation in Everything: Over the last two years, there were some signs of peaking hype cycles for 'Digital Transformation', 'AI/ML', 'Automation', '3D Printing' and other technologies. However, the Covid-19 crisis will now further accelerate the digital transformation of societies and organizations. Societies and organizations will adopt digital technologies, automation, and autonomous systems in all aspects of human life and work.
7. The Era of Continuous Learning: The greatest global concern about digital transformation has been the potential for loss of jobs. Societies have grappled with the challenge of reskilling an entire generation of workers to adapt to the digital world. The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated our transition to an era of continuous learning. Online digital learning platforms can emerge as a daily fixture for an increasing proportion of proactive workers looking to adapt to the new world of disruption.
8. The Challenge to Workplace Orthodoxies: A persistent orthodoxy of the management consulting industry is the belief that consultants need to travel five days a week. For the sales industry, it is the belief that high value deals get closed in face-to-face meetings. The Covid-19 crisis will challenge these and other orthodoxies. The challenges of this crisis can drive us to make wiser choices, force a rethink on what really matters, improve our work lives, and help attain greater levels of joy at work.
Some of these themes may not pan out, and the world could go back to some of its pre-Covid ways. However, it's worth remembering that the history of humanity's progress is a story of the triumph of hope over despair. And at this moment of despair, there are great reasons for us to hope for and to envision a better society and a better workplace at the end of this crisis.
The author, Viswanathan Rajendran, is a partner with Kearney. Views expressed are personal.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHRWorld does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHRWorld will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.
viswanathan rajendran
post-covid-19 era


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Convention on Gender Violence Draws Backlash in Bulgaria
January 5, 2018 by Cup&Cross
Filed under Featured, Missions, News
Moves to ratify the so-called Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe are encountering strong opposition both from parties in the Bulgarian government and the opposition.
Members of the Bulgarian government and of the main opposition Socialist Party have joined forces to oppose the government's decision to pass the so-called Istanbul Convention on gender-based violence to parliament for ratification.
The cabinet approved a national program for prevention of domestic violence on Wednesday, and, as a part of it, advised MPs to ratify the Council of Europe's convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which was adopted in Istanbul in 2011. Following the government session, however, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of social and economic policies, Valeri Simeonov, from the nationalist United Patriots, told the media that eight of the 21 ministers had voted against the document.
"Not only the United Patriots [who have four ministers] but eight ministers voted against," he said. The names of the ministers who opposed the convention will be revealed on Friday, when the minutes of the cabinet meeting are published. The plan to pass the Convention, which Bulgaria signed in April 2016, for ratification in parliament, drew sharp criticism especially from one of the parties from the United Patriots Coalition, VMRO.
On December 28, the party, led by the Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister, Krasimir Karakachanov, published a statement which claimed that, through the convention, "international lobbies are pushing Bulgaria to legalize the 'third gender'.
The party declared itself firmly against the document, which it accused of "introducing school programs for studying homosexuality and transvestism and creating opportunities for enforcing same-sex marriages". Over 30 civil and religious organizations had sent an open letter to Karakachanov, urging him not to allow ratification of the convention. As a result, he said, he had given a negative opinion of what he called the "scandalous text". What has most upset nationalists is mention of the term "gender" as a social construct as opposed to the biological "sex" in the text of the document, although the explanatory report to the convention notes: "The term 'gender' … is not intended as a replacement for the terms 'women' and 'men.'"
Tags: backlash, Bulgaria, convention, draws, gender, violence

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It gives me blurred vision trying to decipher how Ann Widdecombe's post-political renaissance ever successfully appealed to the British public. Stompy dancing on Strictly? Loveable! Moaning about the lack of food on Sugar Free Farm? Just like us!
Because Widdecombe isn't just like us. She made a lucrative political career out of peddling destructive views: she is anti-abortion, pro-capital punishment, anti gay rights, anti-civil partnerships, against the equal age of consent and anti-gay adoption. Widdecombe even supported a move to shackle pregnant prisoners in hospital.
That's all water under the bridge for viewers of Celebrity Big Brother, however: a barrage of public votes Widdecombe has decided that she will be in the final of this year's series.
The former Tory MP, 70, is up against Shane Jenek, 36, reality TV star Jess Impiazzi, 28, former Boyzone member Shane Lynch, 41, and dancer Wayne Sleep, 69 in tomorrow night's live final.
Widdecombe has mostly been tempered into a figure of fun by the housemates- a loveable battle axe. Thank God Widdecombe's views have not been completely swept under the carpet during the series, thanks to Courtney Act.
The former RuPaul's Drag Race star, real name Shane Jenek, has artfully challenged Widdecombe during their three weeks in the house together.
I think this stint on Celebrity Big Brother may have reminded viewers that Widdecombe is more sinister than her 'reality TV' persona has let on.


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You guys… Sticking to the Whole30 plan is hard. It may be one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It's not really the in-your-face temptations like pizza and cheesecake and soda that trip me up. It's the little habits I have like putting a little milk in my coffee or butter on my baked potato or ketchup on my…well, everything. There are a few Whole30 convenience products that make it just a little bit easier to succeed. And as a busy working mom of four, I need all the help I can get.
This article contains affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.
After the "egg incident," (you can read all about that here: Thirty Days of Whole30 – Day Four (A Setback, I wasn't sure I would survive the Whole30 at all. Eggs have always been a staple of my diet, and I had no idea what to make for breakfast without them. After discovering I can't have them any more, I ate Larabars for breakfast for several days until I came up with a new plan. I still eat them occasionally when I find myself unprepared or just in a hurry in the mornings. They're a great afternoon snack, too, when you just need something to make it over the 3 o'clock slump. Be sure to read the ingredients list to make sure the flavor you choose is Whole30-compliant. I know the Cherry Pie, Key Lime Pie and Coconut Cream Pie varieties are.
I drink a lot of water, and I don't mind it. But there are days I just want something different. Perrier (in the glass bottles) is my go-to bubbly water of choice, but I also like Hint and La Croix when I want something with flavor. All of these sparkling waters are free of real or artificial sweeteners.
Remember when I said I put ketchup on everything? Tessemae's Ketchup is Whole30-approved and a real life-saver. The kids even eat with it without complaints. I like to slice up some sweet potato fries with my Mandoline, toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, bake them and the drizzle them with Tessemae's Ketchup. It feels like I'm cheating on the Whole30, but everything is completely compliant.
Do you see a pattern here? Tessemae's carries some of my favorite Whole30 convenience products. They make a ton of great Whole30-approved dressings, sauces and condiments. If you haven't tried them, you definitely need to check them out. The closest store to me that sells it is kind of a long drive, so I buy things like Tessemae's Mayonnaise in bulk on Amazon because we go through a ton of it. Even though my stomach can't handle eggs, it still loves mayo, and Tessemae's Mayonnaise is something I will keep in my life even after the Whole30 because it's just so dang good and much healthier than the other brands out there. It plays a big role in my Loaded Whole30 & Paleo Tuna Salad.
We are big fans of ethic food around this house. You name it, we eat it. But I really can't fathom Asian food without soy sauce. Thankfully, these coconut aminos are a perfect substitute for soy sauce. I dump drizzle it over my cauliflower rice stir fry bowls. I also use it in recipes that would normally call for Worcestershire sauce, like my Whole30 & Paleo Spiced Pumpkin Chili. It's a real life-saver. Because who wants to make homemade Worcestershire sauce? Not this girl.
I don't really know what to say about this stuff except for MMMMMM…. I put a dollop on my baked sweet potatoes along with ghee and cinnamon. What's ghee, you say? Well, hold your horses because it's next. I also add organic coconut butter to smoothies to give them a little more depth of flavor, and I've been known to eat it right out of the jar because it's just so darned good.
Ghee is basically butter with the milk solids removed and one of my favorite Whole30 convenience products. It's shelf-stable, tasty and can tolerate higher temperatures than butter. I used to cook my eggs in it before I had to stop eating them. I use it as cooking fat and also on anything that I would put butter on (which is everything, right?) like Day One's Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Butter, Nutmeg and Cinnamon.
I sometimes use Epic Beef Tallow as an alternative to olive oil or coconut oil because it has a high smoke point and it adds depth of flavor to certain dishes. It is very rich and melts easily. Make sure you buy grass fed beef tallow and try it in my Whole30 Spiced Pumpkin Chili.
When I'm in a hurry to make dinner, I brown some ground beef and chopped onions and mix in some pre-made marinara sauce. Let everything simmer for 10 minutes or so to heat up the sauce. Then, add zoodles right before it's all finished. Voila! You have a quick, easy and tasty Whole30 meal in 20 minutes. I found Victoria Trading Company makes some Whole30-compliant marina sauce sold at Walmart, or you can also get Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce on Amazon.
It's not actually one of the Whole30 Convenience Products and it may sound like a no-brainer, but if you don't have The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, you need it. The first time I tried the Whole30 plan, I had only read It Starts with Food, which is super-informative and necessary if you want all of the details and science behind the diet. But I didn't have a solid plan in mind when I began my first time around, and I failed. This time around, I am using The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, and it has been a total game-changer. It provides some great background information from It Starts with Food but also includes recipes, a short meal plan, and the knowledge necessary to create your own meal plans.
If you don't have these Whole30 convenience products on hand, take my word for it and go get them before you begin your Whole30! You can thank me later.
What are your favorite Whole30 convenience products? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below.
Check out this Whole30 MEGA starter kit at my new favorite site, Barefoot Provisions!
I love your website and all your Pinterest boards. Can't wait to try your recipes! P.S. Larabars have a lot of sugar:( Alternative bars?


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Malvaceae Juss.
Triumfetta Plum. ex L.
Triumfetta annua L.
This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & S. Africa, Madagascar, Indian Subcontinent to S. China and Peninsula Malaysia.
According to Flora Zambesiaca
[FZ]
Tiliaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 2:1. 1963
Annual 10–60 cm. tall; young stems with a sparse pubescence of simple hairs and a short crisped pubescence in a single line or two opposite lines down the stem.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina 3–12 × 2–7 cm., ovate, becoming narrower upwards, acutely acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base, coarsely serrate or crenate, membranous, sparingly setulose-pubescent above and below; petiole up to 7·5 cm. long, with a line of crisped pubescence on the upper side; stipules c. 5 mm. long, subulate or lanceolate setulose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences of small cymes 1–5 together clustered at the nodes; peduncles of cymes usually very short, up to 2 mm. long, puberulous along one side; pedicels similar, 0·5 to 2 mm. long; bracts c. 2 mm. long, lanceolate to subulate, setulose-pubescent at least on the margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 2·5–5 mm. long, linear, sparingly setulose-pubescent particularly towards the apex or almost glabrous; sub-apical horn up to 0·5 mm. long, with one or several setulose hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, slightly shorter than the sepals, oblanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, minutely ciliate at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androgynophore
Androgynophore very short, c. 0·2 mm. long, glands subquadrate; annulus with its margin reflexed and sparingly ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4–12.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary depressed-globose, echinulate, 4-locular.
Fruit c. 15 mm. in diam. including the aculei, depressed-globose, glabrous or with some weak hairs on the body of the fruit and the base of the aculei, fruit body deeply reticulate; aculei c. 60 per fruit, 3–5 mm. long, broadening at the base, uncinate and slightly flexuous particularly when young.
Tiliaceae, C. Whitehouse, M. Cheek, S. Andrews & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2001
Annual or short-lived perennial (0.3–)0.6–1(–2) m tall; stems solitary, yellowish, 1.5–2.5(–4) mm wide, at first densely covered in crisped hairs ± confined to 1–2 longitudinal lines, becoming glossy at length, occasionally with prickles at the base.
Leaves shortly ovate to elliptic, rarely slightly 3-lobed, (1.3–)3–9.5(–11.5) cm long, (1.1–)2–6 cm wide, apex acute to acuminate, base slightly cordate to obtuse, lacking conspicuous glands, margin coarsely serrate-crenate, membranous, subscabrid to glabrous, hairs simple; petiole (8–)18–35(–45) mm long, usually hairy as the stem, on upper surface only; stipules linear, 4.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, slightly hairy.
Inflorescences axillary, from uppermost nodes of the stem, internodes ± 50 mm long, cymes 3–7 at each node, subopposite the leaf, 3-flowered; peduncles 2–3(–6) mm long; bracts 2(–6) mm long, as stipules; pedicels ± 1.5 mm long.
Sepals oblanceolate, (2–)3–5.5(–7) mm long, 0.75–1.5 mm wide, apical spine l.25(–0.5) mm long.
Petals broadly spathulate, ± 3 mm long, 2 mm wide, claw slightly hairy at base; stamens 4–8.Fruit dehiscent, spherical to subellipsoid, 11–20 mm diameter including spines; surface of fruit body shallowly honeycombed, completely glabrous or inconspicuously hairy with long simple hairs, spines 19–21, each 5–7 mm long, not tapered, hooked, with a single straight bristle at the apex.
Includes 5 images
Andaman Is., Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
Triumfetta nipaulensis G.Don
Triumfetta schimperi Hochst.
Triumfetta trichoclada DC.
Triumfetta triclada Link
Triumfetta annua L. appears in other Kew resources:
Herbarium Catalogue (9 records)
Dec 1, 2003 Biye, E. [86], Cameroon K000746359
May 1, 2002 Cheek, M. [9461], Cameroon K000026369
Feb 1, 2001 Etuge, M. [4737], Cameroon K000746360
Dec 1, 2000 Pollard, B.J. [72], Cameroon K000337696
Schimper [386], Ethiopia K000242056
Medley Wood, J. [4132], South Africa K000242107
Madagascar K000242109
unknown [992], Madagascar K000242110
s.coll. [Cat. no. 1082] Triumfetta trichoclada K001110970
First published in Mant. Pl.: 73 (1767)
Barooah, C. & Ahmed, I. (2014). Plant diversity of Assam. A checklist of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms: 1-599. Assam science technology and environment council, India.
Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Edwards, S., Tadesse, M. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1995). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(2): 1-456. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
Exell, A.W., Fernandes, A. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1963). Flora Zambesiaca 2(1): 1-351. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa an annotated checklist Strelitzia 14: 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Lebrun, J.-P., Audru, J., Gaston, A. & Mosnier, M. (1972). Catalogue des Plantes Vasculaires du Tchad Méridional: 1-289. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.
Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh l?c các loài th?c v?t Vi?t Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà N?i : Nhà xu?t b?n Nông nghi?p.
Mostaph, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Nasir, E. & Ali, S.I. (eds.) (1970-1995). Flora of West Pakistan 1-131.
Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.
Robyns, W. & al. (eds.) (1948-1963). Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi 1-10.
Smitinand, T. & Larsen, K. (eds.) (1993). Flora of Thailand 6(1): 1-80. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.
Troupin, G. (ed.) (1983). Flora du Rwanda 2: 1-603. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.
Whitehouse, C., Cheek, M., Andrews, S. & Verdcourt, B. (2001). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Tiliaceae & Muntingiaceae: 1-120.
Wu, Z., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D. (eds.) (2007). Flora of China 12: 1-534. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590. Smithsonian Institution.
A. Engler & O. Drude, Die Vegetation Der Erde, IX, Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3(2): 367 (1921).
Agnew, A.D.Q. & Agnew, S., Upland Kenya Wild Flowers, ed. 2: 96 (1994).
Cufod., Enumeratio Plantarum Aethiopiae Spermatophyta (Supplement in Bull. Jard. Bot. Brux.) p. 526 (1958).
Excell & Mendonça in Consp. Fl. Angol. 1: 236 (1951).
F. W. Andr., The Flowering Plants of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 1: 227 (1950).
Hanid in A.D.Q. Agnew, Upland Kenya Wild Flowers p. 190 (1974).
K. Schum. in Die Pflanzenwelt Ost-Afrikas und der Nachbargebiete, Theile C: 264 (1895).
L., Mant. Pl. Alt.: i. 73 (1767).
Mast. in Flora of Tropical Africa 1: 256 (1868).
R. Wilczek in Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi,: 53 (1963).
Robyns, Flore des Spermatophytes du Parc National Albert 1: 572 (1948).
Sprague & Hutch. in Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany 39: 268, t. 17/10 (1909).
T.V. Jacobs in Phyton 61: 88, fig. 1b (1997).
Troupin, Fl. Rwanda 2: 376 (1983).
Vollesen in Fl. Eth. 2(2): 160, fig. 79.7/10 (1995).
Vollesen in Opera Bot. 59: 33 (1980).
Wild & Gonç. in Fl. Moçamb. 28: 49 (1969).
Wild in Flora Zambesiaca 2: 75 (1963).
Wild in Flora of Southern Africa 21(1): 25 (1984).
Flora Zambesiaca


Do you plan to buy your first home in Washington in 2019? If so, there are some things you should know about recent mortgage and housing trends. Understanding the current "lay of the land" can improve your chance for success.
To that end, here are five things first-time home buyers in Washington should know in 2019.
1. Home prices have slowed but are still rising.
A couple of years ago, home prices in Washington were rising faster than any other state in the country. Washington led the way in terms of annual price growth, posting double-digit gains from one year to the next.
But things have slowed down a bit since then. According to the latest research by Zillow, the statewide median home value was around $375,000 as of November 2018. That was an increase of around 8% from the same month a year earlier. So while Washington State continues to outpace the nation, the real estate market is "cooling" a bit.
Looking forward, housing analysts have predicted that home prices across the state will most likely continue to rise throughout 2019.
The key takeaway here is that first-time buyers who put off their purchases until later in 2019 could encounter higher prices and reduced affordability.
2. Housing inventory market is growing, finally.
Inventory shortages were the big real estate news story of the last couple of years. Many cities across the country were experiencing a shortage of homes for sale, relative to the number of buyers in the market. Shortages were particularly severe in major cities across the Pacific Northwest, including those in Washington.
Thankfully, we are finally starting to see some inventory growth in cities across Washington. This growth trend is most noticeable within the Seattle metro area, which has long suffered from severe inventory shortages.
This is good news for first-time home buyers in Washington, especially those entering the real estate market in 2019. It means they'll have more properties to choose from, compared to those who purchased during the worst of the shortage. It could also help ease competition among buyers going forward.
3. Mortgage rates have leveled off, but they could inch upward during 2019.
Mortgage rates rose steadily during the first half of 2018, but have since leveled off a bit. Over the last few weeks, the average rate for a 30-year fixed home loan has been hovering in the 4.8% – 4.9% range.
As far as forecasts go, a couple of industry organizations recently predicted that 30-year mortgage rates would average around 5.1% during 2019. So they could climb a bit over the coming months, especially if the economy keeps firing on all cylinders.
4. Mortgage loans are more flexible today than in the past.
A recent report from CoreLogic showed that: "Mortgage credit underwriting eased for both conventional and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) home-purchase loans during the Q2 2018 compared with a year earlier." Another report showed that home loan denial rates have declined steadily for the last seven years.
Both of these trends point to a mortgage industry that has become more flexible. It also underscores the importance of speaking to a knowledgeable loan officer about the many financing options that are available. Please contact us if you have any mortgage-related questions, or if you'd like receive a quote on your next loan.
5. Getting pre-approved for a home loan could increase your chance for success.
In a previous article, we shared a report that showed most first-time buyers in Washington State and nationwide get pre-approved for a mortgage loan before house hunting. It makes sense to start the process in this order, and that's why so many people do it.
Getting pre-approved for a home loan can help you zero in on a specific price range. This in turn can help you narrow down your housing search and expedite the overall process. Please contact us if you have questions about getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan in 2019.
previous post: Will More Seattle Home Buyers Use Down Payment Gifts in 2019?


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New music this week: 20 songs from Frans, Sertab Erener, Tijana Bogicevic and more
Summer is always the quiet period for Eurovision fans as we wait for national finals to start once again. Thankfully, the music will always continue and a number of past Eurovision artists are still producing new songs for us to enjoy.
Contrary to the commonly perpetuated myth about the song contest killing careers, we're always thrilled to report that singers and performers associated with both Eurovision itself and the various national selections are thriving.
Here is a selection of just some of the songs and music videos released in the last week or so.
New music from Eurovision artists: 2020 | Week 27 Part 2
Check out the songs included in our part one roundup here.
Frans – "On A Wave"
Swedish singer Frans has released his first new single of 2020. "On A Wave" will feature on the Eurovision 2016 alum's new album Present, set for release later this month. After a slow intro, "On A Wave" develops into a catchy guitar-driven track – a nice addition to any summer playlist. In a video on Instagram, Frans shared more about the song: "It's this relationship that doesn't really exist, but you convince yourself that it's true and then you just start believing it. As we were doing this song we thought "why not make it nearly too fast", that it became at the end a kind of a tongue twister".
Thankfully we won't have to wait that long before Frans' next release. He'll be releasing two more singles over the next two weeks.
Edsilia Rombley & Kenny B – "Goed Voor Mij"
Two-time Dutch Eurovision star (1998 and 2007) and Europe Shine A Light host Edsilia Rombley has joined forces with Surinamese singer Kenny B for the new song "Goed Voor Mij" ("Good For Me"). A summery tune, the song is marketed in the music video's description as a "catchy duet guaranteed to give a good dose of vitamin D through your speakers". The accompanying music video is full of colour and sees the two stars playing around with various video effects.
Sertab Erener – "Aç Sesini"
Turkey's Sertab Erener has dropped the music video for her new single "Aç Sesini" ("Open Your Voice"). The song comes from her eleventh studio album Ben Yaşarım, which the Eurovision 2003 winner released last month. A mid-tempo pop-rock song, the music video features a cartoon woman and her cheetah going out to protest alongside a group of other women. There's a brief glimpse of the rainbow and lesbian pride flags towards the end.
If you want more from Sertab, she's also recently released a music video for the foot-tapping "Kafanı Yorma" ("Don't Tire Your Head"), which also comes from her new LP.
Freddie – "Mindig itt maradsz"
Since competing at Eurovision 2016, Freddie has continued his music career. Now, the Hungarian singer has released "Mindig itt maradsz" ("You always stay here"). This new song has an indie-rock sound with guitar and drum backing. In the accompanying music video we see Freddie and another woman walking around the city at night, though the two never actually meet at all.
Tijana Bogicevic – "Javna Tajna"
Serbia's Eurovision 2017 star Tijana Bogicevic has continued to build her career since participating at the contest. She's now released the new song "Javna Tajna" ("Public Secret"). It's a smooth mid-tempo track that has some nice jazzy touches to it – we're gifted a saxophone solo three quarters of the way through. The lyric video, shot entirely in black and white, features Bogicevic enjoying the view from her balcony while wearing a baggy shirt.
Ilinca – "Furtuna mea"
Ilinca yodelled her way into our hearts at Eurovision 2017. Now, the Romanian singer has released the new song "Furtuna mea" ("My storm"). It's a well-produced pop track with a danceable post-chorus instrumental that utilises traditional elements. Ilinca sings about remaining by her loved one's side even during stormy conditions: "In the middle of the rain I want your warmth … I choose you to be, I choose you to be my storm". The accompanying music video doesn't feature any inclement weather; instead, we see Ilinca in the middle of a forest alongside a male dancer.
Pastora Soler – "La soledad"
Spanish star Pastora Soler is known for delivering some powerful and emotional ballads. And that's exactly what the Eurovision 2012 artist serves in her new single "La soledad" ("Loneliness"). Originally from her 2019 album Sentir, it might be power ballad by numbers – slow start with a crescendo up to the big note – but Soler delivers it passionately and proves that almost any song can sound majestic with her voice behind it. In the lyrics, the Spanish star asks her partner not to give up on their love and leave her alone: "Loneliness will return without mercy / She will reproach me for your goodbye … Loneliness, loneliness, loneliness hurts".
Chingiz Mustafayev – "Yanıma gəl"
Chingiz Mustafayev's latest single is "Yanıma gəl" ("Come to me"). A slow soul-jazz track, this new song is the sort of track you might put on in background when you just need to sit back and relax. Azerbaijan's Eurovision 2019 act explained more about the single on Instagram:
"There are people in each of our lives that we want to come to us. To touch them, to feel them, to wish them even when they are with you, to live unforgettable moments. Of course, these were special moments. In this song you will find the reflection of your longing and dreaming thoughts."
Konstantin & Sofi Marinova – "Проблем"
Despite loosing out on her spot in the Eurovision 2012 grand final due to a tie break, Sofi Marinova hasn't let that stop her from pushing on with her career. The Bulgarian singer has now collaborated with fellow countryman Konstantin on "Проблем" ("Problems"). It's a Bulgarian-pop track that mixes traditional rhythms in with the production. The music video, which reached #1 trending and has picked up three million views since its release, sees the duo bringing the party to an abandoned factory.
Loukas Yorkas – "Πάμε Απ' Την Αρχή"
Cypriot-singer Loukas Yorkas represented Greece at Eurovision 2011. His new single is "Πάμε Απ' Την Αρχή" ("Let's Go From The Beginning"), which has a traditional Greek sound to it. The music video was shot in one take and sees Yorkas walking around the streets accompanied by a quartet of musicians. He even finds the time to partake in some traditional dancing with the locals.
ohFrank – "Millennial"
Robin Stjernberg sang solo for Sweden at Eurovision 2013. But, he's recently formed the new duo ohFrank with fellow Swede Benjamin Roustaing. Their second single together is "Millennial". It's another fun upbeat track centred around acoustic guitar and percussion instrumentation. As the title suggests, the lyrics of the song play around with the various stereotypes of millennials – a demographic of people born roughly between the early 1980s and late 1990s.
Kenan Doğulu – "Vay Be"
Last month, Eurovision 2007 star Kenan Doğulu released the music video for his latest single "Vay Be" ("Wow"). The song is the title track of the Turkish singer's 2018 album and is an atmospheric pop track. The music video centres around a giant orb that levitates out of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul. In the video's description, Doğulu notes:
"It represents the enlightenment that we experience as we go through a period where we have fun, touch our loved ones, roam the streets freely, understand the value of what we have. Of course, we will encounter many things that surprise, upset and change our lives throughout our lives, but I believe that we will overcome all difficulties with love, unity and beautiful energy."
Luminita Anghel – "Se Lasa Noaptea"
Romania first reached the Eurovision podium in 2005 thanks to Luminita Anghel taking home the bronze medal. The star has recently teamed up with composer Mihai Alexandru (who was behind Romania's Eurovision 2017 song "Yodel It"), for the new track "Se Lasa Noaptea" ("It's Getting Dark"). The song has a tropical-jazz feel to it – the type of thing you might expect to be playing in a holiday resort as you lie by the pool sipping a piña colada.
Lena Philipsson – "Han går på vatten"
Eurovision 2004 fifth-place finisher Lena Philipsson continues her music career with the music video for the new single "Han går på vatten" ("He walks on water"). The song comes from the Swedish singer's new album Maria Magdalena, with Philipsson singing about a man who is able to enjoy life to the fullest: "He enjoys every step he takes / He enjoys every second he has / There are no limits to what is possible". In the music video, Philipsson performs some synchronised dancing with three other versions of herself.
Patrick Fiori – "Un air de famille"
Patrick Fiori represented France at Eurovision 1993, ultimately placing fourth. His new single is "Un air de famille" ("A family resemblance"). Starting off with lone ukulele accompaniment, the instrumentation develops into a charming band sound. The lyrics are all about family, with Fiori singing about how these are the people you'll always be there for even after you've flown the nest: "These are the ones we choose / Who keep us alive / In the family / There is you and me / You will be at home".
Giusy Ferreri and Elettra Lamborghini – "La Isla"
Elettra Lamborghini competed at Sanremo 2020, while Giusy Ferreri has participated at the contest three times (2011, 2014 and 2017). Now, the two Italian stars have come together for the song "La Isla" ("The Island"). A pure summer bop, the duo sing about spending the nights with your loved one on a tropical island: "You make me sing / I swear, I don't need anything anymore / If you stay with me, me, me".
Sheppard – "Symphony"
Australian group Sheppard have dropped the new single "Symphony". The Eurovision – Australia Decides 2019 bronze medallists are bringing in the summer with their upbeat indie-pop sound. Lyrically, the song sees lead vocalist George comparing his loved one to the triumphant sound of a full orchestra: "Your heart sings to me / A melody that sets me free / Your love is like a symphony".
Samir & Viktor – "Vad sa du att du hette"
It wouldn't be summer without a new bop courtesy of Swedish duo Samir & Viktor. The three-time Melodifestivalen stars have released "Vad sa du att du hette" ("What did you say you were called"). As always, the track is fun, upbeat and aimed at getting the listener in the party mood. The lyrics centre around Samir & Viktor trying to work out what's going on at the end of a night full of alcohol and dancing: "Oh baby baby s*** / How do I get home with you? / One last shot – oh oh / What did you say you were called babe?".
JÆGER – "Crocodile Killer"
Norwegian singer JÆGER took us to Mars at Melodi Grand Prix 2020. Now, she's released the new single "Crocodile Killer". It's a dark pop song that draws the listener in due to the suspense and sense of mystery surrounding the production. In the lyrics, JÆGER sings about a woman who won't take any prisoners: "Dead in a minute / She haunts you down / She puts you out / Like a crocodile killer".
Achille Lauro (feat. Gow Tribe) – "Bam Bam Twist"
Achille Lauro gained many new fans after his camp and artistic performances at Sanremo 2020. The Italian singer has now released "Bam Bam Twist", again collaborating with producer Gow Tribe. In the music video, Lauro performs on a stage while a couple do the twist on the dance floor. The video delivers a 2020 Italian take on 1960s twist dancing inspired by the classic 1990s film Pulp Fiction. And it's reassuring that there's plenty of social distancing going on between Lauro and his band.
Click on the links below to read our individual articles on other new songs released this week by past Eurovision artists:
Lesley Roy – "Gold"
Tamta – Awake
Stefania – "Friday"
Anja Nissen – "If We Only Had Tonight"
Which of these new songs is your favourite? Have we missed out on any? Do you have any artists you want to shout out to? Let us know in the comments.
Read more new music reviews here
Follow our new music playlist on Spotify
Achille Lauro
Chingiz Mustafayev
Edsilia Rombley
Gow Tribe
Ilinca
Jæger
Kenan Dogulu
Kenny B
Lena Philipsson
Loukas Yorkas
Luminita Anghel
ohFrank
Patrick Fiori
Robin Stjernberg
Samir & Viktor
Sertab Erener
Sofi Marinova
Tijana Bogicevic
Jonathan Vautrey
Jonathan is a Eurovision fan from the United Kingdom and first watched the contest in 2005. After coming across the national selections and junior contest ten years later, he's now fully immersed himself into the Eurovision lifestyle. You can follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JonathanVautrey and Instagram: @jonathanvautrey.
Seven deadly hits: Tamta releases new EP Awake
byAntranig Shokayan
Equinox singer Johnny Manuel survives The Voice Australia Playoffs, as show continues with no live audience
Poll: Who should win semi-final two of Norway's Melodi Grand Prix 2022?
byPablo Nava
Mr Vanilla Bean
Sertab is an excellent reminder of a Turkey much different to the one of its horrendous leader. Still one of my favorite winning artists.
Reply to Mr Vanilla Bean
She is someone who will just follow where the power goes. She used to take part in fundraisers or stuff like that organized by the very same people that turned Turkey into the state it is in today. She was going to take part in the anti-government protests of 2013, but she got scared and cancelled her support concert along with her pro-government buddies. She used to have a very friendly relationship with our quasi-dictator. It was even rumored that she moved to the US with her boyfriend because some high ranking government official thought living together with her boyfriend… Read more »
Reply to revenant
Won't she get in trouble for such a video clip then?
for what? for a video clip that is vaguely talking about standing up against oppression (against whom? minorities? lgbt? and by whom? the government?) and has a rainbow flag? i'm willing to bet the average turkish person (except younger generations who live in the cities) doesn't really know that it's a pride flag.
this clip and song coming from her is such hypocrisy.
i saw "soledad" and got flashbacks to that horrendous overhyped song from supernova 2018
Reply to sam
lol same.
I love Lena Philipsson.
Reply to Jonas
I like that song. Very catchy


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Tag Archives: Online
Zombies at CERN
July 18, 2014 Clara Nellist	Leave a comment
Not everyone who knows me, knows that I like horror films, but I do! In fact, I'm a particular fan of zombie films. I'm such a fan, I even made a feature length one with fellow zombie-loving physicists a few years ago at CERN! Our film is called Decay, and it's named because decay is a word that is appropriate for both the zombie world and the particle physics one (when heavier particles change into lighter ones we say that they decay). It also conjures up images of nuclear decay and a lot of zombie films used radiation as their undead trigger. We were the first ones (as far as we know) to suggest that the dead could rise because of Higgs bosons created at the LHC at CERN! To learn a little more, I've added the trailer below.
We have to be clear that the film has never been endorsed by CERN, since it does have some questionable senior characters. But, they also didn't shut us down, which was great! Since being released for free online less than two years ago, we've had almost four million views on youtube! It just goes to show how much people love (a) zombie films and (b) CERN, especially when it's the two together!
So where's the science in all of this you might ask? Well, there isn't any. At least, we made it all up! We wanted to make fun of all those films with pseudo-science in them so we filled ours to the brim with bio-entanglement physics!
Screenshot of me in Decay, filmed at CERN in 2012.
I've added some screenshots from my moments of stardom in the film (two), although I was actually on-screen a lot more often than you might think, or at least on the set making something happen. As well as pensive physicist and later rampaging zombie, known affectionately as 'Bitey', I also played a computer and a spray of blood.
When I wasn't in front of the camera, I was on set doing something else. We were all amateurs on the film, so there was a lot to do and learn. One of my many hats on set was assistant director and one scene I was able to have a lot of control over was the 'horde scene' near the end of the film (which incidentally was my favourite one!). It was this scene where I had to ask roughly 50 physicists, all of whom had volunteered as zombie extras for us for the day, if any of them knew if they had a latex allergy!
The film got a lot of fantastic media coverage from all over the world! My favourite article title was: "Why a Zombie Movie Made by Physicists is the Best Kind of Science PR" in Slate. Occasionally someone will tell me about the film (unaware that I was involved) and it makes me really happy that people enjoyed it and are still talking about it!
I had a fantastic time making the film (in between the 13 hours sitting in a dark damp tunnel covered in red-coloured maple syrup that is!). I also think it's awesome that I have an IMDb page and that we worked out we each have a defined Erdős–Bacon number of approximately 11!
A screenshot from my IMDb page.
If you want to watch the whole film, I've embedded it below! You can also leave me a comment to let me know what you think! (with a kind reminder that it's a low budget horror movie made by amateurs! 😉 )
Oh, to prove that we actually had a lot of fun making the film here are some out-takes:
And the edited version of our Q&A session at the International and UK premiere of Decay in Manchester.
CERNDecayFilmHiggsManchesterMovieOnlinePremierZombies
Blog, Outreach
I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here!
June 17, 2014 Clara Nellist	Leave a comment
In March of this year (2014) I took part in an online x-factor style science communication competition called, I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here! I'd heard of the event before, and knew other people who had been involved, but for some reason I'd never looked into taking part myself. However, since moving to Paris, I'd been looking for more ways to keep my involvement in UK outreach going, so a two-week online event with school students seemed perfect. And it was!
I signed up on the website and gave my one-line summary of my work. I was told it was vital to put some thought into my summary, as the schools use this to help them decide who they would like to talk to. The line I gave was the following:
I design and test pixel detectors (like those in your digital camera) for the ATLAS detector at CERN and I also study what happens when a Higgs boson turns into taus (heavier versions of electrons).
From the descriptions, the scientists are then assigned to a zone, where they will be competing against four other scientist for the all-important student votes. The students get to vote four times through out the competition. Once up until the Monday of the second week and then once-per-day after that. After each vote a scientist is evicted, until there is only one left. The winner in each zone is given £500 for an outreach project of their choice.
I was assigned to the Nuclear Zone and after a bit of a discussion with Project Wrangler Josh about the definition of nuclear they were using (to make sure I was definitely eligible) I agreed to take part. It's quite a commitment if you want to do the event properly so I made sure I had set aside sufficient time to make the most of it. Here is the definition IAS uses for this zone:
"Nuclear" isn't all about power and electricity. Nuclear physicists study the nucleus of an atom; the protons and neutrons. And look at how these control the characters of an element. Where the nucleus emits radiation, we find radioactive materials. There materials can be used for a great many purposes in research, including power generation, medical treatments, archaeology, and detecting other molecules.
I was eligible because protons are the particles we accelerate and collide in the LHC to do our research. Also, when I test new pixel modules, I use radioactive materials (mainly strontium) to study how they respond. Hence I became an honorary nuclear physicist!
The next task for me was to fill out my profile. I wrote about "me and my work", "my typical day" and possibly most importantly, "what I'd do with the money" (in my zone this was sponsored by the STFC). It took me a long time to chose what to do with the money because I felt it there were many excellent uses for it. In the end, I decided I wanted to keep it close to particle physics and would use the money, if I won, to take the International Masterclass to schools not currently able to take part.
There were four excellent scientists with me in the Nuclear Zone: Thomas, Simon, Daniel and Becky! I had a fantastic time learning about what they do and it was a pleasure to talk to them over the two weeks. Even though it was supposed to feel like a competition, it didn't as we chatted while waiting to talk to the students and hung out in the staffroom during the day. It was also great to get to know the scientists from other zones and the IAS moderators who had the unenviable task of keeping everything working properly.
The event itself is split into two sections: ASK and CHAT. The ASK section is where the students send in their questions to the site and select which scientists they want to answer them. I had many fantastic questions from a wide range of topics; from antimatter to aliens! I was often asked about my research at CERN working on pixel detectors and the Higgs boson, which showed that the students were really interested to know more about the work happening there.
The second section was where we went for the live text CHATS. Each class signed up to take part in our zone had a half an hour time-slot to talk to the scientists in real time. At first I thought that thirty minutes might be quite a long time, but boy was it not! I'm sure some sort of time dilation was going on as except for the fact that my fingers hurt from typing so much, I wouldn't have known that we'd been there for that long! The speed and variety of the questions meant that I barely had time to pause after answering one before I had to move onto another, I'm so glad I can touch type! But it was also a lot of fun and the live aspect is brilliant because the students have the opportunity to ask for the scientists to explain in more detail. Below is a screenshot from one of the live chats. The window where our answers were was to the right of this one (in case you thought I hadn't been keeping up!).
One student was particularly keen on finding out my views on The Big Bang Theory!
As the days of week two went on and I didn't get evicted, I started to hope that I might make it all the way to the end. I made sure that I answered every question that came to me, even if one of the other scientists had already given an answer (in that case, I would write a related interesting fact about the topic of the question). On the final Thursday at 3pm, it was announced that the head-to-head would be between me and Thomas. I was a former Manchester physicist and he was currently doing a postdoc there. We were both working on experiments at CERN.
IAS March 2014 Nuclear Finalists.
I had no idea what the difference in the votes between us was (since we're not told) but from looking through the profiles of the students and seeing who they were voting for, it looked very close to me! At 3pm on the Friday of the second week I was very nervous – I'd put a lot of myself into the last two weeks and I realised I really wanted to win! The announcements were made live in the staffroom and I was thrilled to see my name next to the Nuclear Zone! A little while later the photos at the top of the page updated with the banner over mine which made it real.
The scientists from the Nuclear Zone, March 2014.
I was honoured that the students had chosen to vote for me. But whichever way it had gone, it was an enjoyable two weeks of sharing my research and love of science with enthusiastic young people. I was very glad I took part! You can lookout for a future post about how I spent the money.
A few weeks after the event finished, the check and my certificate came through the post. And along with them was my exclusive I'm a Scientist mug!
My exclusive IAS mug!
If anyone is considering signing up for a future event, I would definitely recommend it! The June 2014 event has already started, but there will be another this year, and interested scientists should apply! You can also follow the I'm a Scientist twitter feed @imascientist for up-to-date info about the event.
Engineers can join in too with the I'm an Engineer, get me out of here! event, and follow them on twitter @IAEGMOOH.
Extra links about the Nuclear Zone event:
I wrote a post for the IAS website thanking everyone involved.
Thomas was interviewed by the Manchester Staffnet.
Thomas and I were interviewed for the UK News from CERN
IASOnlineOutreachScienceUK


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Matt O'Neill
Matt O'Neill (Futurist Matt) has spent over 15 years developing marketing and communications businesses. They include an innovative events company, cutting edge video marketing products and a marketing communications agency.
Some of them worked, others didn't! But those 15 years saw a relentless march of technology, and deep societal changes in its wake.
Matt has always spotted trends and found practical ways to apply them to client challenges. But today that is no longer enough. Companies can no longer rely just on technical innovation. They must work harder to reach customers, attract employees and place bets on future strategies. A futurist is no longer a soothsayer looking into the misty distance but an essential contributor to tomorrow's business success.
His approach is in itself the result of a trend which may now be familiar. Businesses are increasingly a collaboration with customers and the supply chain. In Germany and Japan, the companies built on family dynasties are dissolving. In the UK and US, companies which were once monoliths with ten year product cycles are racing to meet the demands of a public with plenty of choice.
Ventures are crowdfunded (think Kickstarter, or the success of microloans in developing nations). Marketers seek advice from their customers, either overtly (design your own jeans, mobile phone package or holiday) or covertly (all that browsing data you give away every day…) We are constantly finding new ways to collaborate and organise society and business.
And he's certain that discovering the future is also a collaborative process. That is even more valid if we want to apply the distilled and impassive thinking of most research to real businesses: to your business. Unlike so many consultancies, He won't present you with a 1000-page strategy document which will be left on the shelf while your business is left behind. We will create a roadmap together, based on the knowledge of my team and your colleagues. All this is supported by rich media, live events (remember he did those?), external speakers and dynamic tools, in a generous spirit of curiosity. This approach is more useful, and much more fun.
Matt O'Neill helps you make better decisions by understanding what's just around the corner. He delivers tailored keynote speeches, presentations or immersive discussion sessions, always with the aim of leaving audiences with actionable ideas that they can take forward in their organisations. Businesses today work at maximum efficiency. But that often means that management teams are forced to focus on the day job: fighting everyday fires or just getting 'the day job' done. Yet strategic success demands space and time to think beyond today. Matt offers the opportunity and creative material to think about the future.
10% of Matt's speaker fees are donated to 'My Mental Health Rocks', a fast growing charity working around the world to promote wellbeing, resilience and raising awareness of innate mental health in children.
The Roaring 2020s
A general themed talk exploring a range of work and personal life issues. The Roaring 2020s combines business, sex and relationships, work, lifestyle and much more to entertain, inspire and perhaps even horrify!
How is technology set to impact the world of work and how are jobs, skills, set to evolve alongside? Remember - jobs, businesses and organisations arise because society has problems!
Future of Housing
How are new building practices, material science, technology set to affect the world of housebuilding and commercial property development?
Evolving Leadership
As the Global Legitimacy Crisis continues to grow in governments and media institutions, why and how are business leaders expected to step in? Also, why smart leaders are turning away from psychology towards spirituality as a means of progressing their self development.
Ethics and Innovation
AI, Spatial Computing, Synthetic Biology and many other technologies are outpacing our ability to regulate and legislate. What are digital ethics and how can we make them work for business and the wider society?
AI - What it is, What it's not!
Mythbusting and getting pragmatic. Are we entering a new epoch or is it just an evolution of the steam engine?
Trends to Grow your Business with
A general themed talk for any sized business. We explore rise of purpose, contingent labour, new technologies, universal models of innovation, new business models, rise of subscription over ownership - all with an eye on applying it to client challenges
What is Digital Transformation? How can organisations future ready themselves by understanding the economic, human and technology factors driving it? Are we already seeing businesses being run by AI?
Working with you was a joy. We briefed you carefully about our intended audience's likely concerns which you carefully integrated into a draft presentation. You were happy to fine tune and adapt to ensure that we were completely satisfied. The three chosen themes could have all been the subject of a full day in their own right, but you managed to encapsulate the key issues in a lucid and fascinating 30 minutes. Your visuals were excellent, enhancing what we heard. You're a fluent and thoughtful speaker. who went the extra mile to do a great job. It is rare to find a keynote speaker so willing to listen and adapt to our needs. Our audience, tired at the end of a long congress, found you thought-provoking and engaging. Your passion for your subject shines through and I believe you'd do a fantastic job speaking for any organisation who wanted to hear about future trends and technology.
Association of Association Executives
We engaged Matt for our leadership conference and it was a great experience and success. Matt worked collaboratively with us taking time to understand what we want to get out of the event, and then brought with him his knowledge, wisdom and experience to create a session that was inspiring and thought provoking. He pushed the limits of some of our attendees' minds with ideas that have since created conversation and debate – something which was a key part of the brief. He even visited one of projects before the event to gain some specific examples relevant to our audience.
Your presentation had people talking for days. Your insights into the Future of Work were invaluable as was the interactive and insightful discussion. We look forward to inviting you back again.
Macquarie Corporate Bank
Matt has a keen eye on what's next. This came through clearly in his thought-provoking presentation to the IABC UK Future Fit Communications conference. As the conference chair I would also like to add that Matt was easy to work with.
IABC
£3k to £7k
Bruce Daisley
European Vice President of Twitter and expert on work culture
Jim Lawless
The creator of Taming Tigers
Digital Leadership Keynote Speaker and Digital Transformation Strategist


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PCMag UK Software & Services Security Password Managers
Simple Tricks to Remember Seriously Secure Passwords
You need to lock your password manager with one secure master password, and you must remember it yourself. Here's how to do it.
By Neil J. Rubenking
You're not allowed to use easy-to-remember passwords like your birthday or your dog's name. You're not allowed to use short, simple passwords. Even if you memorize a tough, warty password like $6k9iwb3&IBwxMpa, you're not allowed to use it for more than one website. Frustrated yet? Save your sanity—engage the services of a password manager. With the help of such a utility, creating and memorizing a different strong password for every website is a snap.
Proper, full-scale password managers work on all your devices, be they desktops, laptops, smartphones, or tablets. They generate unguessable passwords like hoIlH&H#@GxKDNcT, remember them for you, and automatically use those saved passwords to log in to your secure sites.
But there's a problem. Almost every password manager relies on a master password to lock up all those saved passwords. The master password must be totally uncrackable, because anyone with access to it can unlock all your secure sites. But it also must be totally memorable, not like the gibberish that comes from a random password generator. If you forget the master password, nobody can help you. On the plus side, this also means a dishonest employee can't break into your password store, and the NSA can't force the company to turn over your data.
Let's assume you've done everything right, security-wise. You've installed an antivirus or security suite. A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, wraps your network traffic in protective encryption. And you've enlisted a password manager to deal with your plethora of passwords. You're still stuck with remembering one insanely secure master password to lock down that password manager. Here are some tips on selecting a password that's both memorable and unguessable.
Make It Poetic
Everybody has a favorite poem or song that they'll never forget. It might be from Shakespeare, or Pussy Riot, or the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Whatever the stanza or verse, you can turn it into a password. Here's how.
Start by writing down the first letter of each syllable, using capital letters for stressed syllables and keeping any punctuation. Let's try this line from Romeo and Juliet: "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" From that, you'd get bS,wLtYdWdB? You could add A2S2 for Act 2, Scene 2, if that's something you'll never forget. Or 1597 for the year of publication.
If the passage doesn't have a strong meter, you can just take the first letter of each word, using the existing punctuation and capitalization. Starting with the quote "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde", you could come up with By;eeiat.-OW. Adding a memorable number rounds out the password, perhaps 1854 (his birthdate) or 1900 (his death).
Your poetic password will be completely different from these examples, of course. You'll start with your own meaningful song or quotation and convert it to a unique password that nobody else could guess.
Use a Passphrase
Password pundits always advise including all four types of characters: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, and symbols. The reasoning is that by expanding the pool of characters, you vastly expand the time required to crack the password. But sheer length also serves to make cracking harder, and one way to achieve a long, memorable password is to use a passphrase.
Snarky, smart webcomic XKCD took aim at wacky password schemes that suggest starting with a common word, replacing some of the letters with similar-looking numbers, and tacking on a few extra characters. That can leave you wondering. Was it Tr0ub4dor&3, or Tr0ub4dor3&? Or maybe Tr0m30ne&3? A passphrase like correct horse battery staple is significantly more difficult to crack, due to its length, but also much easier to remember.
Not all password managers permit spaces in the master password. No problem! Just pick a character like the hyphen or equals sign to separate the words. Pro tip—don't use a character that requires pressing the shift key. Pick words that don't naturally go together, then invent a mnemonic story or image to link them. What would you picture for "roar-blonde-bargain-versions?"
If you have trouble coming up with unrelated words for your passphrase, there are many online passphrase generators, including the aptly named CorrectHorseBatteryStaple.net. You may quite reasonably worry about using a passphrase generated by someone else's algorithm. In that case, you could generate multiple passphrases and clip out a word from each.
Longer Passwords Are Better Passwords
Long-time PC maven Steve Gibson suggests that the secret to long, strong passwords is padding. If an attacker can't crack your password using a dictionary attack or other simple means, the only recourse is a brute-force scan of all possible passwords. And every added character makes that attack massively more difficult.
Gibson's website offers a Search Space Calculator that analyzes any password you enter based on the character types used and the length. The calculator delivers an estimate of how long a brute-force attack would take to crack a given password. It's not a password strength meter, but rather a cracking-time meter, and it's instructive to see how the cracking time goes up when you lengthen the password.
I don't try to watch people enter their passwords, but I've noticed quite a few that, based on hand motions, appear to end in three exclamation points. That's not the padding I'd suggest. First, it requires the shift key. Second, it's too predictable. I wouldn't be surprised if password cracking toolkits already included "!!!" in their dictionaries.
Instead, pick two close-at-hand keys and alternate, adding something like vcvcvcvc. Or choose three characters, like lkjlkjlkjlkj. Gibson's calculator says that it would take over 45 years for a "massive cracking array" to crack bS,wLtYdWdB? (the Romeo and Juliet password from my earlier example). Adding vcvcvcvc raises that to more than a quadrillion centuries.
Long, Strong, and Memorable
Once you've invested in a password manager and converted all your logins to use strong, unique passwords, the only password you're still stuck with remembering is the one that opens the password manager itself. That master password unlocks everything else, so you really need to spend some time coming up with a master that you can remember easily, but that would be impossible for someone else to guess, or crack.
Work up a password based on a poem, song, or famous quote. Or create a passphrase, linking unrelated words with a memorable image or story. Then add some easy-to-type padding. You'll wind up with a master password that's both memorable and uncrackable.
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About Neil J. Rubenking
Neil Rubenking served as vice president and president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years when the IBM PC was brand new. He was present at the formation of the Association of Shareware Professionals, and served on its board of directors. In 1986, PC Magazine brought Neil on board to handle the torrent of Turbo Pascal tips submitted by readers. By 1990, he had become PC Magazine's technical editor, and a coast-to-coast telecommuter. His "User to User" column supplied readers with tips and solutions on using DOS and Windows, his technical columns clarified fine points in programming and operating systems, and his utility articles (over forty of …
More From Neil J. Rubenking
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The Kanary


Oud Borneo is a perfume by Abdul Karim Al Faransi for men. The release year is unknown. The scent is smoky-fruity. It is still in production.
Very dry oud fragrance (no barnyard note at all in this one, very safe), very woody with a beautiful smoky note. There's a bit of vanilla and patchouly that give it a very slightly sweet boozy feel to it. Linear and beautiful, smells very natural and soft, this is more a personal experience.
A still only have a sample, but I find this one beautiful for blending, I mean, until now it blends perfectly with everything, giving it a woody smoky feel to it (btw when I got it it was named oud kalimatan, then it disappeared from the store, when I asked Abdul Karim he said the name changed to Oud Borneo, so I'm pretty sure Oud Kalimatan and Oud Borneo are the same, still need to check it again when I order it).
Write the first Review for Oud Borneo!


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Scholz Productions
Independent Artists - Be Heard!
Lauren Elizabeth Baba
theBABAorchestra is a Los Angeles based 17-piece experimental big band performing original new instrumental works by composer, conductor, and bandleader, Lauren Elizabeth Baba. Amidst intricately woven melodies and massive brass textures are subtly creeping rock grooves and a generally dark ambience; creative music drawing from free jazz, avant-garde, drone-rock, and Middle Eastern folk.
www.laurenelizabethbaba.com
Download Album (44.1Khz, 24bit)
- Thursday July 19th @ Cooks Chapel (440 S Anaheim Blvd. Anaheim, CA)
- Thursday August 9th @ Hammer Museum (10899 Wilshire Blvd. LA, CA)
- Saturday October 6th @ Angel City Jazz Festival - Los Angeles Jazz Society's 2018 "New Note" Commissioned Artist [premier of commissioned work] - Ford Theater (2580 Cahuenga Blvd. LA, CA)
theBABAorchestra performing "Another Ride on the Elephant Slide"
theBABAorchestra performing "t.i.m.e. [the immediate measure (of) energy]"
As one of the up-and-coming female big band composers and bandleaders, Baba has been gaining recognition on various fronts; she received the 2012 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award for her work 144, a commission from West Ranch High School to compose a new work t.i.m.e. [the immediate measure (of) energy], and Idaho State University and other educational institutes have purchased selections from theBABAorchestra's repertoire to feature in their jazz concert programs.
Lauren has recently been chosen as the Los Angeles Jazz Society's 2018 "New Note" Commissioned Artist and her new work for theBABAorchestra will be premiered in October at the Ford Theater. In the next few months, theBABAorchestra will also be releasing their complete repertoire of published scores and parts as well as a series of music videos from their live show earlier this year, part of the Angel City Jazz Festival's Jazz Night.
theBABAorchestra moves beyond conventional jazz by bringing an inventive, compelling, and untraditional take on large ensemble music to Los Angeles' burgeoning jazz underground.
Recorded August 28, 2016 and mixed by Samur Khouja at Seahouse Sound Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Thirsty Owl
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By this point, Brüno needs no introduction. The flamboyant Austrian fashionista — an alter ego of the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen — is the subject of the eponymous film released July 9, but word of his antics leaked far beforehand. In the preceding months, Brüno was spotted stumbling onto runways in Milan, rallying for Proposition 8 and even propositioning Texas Congressman Ron Paul. Now he's been making the rounds on the late-night TV circuit, going as far as to give Conan O'Brien a lap dance.
Being outrageous is a strategy that's worked in the past for Baron Cohen. Another alter ego, the Kazakh TV reporter Borat, grossed more than $250 million in his own 2006 flick. With the buzz surrounding Brüno, this latest film may soar to new highs — and new lows.
Despite the reputation of his alter egos, Baron Cohen himself is decidedly less manic. Though he seldom gives interviews as himself — and is reportedly loathe to do so — he recently appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman absent any shtick. He came across as articulate and even a bit soft-spoken — everything his boorish characters aren't. But Baron Cohen can still bring the funny — check out this clip of him recounting the search for an actual terrorist for Brüno to interview.
See photos of Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous Brüno promotions.


For Korea, who failed to win a set for the first time in four matches, Park Jeongah top-scored with 18 points and captain Kim Yeon Koung added 12.
The match began at a ferocious pace, with Russia piling on the points through leading scorer Nataliya Goncharova on the right and Kseniia Parubets on the left. The back court defence of Irina Voronkova was outstanding, together with the flying libero Alla Galkina.
Korea did not help themselves with some poor serving, so the spikes of captain Kim Yeon Koung and Park Jeongah became even more important.
In a tight finish to the first set, Goncharova won it 25-23 on Russia's third set point.
Russia could not build on this momentum in the second set and poor serve reception prevented them from reproducing their smooth attacking play.
Korea, on the other hand, were full of energy and confidence. Middle blocker Kim Su Ji showed her quality in putting away chances at the net and left-handed setter Lee Hyo Hee added a floating service ace and crafty spike to trick the Russian defence.
With Goncharova in such splendid form, though, Russia always had an escape route and Korea needed a TO trailing 22-18. A Koroleva block helped Russia close it 25-20.
In the third set, 18-year-old middle blocker Lee Juah made the most of her opportunity and Kim's trusty lieutenant Park Jeongah maintained her consistent output which has been one of the main features of Korea's play throughout the tournament.
Russia simply had too much experience and quality in all aspects of the game, though, and their excellent block and attacking variations involving Fetisova and Voronkova hurried them to the third set 25-15.


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MakerSpace Is Making a Difference
Information Technology and Services (ITS) officially launched the SU MakerSpace at the opening of the Fall 2014 semester. Members of the University community increasingly gather there to learn and create using do-it-yourself approaches to creating with technology. MakerSpace shares space with the Kimmel Computer Lab.
Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost, Liz Liddy sees great promise and potential in MakerSpace. "MakerSpace is breaking new ground for the University as it strives to prepare students for success in an ever-changing world. I'm impressed by how it stimulates productive collaboration among students from different disciplines. It's clearly a valuable resource for nurturing students' personal intellectual discovery, self-education, and entrepreneurial spirit." Jean Henry, an instructor in the Department of Design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, recently brought students from her "Digital Fabric Printing" course for a tour. "Our major intent was to see the large embroidery machine and its potential for students to enhance fabrics for senior thesis collections. This machine is capable of stitching 16 colors at one time and can embroider a 24-inch square in one hooping. Fashion is trending towards embroidered designs, and our students are very interested in using this technology," she says. "Then we saw the 3D printers and immediately became intrigued by how that process would mesh—pun intended—with fabric design and fashion production. I can envision 3D printed knit structures, on a large or fine scale, used as fabric or as embellishments and, of course, as body jewelry. The potential for fashion and accessory design using 3D printers is very exciting." Henry's students were equally intrigued. Natalia Forsey, senior in fashion design, thinks the laser cutter and embroidery machine stood out. "I'm making my senior collection right now. I want to embroider or laser cut into leather. It would be so much easier to do here than do it by hand." Aimee Mercure, senior in fashion design, says MakerSpace awakes new possibilities and new ways to create things. "A lot of times we think and create in 2D and not 3D. Plastic is something I never thought of as a medium. I think it's amazing we students can use something this cool and limitless," she says. Many students are finding and using MakerSpace to achieve their aspirations:
Class of '15 School of Architecture student Omal-Hoda Kassim has used the space for mastering laser engraving for her personal designs. "MakerSpace is a fun place to be. I just love working with all the people here," she says. "I feel like I would never have come up with these ideas on my own, so working with everyone has helped a lot."
Ben Marggraf, a senior biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, came upon MakerSpace just as it was getting off the ground last spring. "I was able to 3D-print objects my team designed for our haptic feedback glove project. We had designed the parts but were expecting to have to pay to get them made," says Marggraf. "John [Mangicaro, electronics technician on ITS's learning environments team and lead facilitator of MakerSpace] has been a huge help. He's very knowledgeable, and he has insights into all sorts of fields and tons of electronics experience." The team, started by Marggraf and mechanical engineering major Tim Meyer, developed a glove that enables the wearer to control a robotic hand with high precision and haptic feedback. Their project won a $2,000 RvD IDEA Award. "MakerSpace is a place you can go with an idea and make it a reality. If you want to make something, they have the means and the skills to help you do it," says Marggraf.
Kean Clifford leveraged his MakerSpace experience to launch his start-up, Prey Fishing Tackle. A graduate student in the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises program at the Whitman School of Management, Clifford holds an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School and an M.S. in fisheries research from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. His firm designs and markets customizable and biodegradable 3D-printed fishing lures that are economical to produce and that anglers find effective. "MakerSpace taught me how to 3D print, and so much more. It encouraged me to pursue entrepreneurship. It lowered barriers to bringing products to market and put me in a network of students who encouraged one another to pursue excellence in their work," says Clifford. "It's a hive of student talent, drawing in the ambitious and self educated who wish to be productive and creative simultaneously. It's a place to find that perfect teammate who can contribute the missing synergy to your big project."
DeBorah Little, recent iSchool graduate, entrepreneur and inventor of Lil'MorStix, found MakerSpace a tremendous help in getting from prototype to product. "Without MakerSpace and John Mangicaro's help, the process would have been a lot more expensive, taken a lot longer and could have led to producing an imperfect product." Little had been working with commercial prototyping and design firms before hearing about MakerSpace from her contacts at the University's RvD IDEA Office. "We went through several iterations in MakerSpace before the design was perfect. The MakerSpace is a wonderful resource for students and increases their chances of getting their creations to market successfully."
Students at Syracuse University are not the only ones who can learn at MakerSpace. This summer, as part of the University's Summer College program, MakerSpace will again offer "MakerSpace and 3D Printing," a two-week course for high school students presented by ITS and RvD IDEA. Students will learn creative ways to problem solve and work in teams to develop their ideas. They'll explore topics such as business model generation, customer rsearch and market validation. Faculty, industry professionals and other mentors will provide invaluable feedback about their ideas. The Summer MakerSpace Experience will culminate in a competition where students will present to a panel of judges and compete for prizes. Makerspaces will have a profound impact on higher education within the next five years, according to the "NMC Horizon Report: 2015 Higher Education Edition." The report finds makerspaces becoming increasingly relevant due to significant changes in "what types of skillsets have real, applicable value in a rapidly advancing world. In this landscape, creativity, design and engineering are making their way to the forefront of educational considerations as tools such as 3D printers, robotics,and 3D modeling Web-based applications become accessible to more people." For more information about MakerSpace visit the website or drop by for a visit. --By Christopher Finkle


The idea behind this sequel is to reiterate that an ecosystem is created by those who don't belong. Before we realize that we belong to an ecosystem we are actually in it because our interests and the gaps existing in a sphere bring us together. The work just begins.
People who have no deliberate or evident reason to be a part of an industrial ecosystem start contributing in some way or the other.
How can I contribute to my industry's ecosystem?
Leadership: Leading people in a new direction to fill the gaps that exist. Empowering and enlightening people around you about their ability to make a difference.
Mentoring: Sharing your experiences from a different world and opening up theirs while offering a new perspective.
Teaching/Coaching: Teaching or coaching people with the skill you have. Creating a learning culture and promoting a community of learners.
Niche sector offering: Offering services to niche segment which otherwise do not exist in a given ecosystem.
Media and publishing: Making a loud effort by publishing about hot industry news and stories that could add value to the growth of an industry.
Share your thoughts on how would you contribute to the ecosystem we are surviving in. How would you make a difference?
'My contribution to my ecosystem' is an article in making which extends how smart people find their niche to add value to the ecosystem they belong to. An ecosystem is created by those who don't belong is the prelude to this article.


text:
Q: GROUP BY IN SSAS I have the below MDX I want to adjust it to make member [SUM OF ACCOUNT] to sum all results in [Measures].[SALES_VALUE_INMKT_DETAILED]
photo 1 is the current status
photo 2 is the required result
 WITH
   MEMBER [Measures].[SUM OF ACCOUNT] AS
  SUM ([Measures].[SALES_VALUE_INMKT_DETAILED],[D ACCOUNT].[ACCOUNT ID].&[304891_1] )

 SELECT NON EMPTY { [Measures].[SALES_VALUE_INMKT_DETAILED],[Measures].[SUM OF ACCOUNT] } ON COLUMNS,
 NON EMPTY { ([D ACCOUNT].[ACCOUNT ID].[ACCOUNT ID].ALLMEMBERS * [D EMPLOYEE MANAGER HISTORY].[EMP ID].[EMP ID].ALLMEMBERS ) }
 ON ROWS FROM ( SELECT ( { [D ACCOUNT].[ACCOUNT ID].&[304891_1] } )
 ON COLUMNS FROM ( SELECT ( { [D EMPLOYEE MANAGER HISTORY].[MANAGER ID].&[10] } )
 ON COLUMNS FROM [Sandoz_Cube_DSV]))
  WHERE ( [D EMPLOYEE MANAGER HISTORY].[MANAGER ID].&[10] )

PHOTO 1

PHOTO 2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jon Brion doesn't get out much, but he sure gets around. Composer, singer, songwriter, session musician, producer: Brion's name crops up at a pretty regular clip even if they guy rarely seems to leave the studio and, even then, rarely plays live anywhere besides his regular spot at L.A.'s cozy club Largo.
Last summer, however, Brion ventured to Chicago for the Intonation Music Festival for his first live performance since a bout with tendonitis. The gig was a rousing success, so much so that Brion consented to a belated encore at Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre, lured by the Intonation promoters plus the theatre's Traffic Jam program.
Not that it looked like it took much arm-twisting to get Brion back in the Windy City. The guy's expressed affection for Chicago seemed genuine as he took the stage at Steppenwolf for another one of his celebrated anything-goes performances. In fact, the first to go is always the set list, preemptively, leaving Brion to his own devices, both literally and figuratively, as he bounded around the space playing drums, guitar and keyboards, constructing countless cover songs and original compositions from scratch, looping the instruments one at a time until he'd conjured one mini masterpiece after another out of thin air.
AC/DC's "Back in Black," played at the piano like Fats Waller might have done? Check. Songs by Aimee Mann and Elliott Smith, the latter's "Happiness" an honest to goodness pin-drop tearjerker? Check. A mash-up of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and Nirvana's "Lithium?" No doubt. Brion peppered these detours and welcome distractions with his own songs, wonderful in their own right, and despite performing with a guitar amp audibly on its last legs, had a blast doing it. The Prince medley -- one-man-band renditions of "Pop Life," "Controversy," "Kiss," and a few more -- was just icing on the cake.
If tickets went fast for Brion's Steppenwolf set, they went even faster for his "semi-secret" performance at Chicago's Hideout, a small club not unlike Largo, where he played a second show Sunday night. The modus operandi remained much the same00- no set list, plenty of requests granted, non-stop playful indulgence tempered by an infectious love and encyclopedic knowledge of pop music. But Brion was in even stronger form. Well, at least his amp was -- it's hard to imagine Brion himself ever less than top notch, but the Hideout set still offered surprise after surprise for nearly three hours, with not a single song or even snippet overlapping with the Steppenwolf set.
Hideout highlights included David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" and Roxy Music's "More Than This." He played "Pipeline" in its entirety, overdubbing the surf classic twang by twang. His own "I Believe She's Lying" grew into an epic guitar rave-up, but Brion proved himself just as adept at doing downbeat, miraculously recalling every word of Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat." He invited two strangers from the crowd to help him play the Eels' "Not Ready yet," tackled Randy Newman's "Dayton, Ohio 1903," then blew minds by following a Bee Gees medley with a Brian Eno medley. Specifically, almost the whole second side of Eno's "Here Come the Warm Jets."
"Always leave them wanting more," goes the old adage, and even though Brion, sweaty and spent, gave everything he had, he still mustered up enough energy for a late night run through Thin Lizzy's "The Boys are Back in Town." On 8-string ukulele, of course, and with the crowd singing along at top volume.


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Phillies Vs. Mets Postponed; Makeup Scheduled For Thursday
By Rodger Sherman Sep 18, 2012, 5:01pm EDT
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The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets won't play the second game of their three-game set Tuesday night due to rain, as the game has been postponed until 7:10 p.m. Thursday.
Both teams had a mutual off-day on Thursday. Matt Gelb of Philly.com reports that the Phillies would have preferred to play a double-header Wednesday allowing them to keep the free day later in the week, but that the Mets chose to play one game a day. The Phillies would have been able to return home to Philadelphia a day earlier before this weekend's series against the Atlanta Braves, but instead, they're going to have to stay in New York until after the conclusion of Thursday night's game.
The pitching matchups for the series will apparently remain the same, with Cole Hamels still taking the mound Wednesday against the Mets Matt Harvey, while Phillies' rookie Tyler Cloyd, who was scheduled to play in the rained-out Tuesday game, will be the starter Thursday night against Jeremy Hefner.
For more on the Phillies, head over to The Good Phight and continue to check out SB Nation Philly.
Phillies Vs Mets: Philly Completes Sweep With 16-1 Blowout
Phillies Vs. Mets Recap: Phils Complete Sweep With 16-1 Blowout Win
Phillies Vs. Mets Preview: Tyler Cloyd Tries To Pitch Phils Above .500


Dreaming of a vacay? What would be your ideal getaway? A shopping trip to London? A family getaway to Disneyland? Or fancy a dining odyssey through Tuscany?
This month we launched $10K Vacay - an epic holiday giveaway that will see one lucky Raine Square shopper head off on the trip of his or her dreams.
From 18 March until 3 May, simply make a purchase (of any value) with one of our retailers and drop your entry form into the entrance boxes located on ground floor near Coles and on the lower ground floor of the dining precinct, to be one step closer to the holiday of a lifetime.
Read the full $10K Vacay Terms & Conditions here.


Your mother and I are desperately looking for a time machine, because literally in a blink of an eye one of you is 'this' tall and the other one is starting to 'argue' back, haa haa haa haa haa.
Now and then during mid afternoon, often after a rigorous play time or swimming you two would fall asleep in the car.
Your mother would carry Mar and it was my pleasure to carry Matt (fair enough), soon (too soon) you won't fall asleep or if you do we won't be able to carry you up to your little beds, and when that day comes, it will be one miserable day.


Would love to meet other local dressers for friendship and more.
I also have a huge soft spot for over weight and much older guys.
I am average (ish) build but could do with losing a pound or 2 !
My hair colour tends to change with my mood lol, sometimes blonde, or red.
My main hobby is motorbikes so if by some chance it's yours too, it's a perfect excuse to be "good friends" hehe.
Cindyskem's profile has been viewed 224 times.


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Nick Compton's recall for the South African tour will allow Alex Hales to emerge as England's superstar
Compton's ability to wear down his opponents will allow the naturally exuberant Hales to play with a far greater degree of freedom
By Kevin Pietersen 31 December 2015 • 19:18 pm
Compton and Hales are key players for England against South Africa Credit: Photo: REX
Nick Compton ground it out really well in Durban and it was fantastic to see him have success because he deserves this second chance.
He was very unlucky to lose his place in the team in 2013. It's no secret he was cast aside because Alastair Cook had an issue with him. He did not like him and felt he couldn't trust him. I'm just pleasantly surprised he has got another chance.
I was very happy he did because I thought he should never have lost his place in the first place. He scored back to back hundreds and really only had one poor Test match for England against New Zealand at Headingley. He was going through some difficulties with his game at the time and deserved time to put them right but unfortunately was not given that chance.
He was absolutely fine in the dressing room. He is just an individual who knows what he wants and how he can get it. He will also say when he does not agree with something and unfortunately that was not tolerated in the England dressing room at the time. It was frowned upon.
Nick Compton deserved his second chance with England
People are different. They have to be managed. He was a different cat compared to some of the others in the dressing room at the time so I am thrilled he is now in an environment created by Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace that is a lot more relaxed. Cook is more chilled out too and hopefully Compton can now go and enjoy himself, play cricket his way and not worry about all that other rubbish.
He is not the most exciting batsman in terms of attacking play and taking the game to the bowlers, but he can grind out a score, which is invaluable. England won the game in Durban inside four and a half days and Compton was the rock at the top of the order. He has game changers around him like Alex Hales and Joe Root so he can play that anchor role when England are faced with difficult conditions, like on the first day in Durban when Steyn was bowling with the new ball.
When you bat at four or five in the order, a presence like Compton's or Jonathan Trott gives you reassurance. You know that when he gets himself in at three he is going to take a lot of gas out of the bowlers. He is going to put a lot of overs into their legs. We always talk about getting bowlers into their third or fourth spells to tire them out making it easier for guys who come in and give it a good whack.
He is doing a really good job for Root, Stokes and James Taylor.
Joe Root will be pleased with Compton's form
Taylor is batting beautifully, too. I have questioned him in the past, but it is wonderful to see him scoring runs for England and looking a fine Test player. He is fulfilling his role at five and so is Compton at three.
Three is a much better position for him than opening with Cook. Playing Cook and another so-called blocker can be detrimental for the team. You need to put pressure on the opposition and South Africa know that Alex Hales will do that. They can bowl to Compton and Cook for two sessions and they will not score at any pace, but Hales is going to go after them. From a spectator's point of view as well, you get that excitement with Hales.
He did not get many in Durban but he needs to be told 'don't worry about your place' and give him 10 or 12 Tests. Just tell him to go out and hit it. That is what Fletcher and Vaughan said to me in my first series. Go and play your way. No-one knows if he is good enough, but the only way we will find out is if they give him a run.
James Taylor is batting beautifully at the moment
Test cricket needs guys like Hales. There really are not many superstars in the world of Test cricket anymore. A lot of them are playing T20 instead. It is a big shame because Test cricket needs its superstars, as it's ultimately the pinnacle of the sport.
It has Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Steve Smith, and Joe Root will be a superstar too. But there are few others who can get kids excited about the game at this time.
It has to compete with Twenty20 with all its big hitting and glamour with the likes of Keiron Pollard, Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Brendon MccCullum, who is to retire from international cricket after the World Twenty, as well as Glenn Maxwell from Australia. Kids want to watch these guys. That's the battle Test cricket has on its hands.
To be honest I would rather watch a T20 than a Test match. I suspect more people are watching the Big Bash than the Tests in South Africa and that's not to put down the Test format of the game or those playing, it's just the nature of our time.
We all want to see De Villiers bat in every format. Of course Ben Stokes can be hit and miss when he goes for big shots, but he is an entertainer. I liked how he got out in the second innings in Durban, reverse sweeping and going after the bowling. He will be a superstar soon but we need others from this series breaking through as well.
People want to watch explosive players like De Villiers in every format
Meanwhile, in the Big Bash you get 40 overs of players constantly whacking it and setting out to entertain.
The result, and my frustration, is that young kids do not want to be Test players anymore. At my foundation week recently all the young kids wanted to talk about hitting the ball, wearing coloured clothing and playing T20 games.
They did not ask me once about how to bat in Test cricket. All they wanted to know was how do I reverse sweep? What is a switch hit? How can I hit the ball further?
It is a shame but it is how things are progressing. Life moves on but Test cricket has stood still. Day night Tests are a good idea but you can only play two or three a year.
One of the main problems is we just play too many Tests. Gone are the days when people will watch a random bilateral series. In England it works at certain grounds because it has become a social occasion. But at others, particularly in abroad, ticket sales are struggling.
• Interview: Trevor Bayliss happy to go with the flow
• West Indies cricket is almost beyond redemption