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Home > Articles, Social Media Marketing > How to Develop a TikTok Marketing Strategy
How to Develop a TikTok Marketing Strategy
You can use videos — especially short-form ones — to Digitally Market hotels and law firms. The New Google Search Essentials has replaced Google's Webmaster Guidelines. So, here's how to develop a TikTok Marketing Strategy and spread the reach of your videos via SEO.
TikTok users understand the inner workings of the Social Network and use it to their advantage. For example, they publish short-form videos that are usually original or follow a popular TikTok trend, such as hashtag challenges. Also, its users learn about the algorithm to ensure that their videos reach the right audience. All these tactics are in the service of going viral, starting or getting on a trend, and growing their audience.
Fortunately, many of these tips can benefit your Video Marketing Strategies and ensure visibility online via Search Engine Optimization. TikTok SEO Strategies are similar to standard practices. But, of course, TikTok Video Marketers chiefly focus on adding keywords and -phrases to short-form videos.
Google works to provide helpful content to its users. So, you want your Digital Marketing content to be easily identified and indexed. Applying SEO Tactics can help you achieve the organic traffic you deserve.
Using TikTok as a Digital Marketing Channel
TikTok has become one of the most recent channels Social Media Marketers can use to get consumers' attention. Nowadays, its advertisements are commonplace, and business site owners can even install TikTok Ad Pixels on WordPress websites.
So, TikTok Marketing utilizes the mentioned platform to promote a business, primarily to spread brand awareness. In addition to regularly publishing content and advertisements, you can use strategies like Influencer Marketing. Thus, Online Marketers can advertise what their company offers, such as products or services.
TikTok Marketing Tactics can also allow you to build and engage a community. As with other Social Media Marketing Strategies, you can get feedback and provide customer service to improve your business.
But what's important is that Google can understand your TikTok videos and advertisements. Of course, text-based content like articles and blog posts are vital, but marketers can incorporate videos on a website. Also, they can further ensure the media is visible to search engine crawlers via Schema Markups. In addition, TikTok SEO Strategies are essential to attract potential customers to their Marketing Videos.
Why Use the Platform to Tap Into Search Engine Optimization?
Social Network users vastly prefer video media over text. Thus, business owners and Digital Marketers must create a substantial following on video-focused Social Media platforms. Some examples of platforms that focus on video media include Instagram, YouTube, and, more recently, TikTok.
In particular, TikTok users in 2022 spent 45.8 minutes a day scrolling through the platform. Now, more users, or content creators, are applying Search Engine Optimization Tactics on TikTok to great success! In addition, Google indexes all types of content found online, not just articles or blog posts.
To gain more visibility, one should ensure their TikTok Video Content is visible for easy indexing. Thus, a business can create TikToks for a Video Marketing Strategy for the platform using SEO. After all, 54% of people on the Internet use Social Networks to research products.
With "over 1.5 billion monthly active users," Social Media Marketers have a massive user base they can tap into. Of course, marketers aim to advertise their brand to a broader audience, especially those more likely to make purchases. This is true when handling Social Media Marketing for any platform.
How to Develop a TikTok Marketing Strategy Using SEO Tactics
Learn About Your Audience's Search Intent
A company must have a TikTok Marketing Strategy focusing on its target market. So, marketers must also learn more about their target audience on the platform.
After all, a critical part of Search Engine Optimization is finding the audience or demographics you're trying to reach. Afterward, you can learn about the content they're interested in. As a result, Digital Marketers can tailor their TikTok Marketing Campaigns around audience Search Intent.
Search Intent taps into the information TikTok users want to see. So, marketers can use it to find the right content and keywords to get their attention.
Do Keyword Research According to Audience Search Intent
After learning about what interests your audience, you can start on Keyword Research. Again, longer keywords relevant to a business' chosen niches are a marketer's best bet for SEO efforts.
Keywords with as little competition as possible are necessary for optimizing your TikTok Marketing Videos. However, there's no standard formula for finding keywords you can use on your videos. Still, Social Media Marketers must remember to focus on user Search Intent when selecting the right keywords or -phrases.
But, for any TikTok Marketing Strategy, you must balance keyword volume, relevance, difficulty, and business goals.
Regularly Publish Engaging Short-Form Content
To develop a Tik Tok Marketing Strategy, marketers must create a content pool consisting of diverse videos. After all, you'll want to avoid Keyword Cannibalization, so your content can reach the top of the right SERPs.
So, companies need to post creative, unique, and optimized videos for better visibility on Google. Many businesses can benefit from a TikTok Content Strategy. Part of such a strategy includes creating fullscreen vertical videos.
In addition, Social Media Marketers must find the best posting frequency and schedule that works for the target audience. Businesses should also consider spreading brand awareness using partnerships, such as with TikTok Influencer Marketing.
TikTok videos should be entertaining and entice people to view the content. Lastly, your video title and description should clearly indicate the topic.
Optimize Your TikTok Ads for SEO
"Nearly 40% of Gen Z" prefer searching for information using Instagram and TikTok over search engines like Google. So, you need to incorporate Search Engine Optimization into your TikTok Video Marketing Strategies.
Thus, it's essential to incorporate desirable keywords into the video title and description. Also, Social Media Marketers must use Long-Tailed Keywords in hashtags. They're less popular than shorter, more general ones, but it guarantees a business has less competition. In addition, mentioning keywords in the first five seconds of your TikTok video is sure to get attention.
In summary, to improve your audience reach, add your keywords to the following elements:
In-video text
Spoken dialogue or speech;
Automated Closed Captions;
Hashtags.
Add Compelling Calls-To-Action
Business owners must ensure that your Call-To-Action is visible to visitors on their website. So, Social Media Marketers should also apply this tip to their TikTok Video Marketing.
Once your business has optimized your content and engaged your audience on TikTok, you can build a large enough following. Then, you can redirect them to other platforms like your company website.
Thus, taking advantage of TikTok's CTA features is vital to promote your business' products or services.
Also, to achieve a large following on the platform, marketers must add an introduction about your company to the TikTok account. This allows them to make the business site visible to TikTok audiences.
Review Your Analytics Reports
Business analytics can provide a significant performance boost. Analytics reports are also vital for getting an edge over your competitors on the platform. In addition, they can give many details about a business' current Social Media Marketing progress and ways to improve it.
Fortunately, TikTok's analytics tools can benefit companies as it tracks ads performances and metrics. Additionally, published TikTok videos can help marketers develop future TikTok Marketing Strategies. You'll see your numbers laid out with your analytics reports and see what makes your audience happy.
Thus, marketers need to use the data from analytics to adjust Video Marketing Strategies for better results.
TikTok is one of the most prominent Social Media platforms today, and with it, businesses can reach a wider audience. But, when handling TikTok Video Marketing, there are a few best practices marketers can use to achieve success on the platform.
A company has to develop a TikTok Marketing Strategy and create campaigns according to its intended demographic's needs. Also, it's essential to formulate desirable Long-Tailed Keywords to optimize TikTok videos.
Additionally, a business must set up a publishing schedule. Calls-To-Action should be enticing and visible in TikToks. Finally, Social Media Marketers should have a habit of checking analytics.
A combination of Video Marketing and SEO strategies can help you find ways to advertise your brand on TikTok creatively. As a result, a business can gain a larger, more loyal viewer base.
But, with a Social Media Marketing Company in the Philippines, your business will have a better time reaching your target audience.
About Jalou Batilong
Most every great writer is a voracious reader, and no word describes Jalou better. Jalou enjoys a good read whenever she has the time to sit down and open a book or browse for interesting articles. It's through reading that she is able to digest information so easily, and write her own unique piece of information to share to everyone else.
Find more about me on:
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Government gets review team tax policy
By Mathias Okwe, Abuja
Sustained bargain-hunting boosts capitalisation by N325b
The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun
Apparently to grow Nigeria's tax to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) quota, which currently stands just at about six per cent far below average level of most sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries peer countries like South Africa, the Nigerian Government has set up a team to review the nation's National Tax Policy (NTP)
Some of these SSA countries have the following tax to GDP: South Africa, 26 per cent, Cameroon, 18.2 per cent; Cape Verde 23 per cent per cent; Cote D'Viore, 15.3 per cent Egypt, 15.8 per cent Ethiopia, 11.6 per cent; Ghana 20,8 per cent Kenya, 18.4 per cent and Niger Republic, 11 per cent
Inaugurating the eight- member review panel yesterday, Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, expressed concern that tax was yet to play its role in the Nigerian economy and charged them to remove all encumbrances responsible for this.
The team, which has four weeks to conclude the review of the tax policy first produced in 2012 and yet fully implemented since then has the following as terms of reference; review the national tax policy document; recommend a list of tax laws and regulations that need to be reviewed or amended; recommend policy to ensure inter-agency cooperation between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and other revenue agencies toward enhancing the IGR of the Federal Government; expand the treaty network of Nigeria to include our major trading partners and review the existing double taxation agreement; ensure that tax laws are reviewed from time to time to minimise avoidable hardships to taxpayers.
The minister said: "As keen as we are to grow revenues and improve our tax collection, we are equally determined to ensure that our taxes are simplified. The task of growing tax revenue must be pursued with a human face and sustainability in focus. The relevant unit of the ministry of Finance will be strengthened to enable it play a more vibrant role in tax policy formulation.
"The review will be a continuous exercise, as a means of evolving with global best practices and keeping with the domestic socio-economic realities. Government shall indeed remain committed to the continuous improvement of our tax system as part of a dynamic framework to enhance compliance," she stated.
Members of the national tax policy review committee are: Adesina Adebayo- council members, CITN; Taiwo Oyedele- Managing Partner PWC; Prof, Abiola Sanni, UNILAG; Olayemi, Director, Tax Policy, FIRS; Odume, Director, Head of Legal, FIRS plus five others; M.L. Abubakar-Secretary JTB; representative of Legal department, Federal ministry of finance and the Director, Technical services department of the federal ministry of finance.
Mrs. Kemi AdeosunNTPSSA

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


PHILADELPHIA – A return home to the Lott Courts meant one thing for the Penn men's tennis team on Tuesday – a win. That is all the Quakers have done on their home courts this season. With a 6-1 win over UC-Riverside, the Red and Blue are now 5-0 in the friendly confines of their home turf.
The match did not begin as planned for Penn, as the Highlanders came out hard in doubles, looking to establish a presence early on. UCR took the first point, winning the series, 2-1. A convincing win at No. 3 was helped by a close decision at No. 1 for the Highlanders. Phil Law and Justen Roth picked up the lone win for Penn in doubles, a 9-8 win at No. 2.
Head coach Nik DeVore said that his team may not have been prepared for the quick start UCR had and needed to regroup in the locker room before singles.
Rolling is a good word to describe the way Penn played in singles. The Quakers won all six singles contests, with none going longer than two sets. In fact, besides Hicham Laalej's match that went to a second-set tiebreaker and Adam Schwartz' match that had a close second set, the other four matches were squarely in Penn's favor from the beginning.
Law carried over momentum from a hard-fought win at doubles to his No. 3 singles match. He defeated Quoc Doan, 6-1, 6-0. Law's partner, Roth, also breezed in singles, defeating Michael Conroy, 6-1, 6-2.
At No. 4, Alex Vasin defeated Austin Anders, 6-1, 6-3. No. 5 saw Jason Lin emerge victorious, 6-2, 6-1, over Raineir Matias.
Laalej's match at No. 1 was the closest of the singles contests. He won the first set handily, 6-2. In the second, his opponent, Felix Macharez, had a lead late. Laalej rallied to tie the match at 6-6 to send it to a tiebreaker, avoiding match-point. In the tiebreaker, Laalej took an early 3-0 lead before Macharez rallied to close it to 3-2. The Laalej lead in the tiebreaker extended to 6-2 after a nice drop shot from Penn's No. 1. Macharez won the next point to temporarily stave off defeat, but an impressive Laalej return of serve was too much for Macharez to handle, giving Penn the match in straight sets.
Schwartz had just wrapped up his match at No. 2, 6-3, 7-5 over John Park before Laalej's win.
Penn is back in action on Saturday in Princeton for the start of the 2009 Ivy League season.


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Learn prentice hall united states history with free interactive flashcards. Choose from 500 different sets of prentice hall united states history flashcards on Quizlet. Log in Sign up. a government in which officials are elected by the people.
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Learn quiz notes prentice hall u.s. history with free interactive flashcards. Choose from 500 different sets of quiz notes prentice hall u.s. history flashcards on Quizlet. wondered why the United States would buy a frozen wasteland. they could expand trade and investments. U.S Government Prentice Hall Assessments 13-17.


It's the middle of November, but as far as the weather is concerned, it just feels like a milder version of summer. Highs near 80 degrees each day and lows are still in the 70's. And yet, the stores (and there are approximately one million of them) are full of puffy coats and wool sweaters. I admit, I am partly just skeptical that it is EVER cold enough here to warrant a fur bomber jacket. A quick Google search has revealed that the average temperatures for January and February are a high of 64 F (18-19 C) and a low of 57 F (14 C). So I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
Not only that, but people are already beginning to dress as though winter is imminent. I mean, I haven't seen any puffy coats quite yet, but I am definitely seeing people in sweaters and tights and jackets. I wore shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops this weekend, but all around me I see people breaking out their outerwear.
I went swimming here last weekend. In November. Because it is still hot enough to swim.
Maybe it's that idea that if you dress for a certain type of weather you can make it come. Maybe in a mild climate, this really does feel like fall to people. I love fall clothes and I wish I could get on board with wearing them…but I just sweat too much.
When I lived in Korea, I was amused to learn that there was a widely held belief that eating too many cold foods could cause illness. Similarly, if you were sick people would tell you not eat any cold foods. This was not just a traditional belief in the vein of an old wive's tale. I actually had doctors tell me not to have any cold foods when I was sick.
It was not surprising to me to learn that this belief is also prevalent in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, but what has really intrigued me was learning recently that there is a whole concept of "hot foods" and "cold foods" that is not necessarily related to the actual temperature of the food. The best equivalent for this seems to be something like languages with gendered nouns – a word's gender has nothing to do with whether it's a masculine item or a feminine item. Hence why the Spanish word for dress (vestido) is a masculine word. In other words, people culturally have an understanding of certain foods as "hot" and others as "cold" that is inherently learned and understood.
Similarly, people are categorized along a spectrum of hot and cold (with some variations like "dry" or "damp", etc). One of my coworkers explained to me that a doctor can tell you which of these you are, and depending on the results, you will know what foods are best for you to eat or avoid due to your personal "temperature." Since traditional Chinese medicine is all about balance, if you are a "hot" person, you should eat more cooling foods to help balance you out. The opposite is true if you are a "cold" person. It's probably most similar to the old idea of the four humors.
You can dry anything, if you just believe in yourself hard enough. There are whole shops here that seem to be stocked with nothing but dried foods. I do not know what to make of some of these things which seem to range from fruits to odd roots to cuttlefish and squid to I-do-not-want-to-know-what. The rule of thumb seems to be, "Anything that can be dried will be dried!" Dear family members, I hope you are all super excited for your authentic Hong Kong Christmas presents this year!
Lions and Dragons and Gin, Oh My!
"Well, they have to have some lions and a dragon dance and drummers," she said as if this were obvious.
I tried to get over there fast enough to get pictures, but by the time I had this conversation things were wrapping up. There were two impossibly tall hype girls tottering around in 3 inch skirts with 6 inch high heels. There was a Tanqueray gin cart (it was 11:30 on a Tuesday morning). There was a drum band and two lions that lit up, and I caught the tail end of a long dragon disappearing down the street. I tried to get a few pictures, but I didn't do a great job.
I keep imagining what the equivalent of this would be in my hometown in Louisiana. The best I can come up with is the Virgin Mary and a giant crawfish doing a 2-step to some Zydeco band with an accordion with free flow Bud Light. I think I'm onto something.
I can't find any method to the hot/cold food madness. It seems so random!


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Civil Procedure Keyed to Marcus
Janet Alexander Cosmetics v. L'Oreal USA, Inc.
458 F.3d 244 (3d Cir. 2006)
JAC and L'Oreal both had trademarks for cosmetic products that used the letters "EQ." L'Oreal began using one such mark in 1988; JAC began using its mark in 1990 and registered it in 1993. In 1996, L'Oreal attempted to register a modernized version of its mark, which it had been using since 1992. The TTAB denied registration of L'Oreal's modernized mark. L'Oreal filed a petition to cancel JAC's mark because of the likelihood of confusion between the companies' marks. In connection with that petition, which was denied, the TTAB also found no likelihood of confusion between JAC's mark and L'Oreal's original or modernized version of its mark. A subsequent request by L'Oreal to register its modernized trademark was granted, with L'Oreal relying on the TTAB's earlier finding of no likelihood of confusion of the marks. JAC opposed the registration; both the TTAB and the district court determined that JAC was precluded from litigating the likelihood of confusion issue.
Claim/Issue Preclusion
Janet Alexander Cosmetics v. L'Oreal USA, Inc.


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Tag: AI
Are You Afraid Robots Will Take Your Job?
October 10, 2022 October 10, 2022 IT Leadership, Technology That FitsAI, Failure, Jobs, Robots
Robots are not taking our jobs. It's a good story to create eye-catching headlines and generate clicks, but the numbers do not support it in any way. Michael Handel of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has published a paper where he carefully analyzes job losses across many professions. He finds that job losses follow long-term trends, and there is no hint of the dramatic changes predicted by people who make a living from predicting that the sky will shortly fall.
That matches what I see in the organizations I work with. Traditional IT projects regularly fail, and AI projects have an even higher failure rate. They might deliver something, but too often, it turns out to be impossible to move an AI experiment out of the lab and into productive use.
Additionally, in the cases where AI does provide real business benefits, it handles one specific task and not a whole job. All of our AI today is very narrowly trained for one task. That frees up workers to do more useful things with their time, making them more productive.
For example, the illustration for this post is made by me and the Midjourney AI. It was told to illustrate "the robots are not taking our jobs." We ran a few iterations where I selected the best of its suggestions until we came up with this image.
Are You Monitoring Your Automated Systems?
April 1, 2022 IT Leadership, Technology That FitsAI, Processes, Quality, Realism
It is hard to anticipate the real world. I'm sure the wet concrete on the road in Japan looked just like solid ground to the delivery robot. Consequently, it happily trundled into the urban swamp and got stuck. The story does not report whether the delivery company managed to get their robot out before the concrete hardened…
This is why you need careful monitoring of all the fully automated systems you are deploying. The first line of defense is automated metrics and their normal interval. For a delivery robot, the distance covered over a minute should be greater than zero and less than 270 (if you have limited the robot to e.g. 10 mph). The second line of defense consists of humans who will evaluate the alarms and take appropriate action. The third line of defense are developers who will fix the software and the alarms.
Too many automated systems are simply unleashed and depend on customers to detect that something is wrong and complain. You want to figure out you have a problem before the image of your robot encased in concrete starts trending on Twitter.
Are your AI Projects Legal?
April 22, 2021 April 26, 2021 IT LeadershipAI, Regulations
Because the IT industry has failed to agree on any meaningful guidelines for AI usage, regulators are now stepping in. In order to get the attention of the global giants, the proposed EU regulation is threatening with GDPR-style fines of up to 6% of global sales. The rules outlaw some usage, like real-time facial recognition, and place strict limits on other uses. For "high-risk" use by police and courts, companies must provide risk assessment and documentation of how the system comes to its recommendations.
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission has also just weighed in. In a blog post, they clarified that selling or using biased AI might constitute "unfair or deceptive practice" and be subject to fines.
As a CIO or CTO, check who is responsible for ensuring your AI projects adhere to all relevant regulations. Each individual project cannot be responsible for keeping up with rapidly developing global regulations. If you have not appointed someone to keep watch over your AI project, the blame will end on your desk when your organization is found to violate AI regulations you weren't even aware of.
Missing AI Results
February 22, 2021 February 23, 2021 IT LeadershipAI
It turns out AI was not about to cure cancer. There was no shortage of hyperbole when IBM's Watson AI beat the best humans at Jeopardy, but IBM has been unable to create a viable business from their AI prowess. Now their AI-powered health department is for sale if anybody wants a slightly used AI with one careful owner.
AI has proven its worth in many places, also in healthcare. But they have been narrow, well-defined areas like examining X-rays or flagging possibly fraudulent insurance claims. Just throwing a bunch of data scientists and an AI at a problem does not work.
If you have AI projects like Watson that has not delivered the results they promised, you can re-scope them try to harvest some value from solving a smaller and more well-defined problem. Or you can shut them down. The age of unquestioned spending on AI is over.
Use Real Intelligence Instead of the Artificial Kind
February 18, 2021 February 23, 2021 IT LeadershipAI, Data Science, Leadership
If you can leverage real user intelligence in your systems instead of the artificial kind, you get a better result with less effort. But it takes some intelligent thinking by your developers to get to that point.
The new Microsoft Edge (version 88) that rolls out soon has crowdsourced the difficult decision of which browser notifications to allow. Users are tired of constant "Allow this website to send you notifications?" prompts, but it didn't work to just make all of them more unobtrusive. Microsoft tried that first with "quiet" notification requests, but that meant many users were missing out on the notifications they did want. Instead, the upcoming version will use the decisions by all Edge users to decide which notification requests to show. If everybody else has refused notifications from a specific website, the Edge infrastructure learns that and defaults to not show notification requests from that site.
Do you have ways to harvest the decisions your users are already making and use that data to improve your systems? Put your data scientists to work on the challenge of using human intelligence instead of continuing to try to train AIs.
Who Gets to be in the Office?
October 14, 2020 February 14, 2021 IT LeadershipAI, Office
What happens if more people want to be in the office than can safely be accommodated? With coronavirus distancing rules, you can use less of your space. As employees get work-at-home jitters and want to come in to the office to get away from the kids and congregate at the coffee machine, you might run out of space.
A New York startup, faced with some of the most expensive office space in the world, had this problem. There are many considerations to balance: Do teams need to work together? Do you want people from different parts of the company to meet? Do you need to give everyone equal visibility in the office?
They decided to build an AI-based algorithm to select who gets one of their coveted office spots. How do you decide who gets to be in the office? That is a leadership decision and not something that should be left to chance.


COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO – On the eve of the season opening Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, U.S. Snowboarding's 2011 halfpipe teams were announced Tuesday alongside the cavernous 22-foot halfpipe at Copper Mountain. Highlighting the 17 riders named to the Pro and Rookie Team rosters are five Olympians including two-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (Mount Snow, VT) Olympic silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO) and two-time Grand Prix champion Louie Vito (Sandy, UT).
The team was in Copper tuning up for the Saturday, Dec. 10 Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, the opening event of the three-stop tour.
Returning to the eight rider Pro Team are two Olympic medalists, Clark and Bleiler, plus three fellow Olympians. Among those riders are Vito, World Cup winner Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA), 2010 Mammoth Mountain Grand Prix runner-up Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID), who came on strong at the end of the 2010 season earning Pro Team status.
Vito should know. The Ohio native already owns a pair of season-long Grand Prix crowns and helped lead the charge among riders pioneering the double corks during the Olympic season. Vito's charismatic personality pervades the sport and was showcased a year ago when he was a standout on ABC's Dancing with the Stars dancing with Chelsea Hightower.
While Clark and Bleiler were in the spotlight once again last year, the rookie Farrington was making her own waves with a post-Olympic gold in the Euro-X Games, the Dew Tour title and second in the U.S. Open.
Hoping to join former Rookie Team riders, Vito and Farrington, on the Pro Team in the near future are nine riders from the ages 16-20. Like the Pro Team, the Rookie crew consists of many returning riders including Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Zack Black (Breckenridge, CO) and newcomer Paul Brichta (Burnsville, MN).
The Rookie Team, first deployed for the 2008 season has been an amazing proving ground for young talent.
Although 2011 isn't an Olympic year, the stakes are still high for these riders as they begin to progress the next wave of tricks that will be launched in 2014 in Sochi. The 2010 season was all about the double cork, make sure to stay tuned to see what will be the tricks of 2011.


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Today, there's no other platform out there that provides endless customization the way WordPress does. Its user-friendliness and accessibility make WordPress the most popular platform for web developers and publishers, both.
In a world that's evolving every second, it's crucial to stay on your toes. Regardless of how small-scale your website is, there will come the point where you'll have to redesign it to ensure it stays fresh.
Thus, when the time comes, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before you initiate the entire process. And by things, I'm talking important, impossible-to-miss features that could make or break the growth of your business.
Every successful business owner will tell you one thing: don't plan for the short-run. Instead, set your goals for the long-run.
Even if you're looking to design a simple 5-page website, the growth of your business is something that should always be on your mind. What does this mean exactly? Well, always leave room for future redesigning.
Whatever features you incorporate should reflect the fact that there might be changes later. Not only does this make your work much easier in the future, but you can easily add new elements, such as room for a blog or new products, a few years down the lane.
In a case where you're considering different templates, there's a vast variety of WordPress themes to cater to your needs and requirements.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that a website redesign only involves minor changes such as new icons, background graphics, or even a new logo. However, experts know that it's much more than that.
A website redesign needs to involve a better visual presence for your brand. It doesn't just include the elements mentioned above, but it also involves awesome product photos, exciting videos, and other interesting visual content, such as infographics.
Why is this so important? Well, simply put, people respond to strong visual content. You don't need strong visual content just to draw attention; you need it to convey so many other things as well.
Imagine yourself in the shoes of your potential customer: would you trust a website that just has stock photos of products and customers, or one that has generic pictures? There's no question: the latter, of course.
Customers can easily tell when something's generic and when it's not. Visitors spend more time on websites that have detailed product photos; in fact, over seventy-five percent of e-commerce shoppers say product photos determine whether they'll make a purchase or not. E-commerce businesses, in particular, can explore different e-commerce plugins that WordPress has to offer.
Strong visual elements also attract more visitors to your website. An article that's accompanied by images is more likely to be shared on social media than one that doesn't. Additionally, repurposing your images for social media marketing leads to higher engagement too.
Let's get a little technical now. Do you know what a landing page is? Well, a landing page is a page on your website that's dedicated to providing a single offer and call-to-action (CTA). Landing pages work in a very to-the-point way, which makes them an effective tool to measure the responses of different offers, designs, and marketing communications.
During the website redesign process, it's not important for you to make drastic changes to your website since you're only concerned with individual landing pages. You should also familiarize yourself with different landing page trends to ensure you're not missing anything.
Depending on the industry you're working in, landing pages can lead to conversion rates of one to three percent. In fact, using videos on your landing pages can shoot up conversion rates by eighty-six percent.
Many business-owners are under the misconception that they need to do exactly what their competitors are doing and this thought process translates into their redesign strategy too with identical websites. What they don't realize is that there's a missed opportunity regarding personalization.
Perhaps the primary reason personalization is so important is because that's what customers want. Seventy-four percent of customers get frustrated when websites' content doesn't match their interests. Moreover, forty-six percent of B2B customers believe personalization is the way to build and maintain relationships with business providers.
Apart from this, though, personalization has the power to grow your business. By 2020, personalization can potentially increase your profits by fifteen percent.
However, just because your website's personalized, doesn't mean every user gets a unique experience. The user experience can be modeled according to a particular characteristic, such as gender, and you can draft marketing messages accordingly.
In fact, your approach to personalization doesn't necessarily need to be complicated, expensive, or technical. To start, develop landing pages for every referral source, target demographic, or major location.
Lastly, your website redesign shouldn't feel alien to your users. In simpler terms, it needs to represent your brand.
Every business out there aims to leave a footprint and create a brand. The look and feel of your website should fall in line with the message you're trying to convey through other marketing materials.
Still confused? Let me explain further.
When I refer to the look of a website, I'm talking about its visual elements. It's crucial for the color scheme to match the colors of your logo and various other marketing materials to ensure there's no disconnect with overall communications. Furthermore, the product photos you use on your website should be the same as the ones you use elsewhere to display your products.
On the other hand, the feel refers to the user experience. This includes various factors, such as performance, accessibility, and how users feel when interacting with your website.
These tips are essential for anyone looking to redesigning their WordPress website. Do you have any other tips in mind? Or have you already tried some of these before? Let us know in the comments below!
Dave Schneider is the marketing manager at Albacross, the free B2B lead generation platform. In 2012 he quit his job to travel the world, and has visited over 65 countries. In his spare time, he writes about SaaS and business at DaveSchneider.me and runs the churn reduction app, LessChurn.


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'영광의 얼굴들'…2019 노벨상 시상식
스웨덴 국왕에게 노벨문학상 받는 한트케
Sweden Nobel
SWEDEN-NOBEL-PRIZE-2019
epaselect SWEDEN NOBEL PRIZES
Norway Sweden Nobels
http://yna.kr/IPT20191211000002365
(스톡홀름 AP=연합뉴스) 오스트리아 작가 페터 한트케(왼쪽)가 10일(현지시간) 스웨덴 스톡홀름 콘서트홀에서 열린 노벨상 시상식에서 칼 구스타프 16세 스웨덴 국왕으로부터 2019 노벨문학상을 받고 있다. ucham1789@yna.co.kr (끝)
Chemistry laureate John B. Goodenough, left, receives the prize from King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, during the Nobel Prize award ceremony, at the Stockholm Concert Hall, in Stockholm, Monday, Dec. 10, 2019. (Jonas Ekstromer / TT News Agency, Pool via AP)
French?American economist Esther Duflo receives her Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (R) during the Award ceremony on December 10, 2019 at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Jonas EKSTROMER / POOL / AFP)
epaselect epa08060541 Polish author Olga Tokarczuk (L) and Austrian author Peter Handke, 2018 and 2019 literature laureates respectively, pose with their Nobel medals during the Nobel Prize award ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall, in Stockholm, Sweden, 10 December 2019. EPA/Jonas Ekstromer / POOL SWEDEN OUT
Japanese chemist and co-laureate of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry poses with his wife Kumiko during the Nobel Prize award ceremony on December 10, 2019 at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Jonas EKSTROMER / POOL / AFP)
Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 2019 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali attends the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at City Hall in Oslo on December 10, 2019. Photo by Rune Hellestad/ UPI
Polish author and co-laureate of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature Olga Tokarczuk gives a speech during a royal banquet to honour the laureates of the Nobel Prize 2019 following the Award ceremony on December 10, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
US materials scientist, a solid-state physicist and co-laureate of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry John Goodenough (C) arrives to receive his Nobel prize during the Nobel awards ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
(1stRow) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (L), Queen Silvia of Sweden, (2ndRow) Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (R) and Crown Prince Daniel of Sweden take their seats at the start of the Nobel 2019 awards ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Claudio BRESCIANI / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT
Laureates of the 2019 Nobel Prize arrive for the Nobel awards ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
Guests and officials sit prior the start of the Nobel awards ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
Guest and Swedish royal family attend a royal banquet to honour the laureates of the Nobel Prize 2019 following the Award ceremony on December 10, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
Guests and Swedish royal family attend a royal banquet to honour the laureates of the Nobel Prize 2019 following the Award ceremony on December 10, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
Queen Silvia of Sweden (L) and Carl-Henrik Heldin, chairman of the Board of the Nobel foundation pose before a royal banquet to honour the laureates of the Nobel Prize 2019 following the Award ceremony on December 10, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Abiy Ahmed and his wife Zinash Tayachew salute the torch light parade from the balcony of Grand Hotel in Oslo, Tuesday, Dec. 10. 2019. (Heiko Junge/NTB scanpix via AP)
Flags of Sweden and Norway and a sign reading 2019 with a profile of the Nobel Prize founder, Alfred Nobel are pictured prior the start of the Nobel awards ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden on December 10, 2019. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)


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The Most T-Charged Movie Scene
florin December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #1
It's gotta be the intro (before the credits) to "Red Heat" with Arnold:
Red Heat (1988) - IMDb
Directed by Walter Hill. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Belushi, Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross. A tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed...
You know, it's the movie with Arnold as a Russian police guy and Jim Belushi as the comic relief sidekick (and Chicago cop).
The scene I'm talking about is at the beginning of the movie, when Arnold enters a gym/sauna parlor in Moscow looking for a gangster and has a fight with the tough guys. It has, like, all the symbols of the testosterone mentality and physique:
muscular hypertrophy (well duh)
sex drive (a lot of naked, good looking chicks hanging around)
high tolerance to pain and trauma (Arnold's character squeezes a hot piece of rock, freshly pulled out of fire, with bare hands)
diminished sense of danger, extreme courage (Arnold's character essentially walks into the gangsters' lair naked)
agression, conquest and domination
There are also all sorts of secondary symbols such as fire, weight training gear, etc.
I'm not sure how much of all that was consciously put into the script, but anyway the whole scene is like a textbook example for T psychology.
Any other movie scenes like that that you can mention??
NateOrade December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #2
Mentioned this scene before:
When Nicholas Cage storms through an airplane beating the crap out of people and gets shot in the arm and doesn't even flinch. This happened near the end of Con Air.
When Deniro slams some scumbag's face onto a diner table and then the window while maintaining complete composure. Happened near the beginning of Heat. Actually, any scene in Heat involving Deniro or Pacino.
Weaver: "Get away from her you bitch!" Need I say more?
Most of Any Given Sunday.
Batman Begins when he has that crooked cop hanging upside down by a trip wire and he's questioning him.
Cop: "That's all I know, I swear to God!"
Batman: "SWEAR TO ME!"
mcnasty13 December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #3
The most recent one that comes to my mind is the nightclub scene with the rock in the movie "the rundown"
those were some big dudes and firing the turntable at the guys back was hilarious.
My favorite is the curb bite on American history X.
K_Narf December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #4
I gotta agree with this. My favorite scene in that entire movie. I also don't think you can go wrong picking any scenes from The Crow or Braveheart.
jehovasfitness December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #5
[quote]mcnasty13 wrote:
agreed, one of the best intros ever, or scenes for that matter
BorisTheSpider December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #6
The fight scene in "on the waterfront".
sugarfree December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #7
End of "The Ninth Configuration".
No action at all, until at the end, they push a man too far.
I look in Stacey Keach'e eyes just before he goes beserk.
anon31651765 December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #8
The scene on the steps in "The Untouchables".
Tyler Durden's "Gift to the World" in Fight Club.
Most parts of "The Rock".
Any and all scenes in "Undisputed".
monkeymeat December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #9
I've always liked the Wheel of Pain sequence in Conan the Barbarian. Years of of pain and physical exertion to the point of torture that pays off with a massive physique. Ok, it's not very realistic but I've always found it really cool.
OARSMAN December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #10
The handshake scene between Ahnuld and Carl Weathers in Predator. Note the lingering close up of each's jakked biceps.
Jesse Ventura with that ridiculous chain gun going apeshit.
Sonny Landham carving his chest up with a big ass knife before facing the Predator.
the final 20 minutes of Scarface
zarathus December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #12
[quote]Natural Nate wrote:
Amen to that Batman Begins scene.
The scene in Kill Bill 2 where Beatrice Kiddo breaks out of the coffin (or any of the Pai Mei scene, for that matter).
Sin City, the whole damn thing–"I don't know if Miho is alive or dead, but I'm on my fit, and I want to get some killin' done".
Various scenes in Episode Three.
I didn't really like G.I. Jane, but I love the drill sargent–
"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A bird would fall dead from the boughs, before it ever felt sorry for itself".
"Someone always gives up on the first day. How do I know? Because until somebody gives up, that day does not end."
Zap_Branigan December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #13
Unforgiven when William Muney walks into the bar and blows Little Bill and everyone else away.
doogie December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #14
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Unforgiven when William Muney walks into the bar and blows Little Bill and everyone else away.[/quote]
Bill Munny: All right now, I'm comin' out. Any man I see out there, I'm gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only gonna kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife. All his friends. Burn his damn house down.
Warg December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #15
"Bunch of slack jawed faggots around here. This stuff will make you a god damned sexual tyrannasaur… Just like me."
singram December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #16
All of Fight Club
Taxi Driver when DeNiro goes crazy at the end,when he shoots Harvey Kietel and says"Suck on this"then shoots him in the guts.Then goes to the whore house and cleans house.
The end of True Romance
About all of Menace 2 Soceity
spartanpower December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #17
The part in "We Were Soldiers" when Mel Gibson wheels around and shoots the NVA soldier charging him with a bayonet. Blasts the dude right between the eyes from the hip and doesn't even break his sentence.
The first 30 minutes of "Full Metal Jacket" where R. Lee Ermey is basically the hardest dude ever to live.
Towards the end of Kill Bill Vol. 1, after Beatrice kills or dismembers every member of the Crazy 88, she tells them they are free to go but must leave their severed limbs that now belong to her.
Every minute of "Sin City" was soaked with T.
So was every minute of "Last Man Standing."
The knife fight in Commando when Arnold throws the pipe through Bennett.
JPBear December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #18
I liked the scene in "the Patriot" after Mel Gibson's son is killed by the British Officer and he takes his two young sons to ambush the Redcoats.
Diomede December 14, 2015, 5:25pm #19
[quote]OARSMAN wrote:
the final 20 minutes of Scarface [/quote]
yep…no doubt.
swivel July 10, 2019, 4:37am #20
946404.1140842697001.894762.1137981238728.new.jpg561×544 90.5 KB
Faster, Pusscat! Kill! Kill!
the opening scene @ the go-go when the guy shouts :
"GO BABY GO!!!"
p.s. her name is beatrix, not "beatrice".


Course Brief: This class covers the basics of using your chosen rifle, whether it be bolt-action, lever-action or semi-automatic. Perfect for those thinking of buying a rifle or have rifle but limited rifle shooting experience. The class will give students the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to build a solid foundation for owning and shooting the rifle of their choice.
Equipment Required: Rifle rental is available, if needed, for $25. Must request rental at time of booking.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Full payment will be due to the instructor at the start of class, cash or credit. A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. This card will not be charged unless you no show or cancel with less than 24 hours notice. The late cancel fee for this class is $75.
Course Brief: This course is geared towards anyone looking to learn how to use the AR15 platform safely, effectively and reliably. It offers owners of AR-15 / M-4 /M-16 style rifles the necessary skill set for safe and proper application of this AR platform. Students will become familiarized with the AR-15 / M-4 rifle and will learn the basic gun-handling skills that are necessary to safely operate and maintain this weapon system. Perfect for the new or soon-to-be AR-15 owner.
Equipment Required: AR-15 or M-4 type rifle with iron sights or optic, and gun cleaning kit.
Rifle rental is available, if needed, for $25. Must request rental at time of booking.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Preregistration is required. Full payment will be due to the instructor at the start of class, cash or credit. A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. This card will not be charged unless you no show or cancel with less than 24 hours notice. The late cancel fee for this class is $75.
Course Brief:This class is for anyone who has a fighting rifle / carbine such as the AK, AR, platforms etc and wants to learn how to use them effectively in a realistic environment. This is an all-day on-range course for the serious shooter wanting to get the most from this weapon system. Some of the items covered in the course are Standing, Kneeling and Prone Positions, Shooting On The Move, Shooting From Cover, and Reloading Techniques including Speed Loads and Tactical Reloads.
- Must be comfortable with chosen firearm while shooting in a traditional static range environment.
- Your Chosen Magazine Fed (Semi Auto) Rifle with a Stock that has been zeroed. Pistol and Rimfire Calibers and SBRs are acceptable.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Full payment will be due to the instructor at the start of class, cash or credit. A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. This card will not be charged unless you no show or cancel with less than 3 days notice. The late cancel fee for this class is $125. Cancellations received after 5pm the day prior to the class will be treated as no shows. The no show fee is $250.
No refunds will be issued and the full course fees will apply to students arriving unprepared for the class. If you have any questions about the required equipment or how to prepare for this course, call or email us in advance to discuss.
Course Brief: This course is designed to introduce the shooter - old, new and moderately experienced - to the AK-47, AK-74 and Galil type firearms. This is a full one day AK Operator Course that immerses the student into reality based training and covers AK specific protocols. Topics covered will include Equipment Selection and Options, Rifle and Sling Set-Up, Safety, Grip, Stance, Loading / Unloading, Correct Zeroing, Mechanical Offset, Recoil Control, Speed vs. Accuracy, Movement and Malfunction Drills.
- Your AK-variant Rifle. Pistol Calibers and SBRs are acceptable.
2019 Booking and Cancellation Policy: Full payment will be due to the instructor at the start of class, cash or credit. A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. This card will not be charged unless you no show or cancel with less than 3 days notice. The late cancel fee for this class is $125. Cancellations received after 5pm the day prior to the class will be treated as no shows. The no show fee is $250.
Course Brief: This 2-Day Immersion picks up where our one day Advanced Defensive Carbine Course ends with new skills practiced using repetition of drills while learning to shoot under stress. Focus will be on Drills and Techniques most commonly accepted for Fighting with a Rifle, as well as some less common techniques that we believe invaluable in an urban fighting environment. Students will develop skills that increase their speed, accuracy and confidence with a carbine. Course includes working around vehicles, shooting from improvised positions, transitioning to and from pistol, extreme close contact shooting, introduction to team tactics and more. This class is offered 2-3 times per year. Space is limited to 15 students. This is NOT a basic course and all students must be up to speed before attending, please see the prerequisites below.
- Proof of similar course completion from Louis Awerbuck, Clint Smith, Pat Rogers, Gunsite, or Tactical Response. FFT reserves the right to refuse training or service.
Due to the Facility Needs, this class is only offered at Okeechobee Shooting Sports.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Full payment will be due to the instructor at the start of class, cash or credit. A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. This card will not be charged unless you no show or cancel with less than 7 days notice. The late cancel fee for this class is $250.
Cancellations received after 5pm the day prior to the class will be treated as no shows. The no show fee is $475.
Course Brief: This course will be invaluable to anyone who wants to experience the satisfaction of long range precision marksmanship. It is specifically designed around the needs of shooters (both new and old) that are interested in learning the fundamental skills for shooting accurately out to 500 yards whether for hunting or sport. Course intent is to cover the techniques required to achieve first round hits out to 500 yards. This is a marksmanship skills course and does not include advanced sniper techniques. Course consists of classroom and on-range practical training.
Cost: $700 Includes Instruction, Training, Range Fees, Targets, Merchandise, Lunch and Drinks Both Days, Overnight Lodging, Dinner and Breakfast.
Pricing Based on Single Occupancy Lodging. Discounts available for students wishing to share a room.
Skills and Requirements Needed Coming Into this Class: All students must be safe and familiar with their chosen firearm.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: A $250 Deposit is required at the time of booking and will be charged to the card entered at registration. The balance of the course fees will be due to the instructor the day of the class, cash or credit. The deposit is refundable until 7 days prior to the course. Cancellations within 7 days of the class will forfeit the deposit. Cancellations received after 5pm the day prior to the class will be treated as no shows. The no show fee is $700.
Lodging will be provided at the Hampton Inn Okeechobee, unless otherwise advised, with all meals on-site.
Course Brief: This course is for experienced rifle shooters that want to push their individual abilities with a precision rifle in varying conditions and environments beyond just static bench or prone shooting. It applies to many different aspects of marksmanship including military/law enforcement, competition, and hunting. Anyone interested in placing precision fire on targets under imposed stress will learn the art and science involved in doing so in this course.
THIS IS NOT A BASIC COURSE. As with all of our ADVANCED courses, it has a relatively complex curriculum. This course will utilize the entire 80 acre facility, fully taking advantage of all the ranges on-site. Students that complete the course will have a proficiency in handling a firearm under stress conditions, advanced marksmanship fundamentals, and a combined knowledge of their personal capabilities with their equipment.
The course concludes with our Advanced Precision Rifle Qualification Course, an exercise covering 40 acres where the student will be required to read maps, stalk from position to position, identify and range targets, report via radio, and engage targets out to 500 yards from improvised positions within a given time constraint. All students will receive a certificate of attendance. Those who achieve a 80% or better score on the qualification course will also receive a certificate of qualification.
Lodging will be provided at the Hampton Inn Okeechobee or comparable hotel with all meals on-site. Pricing Based on Single Occupancy. Discounts available for students wishing to share a room.
Course Brief: Long range shooting is all about quantitative data and consistency. This course is designed for you to discover what you, along with your weapon system, are truly capable of. Picking up where we left off in the LRI-2, students will get to dope their guns out to 1000 yards, in 100 yard increments. Fundamentally you will attain greater confidence in yourself, your rifle and your optic. Anyone can hold tight groups at 100 yards, but pushing targets out to 800, 900 and 1000 yards, while shooting from realistic positions will truly test your equipment and skills.
Due to the Facility Needs, this class is only offered at a Private Rifle Range in Okeechobee, Florida.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: A $250 Deposit is required at the time of booking and will be charged to the card entered at registration. The balance of the course fees will be due to the instructor the day of the class, cash or credit. The deposit is refundable until 21 days prior to the course. Cancellations within 21 days of the class will forfeit the deposit. Cancellations received after 5pm the day prior to the class will be treated as no shows. The no show fee is $800.
Brief: This is a four hour coaching session for current or past long range FFT students that would like the opportunity to work on their 0-500 yard skills. It is not a course with a pre-set curriculum, rather a long range skills practice session. It is a chance to shoot out to 500 yards under the guidance of an FFT long range instructor working on your specific areas of concern.
Booking and Cancellation Policy: Full payment will be due to the instructor at the start of the event, cash or credit. A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. This card will not be charged unless you no show or cancel with less than 3 days notice. The late cancellation fee for this event is $50. Cancellations received after 5pm the day prior to the class will be treated as no shows. The no show fee is $100.


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It Looks Like a Classic Heart Attack, But in COVID-19 Patients Other Issues May Be at Play
MONDAY, April 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Eighteen patients with severe COVID-19 treated at a New York City hospital showed the classic signs of a heart attack on their electrocardiograms.
But a closer look at each case revealed that more than half of these patients didn't have a blockage in a major artery, the typical trigger of a heart attack. Thirteen of the 18 patients died of cardiac causes while in the hospital, said a team from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
These findings, published April 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that there's something about the stress of severe COVID-19 that may be harming the heart in atypical ways, said one cardiologist who wasn't involved in the report.
"As we continue to learn about the impact COVID-19 has to our heart, we have begun to identify unique and unusual effects," said Dr. Satjit Bhusri, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, also in New York City. "Some patients present with abnormal EKGs, which can classically look as an acute heart attack, but without a true finding of a blocked artery."
The real underlying cause for some cardiac deaths in these patients may be the stress, physical and otherwise, caused by COVID-19, Bhusri theorized.
"This disparity is also seen in stress-induced heart disease, otherwise known as broken heart syndrome," he noted.
The new report was led by Dr. Sripal Bangalore, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health. His team looked at the cases of 18 patients admitted with COVID-19 whose EKG readings indicated they had experienced a heart attack.
The EKGs displayed a classic "elevated ST segment" reading that's indicative of heart attack, the doctors said. Ten patients displayed ST elevation at the time they were admitted to hospital, while eight others showed it during their hospital stay.
However, based on coronary angiography scans and/or cath-lab investigations, 10 of the patients (56%) were found to have "non-coronary myocardial injury," Bangalore said. In layman's terms, that means a heart attack that was not caused by a blockage in an artery.
So what might have caused the fatal or near-fatal heart injuries experienced by those 10 patients? It's not clear, but Bangalore's team said COVID-19 might injure the heart through a range of causes, including a rupturing of plaques in blood vessels, injury due to poor oxygenation, coronary spasm, tiny clots undetected by angiograms or more "direct" injury to vascular tissues.
"This case series highlights the complexity in caring for patients with COVID-19 who have EKG changes suggestive of a heart attack," Bangalore noted.
That's because using the standard heart treatment -- clot-busting drugs -- may sometimes be useless in these patients, as "half of them may not have major blockages," he explained.
"Overall, the in-hospital death rate for these patients is very high and we urgently need studies to figure out how to best care for them," Bangalore said.
Dr. Guy Mintz directs cardiovascular health at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. Reading over the new report, he noted that the patients were "relatively young, with a median age of 63 years." The group had traditional heart risk factors: Two-thirds had high blood pressure, one-third had diabetes and 40% had high cholesterol.
Mintz noted that similar findings were observed for Chinese COVID-19 patients who experienced heart crises during their care at hospitals in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic.
Besides the formation of dangerous clots, severe COVID-19 "also stimulates the inflammatory system causing a cytokine storm -- an out-of-control inflammatory response to infection -- which can lead to more organ damage, whether it's the heart, lungs or kidneys," Mintz explained.
SOURCES: Satjit Bhusri, M.D., cardiologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Guy Mintz, M.D., director, cardiovascular health & lipidology, Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y.; Sripal Bangalore, M.D., professor, medicine, NYU Langone Health, and director, cardiac catheterization laboratory at NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue; April 17, 2020, New England Journal of Medicine
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Looking down Glen Lane, toward the Valley Gates.
This placard atop Scarboro Hill shows the plan for the Park and the Ante Park.
When Frederick Law Olmsted was planning Franklin Park in Boston, he decided to divide the park into four sections. Two of these sections, the Country Park (now the golf course) and The Wilderness, were for enjoying nature. The other two sections, The Playstead and The Greeting (now the Zoo) were for public events, sports and more community-oriented uses. This portion was to be The Ante Park.
Separating the two halves, putting a physical and psychological barrier between the natural enjoyment and the community uses of the park was Glen Lane, a road running through the Valley Gates from Washington Street to Blue Hill Avenue. Because in Boston all roads must have many names, most people know Glen Road (the portion outside Franklin Park) as Green Street. If you get off at the Green Street T stop and walk toward the park, the street changes names to Glen Road when you cross Washington Street. Once it enters the park, it's known as Glen Lane. Today this sunken road is barely used, probably because it is unpaved and also because most of it is inside the fence of the Zoo. But a portion of it is intact and recently restored, and it contains a small mystery I can't really explain.
For much of the last year, the Parks and Recreation folks have been working on the Valley Gates, doing some restoration and other necessary work. During this time, Glen Lane has been fenced off and closed, so it wasn't until recently that my wife and I decided to walk up the sunken lane. I'm always on the lookout for things in the park to write about or take pictures of, and about 10 feet down Glen Lane I was rewarded.
The lane, as I've mentioned, is sunken between two rocky knolls, a smaller one on the side of The Overlook and a steeper, rockier one on the side nearer to the Balance Rock. Carved out of rock of the larger knoll is a giant square space, separated from the lane by a high stone wall with two entrance gates. It's about 50 feet long and perhaps 20 feet deep, surrounded on three sides by steep rock walls topped with dense woods.
Today I went over and took a closer look at this alcove. I really have no idea what it was for, but now it's completely overgrown. The trees are large, so it hasn't been used for a long time. But what was it?
My first thought is that it might have been for an early zoo exhibit, like the Bear Cages and the Raccoon Cage, because I guessed that maybe there were other cages on the perimeter of the Playstead. However I can't find any justification for this in the maps, and the place doesn't feel like the other abandoned zoo exhibits. It lacks the wrought iron and elaborate stone work. The entrances are too small for vehicles, and there is no sign of metal hinges to hold doors, so I suspect this was an open space that people could enter and leave at will.
Detail from the 1914 map, showing the Valley Gates. No alcove!
Returning home, I started looking over the maps. The Jamaica Plain Historical Society has four maps of the Park from 1896 to 1914, and I checked them all. None had any indication of a building, stall or anything along Glen Lane by the Valley Gates. I looked at the original 1885 General Plan, the 1891 Revised Plan, as well as maps from 1896, 1899, 1905, and 1914. To the right is a detail from the 1914 map, but they are all the same really. I found this lack of evidence kind of strange, because most of the time the maps are very accurate and show a lot of the park details that have been buried or lost. But this time there was nothing.
I figured this was just one of those things that I'd have to leave alone for a while, hoping a random picture or map or blog post would turn up in my internet meanderings that explained this odd, man-made alcove on Glen Lane. Then I decided to look at the Topographical Map of the Park from 1884, showing the roads and landscape that Olmsted would transform. Many of the roads, including Glen Lane, were in place before the Park was constructed, and Olmsted incorporated many of them in his final plans.
Looking closely at the Topographical Map, I saw that the rocky alcove existed in 1884! To the right is a detail of the map, and the space is clearly marked right where I saw it today. Which means that it was not part of the Franklin Park plan, but a remnant of some pre-Park farm or home. There's no indication as to what it was for, but I found it really exciting to know that it was a piece of Boston history from before Olmsted transformed the land into his grand vision of an urban naturalist escape.
This sent me off in some interesting directions, wondering about what was in the Park before the construction. I knew some of it had been farms and land owned by families, and many of the sections of the Park still bear their names (Ellicott, Scarborough, Hagborne, Sargent) and of course Schoolmaster Hill is named for it's famous resident, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ultimately, I ended up back at the Jamaica Plain Historical Society website, looking for maps from before the Park. I found one from 1874, and it shows that section of Glen Road was owned by a Samuel E. Sawyer at that time. Interestingly, Sawyer is considered one of the great benefactors of the arts and the primary creator of the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library, which hosted lectures by notables including (surprise!) Ralph Waldo Emerson! He's best remembered as a Gloucester native (with a very nice house), but apparently he owned some of the land that would become Franklin Park. It's not a stretch to imagine that he donated the land, or sold it willingly, when Olmsted came asking.
There is nothing on the 1874 map to indicate the location or usage of the alcove, or that it even existed in 1874, but it was really fascinating to see this same ground that I've walked so many times, and these maps that I've become so familiar with, from the time before the Park existed. I don't really know anything more after looking at the 1874 map than I did before I found it, but I'm glad I spent the time to look closely at it.
Standing at the Valley Gates, you can see Schoolmaster Hill, and I realize that Sawyer, benefactor of the arts, and Emerson, the great poet and philosopher were neighbors. Suddenly the Park's history unfolds in front of me as a place of human connection far above beauty, nature or Olmsted history. Before the Park, these neighbors rose into the ranks of the Boston Brahmin and both left their marks on the world in meaningful ways. I had never expected to find any of this when I started trying to figure out what was housed in this small alcove cut out of the rock.
What does all this mean? I'm not really sure. It's another of these moments I keep having in my visits to Franklin Park where I'm excited to find a little mystery, a bit of lost past, and I keep re-experiencing the joy of discovery while imagining the history under my feet. For me, standing there and feeling that connection between then and now, from the past to the present, was amazing. I guess that's all it ever needs to mean.


Pat Seftel wouldn't date Denzel Washington, but she'd like to have him over for coffee. She thinks Lena Dunham dresses like "an old lady on Coney Island." She'd be happy to play mah-jongg with Barbara Walters. And if she got a tattoo, she'd put it "somewhere where nobody else could see it. It would be very small, and very feminine, maybe like a butterfly — tiny-weeny, as big as your thumbnail."
But don't ask where. "I don't think I should tell you," she informs her son, Josh — along with a couple thousand YouTube viewers — from her winter home in Sarasota, Fla. Late last year, Josh, a New York City filmmaker who grew up in Niskayuna, started shooting his long-distance webcam conversations with his mother, who summers up here and winters in Sarasota. The result is "My Mom on Movies," a sweetly chatty web series showcasing a few minutes of mother-son bonding over movies, celebrities and whatnot from the news.
"She's incredibly incisive," says Josh Seftel, who directed the 2008 political satire "War, Inc." "And her opinions are coming from sort of an unexpected, unassuming source — which I think is really refreshing. I think that her opinions are right up there with the best critics."
In their 13-so-far episodes of "My Mom on Movies" (https://www.youtube.com/user/MyMomOnMovies), the dutiful son sits before a computer in his Manhattan office, lofting pop-cultural nuggets at his mother. Her kind, curious face, topped with short red hair, fills his 27-inch screen and sparks to life at every question, arched eyebrows ticking ever so slightly upward.
While chatting about the Golden Globes, she observes that Denzel is "not as handsome as he used to be," a criticism she later softens with an offering of coffee and rugelach. "Would you go on a date with him?" Josh asks. "He's married," Pat says. "If he wasn't?" Josh persists. "I don't go out with younger men," Pat declares. And that is definitively that.
Sometimes they stumble into unforeseen territory. The question "What are you doing right now?" prompts the news that mom's been reading the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy by E.L. James. Which prompts a conversation about sadomasochism. Which sons do not normally discuss with their mothers. But Josh Seftel goes there, asking mom if she's now interested in S and M. She is not: "I like a nice hug."
Recalling this exchange, Seftel says she hadn't exactly planned on discussing erotica with her 44-year-old son. "It was almost like talking to a friend," says Seftel, 76, from her home in Niskayuna, where she'll remain through the warm months. "And then I thought, 'Oh, my God, where am I going with it?'"
The seeds for "My Mom on Movies" were planted back in the early 2000s, when some of Seftel's early work — starting with "Taking on the Kennedys," his 1996 documentary about a failed Rhode Island congressional campaign against Patrick Kennedy — was first released on DVD. Suddenly, he was asked to produce extras: "And one of the things that they would always ask for was a 'making-of' featurette. 'Tell us how the films were made.' And I was always sort of annoyed."
He decided to interview his parents. "I'd sit them down and say, 'Tell me about the film. What'd you think of it?' And it ended up being really funny, because they would argue with each other."
Josh Seftel's father, Lee, taught at Albany Medical College and was chief of obstetrics at Ellis Hospital for many years. "I'm making this up, but one out of four people were delivered by him. A lot of people. He delivered 10,000 babies." That part he isn't making up. "One day he and I sat down, and we calculated it — based on the number of years and the babies per year."
Four years ago, Lee Seftel died. Take care of mom, he told his children. But Seftel's sisters live in Bethesda, Md., and Northampton, Mass., and get-togethers were tough. "Our universe felt a little out of whack," Josh Seftel says. "It was time to get it back in order."
The agreed-upon solution: buy Mom an iPad. It seemed like a bad idea, as Pat Seftel had always loathed computers. But Josh flew down and gave his mother a crash course in iPad literacy, and she quickly took to the newfangled gizmo, using Face Time (which she calls "Face Lift") to keep in touch with her far-flung brood. It's been healing, he says.
Being partners on a joint creative venture only adds to the fun of gassing with mom. "We're collaborators on a project."
As for Pat Seftel, she admires his skills as an interviewer and doesn't mind watching herself on screen, though she admits it's all a little strange. "I laugh and I think, 'Oh, I should have gone to the beauty parlor.' "
Fame is something she hasn't yet adjusted to. "My new stardom? Oh, God. Well. I was a little surprised, a little bit embarrassed, actually," she says. And maybe "stardom" is too big a word. "But when people tell me what they liked and all that, it makes me feel good. It makes me proud of my son."
Is he a good son? "Ah, couldn't be better!" she replies. "But he was even a good son before all of this. He's a great kid."


The culture victory in Civilization VI is like Brave New World's. You will need to make sure that you have more foreign tourism than every other civilization has for domestic tourism. How do you accomplish this? Focus and zero in on culture, and make sure to take advantage of any and all tourist opportunities.
Build any and every cultured-up Wonder. Recruit any and every Great Writer, Artist, or Musician. Establish their great works in the theater districts that you should build for each of your cities. Make sure you have points going towards your Great Artists, Musicians, or Writers in policy cards, and keep an eye out for any that alter tourism. Choose a leader that has a bit of an edge in tourism. And ensure that when you can build seaside resorts and national parks, you do so. Get all of the writing, music, art, artifacts, sites, and culture so that you can be a powerhouse of tourism. Simply focus in on this and you'll see how quickly you'll be pummeling your opponents out of the running.
For more help with Civilization VI, be sure to check out our wiki for guides and tips! For which Wonders will help you with a Culture Victory faster, click here. For which Leaders will give you an edge in your endeavor, check this guide.


text:
För andra betydelser, se Cepheus (olika betydelser).

Cepheus är ett släkte av kvalster. Cepheus ingår i familjen Cepheidae.

Kladogram enligt Catalogue of Life:

Källor

Externa länkar

Spindeldjur

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Spotify and Tencent Music look set to acquire a stake in each other
Spotify and Chinese giant Tencent look set to own a stake in each other's businesses.
That's according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, which cites sources who say Tencent's Music company and Spotify AB are in talks to acquire 10% of each other – ahead of both parties floating on the stock market next year.
One mutual perk of the deal is that both companies could align when entering licensing negotiations with major music labels and publishers.
The agreement will reportedly be structured with Tencent paying Spotify a lump sum to balance the books: Daniel Ek's company has a higher current valuation than the Tencent Music Entertainment Group.
(But not the main Tencent parent company, obviously, which is worth over $400bn according to its current market cap.)
Tencent Holdings Ltd reportedly plans to spin-out Tencent Music into a public company in 2018, either in New York or Hong Kong.
A recent round of financing reportedly upped Tencent Music's valuation to $10bn.
Spotify, meanwhile, was recently valued at $16bn in private trades.
Despite the obvious global synergies between the two companies, WSJ's sources say that Spotify has no plans to enter the Chinese market.
Tencent spent big last year to acquire a majority stake in $2.7bn-valued China Music Corp, taking control of two key music platforms – Kuwo and KuGou.
Added together with its own QQ Music, Tencent services reach over 700m monthly active users.
Speaking to MBW earlier this year, Tencent Music VP Andy Ng said: "We don't have the expertise needed to run a music label business. We don't have knowledge about A&R, management and physical CDs. I feel pretty strongly about avoiding owning a majority stake in a music label.
However, we wouldn't mind exploring an investment, like owning a small portion of a music label's shares – 10/20/30%.
"We'd consider investing in a really important music label that could create different strategic partnerships with, not only for our music service, but also using the IP of artists in the games or filming business."
Tencent, of course, currently has multi-year agreements with all three major labels to represent their catalogues in China.Music Business Worldwide
News China Spotify Tencent
War Is Over: Spotify and Warner Chappell sign global licensing deal – including India
Spotify's Global Marketing Lead joins Twitch as Director of Marketing, EMEA
Spotify launches 'Streaming Ad Insertion' tool for podcast advertising


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9 of the Best Islands in Africa
Katherine Alex Beaven	 April 21, 2019
Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, after Asia. In addition to the mainland, Africa is also surrounded by a plethora of islands, many with their own special set of geographic features, plant and animal species, and mix of cultures. Whether you're looking for a thick jungle, volcanic coastline, idyllic beach, great architecture and history, or just some crystal-clear underwater views, Africa likely has an island that can deliver. Here are nine of the best islands in Africa.
Beach at Constant Prince Maurice
Located off the coast of East Africa, the island nation of Mauritius is comprised of the main island of Mauritius and several other smaller islands. In fact, it has become one of the most popular island destinations in Africa, due to the wide variety of plant and animal species — many of which can only be found here — and overall safety. One the islands' most famous former residents is the long-extinct dodo bird. Visitors now flock to this lush destination for its idyllic shorelines, plus excellent diving, kitesurfing, and fishing opportunities. The Black River Gorges National Park offers up rainforest hikes and the possibility of spotting flying foxes soaring between the trees. In the towns, architecture buffs will find a unique style that blends influences from the Dutch, English, and French colonization periods, as well as India and Africa.
Our Mauritius Hotel Pick: The 89-room Constance Prince Maurice is a secluded luxury property located off a stunning lagoon. There's a floating restaurant, a kids' club, a beautiful beachfront, several lovely pools, an Asian-themed spa, and tech-savvy room amenities like iPad minis.
Pricing for Constance Prince Maurice
Grande Comore, Comoros; David Stanley/Flickr
Vacationers searching for a rugged island paradise should consider Comoros, a small collection of islands off the southeastern coast of Africa. Expect stunning natural beaches with volcanic rock, a rich French and Arab heritage, and a few active volcanoes. High season occurs between May and October, when rains let up and humidity is at its lowest. Wildlife here is spread out among the different islands, though overall, there are nearly 30 native bird species, nesting sea turtles, dolphins that can sometimes be spotted from shore, and even lemurs. Many visitors like to island hop, but getting between the islands can be a bit tricky, and often requires unreliable boat and flight options. However, getting here — at least from Europe — isn't too hard since there are several flights operating from Paris.
3. Seychelles
Beach at Banyan Tree Seychelles
Chances are, you've seen the Seychelles' swoon-worthy beaches — packed with pristine white sand and jaw-dropping emerald waters — on computer screens, cell phone backgrounds, or even just in your dreams. It's easy to see why this 115-island paradise is an African island hot spot. The crystal-clear water makes for superb snorkeling and diving conditions, which is a huge draw, especially for those hoping to see blacktip reef sharks, sailfish, sea turtles, rays, and over 1,000 types of fish. A few notable endemic land animals include the Aldabra giant tortoise and tons of beautiful birds. Conservation is a huge priority here, so please pack reef-safe sunscreen, if you plan to go into the water, and tread lightly on hikes. For a bit of local flavor, add a side of shark chutney (a condiment made with fried onions, lime, mashed-up boiled shark, and juice from a local tree) to your curry.
Our Seychelles Hotel Pick: Set along a stretch of white-sand beach on a secluded peninsula, MAIA Luxury Resort & Spa is home to stand-alone villas with ocean views and beach access. All-inclusive packages, private plunge pools, a small spa, and daily activities make it an easy-breezy vacation pick.
Pricing for MAIA Luxury Resort & Spa
4. Boa Vista
Marine Club Beach Resort
Located off the western coast of Senegal and Mauritania, Boa Vista literally translates to "good view" in Portuguese. It's the third-largest island in the Cape Verde archipelago, and its big, beautiful beaches are a huge draw for visitors. Lots of tourists use this desert-like island as a jumping-off point for exploring the other Cape Verde islands, as it has its own international airport that serves mostly European countries (and also the neighboring island of Sal). Spring has the most enjoyable temperatures, but is largely loved for the migrating humpback whales that fill the waters around the islands. Windier winter months are great for wind-based water sports, while folks hoping to spot nesting sea turtles should come during the hot days of summer. Fishing, snorkeling, and ATV tours are also popular activities on the island.
Our Boa Vista Hotel Pick: The Marine Club Beach Resort has a remote, beachfront location with mountain views. Rooms are simple, and family-friendly features include a saltwater pool, all-inclusive food options, and organized activities.
5. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome; Helena Van Eykeren/Flickr
The two-island country of Sao Tome and Principe is located close to the equator, off west-central Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It's covered in gorgeous green jungle and exudes an unspoiled island vibe. Here, you'll find soft-sand beaches swapped out for rugged volcanic coastlines, and stunning rock formations, like the plug peak of Pico Cao Grande, which stacks up to a whopping 2,175 feet above sea level. Adventurous types will love exploring the jungle here, and although there's not an incredibly high amount of biodiversity, folks can try to spot the world's smallest ibis or the world's largest sunbird.
6. Zanzibar
Beach at Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa
Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania, happens to be the birthplace of Freddie Mercury, but it has much more to offer than its pop culture appeal. The food here is a mix of Indian, Arabian, African, Chinese, and European cuisines — hence its nickname of Spice Islands. Stone Town, the center of Zanzibar City (the capital), is a UNESCO World Heritage site full of historic buildings, mosques, and narrow streets. While visiting, check out the isle of Changuu, explore the underwater world on Mnemba Island, stroll through the many bazaars, and hike through the Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. Visitors can also take advantage of the fun party scene — on the beaches and in the bars and nightclubs.
Our Zanzibar Hotel Pick: The Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa is a rustic-chic property located right on the beach. There's not much within walking distance, but the hotel does have a restaurant and spa, plus there are private pools in each of the 15 rooms.
Pricing for Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa (Relais & Chateaux)
7. Djerba
Beach at Seabel Rym Beach
Located off the coast of Tunisia in northern Africa, Djerba has a bit of a different look and feel than several other islands on this list. The island has a rich history for both Muslims and Jews, as is reflected in the several synagogues and mosques throughout. In fact, the overall culture and importance of the island is so great that Tunisia has been vying for it to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. While most African islands can be found in the Atlantic or Indian Ocean, this stunner is situated in the Mediterranean Sea. As such, expect to share the sand with several vacationing Europeans. Top activities include lazy beach days, checking out the many museums, and wandering through local artisan markets.
Our Djerba Hotel Pick: Located at the foot of the Taguermess lighthouse, Seabel Rym Beach is an all-inclusive property with a private beach, swimming pools, and a spa. There's also a kids' club and several dining options, including a pool-facing restaurant and terrace cafe, and some rooms feature panoramic views.
Pricing for Seabel Rym Beach
Beach at Hotel Morabeza
Sal, an island in Cape Verde, is known for its golden-sand beaches, blue waters, and laid-back, secluded atmosphere. Most of the island's hotels are located in Santa Maria, along with the main selection of shops, bars, and restaurants with great seafood. In addition to relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, surfing, yoga classes, and island tours are available. It's also worth noting that you can drink the tap water here.
Our Sal Hotel Pick: With a convenient beachfront location that's also close to plenty of restaurants and bars, Hotel Morabeza largely attracts European tourists. On-site features include a tennis court, bocce, archery, mini-golf, a volleyball court, and bright and airy rooms have private furnished balconies.
Pricing for Hotel Morabeza
Madagascar; sandy marie/Flickr
Arguably the most famous island in Africa, thanks to the eponymous animated films, Madagascar often finds its way onto bucket lists of adventurous travelers. While you won't find scheming penguins or overly awkward giraffes here, it's quite possible to spot a ring-tailed lemur or some of the other types of this small, swinging primate. All in all, Madagascar is teeming with an array of plant and animals, including approximately 300 bird species, 260 types of both reptiles and amphibians, and 200 mammals — many of which can only be found on the island. There's plenty to do here, from hiking, boating, and lounging on the beach to snorkeling and exploring the rich culture. However, know that tourism and other human interaction has placed many of the island's plant and animal species under threat, so choose your activities wisely and be kind to this island and its natural inhabitants.
Why You Should Visit Africa's Least-Visited Country
13 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting South Africa
10 Amazing Hotels in Africa to Add to Your Bucket List


text:
VBMR Griffon () () — французский многоцелевой бронетранспортер, разработанный и производимый компанией «Nexter» в сотрудничестве с «Arquus» и «Thales». Поступив на вооружение в 2018 году, «Грифон» вместе с «VBMR-L Serval» заменит бронетранспортёр «VAB».

История
Французская армия готовилась к замене VAB с начала 2000-х годов. Согласно Белой книге по обороне 2020 года, армия планирует закупить до 2122 автомобилей VBMR в период с 2018 по 2025 год. Консорциум Nexter, Thales и Renault Trucks Defense строит автомобили. Тот же консорциум также строит разведывательно-боевую машину EBRC Jaguar для французской армии, которая на 70 % состоит из компонентов VBMR Griffon.

6 декабря 2014 года министр обороны Франции Жан-Ив Ле Дриан объявил, что поставки начнутся в 2018 году, а в апреле 2017 года была заказана первая партия из 319 грифонов и 20 ягуаров. Второй транш на 271 автомобиль Griffon и 42 Jaguar был заказан 24 сентября 2020 г. Всего французская армия планирует закупить 1872 грифона и 300 ягуаров.

22 июня 2017 года кабинет министров Бельгии утвердил план закупки 60 единиц «Ягуаров» и 417 «Грифонов» на сумму 1,1 миллиарда евро. Они заменят бронетранспортеры и БМП  «Piranha IIIC» и «Dingo 2». Сделка включает в себя запасные части и защищенное коммуникационное оборудование, а поставки планируется начать в 2025 году.

Консорциум, строящий «Грифон» и «Ягуар», по контракту обязан удерживать цену за «Грифона» ниже 1 миллиона евро. В настоящее время запланировано шесть версий Griffon, четыре из которых (бронетранспортер, командный пункт, скорая помощь и артиллерийский наблюдатель) заказаны в рамках первого транша.

Конструкция
«VBMR Griffon» базируется на шасси коммерческого вездехода с колесной формулой 6×6 и может перевозить до восьми пехотинцев.

Транспортные средства предназначены для простого обслуживания и логистики. Например, Griffon и Jaguar используют стандартные двигатели коммерческих грузовиков, адаптированные для работы с более широким диапазоном топлива. В машине установлена система избыточное давление для поддержания постоянной защиты десантного отделения от химических, биологических и радиационных угроз. Для эксплуатации в жарком климате Griffon оборудован кондиционером.

Вооружение
Griffon оснащен выносным боевым модулем, который может быть вооружен либо 12,7-мм, либо 7,62-мм пулеметом, либо 40-мм автоматическим гранатометом. Добавление двух Akeron MP противотанковых управляемых ракет не является обязательным. Восемь пусковых установок для дымовых гранат установлены на удаленном боевом модуле, который также включает в себя акустическую систему локализации снайпера.

VBMR-L Serval

В дополнение к более тяжелому бронеавтомобилю Griffon в качестве замены также идёт 4-колесный «» («») — «VBMR-L Serval». «Serval» предназначен для ведения разведывательных действий. Отличается повышенной манёвренностью и проходимостью, и в первую очередь встанет на вооружение легких пехотных частей, таких как 11-я воздушно-десантная бригада и 27-я горнопехотная бригада. Контракт для французской армии был заключён в феврале 2018 года и предусматривает финансирование 489 единиц техники к 2025 году, а к 2030 году — 978 машин.

Кроме того, к 2033 году будет закуплено 1060 дополнительных «Serval VLTP P segment haut» (многоцелевые легкие тактические машины).

Галерея

Модификации

VBMR Griffon
 VTT: Бронетранспортёр
 EPC/VOA: Самоходный командный пункт и подвижный разведывательный пункт
 MEPAC: Самоходный миномёт
 Ambulance/Santé: Бронированная медицинская машина
 Génie: Инженерная машина разграждения
 NRBC: Armoured CBRN defense vehicle

VBMR-L Serval
 VPB: Бронетранспортёр
 SA2R: Armoured ISTAR vehicle
 NCT: Бронированная машина связи
 Ambulance/Santé: Бронированная медицинская машина

На вооружении
  — заказано 417 единиц VBMR Griffon в июне 2017 г.
  — Планируется закупка 1872 единиц VBMR Griffon и 978 единиц VBMR-L Serval до 2030 года. К 2033 году будет закуплено дополнительно 1060 автомобилей Serval VLTP сегмента P.

Примечания

Ссылки

Бронеавтомобили Франции