text:
First tee wobbles…. to the widest of smiles: that's GolfSixes League
Wirral's first #GolfSixesLeague match for 2021 was a joy for all present after the last year, for this inclusive six-hole, six-a-side, pairs format for new boy and girl players. Hosted by the Wirral Golf Academy team at Leasowe Golf Club, teams from Wallasey, Heswall, Caldy and Royal Liverpool played a great match together.
(Image courtesy of Arthur Gold)
The format has been a hit with its young players (Texas scramble means everyone can have a go with less pressure), and also parents are turning up in numbers to watch.PGA Professionals are at the heart of GolfSixes League, inspiring the youngsters through weekly coaching.
Views on the day best summed up by Laurie Briggs, Junior Organiser of Royal Liverpool, who said: "Having helped run various sports teams over the years, today was the first time where I genuinely didn't care about any result, or performance. It was just great to see so many kids, boys and girls, all ages, all sizes, all abilities, going around a golf course together and smiling.
"One of our team picked a club up for the first time two weeks ago. He went to the range this afternoon because he was so nervous. He was shaking as he put the tee in on the first tee, literally trembling. He smacked one down the middle, took a huge sigh of relief and burst out into a huge grin! That will stick with me for a long time!"
Nationally, more than 400 golf clubs across the four Home Nations are taking part in GolfSixes League this summer, inspiring around 5,000 new players.
Another parent said after the match: "I echo Laurie's sentiment – a really great day for all involved. The kids had a great time, the parents were impressed with the organisation and overall all have gone home happy and looking forward to future Sixes events. The enthusiasm is through the roof!"
Another view: "The kids had a superb time today! A big thanks to Andy Leigh and Angela Dale for organising. We're looking forward to hosting the next round at Caldy. The kids loved the event."
Golf Foundation RDO Andy Leigh said: "As Laurie alluded to, I was particularly struck by the joy and enthusiasm of everyone to be playing in the first ever Wirral GolfSixes League match with the support of their families. The first conversations about bringing GolfSixes League to Wirral took part back in the summer of 2019, so it was heartwarming to see the effect this fun, team golf had on everyone present. It was worth the wait. A big thanks again to Angela and Leasowe Golf Club for hosting this special day."
GolfSixes League is supported by The R&A, and the four Home Nations, with generous additional support from Titleist, the #1 ball in golf.
The Golf Foundation team is asking all golf clubs taking part in GolfSixes League to post their own stories on social media and tag in our charity; we will share your good efforts!
See more on this club format here.


text:
Lindsey Graham ordered to testify before grand jury in Fulton County election probe
Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
mark reinstein / Shutterstock.com
A federal judge Monday ordered U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify before the Fulton County special grand jury investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Graham, R-S.C., received a subpoena late last month to answer questions about two phone calls he allegedly made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after Democrat Joe Biden carried the Peach State on his way to winning the presidency over Republican incumbent Donald Trump.
Graham's lawyer filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing the senator was shielded by the U.S. Constitution from being questioned about matters relating to legislative business.
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, Graham maintained he made the calls in the course of "protected legislative factfinding inquiries" about mail-in voting and potential reforms to the process for counting Electoral College votes.
But U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May declared in a 22-page ruling that the issues Graham raised with Raffensperger were political – not legislative – in nature.
"Individuals on the calls have publicly suggested that Senator Graham was not simply engaged in legislative factfinding but was instead suggesting or implying that Georgia election officials … potentially alter the state's results," the judge wrote.
Graham also argued he should not be forced to testify because he is a "high-ranking government official" and that the information he could give the jurors could be obtained elsewhere. Again, the judge disagreed.
"Senator Graham has unique personal knowledge about the substance and circumstances of the phone calls with Georgia election officials, as well as the logistics of setting them up and his actions afterward," the ruling stated.
"Accordingly, Senator Graham's potential testimony on these issues—in addition to his knowledge about topics outside of the calls such as his alleged coordination with the Trump campaign before and after the calls are unique to Senator Graham."
The order for Graham to testify before the special grand jury follows the similar rejection of a motion to quash a subpoena Fulton District Attorney Fanni Willis issued to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, to appear before the panel.
Giuliani was among the witnesses who questioned the legitimacy of Biden's win in Georgia in testimony before the state Senate in December 2020.
He presented a video of election workers at State Farm Area in Atlanta producing "suitcases" of unlawful ballots, a video that was quickly debunked by Raffensperger's office.
U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, R-Greensboro, a Trump ally who based an unsuccessful Republican primary challenge of Raffensperger on allegations of widespread voter fraud in the Georgia election, also lost a bid to quash a subpoena from the special grand jury.
Fulton Superior Court Judge Robert C.I. McBurney also has denied efforts to quash subpoenas lodged by a lawyer for 11 of the 16 Georgia Republicans who formed an alternate slate of electors for Trump in December 2020.
Pending a potential additional appeal, Graham is due to testify on Aug. 23.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
Get More Context: With the barrage of information coming through your social media feeds and phone notifications, it can be hard to get a clear picture of what's happening in your community and throughout the state. Click here to see what else is happening in The Peach State and get your news in context instead of relying on social media feeds and notifications for your news. We'll help you stay informed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: flutter ScrollController attached to multiple scroll views when multiple instances of widget are rendered and the getValue method is called flutter throws the error ScrollController attached to multiple scroll views. I'm assuming this is because they all are using the same controller but I don't know a way to fix this without creating a separate widget for each time it is used. Is there a better way to fix this?
class NumScroller extends StatelessWidget{
  final int max,min;
  final double height,width;
  final TextAlign alignment;

  static ScrollController controller;

  NumScroller({this.height,this.width,this.alignment,this.min,this.max, initialOffset}){
    controller = new ScrollController(initialScrollOffset: initialOffset);
  }

  getValue() => (controller.offset~/height) + min;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return new Container(
        width: width,
        height: height,
        child: ListView.builder(itemBuilder: (context, index) {
          return new Container(height: height, child:Text((max - index).toString(),textAlign: alignment,));
          },
          itemCount: max - min+1,
          controller: controller,
          physics: PageScrollPhysics(),
          itemExtent: height,
        )
    );
  }

}

A: As you are telling when multiple instances are rendered, you are getting this error. When your ScrollController is multiple(one for one view), you will not get any problem. But you have only one ScrollController (because you have static).
Remove the static and it should work.
Please lemme know if it didn't work.

A: Instead of using a static controller, you should have one controller per widget instance.
You cannot store your controller inside a StatelessWidget though (even if the compiler will allow it).
You need a StatefulWidget for that, or else when your widget is updated you will create a new controller again. Leading to weird behaviors.
Here the final code:
class NumScroller extends StatefulWidget{
  final int max,min;
  final double height,width;
  final TextAlign alignment;

  NumScroller({this.height,this.width,this.alignment,this.min,this.max, initialOffset});

  @override
  NumScrollerState createState() {
    return new NumScrollerState();
  }
}

class NumScrollerState extends State<NumScroller> {
  final ScrollController controller = ScrollController();

  getValue() => (controller.offset~/widget.height) + widget.min;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return new Container(
        width: widget.width,
        height: widget.height,
        child: ListView.builder(itemBuilder: (context, index) {
          return new Container(height: widget.height, child:Text((widget.max - index).toString(),textAlign: widget.alignment,));
          },
          itemCount: widget.max - widget.min+1,
          controller: controller,
          physics: PageScrollPhysics(),
          itemExtent: widget.height,
        )
    );
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Miller was born in 1969. He has published 3 novels.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Book of Flying when it first came out in 2004. I was so young then and I was into fantasy. But there was something different about Flying. It wasn't the typical fantasy novel I was used to and it was just so beautifully written.
I love this quote and I've never really forgotten it. Especially the part about how your fingertips catch on rough paper… I still enjoy that sensation to this day. In fact, I play with the pages as I read just so I can constantly have that feeling as I read.
I am keen to read this again now, 15 years later from when I first read it, to see whether I feel any differently about this book.


text:
Abraxas conialeuca is een vlinder uit de familie van de spanners (Geometridae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1931 door Wehrli.

conialeuca

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Bloomberg to Mobilize Private Capital Against Climate Change for United Nations
Todd Westcott
Yesterday, during the week of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced that Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action, will lead an initiative that will support a global mobilization of private capital in response to the challenge of climate change.
The Climate Finance Leadership Initiative will work to fulfill the private financing objectives included in the landmark Paris Agreement, which reaffirmed the goal of mobilizing at least $100 billion per year by 2020 through a combination of public development finance and private foreign direct investment.
"Mobilizing resources from the public and private sectors is critical to tackling the issue of climate change," said Secretary-General Guterres. "In this year of action leading up to my climate summit, I am pleased Mike Bloomberg, my Special Envoy for Climate Action, has agreed to convene private sector leaders through this initiative and work closely with leading governments to help ensure we can meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement."
Finance is critical to achieving the nationally determined goals laid out by governments under the Paris Agreement, and to enabling all jurisdictions to contribute to the goals therein. The Climate Finance Leadership Initiative will draw members from top international financial firms and corporations to accelerate scaled up investments in clean energy and climate resilience projects around the world, in both developed and emerging markets. The initiative will have a one-year term culminating in a UN Climate Summit to be held in September 2019. Founding members will be announced before the end of the year.
"The market's allocation of capital is a powerful weapon in our fight against climate change. As climate risks and opportunities become more transparent, investors and businesses are increasing financing for climate solutions," said Bloomberg. "I'm glad to help the Secretary-General accelerate this critical transition over the coming year."
Photo from March, 2018, of the appointment of Michael Bloomberg as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Climate Action. Image Credit: UN Photo.
"When individuals and communities face multiple shocks—loss of a home and employment, followed by loss of reliable sources of food and water—they are unable to recover quickly and their Governments are often overburdened to replace the basic services needed," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed in her addressed to the General Assembly, yesterday.
Today, The Guardian has reported that Drew Shindell, climate scientist at Duke University and co-author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is skeptical of the world's ability to meet the Paris climate targets. "It's extraordinarily challenging to get to the 1.5 [degrees Celsius] target and we are nowhere near on track to doing that," Shindell told the outlet. To get there would require an "immediate transformation of human activity," he said. While, Bloomberg Business has reported on the deep adaptation trend, in which researchers are evaluating crises brought about as result of climate change in the range of 4 degrees Celsius and appropriate responses to those circumstances—including greater cross-border sharing of freshwater resources.
Secretary-General Guterres invited President of France Emmanuel Macron, along with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, to lead on the issue of scaling up climate finance over the coming year. The Climate Finance Leadership Initiative will work closely with the Government of France in supporting its presidency of the G7 in 2019, and will provide a first report to G7 Finance Ministers by July 2019.
"We must accelerate again our efforts in the months to come," said Macron.
private capital
Previous articleReport: Regulatory Changes in Water Needed to Bolster Cleantech Uptake
Next articleReport: Global Wetlands Disappearing Three Times Faster than Forests
Top Five Great Lakes Stories of 2020
More Children and Youth Drowning as Warming Temperatures Create Unstable Lake Ice
Intact Announces Financial Commitment to Help Build More Resilient Communities
New Model Assesses Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Great Lakes
B.C. Funding Flood Planning and Mitigation Initiatives
Manitoba Unveils New Conservation and Climate Fund


Recently, I hosted a book tour for this book with a reflection from Sarah on the Transfiguration. The following is the review I posted at Amazing Catechists.
It's not too late to enter to win this book. I'm giving two copies away. Either leave a comment (before October 19) at my blog tour post or at the Amazing Catechists review.
This entry was posted in Catholicity, Mothering and tagged Sarah Reinhard A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy. Bookmark the permalink.


Peter Van Buren, former foreign service officer for the State Department, is interviewed on We Meant Well, his book on the Iraq War, and Hooper's War, his new novel about war and PTSD. In a wide ranging interview, Van Buren discusses moral injury and responsibility for the Iraq War in the United States. The long term psychological effects of wartime combat service among veterans and how that correlates to a high suicide rate is just one of many subjects that are discussed in this interview.


Roommate conflict is unavoidable. As parents, we hope that our college student will get along perfectly with her college roommate, but it is an unrealistic wish. Whenever individuals live closely together, some amount of conflict is inevitable. Actually, a little bit of conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. Students learn important skills as they learn to handle issues with their roommates.
Even when we realize that some degree of conflict may be inevitable, and may possibly have beneficial effects, it is natural to hope that conflict will be minimal. There are ways, short of giving in on everything, that students can minimize the issues that arise between roommates.
If this is your student's first time sharing a room and/or living with a large group of people in close quarters, you can increase your student's chances of having a good experience by helping her to think through some of the issues that might come up and how she will handle them. A good experience begins by preparing for life with a roommate. But there are also things your student can do to reduce conflict and handle inevitable conflict when it does occur.
Adjust expectations– If your student, or her roommate, has not shared a room before, there are bound to be some problems that will come up. If your student is prepared for this to happen, she can be better prepared to deal with issues. Many students enter their college living experience expecting an ideal arrangement. When issues arise they are taken by surprise and devastated that the relationship is not what they envisioned. Anticipating issues as a normal part of a good relationship will help your student to take them in stride.
Don't ignore problems– Your student should not be expected to ignore something that is bothering her or put up with something that is making her uncomfortable. Pretending that a problem does not exist will not make it go away. Dealing with the problem early will prevent resentment and keep it from growing.
Prioritize– Your student should think carefully about what issues truly matter; what is non-negotiable, and what she might be willing to let slide. She should be prepared to compromise on some issues, and be able to explain clearly what she will not be able to ignore.
Communicate– Good communication between roommates can prevent many problems. Minor issues mushroom into major problems when the individuals do not discuss the situation. Encourage your student to use all of her communication skills early and often.
Consider a roommate contract– Roommates can work together early in their relationship to write a roommate contract which spells out points of agreement. They may include non-negotiable points, which may be very individual and will reflect their values. Points might include noise level, cleaning up, overnight guests or visitors, presence of alcohol or drugs in the room, borrowing of personal belongings, etc. Thinking through and discussing topics such as these early in the relationship, may prevent problems later.
Be prepared to negotiate– Your student should be ready to work with her roommate to find solutions to problems through a collaborative effort. Rather than setting up lines of defense, remind your student that the two-way process of working together will make both roommates feel that they have a stake in the solution.
Define the problem specifically– The more specific that your student or her roommate can be about issues, the more likely that they will be able to find a solution. As your student works to be specific about describing a problem, she may discover that the problem is really not a big as she had first thought, and that the solution may be simpler than she had considered.
Cool off before discussing something– If a specific situation or event upsets your student, and she knows that it should be discussed, encourage her to wait before she confronts her roommate. She may need time to choose her words carefully or think about proposing a solution. Conversations held in the heat of the moment often end badly.
Work with residence life staff– Most residence halls have Residence Assistants living on each floor. These staff members are trained to help roommates work out issues. If your student is experiencing a problem, encourage her, and her roommate, to ask help from the RA to work toward a solution.
Know when to call it quits– Although considering a move shouldn't be considered until other avenues are exhausted, moving to another room may be the only solution. Your student may need to wait until an initial settling in period is over, or until a room opens up, but it is usually possible to move out of an unlivable situation. If your student is certain that it will not be possible to work out a solution, she should work with her Residence Assistant and Residence Director to find an alternative living arrangement.
No matching system is perfect, and even if students are perfectly matched, roommate conflicts are inevitable. There may actually be some benefits to those inevitable situations when your student is confronted with roommate issues. We'd like to suggest four benefits or skills which your student may gain from dealing with roommate conflicts.
Many roommate issues arise because of lack of communication. Many problems can be addressed with improved communication. Your student will learn the importance of good communication to avoid issues and the benefits of communication to resolve problems.
Good communication skills often do not happen automatically, and your student and her roommate may need help and guidance from residence hall staff or others, but they can learn how to talk about potential problems and how to communicate productively to discuss those issues. Your student may learn how to listen more carefully, think critically, create a positive communication climate, and state her needs clearly and objectively. She will learn skills that will carry over to many other situations.
Your student may need to pause to consider carefully what her values are and what she considers important. She may need to think about her expectations and whether they are realistic. She may need to think about those areas in which she is willing to compromise and those that may be non-negotiable. Much of the growth that we hope for in our college age students is in the area of personal values, and living in close proximity with another person will give your student opportunities to think about what she considers most important in life and what she is willing to let go.
When issues do arise, your student will learn how to negotiate a solution. Some students are already good at this skill, and others have much to learn. With help from other students, residence assistants, and residence directors, your student may improve her skill in negotiation.
Your student may discover that negotiation is often inevitable. Your student may discover that good negotiations keep everyone at least somewhat satisfied. Your student may learn not to offer ultimatums and not to be inflexible – and she will learn how to respond when someone else is inflexible. She may learn how to plan a conversation, approach a problem, look for multiple solutions, and close the negotiation.
Living together requires compromise. Whether it is noise in the room, cleanliness, visitors, borrowing of personal belongings, or the myriad of other potential issues, students will need to learn to compromise in order to live together. Your student will have an opportunity to decide what matters most to her and practice compromising on those things that she is willing to let go. She'll learn to find the middle ground, look for alternatives, and practice flexibility.
Although we often see conflict as negative, and we certainly don't want our college students to experience too much conflict – especially in their living arrangements – it is important to see a certain amount of conflict as a healthy thing. Talk to your student about potential roommate difficulties so that her expectations are realistic. Help her understand that there will be awkward or even uncomfortable times, but that she and her roommate will probably be able to work through them – and even have a stronger relationship because of the skills they will learn in the process.
The adventure of living with a roommate is a big part of the college experience for many students. Like so many of their experiences in college, some students will have a smoother path than others. With some work ahead of time, some good communication skills, and an attitude of compromise, most students have a good roommate experience. Some roommates become wonderful friends, and others have separate social circles, but enjoy living together.
As always, as a college parent, you may find that your most important task will be to listen carefully to what your student shares and then to encourage her to do whatever she can to make the experience a positive one.


text:
Home>All Posts>Features>10 Best List: Favorite Films of 2012
10 Best List: Favorite Films of 2012
Director QUENTIN TARANTINO on the set of DJANGO UNCHAINED. ©The Weinstein Company. CR: Andew Cooper.
By JAMES DAWSON
Front Row Features Film Critic
No critic can see everything, but choosing my favorite of the more than 100 movies I reviewed this year was easy. Nothing came close to director/co-writer Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom," a charmingly offbeat tale about two young runaways in something like love. The clever story, endearing performances and artfully nostalgic look of this magical film made it Anderson's best movie to date, which is saying something.
Here is the full list of my 10 favorites of 2012.
1. "Moonrise Kingdom"
Director Wes Anderson ("Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Darjeeling Limited," "Rushmore"), who co-wrote the movie's 1960s-set screenplay with Roman Coppola, delivers a deadpan comedy with just the right amount of heart. Jared Gilman (as the amusingly self-assured Sam) and Kara Hayward (as the expressionless but devoted Suzy) are 12-year-old outcasts who run away together and create a temporary paradise. The townsfolk pursuing them include Bruce Willis as a sweetly concerned cop, Edward Norton as a slightly skewed scoutmaster, and Bill Murray and Frances McDormand as Suzy's parents with problems. Add Anderson regular Jason Schwartzman as a hustling cousin, Bob Balaban as an audience-addressing narrator and Tilda Swinton as a by-the-book bureaucrat known only as Social Services, and the result is a quirky, funny and surprisingly touching wonder.
2. "Django Unchained"
Director/writer Quentin Tarantino allegedly cut a half-hour from this outrageously entertaining, cartoonishly violent and very black comedy. Yet even though the running time still tops out at an epic 2 hours 45 minutes, it's hard not to want even more of this wild, wild western. Christoph Waltz steals the show as a smooth talking German dentist turned bounty hunter who enlists former slave Django (the excellent Jamie Foxx) to help him track a trio of wanted men in the pre-Civil War South. Leonardo DiCaprio is terrifically nasty as a boyish plantation owner, and Samuel L. Jackson is laugh-out-loud hilarious as the ultimate Uncle Tom. Although the movie may set a new record for most uses of the "N" word, it also could be the most anti-racism movie of the century. This completely over the top tale of love, vengeance, redemption and big laughs is an unexpected one of a kind delight.
3. "The Master"
Director/writer Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" is an artfully disturbing drama about a cult leader and one of his mentally disturbed devotees. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Lancaster Dodd, whose similarities to Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard were the focus of pre-release speculation that turned out to be exaggerated. Dodd is a charlatan so forcefully convincing that he may have fooled even himself into believing his nonsense. Joaquin Phoenix gives the most overwhelmingly impressive acting job of the year as Freddie Quell, an alcoholic vet with anger management issues and a palpable sense of hopeless yearning. "The Master" is plain and simply a masterpiece.
4. "Skyfall"
Daniel Craig's casting as the rebooted James Bond in 2006's "Casino Royale" reinvigorated the secret agent's franchise and restored some of the gritty credibility the character had been missing since the Sean Connery days. While Craig's second 007 outing "Quantum of Solace" suffered from a bad script and worse direction, the producers apparently learned from their mistakes during the four-year hiatus between that misstep and "Skyfall." Directed by Sam Mendes, the thrillingly back-to-basics "Skyfall" proved to be the best Bond picture ever (yes, ever), giving the sexy super-spy a family history and a certain gravitas that managed to elevate him instead of weighing him down. Javier Bardem triumphs as a deranged and sexually ambiguous baddie, and even Judi Dench's M gets into the high-firepower action.
5. "The Avengers"
Who says a blockbuster, crowd-pleasing popcorn movie can't be a great film? Director/writer Joss Whedon made the biggest and best superhero movie ever (yes, once more, ever) with this all-star adventure that brought together four of Marvel's heaviest hitters. Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Chris Evans' Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Chris Hemsworth's Thor meshed into a formidable and sometimes funny team while retaining the arrogance, dignity, tragedy and nobility of each individual character. Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. honcho Nick Fury were supporting-player gold. Unlike the heavy-handed, dull and disappointing "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Avengers" had so much fun with its comic-book concept that it was an uplifting joy.
6. "Damsels in Distress"
At the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum from blockbusters like "Skyfall" and "The Avengers," director/writer Whit Stillman's no-budget oddball farce "Damsels in Distress" is a small gem that is droll, deadpan and deliciously dry. Greta Gerwig stars as Violet Wister, a coed at an amusingly square and charmingly bizarre college. Violet's novel idea for preventing campus suicides involves sending soap that has a "transformative scent" to high-risk education majors. Her roommates include one with a ridiculously phony British accent and another whose lunkhead boyfriend never learned his colors. Coolly absurd and gleefully ironic, "Damsels in Distress" is strange, smart and silly in the best sense of the word.
7. "Not Fade Away"
Director/writer David Chase's affectionate ode to a fictional 1960s garage band that went nowhere is the first thing the creator of HBO's "The Sopranos" has done since that landmark series went off the air five years ago. Smaller in scope and with no connection to organized crime, this return to Jersey focuses on a Dylan lookalike named Doug (John Magaro) who gains some much needed self confidence after emerging from behind a drum kit to become his group's lead singer. Former Tony Soprano James Gandolfini is gruffly endearing as Doug's generation-gap antagonistic father, and Bella Heathcote shines as Doug's not quite angelic object of desire Grace. Blessed with a killer classic-rock soundtrack, convincing performances and an ending so unforgettable it's destined to become iconic, this is the movie Cameron Crowe wishes he could make.
Director Oliver Stone's high-energy tour-de-force comeback "Savages" was the year's most satisfying crime caper partly because it didn't take itself too seriously. With John Travolta as a DEA agent on the take and Salma Hayek as a drug lord tough enough to intimidate mad-dog psycho hired gun Benicio Del Toro, this definitely wasn't your typical underworld shoot 'em up. Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch play yin/yang pot dealers happily sharing girlfriend Ophelia (Blake Lively), who is kidnapped and used as a hostile takeover bargaining chip. Adapted from the Don Winslow novel, the movie is both hard-boiled suspenseful and post-modern preposterous, with not one but two great endings.
9. "Detachment"
This grim drama about emotionally shell-shocked substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) and the month he spends at a hopeless high school is stylish, sometimes brutal and emotionally devastating. It's an unflinching indictment of an education system that doesn't work, students who won't learn and parents who don't care. Saddled with a tragic family history and an Alzheimer's-stricken grandfather, Henry forms a risky relationship with a teenage hooker named Erica (Sami Gayle). "American History X" director Tony Kaye treats former schoolteacher Carl Lund's screenplay with a mixture of reverence and moments of very dark humor, but there's a deeply affecting love story at the heart of the film.
10. "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"
Proving that romantic comedies can be lightweight without feeling insubstantial, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" is a refreshingly guilt-free dessert that is the farthest thing from empty junk food. The very British Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, played by the always adorable Emily Blunt, represents the interests of a sheik who wants to be able to fly fish in the Yemen River. Smugly practical UK fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) is enlisted to manage what sounds like an impossible engineering folly, and naturally falls in love with highly efficient Harriet. Directed by Lasse Hallström ("Chocolat," "The Cider House Rules") from a screenplay by "Slumdog Millionaire" writer Simon Beaufoy (adapting the novel by Paul Torday), this modern-day fairy tale is a pure pleasure.
Tags:Django Unchained, Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall, The Avengers, The Master
Previous PostJudd Apatow Ponders Middle Age in 'This is 40' – 5 Photos
Next PostNew Mom Rosamund Pike Talks Cruise, 'Reacher'
Mila Kunis Takes a Trip to 'Oz'
FeaturesFilm Features Angela Dawson|February 19, 2013
Tyrese Brings Down the House at CityWalk
Film Features Angela Dawson|July 6, 2012
Jeremy Renner Plays Investigative Reporter in 'Kill The Messenger'
FeaturesFilm Features Angela Dawson|October 3, 2014


For this last little teaser of wedding inspiration, we LOVE this dress. Imagine it for a garden wedding, surrounded by oodles and oodles of flowers and your closest and family (who will be drooling over your dress)!
We see trends come and go all the time in the wedding industry. Some good, some bad. Like most things, iti's a cycle. A trend we saw die ten years ago resurfaces as the new "it thing" you must have for your wedding to make a lasting impression. In 2014 we saw Live Event Painting become the new "it thing" and it is here to stay.
Live Event Painting captures weddings in a fine art piece, as it is happening. It is generally a multi-step process that includes that artist being present during set up to get a general scheme going on the canvas and it is all but complete by the end of the ceremony! We love this original keepsake. You can find some of our favorite live painters here, here and here.
You've seen all the beautiful wedding send-off pictures with sparklers right? So cute. And fun. And a little dangerous. But hey, all in the name of a good picture right?
What if we told you that you could have adorable pictures without a fire?
These are fiber optic wands from here. And aren't they adorable? Not only can they be used in the send off, but out of the dance floor they look pretty incredible. AND no burn holes in the dress from sparks and no worried about burns for kids!
As we work with our brides to hire their vendors, we hear lots of agonizing over how to pick the right one.
It's a simple test: if it's the right vendor for you, you should not be able to imagine NOT having that person there to do your wedding. You should feel excited and relieved to have found them. If you're trying to justify your decision any other way but it just doesn't feel right, move on in your interviews! There are dozens, if not hundreds, of wonderful vendors in every category, and you owe it to yourself to be completely thrilled with your team!
How many times have you heard it? "They are just invitations, they will get read and the everyone will throw them away." FALSE. We believe with every ounce of magic wedding dust we have that a wedding should be well done from the save-the-dates all the way to the sendoffs! Having a unique invitation suite sets the tone for your wedding and shows off the style you have as a couple. Check this one out for example!
Details we love the most: The recipe card in the original invitation suite is perfect and we absolutely adore the space for the guests to write on the RSVP. The booklet is for out-of-towners! It gives them things to do, a map and all sorts of fun stuff! Oh how we do love paper!
For all of you lovebirds who have gotten married recently, and have no idea how this works. OR for all of you lovebirds who have put this off for weeks, months and heaven forbid years, NOT NEED TO FRET! It is quite simple really!
The first thing to do is make sure you have received your original marriage certificate in the mail. (Your officiant will have sent the signed marriage license to the county courthouse for processing after the ceremony.) I also recommend ordering at least two certified copies of your marriage certificate. These are $10 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy, and they can be ordered through the Georgia Department of Human Resources at http://dph.georgia.gov/marriage-records.
The most important documents to change are your social security card and your driver's license.
• Collect the original or a certified copy of your marriage certificate and an identity document showing your old name, as well as other identifying information or a recent photo (e.g., your driver's license). If you have your original Social Security card, take that as well.
• Take your completed application and documents to your local Social Security office (this process may take up to two hours).
• Visit www.socialsecurity.gov for more information.
Your marriage certificate will be returned to you, along with your new Social Security card. Once you complete this step, the Social Security Administration will notify the IRS of your name change. However, you will need to notify your employer of the change.
• Your driver's license must be changed in person at a Georgia Department of Driver Services Customer Service Center.
• Per Georgia law, this must be done within 60 days of your marriage.
• Present the original or a certified copy of your marriage certificate as well as your original driver's license.
• Visit www.dds.ga.gov for more information (or search online for your state's requirements).
Once you have these two items changed and have received your certified copies of your marriage certificate, you can begin to take care of the rest. Make a personalized list from the following categories, and check the procedure for each one (they will vary). Good luck and congratulations!
If you need more help, check out http://www.hitchswitch.com for a name change assistance package.
Finally, the first days of Fall are upon us and we can actually (for the first time in years) actually feel the crispness in the air this early! You know what that means don't you? All of the evening outdoor weddings that would normally still be sweltering right now might just be a little chilly! What to do? Add blankets for your guests of course! Check out these adorable blanket displays!
And just so you know, you can buy chalkboard wood slices at your local craft store! Who knew??
Don't we hear that so much in the wedding business?? That is why, when we saw this cute handkerchief on Etsy, we knew we had to feature it! Every bride wants to make their groom feel special!
So I got a call this afternoon from this weekend's bride – crisis, her programs were printed with the wrong ceremony time. She approved the proof, so technically the stationer isn't responsible. The bride is upset, but doesn't really want to pay for reprinting them. She's trying to tell herself it doesn't matter, most people don't read the ceremony time, and won't notice. But it's not really ok with her.
Then, out of the blue, I get a call from the stationer. She's just had a call from our representative at the Ritz, Denise. It seems that when the bride delivered her welcome bags, she had been crying and Denise noticed it, and asked her mom what was wrong. Next thing you know, wheels are set in motion: Denise has called the stationer to say that if she can reprint the inside page, the Ritz staff will pick them up, along with the incorrect programs, and reassemble them. No charge. They just want her to be happy.
The bride is thrilled and can't believe it. I say, this is the difference between good vendors who care, and those who really don't.
The lesson: It's not so much about how your wedding vendors work when things are going fine, it's about how they react and respond when there is a problem. This is Ritz Level Service. Every bride deserves it!
Let's talk wedding gifts today! And we will talk more specifically about weddings prints. We love this trend of giving a bride and groom something personalized that they can either frame and hang in their home, or put a magnet on it to keep on their refrigerator until they are done with it and throw it away! They are great for the shopper on a budget, but still pack a lot of heartfelt punches (in the nicest way). Here are three (because all good things come in threes) of our favorites we have found from Etsy!
Hope you like them! We sure do!


Acoustic Insulation — Keeping outdoors sound at bay is also an exceptional element with any insulated industrial door. Typically, its core is developed to lower sound transmission at a higher level than basic roller doors Melbourne has today. While some industrial doors would establish some noise after years of use, this concern is typically caused by harmed track system and other parts, such as bearings and hinges. To avoid this problem and keep your eco garage doors in leading condition, you need to ensure to lube the stated components from time to time.
Energy Savings — Smaller sized than industrial doors, insulated domestic doors and windows work efficiently in decreasing energy expense, so it should not be a surprise that insulated roller doors Melbourne wide can do the same as well as more for your center's energy consumption. There may be more air leakage in their structure, making them less energy effective. Adding an insulated door will make a huge difference in moderating your center's indoor temperature level and reducing your energy costs.
Like gadgets, homes need upgrades too. It will not only benefit your health, it will also add value if you sell it. While curb appeal and exterior features in Australia's homes are usually upgraded, the roof needs some loving too. If your area has a temperate climate, certain roof upgrades will suit it such as a sky light Melbourne stores sell these days.
Thermally massive materials include concrete and mud brick. During the day, it will feel cool but it will absorb the heat which will radiate later in the evening.
Thermal mass absorbs and slows down the heat that enters a house. It will cool a house in summer and warm it during harsh winters. If installed properly, it will help you save on energy. This will be a home asset if you're selling to energy cost-conscious clients.
Thermal mass absorbs heat very well and works in temperate climates like Australia's southern region.
Skylights are openings that are made of plastic and glass that allow natural light to enter your homes. Natural lighting is a crucial element in habitable areas according to the Building Code of Australia (BCA). They cut energy costs since they help with Daylighting, eliminating your need to use electricity for light during the day.
A sky light Melbourne has these days can either be a custom dome or access hatch. These are openings that are either galvanized iron or zinc-based. Usually, the sky light Melbourne stores sell these days comply with the Australian Standards.
There are other types of skylights that help with natural lighting. The Velux windows and roof windows Melbourne has these days even have motion-sensors. Once rain is detected, it will automatically close the opening.
Meanwhile, if you need shade, there are skylight covers available in Melbourne skylight stores.
Security starts with the uniqueness of your key. That is why people are always looking for better ways to make their keys very sacred no matter what. This is why the services of a locksmith Carlton has for residents have become very important for many; especially to those who are careless and happen to lose their keys regularly. These lock professionals have the ability to ensure that your padlock is perfectly examined even in the absence of your key for you to have another key made for your lock. It could either be for lost car keys or the lost residential or commercial keys, don't get stranded, just call them.
Emergency key cutting. So you have lost keys of your car or house or office? You don't have a spare key for duplication, and you feel like all things have been ruined. A locksmith in Carlton is aware of that frustration and once notified, he can come with their machines anywhere to find out the lock structure and make a perfect key. Every key is designed by perfect key cutting machines, which are epitomized by a high level of accuracy that make the keys to be fitting and excellently functioning. You do not have to worry and complain all day.
Residential services may also need the intervention by All Secure Locksmiths has today. If you are constructing a new house, or you have doors that you think the locks are somehow not reliable, these professionals can ensure that perfect locks are designed from high quality raw materials and that provide security authentication to your house. All doors are made with different locks and typical keys so that security and privacy are guaranteed in your house. This is not the time to quarrel with your family on who has opened your door or what; get the perfect locks and keys and you will be safe.
Most homeowners in Melbourne have availed of at least one carpet cleaning service during their lifetime. Although most companies offering carpet cleaning services concentrate on cleaning and general maintenance, there are other advanced services worth knowing. For example, carpet restorations in Melbourne are not as common as they should be. Most homeowners don't even know of this type of service until their provider recommends it.
Carpet restoration takes cleaning and maintenance a step further. For the most part, all carpets are in need of maintenance to extend their lifespan. However, in time, even the most well-maintained carpets succumb to wear and tear. Most restoration jobs start out as cleaning jobs, where the homeowner contacts their provider for regular maintenance services. If a cleaning professional deems the carpet too damaged for regular maintenance, he suggests carpet restoration.
Restoration services in a way, gives carpets a second life. Although they would not look as good as the day you bought it, restoration results are always close enough. Most carpets in need of this service are those that have served their purpose for many years. Instead of retiring the carpet to the back of the closet or storage shed, some homeowners seek restoration services because the carpet holds a sentimental value for them.
Aside from long term wear and tear, carpets can also get severely damaged due to calamities, whether natural or man-made. Floods and fires, in particular, do the most damage to carpets. Homeowners in general tend to throw out carpets who succumb to these disasters. However, carpet restorations in Melbourne can still save the carpet, as long as the damage is not too extensive.
Small Update, Major Difference. Instead of buying a new cupboard, you can add custom doors and drawer fronts to existing boxes to refresh the look of your kitchen. You can likewise use recycled glass countertops, stylish light fittings and additionally easy to install stainless-steel backsplash for a modern flair.
Achieve Luxurious Look for Less. Excellent details and finishes are critical to an upscale kitchen, however, they don't need to cost a fortune. A modest backsplash created using stacked-stone panels can instantly make your kitchen look high-end for a reasonable cost.
Paint It with Feelings. Painting the walls is the cheapest and cost-effective kitchen makeovers in Sydney area. With the cupboards taking up wall space, it may appear like painting won't have a major effect but it does. It sets off the cupboards, sets the mood, and diminishes that clinical feeling that functional spaces can frequently have. Pick a medium tone to rich wall shading and let it all out!
Say it With an Art. Creative, cost-effective updates can make your kitchen look exceptional. Experts in kitchen makeovers Sydney has today can style a cheap stock cupboard with glass inserts and a coat of white paint. You can also use a nature-inspired wall painting to add a lot of character to your kitchen. You can even use custom-built tea card and an exposed brick chimney for a unique appeal.
Keep it Sleek and Contemporary. If you want to achieve that high-end look on a budget, try opting for modular granite tiles. Aside from the fact that they are cheaper than a granite slab, they are also easy to install. Complete the look with stylish aluminium-frame doors to breathe fresh life to your existing kitchen cabinets. If you have a kitchen island, you can remove them to make way for other essential items, especially when you have limited kitchen space.
Play With Fabric. To add some texture to your small kitchen space, you can add some fabrics. Check your local fabric store for any pretty florals, stripes or attractive prints on white or cream background. If you know how to sew, you can create your own curtains or use some fabrics to soften the look of your kitchen cabinets.
– Check the coil if it's blocked or dirty. Condenser coils need space to make the air flow freely. This is what makes your fridge cool. You can check if it needs a cleaning up or it's blocked by a furniture, especially if it's an old refrigerator.
– Clean your condenser fan. Sometimes dust builds up on the back of the fridge which causes the airflow to stop, and causes a fridge to lose its coolness.


Creepy Creatures add fun and intrigue to aquariums and terrariums. All of the designs are edgy and stylized, adding a bit of exciting creature lore to your fish and reptile habitats. They even make the perfect conversation piece for home and office work spaces.


BOSTON IS GROWING, and fast. Highways and arterial roadways are commonly clogged not just during "rush hour," but at all times of day, including weekends. It used to be the practice at the Boston Redevelopment Authority to advise young planners that "traffic problems solve themselves," because people will find another route when traffic on one becomes jammed. Though it may have worked for a time, we have now clearly reached the practical limit of that laissez-faire approach. I think we all agree that we cannot "pave our way" out of this problem.
The obvious lynchpin to solving our mobility problems is the T. But we ignore at our peril the fact that there will, irrespective of whether or when that occurs, inevitably be more people biking, and more people walking, in and across city streets, as an unavoidable consequence of a growing population. The combination of more cars, more bikes, and more pedestrians is creating conflict, and we aren't doing a very good job of resolving it, or even communicating about it, aside from time-tested modes of street conversation: murderous glares, shouted epithets, and, of course, raised middle fingers. The city's growth is diminishing the quality of life for all of us in this respect, regardless of our mode of transportation, and it's leaving some of us injured, and others dead.
Yes, pedestrians are annoying. Subway riding tourists glide up the escalator to the street and stop dead right there to consult Google maps while harried commuters pile up behind them. European families, visiting their costly progeny at Harvard or BU, hold hands across the entire width of sidewalk, moving at a pace no Bostonian would classify as walking. And flakey millennials Snapchat while walking, oblivious to the presence of other people (who give them a wide berth), and of lampposts (which don't).
Recently I was sitting behind the wheel, along with probably 30 or 40 other cars, waiting patiently for the light to change and cross under the Expressway from Southie to the South End. Just as it turned green, and as if on cue, Jen the Young Professional (typing intently on her iPhone, earbuds inserted firmly in her head) steps off the curb and begins crossing the street, oblivious to the danger we present, not to mention our right of way.
But even as getting anywhere around Boston by car has become more difficult, being a pedestrian is no picnic, either. I cross Harrison Avenue on foot almost daily, and there is about a 50/50 chance that vehicles will stop for me as I step into the mid-block crosswalk. The brief time allotted for pedestrians to make it across signalized intersections is further shortened by the apparently unwritten rule that only two more cars can go once the light turns red. I've never seen a motorist cited for any of these life-threatening infractions.
One thing you notice when traveling to other cities is that pedestrian signals are consistent across most intersections. In Boston, however, each intersection is a completely unique adventure. You can easily tell who's a local because they quickly learn to ignore unreliable "Don't Walk" signals that instruct you to stay put when the traffic signal permits no cars to legally cross your path. Tourists stand there like dopes, animatedly discussing whether to make a run for it, since they've just seen the guy who looks like he lives here confidently do just that.
Consider the intersection of Beacon and Arlington Streets. The main pedestrian connection between two Boston treasures – the Public Garden and the Esplanade – is a disgrace of confusing and unreliable signals. It is not unusual to see groups of baffled tourists trapped in the middle on the traffic island there, where they remind me of that infamous photo of polar bears hopelessly set adrift by climate change on a lonely iceberg. Just a few blocks away, pedestrians encounter a pedestrian signal by the Park Plaza hotel that urgently counts down the seconds they have left to safely cross Stuart Street and then, upon reaching zero, unpredictably get the all-clear "Walk" signal. Surprise! The city is rife with idiotic signalization like this and has been for at least the 25 years I've lived here. It's no wonder we're a city of jaywalkers.
At the same time as streets are more crowded and clogged with vehicular traffic, the city paints bike "sharrows" on some of the worst cases, like Mass Ave., and seems to expect cyclists and motorists to somehow work it out. Unprotected bike lanes are used for deliveries, double-parking, and taxi and Uber pick-ups and drop-offs. Except for a handful of double-parked delivery vehicles, I've almost never seen anyone cited for any of these blatant, and dangerous, offenses.
If there is little enforcement of traffic laws in unprotected bike lanes, all we have done is invite cyclists to ride in an unsafe environment, where they are expected to "share" space with motorists steering 4,000-pound vehicles distractedly, or with rage in their hearts. These bike "lanes" are often allowed to fade. This is a recipe for disaster.
Hardly anyone is blameless in this mess. We've all seen cyclists behaving badly, running red lights, and other reckless behavior. I've been hit by a cyclist – I was sore for a day or two, but I recovered. I've also witnessed a pedestrian being hit by a car (she was in the crosswalk, by the way), and it's not something you can un-see. But to compare these things is false equivalency. In a conflict between a car and a bicycle or a pedestrian, the car always wins.
You can pass all the laws you want, but if you don't enforce the existing laws against blocking bike lanes, yielding to pedestrians in cross walks, or texting while driving, we are no better off than if there was no law at all. The threat posed by the negligent and distracted operation of cars is real, quantifiable, and lethal. The threat posed by rule-flouting cyclists and flakey pedestrians is mainly to themselves, and amounts to extreme annoyance and irritating delay for motorists and other pedestrians. Momentary lapses of attention have very different consequences depending on your mode of travel. Our laws, and their enforcement, should reflect this.
In the long run, if we acknowledge the need to accommodate more people biking and walking, as a simple function of managing the growth and economic development of our city, we will need to construct the infrastructure for them. We are beginning to see the first examples of protected bike lanes and understand their effectiveness. Motorists, already squeezed on congested streets, won't always take kindly to ceding part of the road to cyclists, nor will the person circling the block looking for on-street parking be thrilled to see their favorite spot now gone to accommodate a protected bike lane. But it's like we've started across the road part way at this point – we can go forward, it's probably too late to go back, and if we stand still we will get run over.
It will take time, money, and political will to build out protected bike infrastructure, but there are things we can do right now to protect vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists and to better facilitate the flow of all modes of travel: 1.) review and adjust pedestrian signals throughout the city; 2.) maintain painted bike lines so they are clearly visible; and 3.) step up enforcement of existing traffic laws.
Someone at the head of the line gives Jen the Young Professional a honk. She glances at the wall of waiting cars staring her down, picks up the pace and, a few moments later, alights safely on the other side of the street and continues on her way, seemingly unfazed by her near brush with death. Some of us make it through the green light on the first go. Others of us don't – annoyed and inconvenienced, but unharmed. Surprisingly, I don't notice anyone give her the finger.
Peter O'Connor has served as deputy secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and is currently a lawyer and economic development consultant. He can be reached at peteroconnorboston@gmail.com.


text:
PhD in molecular genetics to study the impact of gut microbiota on host behavior and physiology
Research Group Julien Royet: "Host pathogen interactions in the Drosophila model"
IBDM (UMR CNRS 7288) • Parc Scientifique de Luminy • 13288 Marseille Cedex 9 • France
A PhD position is available at the Institute of Developmental Biology of Marseille (IBDM) for a motivated student to work on a research project investigating the genetic basis of host-bacteria interactions in the Drosophila model. This is a full-time position for 3 years. The candidate must be free to start in September/October 2019.
It is now very well established that gut-associated bacteria can impact the behavior and the physiology of their eukaryotic host. The PhD thesis project is aimed at using the powerful genetic tools available in the Drosophila model and the relative simplicity of its gut microbiota to study, at the molecular level, the molecular dialog between the microbiota and its host. In two recent publications, (Kurz et al, Elife, 2017: Charroux et al, Cell Host Microbe, 2018), the lab has shown that a metabolite produced by gut-associated bacteria, called peptidoglycan, can cross the gut epithelium and reach the insect blood where it interferes with various organs (fat body, ovaries, brain…) and modifies functions (behavior changes, organ wasting…). The PhD student will use the newest genome editing technologies (Crispr…), genetic tools and latest imaging microscopy technics to dissect the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms of the dialog that exist between gut-resident bacteria and some specific cells of the host. Recent results showing that mice deficient in peptidoglycan-sensing proteins exhibit social behavioral alterations suggest that the mechanisms that we study in Drosophila also exist in mammals. The research will be performed in the Institute of Developmental Biology of Marseille, an internationally recognised interdisciplinary research center and a very stimulating scientific environment (http://www.ibdm.univ-mrs.fr/).
Profile of the candidate
We look for an enthusiastic and ambitious student with a strong interest in the genetics of host-bacteria interactions. The candidate is expected to have a background in molecular biology and should hold a Master Degree in Bioscience Engineering, Biotechnology or Biology. The candidate should have a level of proficiency in English which is sufficient to communicate effectively with colleagues.
Application documents should include a motivation letter, a curriculum vitae and a grade transcript. Additionally, the applicant is expected to arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent to the address below. The application deadline is May 1th, 2019. Applications should be sent electronically as one single file in pdf format to Julien.royet@univ-amu.fr, leopold.kurz@univ-amu.fr and Olivier.zugasti@univ-amu.fr
Kurz et al, 2017. Peptidoglycan sensing by octopaminergic neurons modulates Drosophila oviposition. Elife. Mar 7;6. pii: e21937.
Charroux et al, 2018. Local and systemic immune responses to microbiota are respectively controlled by cytosolic and secreted peptidoglycan degrading enzymes in Drosophila. Cell Host and Microbe. Feb 14;23(2):215-228
The post PhD in molecular genetics to study the impact of gut microbiota on host behavior and physiology appeared first on the Node.


text:
About Us | Site Map | Contact Us
Online Museum Resources on Asian Art
OMuRAA (Online Museum Resources on Asian Art) is an initiative of the Asia for Educators Program at Columbia University.
Buddhism and Buddhist Art - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Gupta period, from the fourth to the sixth century A.D., in northern India, sometimes referred to as a Golden Age, witnessed the creation of an "ideal image" of the Buddha.
Pacificasia Museum
VISIONS OF ENLIGHTENMENT is available as an online exhibit.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Art of Asia features objects from The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' permanent collection, and explores several cross-cultural Asian themes.
The V&A holds one of the most important Asian collections in the UK containing Central, South, South East and East Asian Buddhist sculptures and paintings.
The National Palace Museum, Taiwan, R.O.C.
BUDDHA DHARMA RELICS MUSEUM (THAILAND)
Displays artifacts of the precious heritage Buddhist left for more than 9 countries in the Majesty Athabasca Rivers area.
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art.
PATAN MUSEUM
Ho-Am Art Museum
Mok-a Buddhist museum


The best-selling suite of Internet E-Commerce components. E-Payment Integrator is the easiest way to add secure and reliable Internet payment processing to your applications. E-Payment Integrator alleviates the complexity of integrating electronic payment support by providing components with an intuitive interface for handing credit card & eCheck transactions. There is no need for developers to learn complicated socket programming or security implementation. By using the E-Payment Integrator, developers are able to target and develop for any currently supported payment gateway.
Components for Credit Card processing and e-Checks included in a comprehensive, e-commerce suite.
Built on top of the IP*Works! secure communications framework - trusted by thousands of secure applications worldwide.
E-Payment Integrator is available individually or as part of the Red Carpet Subscription. Download E-Payment Integrator or read the full update details.
Address Verification Service (AVS) support.
The following components are included in E-Payment Integrator. Please note that due to platform limitations, not all components are available in all editions.
Uses the Retail component to authorize a card present transaction.
E-Payment Integrator includes everything needed to add Credit Card Processing to any application - on any platform or development technology.


text:
Pope blesses Nativity scene statues, calls them signs of God's love
In Catholic News Service, Vatican
Cindy Wooden
Pilgrims hold up figurines of the Christ Child as Pope Francis leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Dec 15, 2019. (Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media.)
Pope Francis blessed hundreds of figurines of the baby Jesus -- ranging from tiny plastic figures to life-sized statues -- and encouraged children to make sure they have Nativity scenes at home.
ROME — Pope Francis blessed hundreds of figurines of the baby Jesus — ranging from tiny plastic figures to life-sized statues — and encouraged children to make sure they have Nativity scenes at home.
After reciting the Angelus prayer Dec. 15, the third Sunday of Advent, Francis did the traditional blessing of the "bambinelli," or statues of the infant Jesus, for children to put in mangers at home, at school and in their parishes.
"Raise the statues up," the pope told the children. "I bless them from my heart."
Francis then quoted from his new apostolic letter on the meaning and importance of the creche: "The Nativity scene is like a living Gospel. … As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman. We come to realize that so great is his love for us that he became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with him."
In his main Angelus address, Francis spoke about the importance of answering the Advent call to conversion in preparation for Christmas.
"We are called to recognize the face God chose to assume in Jesus Christ, humble and merciful," he said.
"Advent is a time of grace," the pope said. "It tells us it's not enough to believe in God; it's necessary to purify our faith each day."
The Advent journey is about preparing "to welcome not a character from a fable, but the God who calls us, gets us involved and who makes us choose," he said. "The Baby lying in the manger has the face of our neediest brothers and sisters," who deserve the care of the Christian community.
Nativity scenes were also on the pope's mind Dec. 16 when he met members of Italy's Catholic Action section for 11- to 13-year-olds for his annual exchange of Christmas greetings with them.
"I'm giving you some homework," he told them. "On Christmas Day pause in prayer and, with the same awe of the shepherds, look upon baby Jesus who came into the world to bring the love of God, who makes all things new.
"With his birth Jesus became a bridge between God and humanity, reconciling earth and heaven, restoring the unity of the whole human race," the pope said. "And today he asks you, too, to be little bridges where you live. You know there always is a need to build bridges, right?"
"What is better, building bridges or walls?" he asked them. "Bridges," they shouted.
Being bridges, bringing people together, "is not always easy," the pope told them, "but if we are united to Jesus, we can do it."
Francis also asked them to think about what "Christmas" means to Mary. "She and Joseph can teach us how to truly welcome Jesus, how to adore him and how to follow him day by day."
Crux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesn't come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.
Nativity scene is reminder of hope amid suffering, pope says
Show the world the joy of faith, pope says
Vatican Christmas: Details of stamps, Nativity scene, tree released
Catholic Action
St. Peter's Square


For 40 years, Meridian Loyalty has helped growing organizations energize their brand communities and build deeper connections with consumers, B2B partners and employees. Our experienced team offers proven growth strategies to help you increase profits, stimulate sales, improve performance and produce measurable results.
An innovative, in-house technical team and IT environment are maintained to ensure your program's success.
Creating lasting loyalty, commitment and advocacy among your consumers, B2B partners and employees is our primary focus.
We will share success stories, industry news, events and our unique point of view on topics within the loyalty space.
delivering Lasting Loyalty to your brand.
to address important questions in several important phases.
What audience(s) will you target?
What is most important to your stakeholders?
What does the data tell us about your business needs and target audience?
How should we structure your program to drive the greatest results?
How will we effectively influence behaviors and attitudes?
How do we personalize the experience?
What are our rewards, communication and engagement strategies?
Loyalty is a journey, and that journey occurs over time. Our program design delivers memorable experiences and motivators that capture and hold the attention of your customers, encourage them to spend more and maximize their lifetime value to you. We deliver a comprehensive loyalty solution that is customizable, on systems that scale to meet your organization's needs and growth plans.
Gain a competitive advantage by leveraging our incentive strategies to strengthen your channel partnerships and grow market share. We can help cement existing relationships and modify behavior to your advantage with our approach to design and delivery that motivates your sales team and distribution partners.
We expand employee engagement possibilities through a clear focus on your objectives, incentives that work, programs that inspire and experts who design and manage it all on your behalf. It adds up to best-in-class results for improved performance and retention of your essential resource team.
Meridian Loyalty helps global enterprises gain a competitive edge by leveraging the right mix of technology, people and processes to achieve your strategic objectives. Whether you are new to the ecommerce market space or a seasoned veteran, every business owner can benefit from our ecommerce services that simplify your involvement and facilitate your success.
We are passionate about equipping you with the tools and guidance to address your B2B or consumer ecommerce needs. Clients turn to us for our experience, flexibility and commitment to staying ahead of the curve in this ever-evolving, tech-driven environment. Let Meridian Loyalty put the power of flexibility and control to work for your business.
Meridian Loyalty has been an industry leader in Group Travel for over 40 years due to our exceptional service characterized by honest, responsive relationships with our clients and suppliers. We continue to succeed and evolve by providing new options for memorable journeys to exclusive getaway locations and personalized experiences for our clients' guests, all supported by a dedicated travel staff and innovative technologies.
It's clear that individuals and teams perform best when they feel encouraged to contribute their unique perspectives and skills. As an employer, we are dedicated to maintaining a work environment that fosters a sense of unity and appreciation where everyone can thrive and find fulfillment in the work they do on behalf of our clients. We will support your professional achievement and growth through a culture that focuses on innovative thinking, creative and courageous conversations, continuous learning, expectations of excellence and celebrating success.
We will always deliver what we say we will, not just on paper, but in the spirit that it was intended.


A judge has criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for its decision to prosecute an 'inspirational and dedicated teacher' after his nightmare of facing child abuse charges finally ended.
Judge Sylvia de Bertodano said she was 'quite sure no jury in the land' would have convicted music teacher Vjekoslav Dvorak, who taught at schools in Leamington and Coventry.
Dvorak (63) of Kenpas Highway, Coventry, had denied three charges of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl when she was aged between 12 and 15.
And the jury at Warwick Crown Court unanimously found him not guilty.
It had been alleged that he had rubbed the girl's feet on one occasion, had put his head to her chest and touched her bottom on another, and finally that he had pressed himself against her back and run his hands down her front.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Bussey-Jones said: "The allegations concern matters when she was 12-15. She says various things happened to her in the course of those music lessons.
Dvorak taught in both Coventry and Leamington, but had been unable to work following his arrest in May last year over the allegations, said to have taken place at a Coventry school.
He explained that as a music teacher it was sometimes necessary to touch pupils to guide them, but he emphatically denied any wrong-doing.
And after the jury had returned its not guilty verdicts, Judge de Bertodano commented: "Those who are in charge of decisions to prosecute should take very, very great care indeed before doing so in a case such as this.
"I am quite sure that no jury in the land would have convicted Mr Dvorak in this case.
"As a result of this prosecution he has not been able to work and has had a question mark hanging over him.
"He is clearly an inspirational and dedicated teacher. I am firmly of the view he is no danger to anyone, quite the contrary.
"This case should never have come to trial. There is nothing in it at all.
"It is also damaging for the child involved in this case. She is clearly a very troubled young lady.


Our JL Rubicon Fog Pocket replacement kit allows enthusiasts to retain factory fit and finish, while taking advantage of premium aftermarket LED output. This kit features a pair of Squadron Pros, which have a combined output of 9,800 lumens.
Installing the kit can't be any easier. Our durable brackets have been designed to retain the stock mounting points. The provided wire adapters plug and play right into the OEM connectors, allowing the user to retain use of the factory fog switch, with no need for splicing or soldering.
Note: This kit is only compatible with the metal Rubicon bumper. If you have a Rubicon with a plastic bumper, you must purchase the Sahara kit sku 447071.
ClearView® All The Light, Right Where You Need It.


text:
Nearly 300 Oil Spills Went Unreported In North Dakota In Less Than Two Years
Kiley Kroh Oct 27, 2013, 6:55 pm
CREDIT: AP PHOTO/ROBERT F. BUKATY
Nearly 300 oil spills and 750 "oil field incidents" have occurred in North Dakota since January 2012 and none were reported to the public, according to a report released Friday by the Associated Press.
The investigation was spurred by a pipeline that spewed over 20,000 barrels of crude oil into a North Dakota wheat field earlier this month and went unreported for 11 days until it was discovered by a farmer harvesting his wheat.
In the wake of the report, the state's Health Department announced it is testing a website to disseminate information about oil spills to the public but the AP notes that in the nation's second-largest oil producing state, that only addresses part of the problem.
North Dakota regulators, like in many other oil-producing states, are not obliged to tell the public about oil spills under state law. But in a state that's producing a million barrels a day and saw nearly 2,500 miles of new pipelines last year, many believe the risk of spills will increase, posing a bigger threat to farmland and water.
Rapidly increasing production from oil and gas fields in Canada and several U.S. states is putting increasing pressure on the industry to expand its network of pipelines that transport the product to refineries. In the wake of this unprecedented expansion, spill detection and reporting are just two of many concerns.
Carl Weimer, head of the Pipeline Safety Trust, told Climate Progress in an earlier interview that much of the process, from determining the route of new pipelines to oversight and compliance of existing ones, is left up to the companies themselves. And at the end of the day, "each company is just trying to capitalize and make money." To make matters worse, he says "state and local government really hasn't thought about it much — is unprepared — and pipelines will go into place before there are policies to guide the construction. It can really affect the way local communities may develop and often happens before the community has any sense of what they can do about it."
In September, Jeffrey Weise, head of the Office of Pipeline Safety at the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), spoke candidly about his agency's difficulty in enforcing regulations. "Do I think I can hurt a major international corporation with a $2 million civil penalty?," he asked the crowd of oil and gas pipeline compliance officers. "No."
In addition to the obstacles regulators face in enforcing existing rules, creating new ones can take up to three years. Inside Climate News reported that as a result, Wiese announced that the agency was taking to YouTube — creating a channel it hopes will persuade the industry to voluntarily improve its safety operations.
#Climate, #Oil Spill, #Pipeline


text:
Photography's Potential as Art and Science in Documenting Ancient Egypt
Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene features photographs that focus on ancient monuments and landscapes in Egypt and Algeria from the 1850s, rather than people.
by Michael Press November 19, 2019 November 18, 2019
John Beasley Greene, "Giza, Pyramid of Cheops, or Khufu" (1853–54) National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
SAN FRANCISCO — Ancient Egypt has turned up in some unexpected museum exhibitions this year. First, there was the Pulitzer Arts Foundation's Striking Power: Iconoclasm in Ancient Egypt, followed by the Freud Museum London's exhibition on Freud's fascination with Egypt. Now the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has opened Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene, featuring photographs of ancient monuments and landscapes in Egypt and Algeria from the 1850s.
John Beasley Greene is an enigmatic figure. Almost nothing was known of his life until about 40 years ago, and even after four decades of research biographical details are sparse. We do know that he came from a wealthy American banking family resident in France. Like many other photographers of the day (including fellow pioneering photographer of Egypt Maxime Du Camp, and Auguste Salzmann, whose Palestine photographs were the subject of a recent Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition), Greene trained under the influential Gustave Le Gray. What set Greene apart was his dual role as photographer and archaeologist. As the exhibition notes, he was the first known archaeologist to photograph Egypt. Greene took at least two trips to Egypt (between 1853 and 1855), the first for travel and photography, the second largely for excavation. On these visits he photographed not only ancient monuments but also excavations in progress — his own at the site of Medinet Habu as well as those of Frenchman (and future founding director of Egypt's Antiquities Service) Auguste Mariette at Giza. He then traveled to Algeria from 1855 to 1856 for more archaeological and photographic projects. But Greene died shortly after his return, only 24 years old.
Greene's photographs, frequently exhibited during his lifetime, were forgotten quickly soon after, until revived about 40 years ago. Since that time, many of Greene's prints have come on the art market and so are more widely available today. The current exhibition — the first to focus exclusively on Greene — features a large number of Greene's prints (86 total) from a wide range of museums and private collections, including the SFMOMA's own holdings.
Installation view of Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene, 2019, showing waxed paper negatives (photo by Don Ross and courtesy SFMOMA)
That recent transition from a long period of obscurity to renewed interest also characterizes the 1840s photographs of Frenchman Girault de Prangey, the subject of the Met's exhibition Monumental Journey from earlier this year. Like Girault, Greene was able to take advantage of his independent wealth and France's status as a colonial power to study photography and to travel around the Mediterranean using it. But their techniques were quite different. Girault, active near the beginnings of photography, worked with daguerreotypes — his images are sharp and remarkably detailed even in miniature format. By contrast, Greene adopted his teacher Le Gray's innovative technique for making waxed paper negatives and salted paper prints. The coarse nature of the paper surface lent his images a softer, more atmospheric quality — one that for Greene, like Le Gray, became an aesthetic preference. The difference is clearly visible in the images on display.
In addition to the prints, there are four paper negatives on one wall, with a button beneath each (press it and you can illuminate the negative to see it better). The curator, Corey Keller, explained in an email that she chose to display these in part because many viewers, in this digital age, may never have seen a photographic negative before. However, even many older viewers (like me), have never seen 19th-century paper negatives. While the small size of Girault's daguerreotypes stood out in Monumental Journey, here I was struck by how large the negatives are, in comparison with 35 mm film negatives.
John Beasley Greene, [Still life with statuette of the Venus de Milo] (1852–53) Hans P. Kraus, Jr. Inc., New York
Signs and Wonders — like Monumental Journey — also emphasizes how the photographs were distributed. Greene's photographs were exhibited frequently during his lifetime, but they were also printed in a handful of albums. This was a decisive advantage of using negatives — daguerreotypes could only be reproduced in engravings or lithographs. Copies of two of Greene's albums are on display, along with two digital facsimiles (of the three others that Greene produced during his lifetime). I had trouble figuring out how to use the digital facsimiles, since when I visited they were displayed without instructions. (Keller told me that signs will be put in place to make it clearer how to use them.)
Greene's application of photography to archaeology resulted in a combination of the two strands of interest in early photography (as the exhibition does well to note): photography as art and photography as science. Of course, this combination was not new. W.H.F. Talbot, one of the inventors of photography in the 1830s, was also a respected Assyriologist, though he kept these pursuits separate. But the same combination of scientific and aesthetic concerns seen in Greene is already visible with Girault de Prangey, who had taken the earliest surviving photographs of Egypt and West Asia a decade earlier. Nor was Greene the first person to photograph an archaeological excavation in progress. (In the catalogue, Keller suggests it was Gabriel Tranchard at Victor Place's Khorsabad excavations in 1852.) But he was, as far as we know, the first to photograph an excavation in progress in Egypt — Auguste Mariette's excavations by the Sphinx at Giza, in 1853-54. He was also the first practicing archaeologist to photograph the country. This is significant, because it meant he was attuned to specific needs and problems that other photographers (like Girault or Du Camp) were not. Greene was very concerned with recording inscriptions of significance to Egyptology, but this was made difficult by the lighting, as building walls with inscriptions were often split between bright sunlight and shadow. Greene's innovative solution was to make casts of the inscriptions and then photograph the casts.
John Beasley Greene, "Pyramids of Giza, [Mr. Mariette's site], Excavation to the left of the Sphinx" (1853) the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
But what about the images themselves? Greene's interest in photography as both art and science shows in his choice of images. Most are either landscape views or documents of specific monuments. When Greene used titles like Egyptian Sculptures and Inscriptions and Monuments and Landscapes for his albums, he was very prosaic but accurate. The Nile, trees, and temples appear again and again on the walls of the exhibition gallery. What's missing throughout are people. Early photographs of the Eastern Mediterranean are notorious for the lack of people. If anything, Greene's are even emptier than the norm.
Why is this? Is it due to lengthy exposures, or something else? Keller explained to me that Greene left little technical information on his photographic work, but we know from the manual that Gustave Le Gray published on his process that exposure times might have ranged anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes, depending on the lighting conditions, the type of camera and lens, and what was being photographed. Capturing people in action could not be done except as a blur, but certainly posed images were possible. And yet we have few examples even of these. Keller points out in the catalogue that there are several negatives of people from Greene's Egyptian trips, but he never printed most of these. Of course, there was a risk of blurred images even with people standing or sitting still. And in fact, blurred figures can be made out in a few of his images.
John Beasley Greene, "[Island of Philae]" (1853–54) (image via and courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Many of the traces of human life that are present in Greene's photographs are still mostly devoid of actual people — a tent and laundry line (presumably his own) at Medinet Habu, modern houses of Cairo, or boats on the Nile. Mariette's excavation at Giza, where Greene shows several posed workmen, is a rare exception. One photograph not in the exhibition shows the courtyard of the famous Temple of Horus at Edfu. On top of the building the viewer can make out a mudbrick structure. This is a house — the temple was (and still is) at the edge of the modern town of Edfu, and up to the 19th century, the inhabitants built houses around and even on top of and inside the temple. Within a few years after Greene's visit, dozens of these houses would be removed by Mariette when he began to excavate the temple (there is no record of what happened to the residents). But, in Greene's photograph, the only sign of the modern village are mudbrick walls — the people themselves are absent.
John Beasley Greene, "Edfou — Temple" (1854), from the album The Nile: Monuments — Landscapes. Photographic Explorations (1854) (image via and courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Among the prints that are on display, Greene's focus is perhaps best summed up by a photograph of a shack next to a palm tree. Inside the shack we see one of the rare examples of a blurred person in a Greene print. But Greene chose to title this print as one of his "Studies of Date Palms" — as if the person and their domicile were invisible, or incidental.
John Beasley Greene, "Studies of Date Palms" (1854), from the album The Nile: Monuments — Landscapes. Photographic Explorations (1854) (image via and courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Greene's photographs of Egypt and Algeria look much like typical European ones of the Orient in this period with their lack of people and focus on monuments and landscapes. (Discussed only at brief points in the exhibition, Greene's treatment of people and landscapes is explored in admirable depth in the catalogue.) But is this simply orientalism in Greene's case? We must be careful here. In his early photographs taken in France, too, Greene avoided images of people, and when he did take photographs of them he again failed to make prints. Yet, whatever the case, Greene's Egyptian images show the same stillness of the landscape we commonly see in photographs of the eastern Mediterranean at this time. "How much have things changed?" we might ask. Looking at Greene's photographs, we get the same effect as looking at almost any of the many exhibitions on ancient Egypt — modern Egyptians are conspicuously absent. The message, however dubious, is consistent: modern Egyptians have little connection to the past of their own country, a past which is instead at home among us in Europe and North America.
Where we do find the missing people is in the exhibition Hannah Collins: I Will Make Up a Song, which is mounted immediately beside Signs and Wonders in the museum. Collins's exhibition features a video installation on the work of Hassan Fathy, a prominent Egyptian architect of the 20th century. Fathy may be best known for planning new towns for the Egyptian poor. Two of those are featured here: New Baris and New Gourna.
Still from: "Hannah Collins: I will make up a song and sing it in a theatre with the night air above my head" (2018) (© Hannah Collins)
New Gourna in particular is famous, or notorious (depending on your viewpoint) as part of the Egyptian government's decades-long efforts to remove the village of Gourna because it sat on part of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. (The government wished to preserve the ancient site and develop it for tourism. Besides standing in the way, the villagers had long conducted illegal excavations at the site.) One of Greene's prints on display in Signs and Wonders is of a temple at Gourna (also written Qurna), though the connection is not made in the exhibition.
Collins's video is essentially a slideshow of her photographs of New Gourna and New Baris — along with one slide of text, in both English and Arabic, repeated a couple of times — set to an eerie soundtrack. Her wall text at the entrance to the exhibition is ambivalent, suggesting Fathy's noble intentions in wanting to help the poor villagers while also showing sympathy for the residents in their attachment to their original villages. My impression of the film was different. That one slide of text, from which the title of the film is taken, is in the voice of the villagers, and centers on their desire not to be forcibly removed. "I will build my own place to live and I will not be driven from my home," as part of it reads. But Fathy's viewpoint is not present in the film, at least not directly.
I found I Will Make Up a Song moving at times, but in the end difficult to follow since the video is just a series of images without a clear story. Perhaps this is the point. But combined with Signs and Wonders, it has the potential to be a powerful meditation on the collision of the past and the present in Egypt, and the role of Egyptians themselves in this process. Closer integration of the exhibitions, and some more explicit discussion, might help visitors make those connections.
Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene and Hannah Collins: I Will Make Up a Song runs through January 5, 2020 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (151 Third Street, San Francisco, California). The exhibitions were curated by Corey Keller, curator of photography at SFMOMA. Signs and Wondersis scheduled to travel to the Art Institute of Chicago in February 2020.
Editor's Note: The author's travel expenses to San Francisco to see the exhibition were paid by SFMOMA.
Peeling Back the Messy and Myriad Layers of Tutankhamun's Discovery
Why We Must Challenge the Typical Museum Narrative Regarding Ancient Egypt
Important "Arts and Crafts" Architecture Archive Gifted to the Huntington Library
Tagged: ancient Egypt, Articles, California, Photography, San Francisco, SFMOMA
Michael Press
Michael Press is an archaeologist who writes on Middle Eastern archaeology, biblical studies, and how these fields are presented to the public. He received a PhD from Harvard University in Near Eastern... More by Michael Press


Resources, activities, and controls are the essential components of all management systems, and determine the events that occur.
Management systems and organizations, like all other systems, consist of processes in which activities take place on and with resources. These processes require inputs, produce outputs and their operation depends on control. It is the primary function of management to operate these systems. In order to explore systems and their management it is first necessary to identify and observe their resources, activities, and controls. The first step in understanding these systems and their processes is to discover which of the three components of resources, activities, and controls are relevant to the issues or problems being considered.
If resources are considered their form, source, and value should be examined.
If activities are considered their requisites of opportunity, capability, and motivation should be examined.
If controls are considered their types may be prescriptive, adaptive, or reactive, and all of their stages of inspection, decisions, and initiatives should be examined.
This page can be regarded as the centre which provides links to all other parts of the site. It is referred to on other pages as the Links Centre.
The chart above shows the relationships between the main components of management systems, and the stages involved in exploring them. The layout of the table below corresponds to the chart, and provides links to pages on the site that describe the components and stages in more detail.


text:
Barneys New York Madison Avenue Holiday Window
Limited Edition World
November 30, 2016 by pcarvalho
Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, announces the launch of its 2016 holiday: Love Peace Joy Project. The Holiday Window features exclusive installations from Nick Cave, Rob Pruitt, Studio Job, Ebony G. Patterson, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of Comedy Central's South Park.
In the world's current climate of chaos and divisiveness, Barneys New York brings back the ever-needed presence of Love, Peace and Joy at a time when it is most necessary. Celebrated artists partnered with the retailer to create inventive interpretations of Love, Peace, and Joy, themes that continue to bring people together, especially during the holidays.
-Studio Job-
-Ebony G. Patterson-
-Nick Cave-
The artists, who represent a wide range of styles and ideals, include visual and performance artist Nick Cave, contemporary artist Rob Pruitt, artist collective Studio Job, mixed media artist Ebony G. Patterson, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of Comedy Central's South Park. In addition to embracing the joyful holiday season at its Madison Avenue flagship, Barneys New York also brings its famed sense of wit and surprise to holiday window culture downtown for the first time in nearly two decades at the new downtown flagship in Chelsea. To further spread Love, Peace, and Joy, the retailer's newly launched Barneys New York Foundation is debuting the #LovePeaceJoyProject, a crowdsourced social campaign to encourage audiences to share in the seasonal festivities while supporting charitable causes.
-Trey Parker and Matt Stone of Comedy Central's South Park-
Evocative of the positive spirit found in Love, Peace and Joy, each artist interprets these themes in a unique and compelling manner. The windows encompass the core aesthetic of each respective artist as the base, but then add another level of innovation that is unique to the New York partnership, entertaining the viewers with a dynamic viewpoint on Love, Peace and Joy. Products from Studio Job and Nick Cave will also be available starting November 17th, with items ranging from custom lollipops, to silk scarves, and a bronzed stamp mirror.
See also The best home furnishings for Christmas Eve HERE!


Tony award winning producer of Book of Mormon and American Idiot, Chris Bensinger, has joined the faculty of EMAS to help Los Angeles actors who're looking toward the increasing number of musical opportunities in Hollywood and Television. Mr.Bensinger will focus is on bridging the gap between the singer's natural gifts and the intent of the songwriter. Integrating foundational acting techniques such as clear objectives, emotional connection and a unique point of view to the song. The final class will be an "Evening of Song" for students to perform for an invited audience of friends and family. Students will leave the class with a much stronger song performance, confidence and ability to book jobs in musical theater, television and film.
Limited to 10 students, each singer will work every class. Musical theater training/experience is strongly encouraged, as this is not a class where students learn to sing, but rather where they strengthen the performance aspect of a song. YOU MUST BE OVER 18 TO ENROLL IN THIS CLASS. Each student will be responsible for selecting the songs they work on in class. Please bring sheet music in the appropriate key for our live accompanist. A video recording of yourself singing your selected song should be submitted prior to the first day of class.
This is a very unique opportunity for those interested in musical theatre and the ever-increasing genre of "Musical TV" to work with one of the countries top Broadway producers. Don't miss out!