Otherworldly, provocative, and strange, Audrey Niffenegger's art is a vital a part of her vision as her bestselling novels The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry. Awake in the Dream World is a mid-career retrospective of Nifffenegger's work, reflecting her talent for cultivating a captivating narrative exclusively through pictures and her own confrontations with life, mortality, and magic.
Niffenegger's fantastical body of work is reminiscent of renowned pen and ink predecessors such as Edward Gorey, Aubrey Beardsley, Egon Schiele, Edward Dulac, and Horst Janssen, but with a brutally honest and unapologetically strange female perspective that touches upon the universal trials of life - death and decay, love, jealousy, redemption, and the inevitability of change. Her works on paper, lithographs, and aquatints reflect the often surreal narratives of her artist's books. Through self-portraiture, Niffenegger reveals her own self-assurance and whimsy alongside anxiety and loneliness, probing darker corners of the human heart and mind, often exploring the hopeless struggle with what Shakespeare called 'this bloody tyrant, Time'.
Essays by Audrey Niffenegger, National Museum of Women in the Arts Curator of Book Arts Krystyna Wasserman, and Art Institute of Chicago Curator and School of the Art Institute Professor Mark Pascale explore the artist's influences and work.
"Spare, fable-like narratives featuring betrayals and metamorphoses, with touches of Aubrey Beardsley and Egon Schiele… As well as strange self-portraits and recent drawings on the themes of birth, death and books."


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5 Things We Can't Help But Love about the MCU's Mantis
by Jason Collins
Ever since she was introduced in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, up to the recently released Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in which she takes the fore, the MCU's Mantis is among the most unassuming characters that easily fall into the background. Portrayed by the wonderfully talented Pom Klementieff, Mantis is an innocent but extremely empathic crew member of the Guardians. Mantis isn't as overtly ingenious as Rocket or as combat-trained as Nebula. But, she has proven herself as a pivotal force within the crew.
In fact, her maternal instinct, matched with her wide-eyed and wholesome approach to the Guardians universe, make her the perfect foil to the sometimes plucky crew. Here are five things we love about the MCU Mantis:
1. She's Socially Awkward
That's very entertaining. The MCU Mantis actually differs from her comic book counterpart, especially when it comes to her backstory. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, when she first comes across the Guardians, it's clear she's among the first beings she has ever encountered, apart from Ego, the Living Planet. In her debut movie, she explains that Ego took her in as an orphan and raised her. But Ego is a loner — a celestial whose primary physical form is that of a life-supporting planet uninhabited by intelligent life.
So, while Ego ran around, spreading his seed throughout the universe (the blue pods he left on countless worlds), Mantis was left on the planet with no one to play or interact with. Once she met the Guardians, she learned social interaction skills from Drax: a brutish and battle-tested warrior who also lacks a few points in the social skills department. This led to various situations in which she embarrassed Peter by revealing his feelings for Gamora, which Drax found hilarious.
2. She's Peter's Sister
As we recently found out in the Holiday Special, Mantis is the result of one of Ego's attempts to procreate, which also means she's Peter's half-sister. So, she's forgiven for embarrassing him — that's what siblings do. In the Special, she and Drax, with whom she has an interesting relationship, learn that Yondu ruined Christmas for Peter. So, they go to Earth to retrieve Peter Quill's childhood hero, actor Kevin Bacon.
They arrive in Hollywood, kidnap Bacon, wreak havoc, and return to Knowhere. On Knowhere, they set off a whole string of events, which results in Mantis telling Peter she's his half-sister. Apparently, she didn't want to tell him the truth out of fear of reminding him of his father Ego's misdeeds. But after telling him the truth, he admits that that's the greatest gift he ever got.
3. She's Really Powerful
The only time the audience got to see just how powerful Mantis is was on Titan in Infinity War. She almost singlehandedly defeated Thanos by nearly putting him to sleep. Unfortunately, the mad titan possessed a greater power of will in the film and overcame her abilities. This loosely matches one of the narratives from the comics, in which the two clashed, and Thanos succeeded in destroying several of Mantis's fragments.
However, he unknowingly hastened her transformation into the goddess of life. Once regenerated, Mantis' will prove to be stronger than Thanos, and she "snapped" the floor with him. The MCU Mantis didn't seem combat-ready until the Holiday Special revealed that she actually has superhuman strength and fighting abilities not previously portrayed in the films. The upcoming Phase 5 may focus more on Mantis and her combat abilities.
4. She's Funny
Most heroines and villainesses in the MCU are strong, tough, uncompromising, or intimidating ladies. As a result, they don't get to be as entertaining as Mantis does. Admittedly, she has a strong maternal instinct. However, when it comes to The Guardians, Mantis is just as quirky as the rest of them. So, the maternal role falls on Gamora rather than Mantis.
With that said, The Guardians of the Galaxy are an odd comedic bunch. Mantis is an oddity among oddities, and the character is funny in a unique way. For example, for all her empathic abilities and good nature, her eyes lit up when Rocket suggested that Peter and Thor settle their differences using knives. That contrast between innocence and sociopathy is the funniest thing about Mantis.
5. Relationship With Drax
Mantis's friendship with Drax is the most ridiculous thing ever since she's an empath, and he's a battle-hardened brute with no brain-mouth filter. In fact, when they met, he continuously told her she was ugly as if it was a fact. He then adds that that's a good thing because she'll know that someone loves her for who she is.
He also convinces her that she's Ego's pet. But the biggest sign of their friendship is when he calls her beautiful, and then, after a long pause, he adds "on the inside." Also, she's never shy from emotional sharing with Drax, regardless of whether they're making fun of Quill or sharing grief over Drax's lost family.
Meeting the Guardians has inspired Mantis to become a hero herself. Unfortunately, she still hasn't had her shiniest moment in the MCU. We can only hope that the MCU Phase 5 will change this and bring us even more Mantis to love.
Jason Collins January 12, 2023
Marvel Studios Debuts the Trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' in São Paulo, Brazil
SDCC Exclusive: Expect One Big Wild Ride for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3'
Everything You Should Know about Zoe Saldana's Time Playing Gamora
Missouri is the New Pop Culture Landscape For "White Devil" Narratives

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Well it has been quite a while coming, but we are currently extremely close to production. We are negotiating potential retail avenues and the online store is ready to go! More information will be available in the near future. We are excited to be bringing you quality Australian eJuice!!


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The brand new 110m/361ft motor yacht JUBILEE from Oceanco has recently signed up to attend the Monaco Yacht Show 2017, making her not only the largest yacht at this year's edition but the first yacht ever over 100 metres to appear at the Monaco event. YachtCharterFleet looks back over the past decade to see how she compares with previous headliners of the iconic yachting meet.
Launched earlier this year, JUBILEE is the largest yacht to emerge from the Netherlands and the biggest yacht to be constructed by Oceanco. Having signed up to the Monaco Yacht Show, she will now hold the title for the largest yacht ever to appear at the event, which runs from 27th to 30th September.
A sleek, elongated profile, which encompasses six decks, allows her to stand out from her peers. Lobanov's clever use of flowing lines creates the illusion of multi-level decks, and she counts a large pool deck complete with an aquarium and vast beach club as just some of her highlights.
JUBILEE is solely for sale, and so not available for charter. But, following the news of her participation, we round up the largest yachts to officially appear at the Monaco Yacht Show over the past 10 years - and some are among the top yachts on the charter scene.
Last year, the award-winning 90m/295ft sailing yacht ATHENA was the largest yacht lined up in Port Hercules. The clipper-bowed beauty is the largest build to be undertaken at the Royal Huisman shipyard and is for sale only with an asking price of $53,000,000.
At the 2015 edition, the 85m/279ft charter yacht SOLANDGE was the largest yacht in attendance. Ever the star of the show, she won the 'La Belle Classe Superyachts' award at the Monaco Yacht Show 2014, which was the year of her launch from Lurssen, and similarly wowed on her return.
Her handsome Espen Oino-designed exterior blends aggressive hard lines with soft shapes, and among her top features are an outdoor cinema and nightclub on the top deck, a swimming pool, extensive spa facilities and a glittering interior designed by Eileen Rodriguez.
The 92m/300ft superyacht EQUANIMITY, a fellow Oceanco build, made her debut at the 2014 edition where she also notched up the most metres. Her most impressive features include an Asian-inspired interior from Andrew Winch, a huge pool and extensive wellness facilities. She is not open for sale nor charter.
At 86 metres, superyacht QUATTROELLE was the largest yacht in port at the 2013 edition, the year in which she was launched from Lurssen. Her Italian name translates as the 'four Ls' which stand for love, life, liberty and luxury. She remains for private use only.
Luxury yacht ATHENA was also the largest yacht at the 2012 show. But, if you take away the 13.8 metres of her bow sprit, she is overtaken by Oceanco's 89m/290ft charter yacht NIRVANA. Wowing with her 3D cinema, helipad and oval swimming pool, which transforms into a dancefloor, NIRVANA is one of the most sought-after charter yachts.
The largest yacht to be built in the USA, the 86m/281ft charter yacht AQUILA from Derecktor Shipyards was also the largest yacht of the 2011 edition. She has recently completed a 12-month overhaul at Pendennis and is in her best condition yet with a brand new interior from RWD and Susan Young.
Fusing the authentic charm and elegance of the 1920s with state-of-the-art technology, the award-winning 90m/295ft charter yacht NERO from Corsair Yachts was a star attraction of the 2010 show. Recently refitted, she combines large social areas and cosy snugs making her suitable for entertaining on a grand scale as well as family cruising.
Tallying up the most metres in 2009 was the 76m/249ft charter yacht BOADICEA. A 1999-build from Amels, she underwent a refit in 2016 which focused on making her suitable for the charter market. She now boasts features such as a lift, a pet-friendly deck space, spa facilities, an open-air watersports centre and a new pool on the sundeck.
Another Oceanco yacht wowing Monaco show-goers with her sheer scale was the 80m/262ft motor yacht STARGATE. This yacht, appearing in 2008, is only used privately and her interior remains firmly under wraps. The only details known are her designers: Oceanco's "A" Group and Camillo Costantini.
The 82m/269ft charter yacht 'Alfa Nero' – yet another Oceanco build – made her debut at the 2007 event, where she was also the biggest yacht in show. Despite being 10 years old now, she continues to impress with her Alberto Pinto interior and long list of luxurious amenities.
For more details on any of the above charter yachts, speak to your preferred charter broker.
Alternatively, view all superyachts attending the Monaco Yacht Show 2017.


Hello swim family and welcome back CGAC swimmers!
We are coming off a very successful short course season where both the Age Group and Senior Teams placed in the top 20 at their respective state meets. We also had 13 swimmers qualify for the first level of national meets, Speedo Sectional (10 meet participants) and 3 swimmers qualify for the next level for the USA Swimming Futures meet to be held in Greensboro, NC in August. We also saw our satellite teams in Mooresville, led by coach Kevin Trammell and the UINDY site, led by coach Jason Hite, have tremendous growth. The CGAC coaches are looking forward to continuing to build off of the successes of the previous season and making this long course season the best we have ever seen!
Please be sure to read our Tuesday weekly newsletter email in its entirety as it will contain information regarding upcoming meets, important practice information, volunteer opportunities, and much more. You will also be able to find the weekly newsletter on our websites homepage CGAC under Latest News.
1.) Fishers FAST 500: RSVP for the Fishers FAST 500 is due by 8am April 15th CLICK HERE . This meet is open to all swimmers Red Team and above and White Team swimmers who have previous long course experience. Please see your swimmers coach if you have questions.
2.) Saturday Practices (CG Site): There will be NO PRACTICE this Saturday, April 13th for any group at the CG site. Saturday practices will begin on April 20th.
3.) CG, UINDY, MOORESVILLE Combo Practice: The Senior Teams for all 3 sites will be having a whole group practice at the CG site from 7am-9am on Saturday, April 20th. This will be a great opportunity for all 3 sites to get together and train as a whole team!
4.) Please check your emails regularly for times and dates of the following events once they are finalized: Team suit sizing and new parent meetings.
Instagram cgacswim. Our Facebook group is a closed group. You will need to request to join and let us know your swimmers name in order to join. We will post all important information on these sites, pictures, celebrations, as well as a means for parents to ask general questions.
Please let me know if you have any questions and see you at the pool!
Billing: All short course swimmers are automatically enrolled for long course season. Please email billing@cgacswim.org if your swimmer is NOT planning to swim long course.
Rock the Block: Although CGAC is now qualified to compete for grant money (thank you to those that signed up), we STILL need your support by signing up to walk/run the 5K/10K/Kids Run on April 27th at 8:30 am at CGHS. Register now at www.RockTheBlockRun.org. Don't forget to select Center Grove Aquatic Club as the charity you are supporting! The more people we have sign-up, the more likely our club will win BIG money!!! The top 3 non-profit groups with the most participants win grant money. Let's do this CGAC!!!
Officials Clinic: Do you have an interest in becoming an official? Our sport needs officials to ensure fairness and to make sure meets run efficiently. It's a great way to learn more about the sport and is an exciting and rewarding way to participate with your athlete.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Columbus North H.S. 1400 25th St.
Swim Camps: Indiana Swimming has announced several swim camp opportunities beginning in April. To view all the swim camp offerings with links to the program page and/or an application form, Click Here. There are many exciting camps offered including one held at Center Grove High School.
Follow Us - Please follow us on Twitter @CGAC_TrojanSwim, Facebook at Center Grove Aquatics Club – Official – Parents/Guardians and Instagram at cgacswim.


Aerogel (also called 'frozen smoke' because of its hazy blue appearance), is a truly remarkable material. It is the lightest and lowest-density solid known to exist, and holds an unbelievable 15 entries in the Guinness Book of World Records, including best insulator and lowest density solid.
Meet the Long-tailed Planigale (Planigale ingrami).
It may look mouse-like but it's actually a marsupial of the dasyurid family - the family that includes quolls, Tasmanian devils and the Thylacine. All dasyurids are carnivores and most are tiny and feed mainly on insects, but won't reject a small lizard or anything else they may find that's meaty.
Head-body length is usually 55-65mm and they barely weigh over 4 grams. The head is unusually flattened (3-4mm top to bottom) so it can easily dash through the cracks formed in the mud in the arid areas of Northern Australia.
Today is my day for being inspired by other people's posts.
This was written by me on August 31st 2005, when I was working at Broome Bird Observatory in northern Western Australia. I have since learned that what I called a Mud-dauber Wasp was actually a Potter Wasp.
Over the last couple of weeks a drama has been unfolding right outside my bedroom. A mud dauber wasp was busily building a nest on the back of Stu's chair. We watched her as she hovered about with fat green caterpillars and manoeuvred them into the tiny holes in the compartments she had built. She would then plug the holes. But the chair, being a chair, got moved around a bit and eventually our poor wasp gave up after preparing two compartments.
The next morning I saw what I assume was the same wasp busily building a circle of mud on a shell outside Chris's door. By that evening I noticed to my amazement that it was a completed compartment. These compartments give any human made pottery a run for its money with craftsmanship (or should that be craftwaspship?) Each one is wide and round at the bottom and tapers to a tiny protruding hole at the top, the sides are perfectly smooth. She brought a paralysed caterpillar for each hole and shoved it inside before laying eggs upon the unfortunate grub. She got a little ambitious one day and try as she might, couldn't get the huge caterpillar she had into the hole. She built about a 5 compartments – approximately one a day until she was done. I thought that was it.
The next day she was still flying about and I noted that she was building up an outer wall of tiny clods of mud. In the end she created a rounded dome of mud over the compartments inside. This dome is nowhere near as smooth sided as the compartments – it's built for defence, not beauty. Inside this fortress her young can hatch and munch upon a fresh caterpillar – they are paralysed, not killed – and take the time to peacefully metamorphose into adult wasps before breaking free and continuing their own lives. For a few days the mother wasp hovers around and sees off anyone who looks too close.
That was about a week ago. Mother wasp has obviously decided her babies are safe inside her fortress and has gone off to do whatever mud-dauber wasps do after laying eggs. This morning I noticed a small hole in the top of the dome. The telltale sign of the cuckoo wasp. Later this afternoon we saw her in her metallic green-and-blue glory going about her work.
The cuckoo wasp digs a perfectly round hole in the nest of the mud-dauber, deftly removing the hardened mud. She then uses a long ovipositor to lay an egg in one of the compartments next to the egg of the mud-dauber wasp. We watched as she dug, then turned around and laid her eggs. Once her egg hatches it will eat the caterpillar stored for the use of the mud-dauber larvae. It may even eat the mud-dauber larvae itself. Either way, the mud-dauber loses.
http://codgy.com/michigan-winter-ice-waves/, Apparently they're not really waves, regardless, it looks cool.


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University Provides Updates for Plans to Return to Campus
Jillian Ortiz, Managing Editor|May 22, 2020
The first draft of plans to return to campus for the fall 2020 semester was announced via internal communication from St. John's University President Conrado "Bobby" Gempesaw via the Office of Financial Services on Friday, May 22. These plans are "being drafted to prepare classroom and dormitory settings that follow social distancing guidelines" and their enactment is dependent upon New York state guidelines on campus reopening, according to the internal communication.
Key elements of the plan for the start of the fall 2020 semester include a possible combination of "on-campus face-to-face classes together with virtual classes," livestreaming lectures, reducing class size and density as well as the development of a testing and contact tracing plan for the University. Contact tracing, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), involves warning contacts of potential exposure to COVID-19 in order to stop further transmission of the virus.
Under this preliminary plan, students can elect to pursue a combination of face-to-face classes in combination with virtual classes. Lecture capture and livestreaming technologies are also being expanded to provide the option for students to either attend face-to-face classes or view them remotely, according to the internal communication.
Another proposed element that the University is considering is the allocation of classes across certain days and times "to reduce class sizes." To further this effort, the University is looking at converting "open facilities to temporary lecture classrooms to reduce density." The internal communication also states that the University will designate an on-campus facility "for quarantine purposes."
The internal communication also states that the University is proactively planning for a possible return to virtual learning, should another major COVID-19 outbreak occur. Last month, the BBC reported that Director of the CDC, Robert Redfield, expects a second wave of the novel coronavirus to coincide with the flu season, which typically begins as early as October.
This update from president Gempesaw comes just three weeks after the May 1 announcement of the creation of the Return to Campus Task Force (RCTF). The RCTF is responsible for the University transition from remote learning and workforce to the resumption of on-campus operations, dependent upon state and local guidelines for reopening. According to the internal communication, the RCTF is responsible for key areas in the transition, including "health and safety measures, social distancing strategies, outbreak response, communication planning and mental health counseling."
It has now been 10 weeks since the University made the decision to suspend in-person classes and send resident students home. The Torch conducted a virtual interview with President Gempesaw earlier this month, where he outlined more of what students can expect from the University in the upcoming months in regard to a return to campus and campus life.
Visit our coronavirus landing page for all University-related coronavirus updates and for more information on the University's response.
Students weigh in on pass/fail options for fall semester
Living on campus during a pandemic
How Campus Recreation has adjusted to the 'new normal'
Packing up for winter break
St. John's Basketball programs to play without spectators until further notice
Election Day brings forth uncertainty on who the next President will be


Promenade at Coconut Creek is an award-winning, upscale open-air shopping and dining center located in Coconut Creek, Florida. With over 45 brand name stores, local boutiques, and restaurants, this 297,963 square foot center offers a unique mix of fashion and specialty retailers and restaurants including Apricot Lane, White House | Black Market, DSW, Orangetheory Fitness, Guitar Center, Sephora, Starbucks, Bar Louie, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants, World of Beer, and many more. There is 48,000 square feet of Class-A office space offered at the center and currently includes Allstate Insurance occupying 33,810 square feet.


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Stock Up on These 9 Healthy Foods to Boost Your Immune System During Coronavirus, Says Doctor and Dietitian
By Brittany Anas, Contributor, CNBC	• Published January 12, 2021
Twenty20 | Tereza
As cases of coronavirus continue to rise, taking daily precautions such as washing your hands, social distancing, exercising and getting enough sleep is key to lowering risk of infection.
But maintaining a healthy diet to help boost your immune system may also give you an edge. It's important to note that no research has been done on foods that help fight against COVID-19 specifically.
However, previous studies have found that eating certain foods can improve your health and strengthen your body's ability to fight other invasive viruses.
Here are nine expert-approved foods to stock up on during your next grocery store trip, along with creative ideas on how to add them to your diet:
1. Red bell peppers
Red bell peppers reign supreme when it comes to fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one cup of chopped red bell peppers contains about 211% of your daily value of vitamin C. That's about twice more than an orange (106%).
A 2017 study published in the National Institutes of Health found that vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting a variety of cell functions and can lower the risk of respiratory infections. It can also help the growth and repair of tissues in your body.
"Daily intake of vitamin C is essential for good health because our bodies don't produce it naturally," Dr. Seema Sarin, an internal medicine physician at EHE Health, tells CNBC Make It.
She suggests slicing one up and eating it raw with hummus as a crunchy snack or mixing some into your salad. If you prefer them cooked, throw a handful in a pan for a quick stir-fry.
Broccoli is also rich in vitamin C. Just half a cup contains 43% of your daily value of vitamin C, according to the NIH.
"Broccoli is packed with phytochemicals and antioxidants that support our immune system," says Sarin. It also contains vitamin E, an antioxidant that can help fight off bacteria and viruses.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, vitamin C is one nutrient Americans aren't getting enough of in their diet, so finding simple ways to add it in is crucial.
"To get the most out of this powerhouse vegetable, eat it raw or just slightly cooked," says Sarin. "I love sauteing broccoli with garlic and Parmesan, or stir-frying with bell peppers, ginger, garlic and mushrooms."
3. Chickpeas
Chickpeas contain a lot of protein, an essential nutrient made of amino acids that help grow and repair the body's tissues. It's also involved in synthesizing and maintaining enzymes to keep our systems functioning properly, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
"Chickpeas are also packed with zinc, which helps the immune system control and regulate immune responses," Emily Wunder, a dietitian and founder of the nutritious recipes site Healthier Taste, tells CNBC Make It.
Roasted chickpeas are great as a quick great snack or salad topper. Make sure they're completely dry before roasting. Then add a few tablespoons of oil (vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil all work well) and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring halfway through until they're crispy.
For a nice kick, Wunder suggests adding some salt and paprika. If you're using canned chickpeas, she says you'll want to rinse them thoroughly to cut down on sodium content.
4. Strawberries
Wunder enjoys half a cup of strawberries to get 50% of her vitamin C needs for the day.
"Vitamin C is great for strengthening your immune system," she says, because it can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals that we're often exposed to in the environment.
Wunder recommends adding chopped strawberries to yogurt, oatmeal or on top of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. "Of course, they go well with smoothies, too," she says.
"Not only is garlic full of flavor, but it's packed with health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and reducing risk of heart disease," according to Sarin. "Garlic's immunity-boosting abilities come from its heavy concentration of sulfur-containing compounds, which can help fight off some infections."
Garlic has been shown in the past to help ward off the common cold. In a 2001 study published in Advances in Therapy, participants who took garlic supplements were less likely to catch a cold. And those who did get infected recovered faster than participants in the placebo group.
It's an easy vegetable to work into your diet, says Sarin. You can add to it anything — from pasta sauce and salad dressings to soups and stir-fry dishes. She suggests aiming to consume two to three cloves per day.
6. Mushrooms
"While sun exposure is the best source of vitamin D, it can also be provided by some foods, including mushrooms," says Wunder.
A 2018 review of mushrooms as a vitamin D source found that the "sunshine vitamin" can help enhance the absorption of calcium, which is good for bone health, and may also protect against some cancers and respiratory diseases.
Mushrooms are great as a side dish or appetizer. Wunder recommends roasting them at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit, using one to two tablespoons of oil, minced garlic and a dash of salt and pepper. For something more flavorful, bake button mushrooms stuffed with cheese, onion and artichoke hearts.
"Spinach is rich in vitamin C and full of antioxidants that help shield our immune cells from environmental damage," says Sarin. "Plus, it has beta carotene, which is the main dietary source of vitamin A — an essential component of proper immune function."
Like broccoli, it's best to consume spinach raw or slightly cooked. To incorporate more spinach into your diet, Sarin suggests blending it in a smoothie, cooking it with your morning eggs or, as an easy side dish, lightly sauteing with garlic.
"Yogurt is a great source of probiotics, which are good bacteria that can help promote a healthy gut and immune system," says Sarin. Recent studies have also found probiotics to be effective for fighting the common cold and influenza-like respiratory infections.
Sarin recommends choosing plain yogurt — rather than anything too flavored or sweetened — and topping it with fruit and honey. "Or, you can add it to your favorite post-workout smoothie," she says.
Those on a dairy-free diet can still benefit from almond-milk and coconut-milk yogurt options.
9. Sunflower seeds
"Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E, which works as an antioxidant and helps boosts the immune system," says Wunder.
Small but mighty, just one ounce of dry-roasted sunflower seeds can give you 49% of your daily value of vitamin E, according to the NIH.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and roast unshelled sunflower seeds at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until they're lightly browned. Then add the seeds to your salad or toss them with roasted vegetables. You can also use raw seeds in place of pine nuts for some homemade pesto.
Brittany Anas is a health and nutrition reporter. She has written for HealthDay, Women's Health and The Denver Post. Follow her on Twitter @BrittanyAnas.
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I found the perfect way to use up all the remaining apples from our apple picking trip, apple butter! This was my first time making it, and it couldn't have been easier. My slow cooker did all the work while we slept, and we woke up to a wonderful smell in the kitchen and delicious spread for our toast.
I only filled half the crock pot (about 10 apples), and it made 1 jar full. We have used it in oatmeal, on top of vanilla ice cream, on tree bread, on french toast, and on crackers. Whats that? Ohhh, you haven't heard about tree bread?! Well, I guess you'd better check back in a few days to learn how to make it!
Throw everything into your slow cooker.
Cook 10-12 hours on Low (over night).
Stir, and check consistency, cook longer if its not thick enough for you. Store in a sealed container in your fridge for about 7-10 days, or can it. Makes about 3 cups, depending on the size of your apples.
This entry was posted in Breakfast, Breads & Butter and tagged Apple Picking, Fall, slow cooker by Sarah. Bookmark the permalink.
So looking forward to tree bread…meantime, I'll busy myself with this apple butter. On 2nd thought, it's the slow cooker that's gonna be busy…Thanks!
I never realized how easy apple butter is to make. I will be trying yours for sure! The tree bread looks beautiful!
Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe! I make an apple butter pumpkin pie every year for the holidays, and this is just perfect for it!
Sorry if my directions seemed confusing. When its done cooking, you can eat it hot if you like, or cool it down in the fridge. But definitely store in the fridge. I kept mine for almost 2 weeks in the fridge in a jar (the one in the pictures), except when it was out on the breakfast table… and it was still great at 2 weeks when we ran out. I would say it probably depends on how well sealed you keep your jar. If you "jar" or "can" them they will last in your pantry for much longer, but I haven't provided instructions on canning, you can easily look that up on the web if that interests you. This would be great to make in batches and give as gifts. But, I have not done that…. yet! Thanks for visiting cakestudent!


Below are links to all the dog memorials written in October, November and December, 2011.
Click here to read the memorials from April, May and June, 2011.
Your dog bowl is on Riley's dresser. We love you and will miss you forever.
Why Did You Have To Be Such a Good Boy?
I wrote this almost twenty years ago.
He may never know how he truly made me feel. But then again, nobody knew me better. I love you Bowser.
My dog Levi died today. I had him for 12 good years. He had a unique personality. I am really going to miss him.
I feel empty. The house is quiet. My loss is so great. I love you, Twiggy.


Raymond W. Dwyer Jr. was born to eternal life on April 8, 2019 at the age of 96.
Beloved husband of the late Jeanne (Manion). Dear father of Colleen, Patti (Roy), Ray III (Katrin), Peggy (Michael) and Michael.
Ray lived life to the fullest as an outdoorsman and sportsman. He was an architect for many years in the Milwaukee area and a Director on the Board of Bank Mutual for 50 years.
Memorials to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission or a charity of your choice will be appreciated.


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Dem. Presidential Candidate Cory Booker visits SC
by: Heather Olinger, CNN
Democratic Presidential Candidate and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker stopped in two Upstate counties Thursday.
Booker's three-day swing through South Carolina began on Thursday with a tour of ReGenesis Community Development Environmental Sites, then Booker hosted 2 "Conversation with Cory", one at the C.C. Woodson Community Center on Bomar Avenue and another at the Pacolet River Baptist Association on Lovers Lane Road in Union.
During this "Justice For All tour" is focusing on environmental justice, and he tied it to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, which is marking it's 5th anniversary this month. He also discussed several other things, including the number of shootings in our country.
Booker will be in Beaufort County on Friday, April 26th for another "Conversation with Cory".
2009 Trask Parkway
Seabrook, SC 29940
This event is co-hosted by the Beaufort County Democratic Party; North of Broad, South of Broad, and Sun City Democratic Club; and the Beaufort County Young Democrats.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. For more on events, click here.
More South Carolina News Stories
SC man facing charges, including animal fighting, after dog attacks woman
by WSPA / Jan 21, 2020
YORK COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A York County man is facing dozens of charges, including animal fighting, after a woman was attacked by a dog Saturday.
38-year-old Ronald Edward Faulkenberry is charged with animal fighting, eight counts of ill treatment of animals, 11 counts of violation of county restraint ordinance, eight counts of inadequate water, six counts of violation of York County spay ordinance, 12 counts of violation of the shelter ordinance, and 12 counts of violation of the rabies ordinance.
April 2020 recognized as 'Workplace Violence Prevention Month' in S.C.
by Chase Laudenslager / Jan 21, 2020
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) - April 2020 will now be recognized in South Carolina as "Workplace Violence Prevention Month."
The Resolution, known as H. 4904, was introduced by Representative Wendell G. Gilliard on January 15, and has been approved by the S.C. House of Representatives.
Google donates 120 Chromebooks to S.C. census efforts
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) - The 2020 Census will be the first census in history available online.
The online platform aims to increase response rates. By allowing people to respond at their convenience, census takers hope to obtain a more complete count.
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SCHP: Fatal collision in Darlington


Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus to Release Memoir "Shotgun Angels"
The memoir will be available through Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, on April 30, 2019. The inspirational book will include Jay's signature humor as well as detail his journey from small-town Ohio native to traveling the world with award-winning country trio Rascal Flatts.
"I'm really looking forward to sharing a pretty personal look at my path so far, as that isn't something I've done yet," Jay says in a statement.
Jay will embark on a multi-city book tour in support of the memoir next year.
In addition to amassing 17 No. 1 songs with Rascal Flatts, Jay has produced music for a diverse roster of artists including Reba McEntire, Chicago, Ronnie Dunn, Michael English, and Jason Crabb, among others. Rascal Flatts recently released their new single, "Back to Life," and wrapped their 2018 Back To Us Tour. They have several tour dates scheduled through the remainder of the year.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2012/via PRNewswire/ — The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report card focuses on how well students are able to use words to gain meaning from the passages they read.
Although previous NAEP reading assessments included vocabulary questions, the 2009 assessment was redesigned to provide a new, systematic way of more fully measuring and reporting how students' understanding of word meanings in the context of the passage impacts reading comprehension. Today's report, Vocabulary Results from the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessments, releases new state- and national-level vocabulary results from 2009 and 2011 for 4th and 8th graders, and data from 2009 for 12th graders.
There was a consistent relationship between performance on vocabulary and performance on reading comprehension. In 2011, 4th- and 8th-grade students performing above the 75th percentile in reading comprehension also had the highest average vocabulary scores. Lower-performing students at or below the 25th percentile had the lowest average vocabulary scores. This was also true for 12th graders in 2009.
An upward trend in vocabulary performance appears for only some of our nation's students. At grade 8, lower-performing students at the 10th percentile scored higher in 2011 than in 2009. However, 4th and 8th graders at the 75th and 90th percentiles scored lower in 2011 than in 2009.
According to the NAEP assessment schedule, 4th and 8th graders are tested every 2 years in reading, while 12th-grade students are tested every 4 years. Therefore, high school seniors were not given the reading test in 2011.
Vocabulary results from the 2009 reading assessment are based on nationally representative samples of 116,600 4th graders, 103,400 8th graders, and 44,500 12th graders. Results from the 2011 assessment are based on samples of 213,100 students at grade 4 and 168,200 students at grade 8. Both the NAEP reading comprehension and vocabulary questions are reported on 0-500 point scales developed independently so that vocabulary performance could be reported separately and be compared across student groups and states. However, vocabulary results cannot be directly compared to reading comprehension, nor can vocabulary results be reported in terms of the NAEP achievement levels. It is possible, though, to relate vocabulary scores to the performance of students at the lower, middle, and upper quartiles in terms of percentiles. Vocabulary results from 2009 were reported with 2011 data to allow for trend comparisons.
Fifty-one percent of eighth graders correctly selected answer C. Incorrect answers were the result of misinterpretation of the word as it is used in the context of the passage, or the selection of an incorrect meaning for the word.
A variety of words were selected from texts of varying difficulty at each grade level. Another sample question involved a grade 12 NAEP reading passage in which Bill Gates argues that human beings must embrace the digital age. Students were asked what the author was suggesting when he says that we can "mitigate" the challenges of the digital age; 50 percent of 12th graders selected the correct interpretation of the word.
Vocabulary performance varied by gender, racial and ethnic background, and family income level. Nationally, females scored higher on average than males at grades 4 and 8 in 2011; however, a gender gap was not observed at grade 12 in 2009. This national pattern was not reflected in all states; 30 states had no significant gender gap at grades 4 and 8. Data on race and ethnicity show that average vocabulary scores for white and Asian/Pacific Islander students were higher than the scores for black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students. In grades 4 and 8, students from lower-income families scored lower than students from higher-income families.
State-level vocabulary scores from 2011 are available for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools for grades 4 and 8. Average scores were higher than the national average in 4th and 8th grades in 18 states/jurisdictions: Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and DoDEA.
•	Pennsylvania was the only state in which students scored higher in 2011 than they did in 2009. Students in most states scored the same in both years, but the average 2011 score in Arkansas, Indiana, and Iowa was lower than in 2009.
•	Thirty-three percent of students scoring below the 25th percentile were white, 25 percent were black, and 35 were Hispanic. Of students scoring above the 75th percentile, 72 percent were white, 7 percent were black, and 10 percent were Hispanic.
•	Score gaps between white and Hispanic students narrowed from 30 points to 28 points from 2009 to 2011, and this narrowing was observed at the 10th and 25th percentiles.
•	English language learners in the 25th and 50th percentiles scored higher in 2011 than in 2009.
•	In 6 of the 11 states that participated in 2009, average scores were not statistically different from the nation, but in 2 states, Arkansas and Florida, average scores were lower.
•	Forty percent of students scoring below the 25th percentile were white, 26 percent were black, and 27 percent were Hispanic. Of students scoring above the 75th percentile, 79 percent were white, 7 percent were Hispanic, and 5 percent were black.
•	In 2009, average 12th-grade scores were higher than the nation in 3 of the 11 states participating: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Vocabulary Results from the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessments is available at www.nationsreportcard.gov. Visit www.nagb.org/vocabulary-2009-2011 for more information and materials on recent results.
The Nation's Report Card is the largest nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States and has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), The Nation's Report Card informs the public about what America's students know and can do in various subject areas, and compares achievement data among states and various student demographic groups.
The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to set policy for NAEP.


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What's the Real Reason for Tour Riders?
September 17, 2011 September 18, 2011 ChrisUncategorized
That's a question I've been wondering about lately as we explore about the culture of the tour rider.
The excerpt in the photo above comes courtesy of the Smoking Gun who recently posted the tour rider for one of my favorite hip hop artists Lupe Fiasco who apparently loves to have ice cream sundaes backstage for every show.
Besides Fiasco's, I've also been diving into the Smoking Gun's extensive collection of other tour riders that features interesting requests from Neil Diamond, Kayne West, Gnarls Barkley and dozens of others from the past and present.
What Is A Tour Rider?
In case you're new to the whole thing, the basic reason behind these tour riders is that they are a contractual aggrement between the venue, promoters and artist. And if one of the detailed requests aren't met then the artist has the right to refuse to play that show.
Now, I'm sure you've all heard about the famous Van Halen rider that requested a bowl M&M's, minus the brown ones, be place in a glass bowl in their dressing room.
But what's interesting about the culture of the tour rider is that it's not as simple as saying an artist is demanding these things just because they can. There's apparently a safety and security-based thought process behind the seemingly outrageous requests.
According to this tour rider wiki:
The objective of the [tour rider] wasn't due to any excesses on the part of the band, but was a method to determine how much attention to detail the crew at a local venue paid to the requests specified in the rider. Should the bowl be absent, or if brown M&Ms were present, it would give band members reason to suspect other, legitimate, technical and safety issues were also being performed poorly or were outright overlooked.
David Lee Roth stated in his autobiography that this request was done as a result of faulty workmanship at a venue on an earlier tour which nearly cost the life of a member of Van Halen's road crew, as well as $85,000 damage to the venue and their own equipment.
When you consider that perspective it certainly makes you think of these tour rider requests differently, especially in the wake of the Sugarland stage tragedy.
Of course, leave it to the Foo Fighters to create a tour rider coloring book for their current tour. And take a look back a brief history of "wine-inspired" tour riders in this gallery via Snooth.
But, really, how many of these requests are for safety reasons, and how many are just to indulge hedonistic pleasures?
Are artists really trying to protect themselves against careless venues and lazy promoters?
Whether they get met or not, I wonder how these rider requests impact the fans?
Those are questions that we're going to explore as we continue to dive deeper into this most interesting tour rider topic.
Until next time, we'd love to hear from about this.
What's Your Take on Tour Riders?
Are they a joke? Are they legit ways to keep an artist safe during a show? Let us know what you think and we'll share your feedback during a future episode of Live Fix Radio.
Lupe Fiascotour riders
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Concert Preview: Riot Fest 2011 Is Coming, Will The Drama Continue?


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by Ethan on Sat May 12, 2012 5:03 pm
Rayne chuckled as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out some sake, "You want some? This shit will knock you on your ass." He grabbed two small ceramic glasses and stuck the sake in the microwave to warm it up a little. He turned around grabbed a bowl to put chips in so they can eat and drink. He grabbed the two glasses, the sake and the big bowl of chips and walked back to the living room.
Hunter nodded at Rayne's generous offer and took his own glass from his friend, "Much obliged!" He downed the glass and snorted from to potency, a warm feeling shot through his entire body as he did so, "Strong? Yeah. But it'll take more than that to knock me 'on my ass' like you say." Hunter popped a cigarette into his mouth and rose the lighter to it, looking to Rayne before he would light it, "You mind?"
by Ethan on Sat May 12, 2012 10:57 pm
Rayne laughed, "There is enough explosives below use to blow a city block, go ahead." He downed two glasses full of sake like it was water. He looked around and heard something, "Shh." Rayne pulled his boots off and tiptoed to the garage. Rayne pressed the button and the lift went up. He checked in between the lift and the floor of the garage as he saw lights moved around down there. He kept only the garage lights on, but turned the rest of the lights off in the place. He motioned for Hunter to follow him as he picked up his boots.
by Hunter Kieff on Sun May 13, 2012 2:05 am
Hunter sighed deeply at Rayne and slipped the cigarette plus his lighter back where they belonged. It seemed that he wasn't very appreciative of his smoking, "Hey, it's not my fault you put explosives down here. You get to live with the consequences, I'll just die!" When Rayne suddenly went into a form of 'stealth mode' Hunter followed without question. However, he decided that taking the bottle of Sake would be a very good idea just in case they needed a distraction.
by Ethan on Mon May 14, 2012 3:40 pm
Rayne ran up the stairs with boots in hand, he was almost cat like as he ran up the metal spiral stairs with zero noise. When he reached the top of the steps he pulled open a painting behind the bed. Behind the painting was a safe with a finger print scanner. He placed his finger on it, did the combination and opened it. Behind the door of the safe was a big red button. When he did that lights shot from the ceilings all out the house and were red. But Rayne's bed also started to lift from the stage like area it was set into. Under Rayne's bed were a bunch of lockers set down with the doors facing up. The biggest one was a bunch of bullet proof vests, and then everyone after that was an assortment of guns. Rayne looked at Hunter. "Get a vest and if you're getting a gun put a suppressor on it."
Hunter's eyes widened at Rayne's array of weapons and armor. He never fired a gun hi entire life, so it would pretty stupid of him to take one. He settled with a vest and slipped it on before looking over to Rayne, "This will be all I need. They won't know what hit 'em." The young man cracked his knuckles and got down as if he were an olympic sprinter, "Ready to see what's going on?"
Rayne grabbed two pistols and then an extra clip for each. He then grabbed a suppressed G36-C. He looked over at Hunter and smiled, "I think so, one sec." He hit a red button on the inside of the biggest locker and then jumped out from under the bed when it started to go back down. He walked to the safe, shut it and locked it. Then he closed the painting. He put his boots back on and then turned the high power light attached to his gun on.
by Hunter Kieff on Thu May 17, 2012 10:58 pm
Hunter looked back over to Rayne. He was already exited about what was going to happen next, "Let's do this already. I'm getting anxious." He shifted his gaze back to the door and dug his feet in deep, ready to charge into whoever was in his way. Once he got moving it would take a truck to knock him back, "I hope you don't mind a little cleanup later, buddy."
Rayne chuckled, "The maid can do it." He quietly stepped down the stairs, sweeping the room with the gun mounted flash light. He held his left arm up to signal Hunter to stop. A loud explosion went off and the whole lift dropped into the floor, but it went down far enough that people could climb up it and into the garage. Rayne jumped over the railing and turned his light off. He ran to one side of the doorway and signaled Hunter to run to the other side of the doorway.
by Hunter Kieff on Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:10 pm
Hunter shook off balance at the sudden drop, but it didn't take him too long to regain his footing. As long as he didn't make too many sudden movements, he wouldn't blast a hole in anything from being caught off guard. Rayne didn't have to tell Hunter twice to keep moving. The last thing he needed was to be shot or worse, "What the hell is going on?"
by Ethan on Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:28 am
Rayne was about to say something, but at that time a gun poked through the doorway. He dropped his rifle which clung to him by a strap and he grabbed the pistol from the holster on his hip. He pushed the rifle straight up and pressed the pistol to the man's jugular letting off some rounds. Rayne moved back out of line of sight and spoke over automatic gunfire, "I messed up, and they found us quicker than I thought!" Rayne hit the wall to his left and two canisters popped from the wall. He flicked off the pins and tossed them through the doorway, "Cover your eyes!"
by Hunter Kieff on Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:19 am
Hunter was too shocked after watching Rayne kill one of the invading men to pay attention to what he had said earlier. The Russian had only seen two deaths his entire life, and he didn't enjoy the feeling of killing at all. As much as he enjoyed a good fight, he was never fond of actual lives being lost, "Who the fuck are 'they'?! And what does ANY of this shit have to do with me?" As he finished speaking he looked into the doorway that Rayne had specifically told him to cover his eyes from. His mind was just all over the place, unable to focus properly.
by Ethan on Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:18 pm
Rayne grabbed the vest Hunter was wearing and pulled him close, "Keep behind me and don't stare into any bright lights!" Rayne stepped through the doorway and squeezed the trigger on his rifle twice. The two men that were holding their eyes from the flashbang crumpled to the ground, he scanned the room and looked over at Hunter, "It doesn't have to do with you as far as I know." Rayne dropped a flashbang into the hole and covered his eyes.


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Anatomy Of A Community Credit Union
For Wisconsin-based Community First Credit Union, putting community first isn't just a choice of name, it is a strategic differentiation.
By Rebecca Wessler
What does it take to build a house? What does it take to build a house in a week? In five days? What about in 96 hours?
In August, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition visited Neenah, Wisconsin. There, the show – with more than a little help from build partners Community First Credit Union and Lexington Homes – filmed an episode for its Fall 2010 season, complete with a home demolition and a "Move That Bus" revelation.
During the filming, the communities of Fox Valley witnessed first-hand a tangible example of the power of the cooperative spirit. And as a powerful, local cooperative, Community First Credit Union ($1.4B, Appleton, WI) played a major role in helping the project come to fruition.
The credit union offered financial assistance (sponsoring the event to the tune of $50,000) and fundraising support (providing staffing for an auction). During the build, it contributed volunteer support and staffed the volunteer check-in station 24 hours a day, racking up more than 430 staff hours.
"We saw the project as being good for the community as a whole in addition to benefiting the family who was selected," says Amanda Secor, chief marketing officer for Community First. "We are involved in many events that require community support, and we saw this as being no different."
The Power of Local
True to its name, Community First is an advocate for the Fox Cities. As a community-chartered credit union, CFCU serves more than 80,000 members in 12 counties in northeastern and central Wisconsin. It is dedicated to promoting wellness in the communities it serves, from financial to physical and everything in between.
For 20 years it has sponsored the Fox Cities Marathon — Festival of Races, which has raised more than $250,000 for the Fox Cities and requires more than 2,000 volunteers every year. Its employees volunteer for numerous organizations throughout the Fox Valley, contributing more than 7,000 volunteer hours to the surrounding communities in 2008.
Being a community-chartered credit union carries an interesting set of responsibilities and approach to business.
"We are an organization that supports many causes," says Rick Sense, senior vice president of government and community relations. "We encourage our staff to participate in those causes they feel are important. There's more to life than just working."
For its part, the credit union offers financial support to local organizations and fundraising, helping more than 120 local causes. The credit union also has several in-school branches at local elementary and high schools, which gives it an opportunity to provide financial education to the next generation of members.
"We've dedicated sizable resources, both in treasure and time and talent, to causes all over the northeast Wisconsin area," Sense says. "Membership denotes something unique. It's a special bond between the member and the organization to which they belong – in this case Community First Credit Union. We have to live up to a certain level of expectation in our community, to serve the community in general and make it a better place to live and work and raise a family. We strive to do that on a daily basis."
Building a Cooperative
Credit unions offer value to their members above and beyond a competitive rate, and that value is ownership. Common ownership makes credit unions different by design. As part of a member-owned cooperative, Community First's profits end up back in the pockets of its members, and that's a benefit Community First works to educate its members about.
"If we're going to have members truly embrace the idea of a cooperative, they need to understand that it's a give and take," says Catherine Tierney, president and chief executive officer of Community First. "They have a responsibility here, too. It's a challenge to educate members and employees, to help them understand what it means to be a productive member of the cooperative. That the more products and services you use, the better off you will be and the cooperative as a whole will be."
It starts with education and it ends with an amazing experience. One of the credit union's core values is what it terms "WOW" service. This summer, the credit union wanted to focus on WOW service, so it reached out for member testimonials. It even accepted testimonials about customer service at other area businesses.
During the dog days of summer, it gave the community something to celebrate. The credit union has turned its WOW testimonials into radio spots and is filming them to post on its website and use in future marketing campaigns. The WOW campaign illustrates one way Community First's members both utilize and return value to the cooperative.
A Strategic Advantage
Although it was not always called "Community First," the credit union has a long history of serving the communities of Fox Valley. Its community standing is not a position the credit union takes lightly.
"Being a community-chartered credit union carries an interesting set of responsibilities and approach to business," Tierney says. "When you have a closed charter, you focus specifically on the sponsor group. In a community charter credit union, your base is much broader, there's more diversity. Some people would say there's more risk involved because you're dealing with an entire community. I don't think they're wrong, but the focus becomes trying to appeal to the broader base and making sure your products and services have broad-based appeal."
Its approach to products and services approach must be working, as the credit union is outperforming its peers in many financial performance metrics.
The credit union serves nearly 8% of its potential membership, that's twice the average of its regional peers (credit unions in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan with $750M-$3B in assets).
"There's a strong credit union contingent here in the Fox Cities," Tierney says. "We're competitors, but we're friendly competitors. We partner frequently, and I'm proud to say our level of penetration in the Fox Cities is high because there are so many credit unions."
The credit union is also turning out an admirable Return on Assets for its member-owners. According to data from Callahan's Peer to Peer software, Community First posted an ROA of 1.02% in second quarter 2010; this is after accounting for the NCUSIF and CCUSF stabilization expenses. Compare this to an ROA of 0.60% for credit unions with more than $1 billion in assets and an ROA of 0.55% for Community First's regional peers. This community-chartered credit union is holding its own among all charters.
"This is a business and it is our members' money," Tierney says. "We always want to be cognizant of how we're using that money."
"I feel good knowing we have one of the top Return of the Member numbers in the country, given our peer size," Tierney continues. Indeed, Community First is ranked No. 8 of 167 on Callahan & Associates Return of Member index for credit unions with more than $1 billion in assets as of June 30, 2010.
"We might be large in size but we aren't in spirit," Sense says. "I still think we're your neighborhood credit union. And I still think people look at us that way."
Community First's Historical Highlights
1970 Outagamie County Employees Credit Union, Postal Employees Credit Union, and Zwickernit Credit Union form the Appleton Credit Union Service Center.
1975 The Appleton Community Credit Union is chartered in conjunction with the service center, allowing more people to take advantage of credit union membership.
1978 The 13 credit unions accommodated by the service center merge into the Appleton Area Credit Union.
1983 Appleton Area Credit Union becomes Community First Credit Union.
1991 First running of the Fox Cities Marathon – Festival of Races; Community First is the sponsor of the continuing event, now in its 20th year.
1991 Community First begins providing services and money management for veterans living at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King, WI.
1999 www.communityfirstcu.org launches.
2001 Community First opens its first student-run branch in Appleton West High School. The credit union now also has branches in Appleton North, Appleton East, and Oshkosh West high schools.
2006 CFCU expands its charter; it now serves 12 counties.
2006 First Reality Check Simulation Program
2008 Community First hits $1 billion in assets.
2009 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce names Community First "Best Supporting Business."
2010 CFCU opens its first student-run elementary school branch at Jefferson Elementary School in Appleton.
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2Q 2010 Community First Credit Union Credit Union Strategy & Performace Feature Article


The dominant Western portrayal of Malala Yousafzai's story reduces the intricacies of a complex reality to an us-versus-them binary.
China's willingness to engage with the Taliban is indicative of its long-term security and economic interests in Afghanistan.
Amidst an American-led investigation probing allegations of war crimes, the government of Sri Lanka has arrested two human-rights activists, prompting even more international disapproval.


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Home / SEO Marketing / White Hat SEO Tactics for Better Page Experience
White Hat SEO Tactics for Better Page Experience
27 December 2021/ Jason Ferry / SEO Marketing
When Google's Page Experience update finally rolled out in early September, it reoriented the search engine's criteria for evaluating websites. This led to a change in the SEO community's SEO marketing strategies, especially for user experience signals. After this update, some important changes occurred in the following months, which perplexed many SEO marketing experts.
For instance, the cumulative layout shift has changed, and Google rolled out safe browsing. The search engine company also removed AMP from the Top stories requirements, resulting in many news websites considering dropping it.
One of the most significant components of Google's Page Experience — the Core Web Vitals — has also gathered a lot of heated debates from SEO marketing experts. The SEO community has questioned how vital these metrics are in terms of rankings, prompting many to conduct a deeper analysis of the data.
One SEO looked at 5.2 million individual pages and found out that only 11.4 per cent of them met Core Web Vitals' recommended standards, which made site owners wonder if Core Web Vitals optimisation was necessary or not.
These may be minor ranking factors, but from an SEO standpoint, they're still essential. Many Google employees have stated that these seemingly insignificant elements act as tiebreakers that could make or break a site's rankings.
Core Web Vitals include some of the most important principles of page experience. Even if they don't give the major ranking improvements that SEOs desire, they point to aspects of user experience that are critical for businesses looking to convert more visitors. And as Google continues to integrate these kinds of signals into its algorithms, one's site visibility is much more likely to improve.
Below are five concepts that marketers should prioritise when optimising for the Page Experience update.
Smaller resources for faster loading
The most essential user-centric measure is the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures perceived load speed. This is when a website's major content has finished loading.
Users want their content to load as quickly as possible, which is no surprise. However, marketers must collaborate with their development teams to reduce resource sizes. To get a higher LCP score, one should focus on smaller resources for faster loading of pages.
So, if there are unnecessary resources, one should leave them out. A smaller site is faster because it requires fewer bytes in CSS, JavaScript files, and HTML, so one should consider getting rid of anything that isn't required.
The site's servers' location has a significant influence on the page experience. That is why site owners and marketers should use a content delivery network (CDN). These geographically dispersed server networks may collaborate to improve user experience.
Simply stated, location matters. One should also consider the time it takes to reach a server, as well as the time it takes to transfer things from one server to another.
CDNs are especially beneficial for large websites since they allow them to leverage other resources worldwide. As a result, one's content may find its way to searchers when they need it more quickly.
Using the same server
When it comes to improving page experience signals, marketers should take advantage of a single server if feasible. Each extra server linked consumes more time to load, which might result in sluggish load speeds on web pages.
If possible, one should keep everything on the same server. Every additional connection to a different location entails more roundtrips and delays. If one employs extra servers, it would be best to use preconnect and DNS-prefetch. Adding preconnect and DNS-prefetch code can be useful as they assist in the development of early connections between servers.
Correct caching set-up
Setting up caching can help ensure a quality page experience over time. SEOs and website operators should utilise this feature on a regular basis to relieve strain on servers, even if the initial page has a longer loading time.
When one uses caches as much as possible, the first load might take longer. But every page after that would have all been downloaded, and this includes elements like JavaScript, CSS, and fonts. At that point, all would be locally stored, resulting in very fast loading times.
Prioritising items during page resource loading
Web pages must load numerous assets before users can view and interact with them. Some resources, however, are more crucial than others. Take HTML, CSS, fonts, and JavaScript in the browser, for instance; the servers would have to choose which to prioritise. One should also load things that users would see first when they visit the website or elements that complete the initial viewport. Then the rest comes later.
The aim should be to load the things that people see first, then the secondary resources. Using inline coding to structure resource loading in this manner may help SEOs load the essential content faster.
Inline CSS means taking part of the CSS file and putting it in the HTML. So, while the HTML downloads, the SEO gets the CSS needed for the visible page and wouldn't have to wait for another CSS to download to start.
Google will grow so complex that SEOs won't have to worry about these technical elements of page experience as much in the future. Google and similar platforms are going to solve a lot of these speed problems for SEOs, so they won't need to bother developers, and developers won't have to focus on it.
Although this might still be in the distant future, optimising for Core Web Vitals, even though they are tiebreakers, can snatch audiences from site competitors.
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Lisa Perkinson
DipCNM BANT CNHC ANP
A Nutritional Therapist, Lisa is a dedicated and compassionate practitioner specialising in children's health, from babies through to teenagers. She practices in Wimbledon Village in London and via Skype.
Originally from New Zealand, Lisa trained in Nutritional Therapy at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She specialises in children's health and nutrition, from babies to teenagers, with a particular focus on autism and ADHD.
Lisa believes nutrition plays a vital role in children's physical and mental well-being, health and development. Lisa personally experienced the profound benefits nutrition can bring, after seeing huge gains in the health and behaviour of her youngest son who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD aged four. Inspired by her own experience, Lisa retrained in nutritional therapy with a desire to help and support other children and their families.
Lisa lives with her partner and two boys in Southfields, London. She sees patients nearby at her clinic in Wimbledon Village and via Skype.
Book To See Lisa
Lisa Specialises In:
Children's Anxiety
Neuro-Development
London, Wimbledon Village Clinic


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Organizations invest a great deal of time, effort, and money into their leadership development programs. It stands to reason, then, that they would like to know whether or not these programs are actually functioning as intended. Ongoing evaluation and reassessment helps companies to continuously refine their training tools and methods to ensure they reflect the needs of today's workplace and are prepared to handle challenges in the future.
There are a number of ways to evaluate the effectiveness of a development program, but sometimes simply asking a few simple questions is sufficient to highlight areas of concern. Once a problem is identified, proactive measures can be taken to address the issue, either by changing some aspect of the program or implementing an entirely new learning strategy.
The ultimate goal of leadership development, of course, is to help leaders develop the skills they need for success. However this training is delivered, it should eventually lead to the formation of new behaviors. Exposure to new ideas, materials, and practices usually leaves participants energized and eager to implement what they've learned.
Unfortunately, these good intentions often run into the limitations of human memory. The average adult retains only about 10% of what they hear in a classroom lecture, so adopting the new strategies they learned in a recent training session can be difficult when they may remember the concept, but not how to best implement it.
Habit formation can only take place with repeated practice over time. Leaders don't become better active listeners by reading or watching videos about active listening; they become better by actually listening to people in a real-life scenario. Without the opportunity to apply the strategies they've learned, leaders will struggle to form good habits that can make them more effective in their roles.
Getting that real-world practice can be difficult, however, because there are bound to be mistakes along the way. If the organization doesn't accommodate these growing pains, leaders may be less willing to put what they've learned to use and less likely to get helpful feedback when they do. This combination of fear and uncertainty will significantly undermine training efforts, causing employees to forget what they've learned and continue to lean on old habits rather than risk trying something new.
If employees have undergone training but don't seem to be forming any new behaviors based on that learning, an organization should reevaluate the follow-up and application aspects of its training programs. It may also be worthwhile to consider whether performance-based pressures are discouraging employees from putting their untested skills into practice.
Are employees engaging with the learning curriculum?
When it comes to offering training programs and learning curriculum, content and context are critical. If employees are not making use of those resources, they probably don't think leadership development is worth their time or that the resources themselves are either boring or ineffective.
Without buy-in, even the most informative development program is doomed to fail. In some instances, employees may have previous experience with ineffective programs and now assume that leadership development programs in general are ineffective. They also may not have a clear idea of how the learning content contributes to their professional development. Any successful development system needs to be transparent in order to set realistic expectations for employees and keep them informed about new developments that could prove helpful (such as seminars, workshops, or webinars).
More fundamentally, if development programs provide little in the way of practical skill application, employees are less likely to make use of them. Even if they do use these materials, they may regard them as little more than a box that needs to be checked off. If employees are speeding through e-learning lessons or getting restless during in-person training, it may be time to revisit the courses in terms of both content and style.
A good leadership development system doesn't focus exclusively on senior leadership, but also on building up a strong pipeline of high-potential employees who can step into leadership roles as they become available. These multi-level succession plans take the entire organization into account, highlighting opportunities for mentorship and coaching to prepare candidates for all types of leadership positions.
When this area of development is neglected, employee movements and unexpected departures can leave an organization reeling. Losing mid-level management and leadership creates a ripple effect, forcing other employees to divert attention from their responsibilities to cover the vacant position until a replacement is found. These unplanned and unfilled vacancies can cost companies up to 50% more in lost revenue than the salary of the job itself.
Development systems can mitigate this problem by creating a strong feeder pool of high-potential candidates. Although only about one in seven high performing employees has the potential to be a successful leader, good leadership success profiles can help organizations identify these candidates and deliver targeted training materials to prepare them for future leadership roles.
If an organization is continually struggling with succession problems, it needs to reassess how it develops employees throughout the organization. Focusing only on executive level leadership development creates a situation in which newly elevated leaders lack the skills they need for success.
The best way to determine whether or not a leadership development program is effective is to look at the return on investment (ROI). While it can sometimes be difficult to provide quantifiable measures of a program's efficacy, systems such as the four-level Kirkpatrick/Phillips Model offer credible methods for evaluating results. Ongoing assessment of leadership in the form of 360 feedback is another helpful method for determining where gaps might exist in development.
Some additional measures might include an evaluation of leadership execution and whether or not leaders have improved their competency scores. Employee retention rate is another good factor to consider. Many aspiring leaders, especially millennial employees, are eager to develop new skills to advance their careers. If they're not getting that training, they are more likely pursue opportunities elsewhere. High turnover rates might also indicate that employees don't see a viable career path with the organization.
With all the resources being dedicated to leadership development programs today, it's more important than ever for organizations to determine whether or not these programs are actually working as intended. While various performance metrics are useful for determining effectiveness, the consequences of ineffective development programs are often difficult to miss. By identifying these problems quickly and addressing them directly, organizations can continuously refine their development programs to make them more effective.
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It was a singular movement which, in its ultimate expression, encompassed three diverse styles under the architectural umbrella of the Romanesque: Norman, Arab, Byzantine. And its epitome took form in and around Palermo, where it can still be seen. It's not a question of a single monument but several. The churches include the Magione, the Martorana, San Cataldo, Saint John of the Hermits, Saint John of the Lepers, Monreale Abbey, Palermo Cathedral, the Palatine Chapel, Cefalù Cathedral and others. Among the palatial residences still standing and open to the public are the Cuba, the Norman Palace and the Zisa.
Norman-Arab was a unique style, part of a multicultural experiment that lasted several centuries. By 1200, it was supplanted by Swabian and other quasi-gothic styles (the true Gothic never made decisive inroads into Sicily except for churches like Saint Mary of the Germans in Messina), but at its apex, from about 1080 to around 1200, Norman-Arab architecture was the order of the day, and its Byzantine touches distinguished it from slightly similar styles in Moorish-Visigothic Spain. Its development was a historical coincidence, but hardly an accident.
It began in the late 1070s, with large parts of Sicily (including Palermo) under Norman control. Following the decisive battle of Palermo in the early days of 1072, the conquerors decided to keep the best of Byzantine and Arab culture, government and law in tact, adding their own northwestern European institutions to the mix whenever this was deemed necessary or pragmatic. Seen in this context, the Norman-Arab architectural style was a logical reflection of Sicilian society itself.
It is said that the Normans who conquered England found simple wooden churches and in their stead built majestic stone cathedrals. A simplification, certainly, but Sicily's eleventh-century infrastructure was --by any standard-- far more advanced than that of Saxon England. The architecture of the Byzantine Greeks and Saracen Arabs was sophisticated, sturdy and aesthetic. It left little to be desired.
The Norman architects merely embellished it, adding arches and columns, and combining elements which, until the twelfth century, were rarely found together beyond Constantinople, Alexandria or Baghdad. Unlike these cities, Norman Palermo (the Arabs' Bal'harm) was legitimately multi-cultural. The king was Christian but there was, as yet, no "official" religion. Muslims, Christians and Jews enjoyed equality of freedom of worship, laws were published in several languages, and the streets were full of Greek-speaking Byzantines, Arab-speaking Saracens (Moors) and the occasional Norman or Lombard. All were part of a nation which was just beginning to emerge with its own ethnic identity --that of Sicily and its Sicilians.
It's difficult to define the unique style. Despite identifiable trends, each structure is unlike any other. The cupolas of Saint John of the Hermits (shown here) and other small churches make the buildings look like mosques. The apses of the Magione, Palermo Cathedral and Monreale Abbey have intricate Arab geometry reflecting Muslim spirituality. Cefalù Cathedral, with its high walls, Latin Cross layout and long nave, takes the first tentative steps toward the rare Sicilian Gothic. The mosaic icons of the Martorana, Cefalù Cathedral, the Palatine Chapel and, of course, breathtaking Monreale, give these churches an Eastern Orthodox flavour --though, strictly speaking, they stand among the first "Latin" or Roman Catholic churches of Sicily. The cloisters' courtyards are decidedly Latin in their general design, not unlike what one encounters in France, Germany or England. The Norman Palace (the Pisan Tower still resembles its original form), Cuba and Zisa are, in many ways, strongly Arabic.
The Cuba, the Zisa, the Cubola ("Little Cuba") and the Scibene (now in ruins) were constructed as royal residences or refuges in the middle of a vast royal park and hunting ground which extended as a long rectangle from the royal palace and city walls (near the present Porta Nuova) southward to the foot of Monreale's hill, and over to Altofonte (formerly "Parco" where Saint Michael's Chapel still stands), bordered by what are now Via Pitré and Via Dante and, on the opposite side, Via E. Basile (between the university and the hospital). While this area still has a few patches of woods, citrus orchards and other greenery (the restored Zisa is now surrounded by an Arab-style park), it is largely "developed" and densely populated. In the days of the Norman kings and their descendant, Frederick II, the Genoard park had gardens, fountains, woods and a zoo. By Frederick's time, the Norman-Arab style was being supplanted by the so-called Swabian style, a European Romanesque order influenced by the early Gothic, characterised by details such as arched two-light windows. True, some of these features were present in Sicily during the waning decades of the Norman era, but it was during Frederick's thirteenth-century reign that they became widely popular.
Let's cast an eye over a few particular architectural elements of Sicil's Norman-Arab-Byzantine school. The carved and painted wooden coffers (muqarnas) of the ceiling in Palermo's Zisa palace and Palatine Chapel are an Arab element. So are the cupolas of San Cataldo and both Palermitan churches of Saint John (and several similar churches elsewhere in western Sicily), though these may not originally have been painted pinkish red. The geometric interlaced arches and other designs of the exteriors of the apses of Palermo Cathedral, Monreale Abbey and the Magione Basilica are typically Arab --and Muslim-- motifs. The ornate crenels along the roofline of San Cataldo are a Moorish element, and so are the laced geometric screens covering the windows (most are actually faithful reconstructions). The battlement crenels (similar to those of castles) of Cefalù Cathedral and Monreale Abbey are Norman elements. So are the long naves of these churches, while their cloisters, as well as those of the Magione and Saint John of the Hermits, are essentially a Norman element.
The origin of arch design is a subject which sparks debate. Contrary to popular belief which attributes them exclusively to Germanic and Frankish (and Early Gothic) influences, pointed arches were known in the architecture of mosques and Eastern (Byzantine) churches as well as northern European (Latin) Romanesque structures, though in Sicily these seem to have been popularised by the Normans. (As few purely Arab structures built before 1070 have survived in Sicily, we rely on Tunisian architecture for comparisons.) The front of Cefalù Cathedral seems to based largely on the design of Saint Etienne church, with other details modelled on those of Caen's country churches. The mosaic work, either on church walls or in some columns of Monreale cloister, is Byzantine. Two themes are dominant: Biblical scenes and icons. The floor designs of Monreale Abbey and the Palatine Chapel, in stone inlay, are an essentially Arab feature which (technically but not aesthetically) Islamic architects may have initially borrowed from Byzantium's churches for use in their earliest mosques. The "blind" windows and arches on the external walls of the Magione, the Cuba and the Zisa are usually identified with Arab Islamic art.
By the Swabian (Hohenstaufen) era, Orthodox (Byzantine) Sicily was already becoming gradually Latinized under the Church of Rome, and Muslims were converting en masse to Christianity (as Roman Catholics). The Norman-Arab-Byzantine style, and the remarkable polyglot society that spawned it, could not last forever, but it's pleasant to remember what it was, and in the Sicilian capital of the Normans and Arabs it still makes a lasting impression.
About the Author: Architect Carlo Trabia has written for various magazines and professional journals, as well as this online magazine.


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Most CNC software's don't import spline geometry.
Even the ones that import converts the spline into infinitely many number of tiny line segments which most CNC controllers don't like.
Using SplineCAM you can convert spline geometry into PolyArcs which are optimised in terms of number of vertices and smoothness of the profile.
The resultant geometry when machined in CNC produces a much better quality output in terms of smoothness and aesthetics.
The application overcomes several shortcomings of the "SPLINEDIT" command in Autodesk® AutoCAD®.
I really like this app but it doesn't work with CAD 2018. With AutoCAD now making it difficult to use older versions of CAD it would really be nice if your updates came out at the same time as the new versions of CAD. NOT A YEAR LATER!!!!!
With the update to the program at the beginning of 2016, the program is now part of my required tool-set! Outstanding work. The polyline-to-arc conversion feature works better than I could have imagined. The recent update fixed it where it works on multiple polylines at the same time. This feature alone is worth twice what the entire Splinecam package costs. Thank you for finally filling a void in AutoCAD that I was searching for.
The app was primarily created for CNC machining of 2D or 2.5D geometries. So Z co-ordinate is not handled by this app. Do let us know your application and we can try to make it work for you.
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Appeal After Elderly Lady Knocked Down In East Belfast
Police are appealing for information after a collision which saw an elderly lady knocked down in Belfast.
A black van reversed into the lady in the disabled parking bay area at Connswater Shopping Centre at around 2pm on Thursday 04 July.
Police are working to establish the details of the collision. Two males in the van reportedly emerged and helped the lady to her feet, however no details were exchanged.
Officers have appealed to anyone who was in the area and can provide any information to contact 101 quoting reference number 1422 of 04/07/19.
Sudden Co Armagh Death Sparks Police Operation
Police are investigating after the sudden death of a man in Co Armagh. It's understood the man passed away in the Lake Road area of Craigavon on Thursday night, 16 January. An investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding his death. No further details have been released as yet.
Warning As Car Stolen Without Keys
The threat of keyless technology theft has been highlighted after a vehicle was stolen from the Newry area. Police issued a warning after the BMW was stolen from the Newtown Road area of Cloughoge in the early hours of Thursday 16 January. The locked car was taken without any entry being forced or the keys stolen from the owner.
Appeal As Vehicle Hijacked At Knife Point
A Belfast driver has been left shaken after his vehicle was hijacked at knifepoint. Police are appealing for information following the incident in the Gardiner Street area of north Belfast on Thursday morning, 16 January.
Man Jailed For Drugs Offences
A 36 year-old man from west Belfast will spend over a year behind bars for a number of drug related offences. John Paul McGuinness was handed a custodial sentence at Belfast Crown Court on Monday 13 January following the seizure of cocaine worth approximately £20,000. He will serve 32 months, half of which is to be spent on licence.
Wayne Boylan: £10k Reward Offered Amid Murder Probe
A £10,000 reward for information has been offered on the first anniversary of the brutal murder of Wayne Boylan in Co Down. The 37 year-old was gunned down while enjoying an evening with friends in Warrenpoint on 18 January 2019.


Village near Lermoos, with mainly shady local slopes more or less spilt equally into red and blue runs. Makes a quiet base from which to access the rest of the Zugspitz Arena (to which our figures relate). The main lift from the valley is a six-pack, and there are quiet nursery slopes at the base - with a very long moving carpet. There is a terrain park, half-pipe and snowcross course. There are a couple of pleasant restaurants and bars. Like Lermoos, the village benefits from a tunnel to remove traffic from the centre.