How often are you trying to choose a book to read, or a movie to watch, and you find yourself perusing the reviews to help you make up your mind? We rely on reviews to help us gauge popular opinion on media, goods and services. After all, if 100 people all like something, chances are high we're going to like it too.
When it comes to your business, reviews are an important part of your marketing. Reviews lend legitimacy to your company, as people see that others are enjoying your products/serivces, they will want to experience them. Adding text from reviews to your website or product packaging also helps demonstrate the awesomeness of your product.
But how do you get these mysterious reviews? Unlike other forms of advertising, it's not as simple as paying some money to buy an ad. You have to wait for your customers to decide to review you … or do you?
Here are 10 tips to help you jumpstart the process of getting reviews.
Every customer who uses online reviews has their preferred websites. For restuarant reviews, they could go to Trip Advisor or Menus or Yelp. The best way to ensure you capture all possible reviews is to ensure your business appears on all relevant sites.
Give one person in your company the job of updating your profile at all relevant review sites. The sites you choose will depend on your industry (for example, app reviews, consumer products, hospitality and tourism). Keep these profiles up-to-date and a list of your profile links handy for customer interactions.
If you want reviews to be visible to customers, then get your business verified, so you can accept Google Reviews. These reviews appear on the right of the screen and in the search results when your business is search on Google - an invaluable way to let potential customers know how awesome you are.
Trustpilot is a general review site for Europe catering to a huge variety of small businesses. Trustpilot reviews will show up on your Google listings, so customers searching for your company will instantly see your rating in search results.
Like anything good in life, you can't just wait around for good reviews - you have to ask for them!
After your customer has had a positive experience, you should find a way to ask for a review - this might be a note and a link on your checkout confirmation page on your website, or at the bottom of your receipt. Or it could be a personal note in an email exchange.
When you ask for the review, make it as easy as possible for your customers to complete the task. Link directly to the review sites - list your preferred site first, as this will usually get the most attention. You can always change the order of these links around depending on which site you want to target.
Add the review links to relevant sections of your website. Don't forget to add choice phrases from your reviews on your site, too - so potential clients can see what others think of your company.
Bonus tip: If you have clients you've used as case studies on your website, write up sample reviews for them based on their case study transcript. Then email them a copy of this sample review and ask them if they wouldn't mind posting it to your preferred site. You couldn't make things any simpler than that.
Power reviewers are customers or professional reviews who write hundreds or thousands of reviews per year. Power reviewers might post reviews on one particular site, on their own blog, or across a huge variety of sites. For example, many Amazon top reviewers are part of Amazon Vine, where companies send them free products based on their preferences for review. Top Amazon reviewers are recognised with special symbols next to their reviews.
There is nothing wrong with contacting power reviewers privately and sending out free products or offering free service in exchange for a review. This only becomes ethically sticky if you're asking for a positive review - the reviewer needs to be free to leave an honest review. If you find any power reviewers in your industry, consider sending them out some free swag and encouraging them to become supporters of your company.
All of your staff have a role to play in helping you gather reviews. Make sure your staff understand the importance of reviews in your industry, and have them brainstorm ways they can help gather these reviews. You might be pleasantly surprised with their ideas!
Bonus tip: instruct staff to encourage reviews after positive customer interactions. Get them to point out the profile links on the website or social media and ask happy customers to take a minute to leave a review.
If you have a retail location, you could place a sign near the counter inviting customers to review their experience online. You could even include a QR code so customers can type their review into their phone right there in the store.
Do you do a lot of emailing to clients and customers? You could include a line in your email signature inviting clients to post a review on your preferred site.
Your signature could say something like "Did we solve your problem? Let others know by leaving a review HERE." or "Happy with our Service? Let others know with a quick review: HERE" and add a link.
Once this is set up, you'll be putting this review message in front of the hundreds of customers you work with every month - for the client, clicking over the leave a review is quick and easy.
Does your company has a strong social media presence? If so, you can send out a request for reviews. You can also directly reach out to influencers on social media who've used your services/products and ask them to leave a review.
10. Should you thank reviewers?
Many companies will jump on review sites and leave a "thank you" note after every review left. It's a nice gesture, making those customers who took the time to leave a review feel their efforts were appreciated. But is this a good idea?
Plus, it sets a dangerous precedent. What if you reply to 15 positive reviews and then you receive a negative review. Do you reply? The reviewer can see you are monitoring the review page from your previous page, and he/she will take your failure to reply as an admission that you are guilty or whatever infraction warrented the negative reivew.
You certainly don't want to end up like author Kathleen Hale, who stalked one of her negative reviewers and has ended up in the limelight about it.
It is far better to remain absent from the review sites and allow customers to express themselves without your input.
Reviews are a form of "social proof" - a way for potential customers to gauge your awesomeness through the opinions of others who've used your company in the past. The more reviews published, the more customers want to try your product or service, as they feel safe investing in something they know will be good. So what are you waiting for? Start hunting down those reviews!


Like me if you are fond of vegetables, then you will definitely enjoy this stew. A specialty among the Goan Hindu Community served at weddings, pujas, festivals and other occasions. This traditional dish is prepared with at least five vegetables. Recommended variety are the hearty root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, radish, sweet potatoes, taro (arbi), turnip, yam, suran (elephant foot yam) as they maintain their structure during the cooking process. You can also use corn on the cob, drumsticks, breadfruit, any leftover or seasonal vegetables. Avoid using okra (lady fingers) for its sliminess and eggplants (brinjals) that soften easily.
I have used potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, green beans and peas. The vegetables were parboiled and then cooked in a lightly spiced coconut gravy along with toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas). Kokum was added for sourness and a dash of jaggery for sweetness. Spiceberry tirphal or teppal included at the end for its aroma and flavour. No onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies and tomatoes were used. This stew is nutritious and colourful with a rich taste.
Loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, vegetables should be a part of your daily diet. They are a rich source of nutrients, vital for good health and maintenance of the body, reducing many chronic diseases. Low in calories and fat with a high fibre content aiding in weight management, controlling cholesterol and blood sugar levels. No wonder, mom was always right when she said, "eat your vegetables".
Soak the toor dal for 30 minutes. Boil with 3 cups water and salt till soft. Skim off the foam that rises to the top.
Each vegetable has to be cooked in order, depending on its cooking time.
Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Once the seeds splutter, stir in the coriander powder and spice paste. Fry well, then add one cup water after passing it through the blender used for grinding. Mix in the cooked toor dal and kokum.
Once the gravy comes to a boil, add the parboiled vegetables (potatoes, pumpkin, carrot and green beans), remaining stock, green peas, jaggery and salt. Simmer on medium heat for flavours to blend, vegetables to cook through and gravy to thicken, around 5 minutes.
Serve the vegetable stew with rice or chapatis.
Around 1/2 kg vegetables were used.
If you don't have kokum, grind a small piece of tamarind with coconut, red chillies and turmeric powder.
Three cups water was used to boil the toor dal, one cup to cook the vegetables and one cup for the gravy, total 5 cups. Additional water used to grind the paste.
Use a wide bottomed pan to cook the stew providing enough room for the vegetables to spread and retain their structure.


Byron Stephens has helped Marco's Pizza grow to more than 700 stores in 35 states and three countries.
That type of expansion often kills a culture; in fact, while Marco's growth numbers looked great on paper, employee morale began to nosedive.
As an organization, they were falling victim to the classic "Growth Trap."
Stephens joined Marco's Pizza in 2004 when it was a successful but regional chain operating 110 stores in three states. Now, he's the president and chief operating officer for Marco's (and was featured earlier this year on CBS' Undercover Boss).
When Stephens plotted people's attitudes and moods against the numbers, he saw that the company's stellar financial growth was creating emotional misery in the team.
He knew growth wouldn't last if he didn't focus on "getting the people equation right." So he turned the organization's attention to some basic human principles.
Let's look at three of these principles, along with some questions you can answer if you want to apply Stephens's insights to your organization.
Most of us are not accustomed to using the words "love" and "business" in the same sentence.
For Stephens, though, love is not an abstraction--it's the underlying motivation for everything he does as president and COO. And it's what drives his success and keeps him motivated when times get tough.
"It's not just love for what I do," Stephens told me. "It's love for the challenge, it's love for the competition, it's love for the people, it's love for the different ideas, new experiences, and helping them develop and become better than what they are."
That kind of love gets and keeps a leader energized through the toughest days.
Ask yourself: "What do I love about my business and how do I show it?"
Stephens started out as a dishwasher at a Holiday Inn, so he understands culture at all levels. His career took off partly because of his hard work, but also because others believed in him and gave him a chance. And now that dynamic is encouraged throughout the Marco's culture.
For instance, Joe Jaros started as a driver for Marco's. He became known for his above-and-beyond service, so much so that customers would request that he deliver their pizza.
He shoveled snow of sidewalks for customers. He changed their light bulbs.
His excellence stood out so much that he eventually earned a part ownership in the store where he worked. Today he owns two other stores.
That sort of thing doesn't happen at every store, of course, but many of Marco's franchisees are known for giving talented employees the opportunity to achieve well beyond their original job description.
Ask yourself: "What great opportunity can I create for a talented member of my team?"
Can you change the world by selling pizza? Seems like a tall order. But you can change the world no matter what line of work you're in. Even if it's the "world" of one person.
Not long ago, an elderly lady in Mentor, Ohio, fell ill and went to the hospital. She was treated and a few days later she was cleared to go home.
But there was no one to pick her up. She had no family or friends, and the hospital wouldn't release her to a taxi.
So she called the only number that came to mind: Marco's Pizza. The manger called an off-duty driver, and the driver picked her up from the hospital and took her home.
The manager and driver were recognized for their commitment to helping others, and rightly so. But Stephens points out something more. The store was owned by Jaros--the former light bulb-changing, snow-shoveling driver. Clearly, his leadership by example had paid off.
When you're cooking pizzas and the phone is ringing off the hook, Stephens says, it's easy to think of the pie as just another product. "We have to remember that every pizza we sell is an opportunity to impact the life of a customer," he says.
Ask yourself: "How can we use our product or service to impact the lives of our customers?"
If your organization is falling victim to the Growth Trap--or if you want to ensure it avoids that snare--the time to do something is now.
Share what you love about your work so that others can share that passion. Create opportunities for others to grow with you. And empower your team to make a difference in the lives around them.


Goddess Kali , also known as MahaKali is one of the forms of Dasamahavidya goddesses associated with Shakti. She is also known as Bhavatarini meaning the redeemer of the Universe. She is often represented as the consort of Lord Shiva on whose body she is seen standing. She is often depicted as dark blue in colour and wears a garland of skulls.
Goddess Kali has her long tongue sticking out and is laughing. Sometimes instead of a tongue she is shown as having two fangs. Kali has four arms and holds a head chopper wih one hand and a severed head dripping blood in another hand. With her other two hands, she makes the mudras of bestowing boons and dispelling fear. She wears a skirt made of human arms.
Kali is portrayed as dancing in a cremation ground and standing on a corpse who is the form of Lord Shiva himself.
Legend has it that she was manifested to kill the demon Rakthabeejasura (Raktabija) who was wrecking havoc in the world. The Gods found it impossible to kill him as he would multiply with every drop of his blood, So they requested the Goddess to save them and then she took a fierce form and started killing all the demons. But her thirst for blood could not be calmed even after killing the demons and it became impossible to control her.
Then Lord Shiva himself came in her path and laid down. It was only when she stepped on his chest, that she realised what she was doing and calmed down.
She was the main deity worshipped by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. She blessed him with astha siddhis and he dedicated his life for the worship of Goddess Kali.


Mad idea about painting a light?
WANTED - Really special wine glass !
oh boy am i tired now!!
Glass fusing/slumping courses - any in Edinburgh/London?
Glass Painting . . . need some ideas!
Now I need some Lampworkers!
Anyone know if Gel Crystal still available?
Glass crafts - not so popular?
How to achieve a neat glass channel?
Bottle Cutting - Any tips?
Lampwork bead beginner advice please?
Drilling holes in Glass - what to use??
OH No I can't believe it!!!
Glass mosaic cement and frame?
Needed - Lampworkers of the Highest Order !!
Fusing With Non-Fusing Glass? Impossible!! Is She Nuts??
Anyone Used The New "Reactive" Range From Bullseye?
Anyone tried sand blasting glass?
Help 10k glass nuggets needed!
Can I use an enamelling kiln for fused glass?
Second Coat when Glass Painting?
Help!!! Name For Buisness Needed!!!
My Chameleon is pulling a tongue!
What do you call backing glass?
Kiln Advice please, Efco 110?
Am I in the right place regarding mosaics?
Where can I get scraps of glass from?
is there a list for the year anywhere that someone can recommend?
Which kiln should I buy?
A perfect day for sailing!
What is your favorite glass paint?
Upcycling bottles into wine glasses!
Presentation for 4 or more wine glasses?
Whoops - one of those nights!
Can you get framed galss?
Fused glass courses - cheshire - new dates and workshops added!
Beginner - Fusing Glass HELP!
What glass can I use for moulds?
Best/Cheapest way to drill small holes in glass bottles?
Etching/engraving tools? Dremel recommendations anyone?
Glitter paint for glass ramikins?
glass fusing from the start.Advice please.
Etched with my new Dremel!
Any glass basec crafters in the midlands?


It's a Lab Thing Labrador: What's going on? Is it raining ??? Best ay ever!!
It's a Lab Thing Labrador: I just left the room for a second and my didnt want me changing sheets.
It's a Lab Thing Labrador: Moose loves life…and tennis balls…and water.


text:
Q: Find all reaccurances of text inbetween two strings I'm trying to find a text between $something and $something_else and ditch it out in an array.
I would think you need preg_match to do this but I have been trying alot and still have no idea.
This should work no matter what $something and $something_else is.

A: You need to read the documentation of preg_match and preg_match_all.
Here's a simple example that will match whatever content inside (double quotes)..
<?php
preg_match_all('~"(.*?)"~',
    'Hey there "I will be matched", because "I am inside the double quotes"',
    $out, PREG_PATTERN_ORDER);

print_r(($out[0]));

OUTPUT :
Array
(
    [0] => "I will be matched"
    [1] => "I am inside the double quotes"
)

A: Correct me if i am wrong. We can use explode one string into a array. Use pre_match_all for the another string with each word of the array . In this way, it will work with any string.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Theresa May has much to learn from Enda Kenny
William Cook
Theresa May's mistake? Putting style over substance
Lara Prendergast
Enda Kenny stepped down as Ireland's Taoiseach yesterday, and his farewell speech, at the National Gallery of Ireland, was an object lesson for British Conservative politicians. Amid the splendour of this palatial building, he delivered a speech which was warm and affable, enlivened with personal revelations and underpinned by heartfelt sincerity. If only our Prime Minister had a smidgeon of his public speaking skills.
Kenny was here to re-open Dublin's newly renovated National Gallery, which has been under wraps these last six years – the entire duration of his time as Taoiseach. Naturally, it was an easy gig. Yet Kenny didn't get polite applause. He brought the house down, and he did so by articulating what the people in this room were feeling. Sure, politicians have to make much tougher speeches to much tougher crowds, but Kenny could quite easily have trotted out a dreary address which would have bored these punters senseless. Instead he told us what he really thought and how he really felt, and the result was riveting. Theresa May's speechwriters should study his speech, for style as much as content. 'I'm so happy,' he declared, surveying this beautifully restored building. Such simple words, but when did you last hear a British politician say them?
'It is my last morning as Taoiseach and my last event as Taoiseach,' he said, 'and I'm delighted that we should come to this space to do this event. And I use the word space, not to be pretentious or precious about it, because I actually believe that this gallery, like all other galleries, is not just a place – it is, if you like, a locus of discovery and of possibility. In a sense, it's a source. And it is in these spaces that we locate ourselves.'
Kenny was talking about art, but he might have been talking about politics. For what is politics without that sense of possibility – a sense of the better lives we might lead? Strip away that idealism and you're left with last year's Remain campaign, or this year's May campaign – just a load of dire warnings about what might happen if you dare to stray.
Contrast May's cagey sloganeering with what Kenny said yesterday. 'This house is the house of Ireland. It's what it holds and what it signifies that means so much to us. It represents our real wealth, it represents our genius, our creativity, our imagination and, indeed, our soul.'
Kenny has a gift that's common to all great public speakers. He doesn't care what people think of him. He's not afraid to speak his mind. He quoted Nietzsche's dictum that art takes an icepick to the heart. How many British politicians would dare quote Nietzsche, for fear they'd seem elitist? Standing in front of these old masters, Kenny talked about 'the silent voice' that asks us: 'Who are we and why are we here?'
Of course, such sentiments always sound far better delivered in an Irish accent. Yet British politicians dared to be lyrical, once upon a time: Margaret Thatcher and Michael Foot were both brilliant orators; Neil Kinnock's assault on Militant was one of the greatest political performances of modern times. Why have British leaders lost the power of oratory? Theresa May is mocked for her robotic speaking style, but Jeremy Corbyn said nothing memorable in the election campaign. We're told politicians should campaign in poetry and govern in prose, but there was no poetry in our election – from either side. Kenny reminds us we all need a little poetry, and not only at election time. 'What I wanted to try to do, in politics and in government, was to breathe life into ourselves, as a society,' he concluded. It's what all decent politicians try to do. What's so bad about saying so?
As Kenny observed, the term Impressionist was first coined as a term of abuse (as was the term Tory). Unlike the Irish, our politicians are afraid to speak from the heart, for fear of mockery – and merely end up being mocked for hiding behind bland soundbites. They lack the bravery to state their true beliefs, and Mrs May lacks it most of all. What is she passionate about? What does she believe in? No-one seems to know, and until she tells us, from the heart, there's no way the electorate can believe in her. 'It's about identity – it's about belonging,' said Kenny yesterday. He was talking about a gallery, but he could have been describing the lifeblood of a political party. Without that sense of kinship a political party is nothing, and that kinship is sustained and nurtured by passionate speeches like these.
Conservative MPs should be careful what they wish for
Katy Balls
Theresa May's Brexit speech – ten main points
Theresa May: We have selection in state schools already, selection by house price
Theresa May's singing birds can only hold the same tune for so long
Sturgeon's secessionist fantasy has been rejected by Europe. So why does she ask Theresa May?
Britain may have lost faith – but Germany still believes in the EU

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Coronation of Elizabeth of York – 25 November 1487
On 25th November 1487, St Catherine's Day, Elizabeth of York, consort of Henry VII and mother of one-year-old Arthur Tudor, was crowned queen at Westminster Abbey. As Elizabeth's biographer Amy Licence explains, her coronation had been postponed due to her pregnancy and then unrest in England.
Amy Licence describes how the coronation celebrations kicked off with a river procession on the Thames, from Greenwich to the Tower of London, and how "the Arthurian theme was deployed, with one barge decorated as a huge red dragon spouting real flames", along with decorated barges, pageants and music. Following the river procession, Elizabeth spent the night at the Tower with her husband, Henry VII, before processing from the Tower through the streets of London the following day, dressed in white cloth of gold with an ermine mantle, and a jewelled gold circlet on her head.
At her coronation, Elizabeth "was anointed twice before the huge assembly of nobles, once on the chest and once on the head before receiving a ring for the fourth finger of her right hand, a gold crown, sceptre and rod of gold." She then processed from the abbey to Westminster Hall where there was a sumptuous coronation banquet in her honour.
Elizabeth of York was Henry VII's queen consort until her death on 11th February 1503. Henry VII never remarried, dying himself in 1509.
You can read more about Elizabeth's coronation celebrations in the Memoir of Elizabeth York in Privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York : wardrobe accounts of Edward the Fourth. With a memoir of Elizabeth of York edited by Nicholas Harris Nicolas - click here, p. lxxi to lxxiv.
Licence, Amy (2013) Elizabeth of York: The Forgotten Tudor Queen, p. 135-138.
Tags : Elizabeth of York
URL for this post : https://www.tudorsociety.com/coronation-of-elizabeth-of-york-25-november-1487/
There are 5 comments Go To Comment
P / November 25, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Love to know more!🌹
R / November 26, 2016 at 3:18 am
I was lucky to find a hard back special edition of the privy expenses for the wardrobe of Elizabeth of York, it is beautiful. Of course few Queens were crowned at the same time as the King, but Elizabeth had an especially long wait after her marriage in January 1486. First, as you say her pregnancy, although Anne Boleyn had to endure being flaunted about while at least six months pregnant, plus the small matter of Lambert Simnel claiming to be Edward of Warwick, the Dublin King, the Battle of Stoke and a bit of Yorkist unrest with invasion from Ireland, Scotland and abroad in support. Now finally Henry could crown his Queen.
< / November 26, 2021 at 4:58 pm
I love her so much!!❤🌹🥰😍
Public Phoenix Birth: A Look at Jane Seymour and the Impo…
Public Thomas Tallis c.1505 – 1585


text:
Search for The Magic Bullet (5th in a series): One Planet Living
It seems odd to talk about "One Planet Living" given that we have only one earth--and that no other celestial body in the universe is known to support life. Of course, when there is information to show that humanity is living beyond its means--beyond the earth's capacity to feed and clothe us--the discussion takes on new meaning.
According to Dr. Mathis Wackernagel of the Global Footprint Network humanity already needs 1.2 planets to keep up with our consumption of natural biological resources and it's only a matter of time before the "ecological debt" we're ringing up comes due.
Source for above: Living Planet Report 2004. Published in October 2004 by WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), Gland, Switzerland. © 2004 WWF. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Wackernagel was in Connecticut last week to speak about The Ecological Footprint, an analytical tool he has developed to measure people's biological resource consumption. On Saturday, Network For A Sustainable New Haven hosted a workshop at the Yale Peabody Museum for local community groups aimed at exploring how New Haven's footprint or Connecticut's footprint might be calculated.
According to Global Footprint Network, "Ecological Footprint measures how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste. Today, humanity's Ecological Footprint is over 23% larger than what the planet can regenerate. We maintain this overshoot by liquidating the planet's ecological resources. Ecological Footprints enable people to take personal and collective actions in support of a world where humanity lives within the means of one planet."
Ecological Footprint studies suggest that rates of human consumption, left unchecked, will exceed the ability of natural systems to replenish themselves. We'll soon reach a point of no return where a last fish will be caught and after that there will be no more.
To live within our means, Global Footprint Network calculates that, on average, we need to live within a budget of about 2.2 global hectares or 4.4 global acres per person. "The question is, how can we all live well within this 4.4 acres," says Dr. Wackernagel (pictured above at the workshop sponsored by Network For A Sustainable New Haven), "and how much do we want to set aside for other species?"
A 2002 footprint analysis found that the global human population has been living beyond its means since about 1985, and has since gone overbudget, requiring an average of 5.4 acres per person. People in the United States required 24 acres to satisfy their appetites for biological consumables and to then throw out their trash. Others living large were Canada (18.5), Australia (17.3), France (13.8) and Japan (10.6). Those not yet eating their full share of the pie included China (4.0), Egypt (3.5), Ethiopia (2.0), and India (1.7).
The results leave open the possibility that there may come a time when the balance of power between nations of the world may revolve around disparities between ecological debtor nations and ecological lender nations, and a new economics based on dwindling biological resources could emerge.
Yet, "ecological debt" isn't a factor in current economic analyses, or that most economists even measure or track. The question that Dr. Wackernagel has spent the past fifteen years laboring to fix has been "How can we operate economies without measuring ecological debt?" As things are, the best anyone can do is guess at what percentage of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) needs to be invested in an effort to get us back on a budget for One Planet Living. "A rough guess is 5%," says Dr. Wackernagel.
Global Footprint Network has undertaken its "'Ten In Ten Campaign' to make the Ecological Footprint as prominent as the GDP, and by 2015 to have ten countries managing their ecological wealth in the same way they manage their finances." So far, it has gained the involvement of the Swiss government and a statement of support from the European Union.
More commitments from governments and individuals are needed. Even so-called "slow growth" plans have the world going deeper into ecological debt. Global Footprint Network projects that global consumption of biological resources would have to be cut in half to reach a balanced eco-budget of 4.4 acres, or 1960 levels, within the next twenty years. Even more than a financial investment, a balanced biological resource budget will require large-scale political and social change as well.
As a first step, try calculating your own ecological footprint.
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Welcome welcome, everyone! Christmas is just about my favorite thing EVER, so I'm always so psyched to get to share my winter wonderland with you all — and Christmas trees are my absolute favorite aspect of my favorite thing. I'm so happy to be participating in another awesome year of the My Home Style Blog Hope Christmas Tree Edition, hosted by Stephanie from Casa Watkins Living.
If you're stopping by from my friend Jewel's home (or another awesome stop on today's blog hop), welcome to The Gathered Home — the little corner of the internet that's all mine and devoted to all things vintage, thrifted, and eclectic. Like a magpie, I'm always bringing shiny things home to my nest! You can find out a little more about me right here and I'd love for you to introduce yourself in the comments if you're new around here. It's always so lovely to hear from "kindred spirits," as I like to call you!
This is me and my goofy mug, enjoying a sparkly Christmas moment.
If you enjoy today's post, I hope you'll also check out my recent Holiday Glam Home Tour, too!
I've always taken decorating the Christmas tree very seriously. My family will corroborate me. It may or may not have led to several battles of the wills with my siblings over the years over how to best randomize ornament placement and which ornaments were approved for that year's theme… up to and including following them around the tree to tweak ornament distribution and covertly remove any misfits.
This year, I was determined to find space in our home for TWO Christmas trees — a white one decked with colorful ornaments at the front of the house (shared here) and a more-classic green version here in my neutral living room that would perfectly reflect my eclectic, gathered glam style!
I always go a little wild with color with the white Christmas tree, because everything pops on such a bright background, but for the living room Christmas tree I wanted to keep things a little more carefully composed and edited so the beautiful green color could really be the star of the show.
Let's start with the tree! This year, I decided to splurge on a 9′ tall Alexander pine tree from the Martha Stewart Line at Home Depot. I knew the nine foot height would be perfect for our tall ceilings and I plan to get years of use out of it (and I'm so thankful for its long-lasting LED lights!), so this thrifty girl managed to justify paying retail for something — which is wildly out of character for me, if you know me at all.
Friends, don't believe them. Please don't EVER just take an artificial Christmas tree out of the box and think that's how it's supposed to look! Taking it out of the box, plopping it in the stand and letting the branches fall as they may is utter nonsense. Really, I'd think Martha Stewart would know better than to have her name attached to such a silly claim! I bet she keeps a paid Christmas tree fluffer on staff year round, you guys.
My family always went and cut down a real Christmas tree for the holidays, so my first Christmas with an artificial tree, I had no idea that you needed to spend quite a bit of time fussing with the branches to make it look as full and lifelike as possible! Thankfully, I quickly learned from my mother in law that fluffing the branches is by far the most essential step to decorating an artificial Christmas tree.
It always takes me at least an hour, going branch by branch to make sure each bristled wire gets carefully pulled apart, but the end result is always worth the extra work! The goal is to hide the branch supports as much as possible and make the branches look nice and full and at-least-somewhat natural.
I do love the varying textures in this tree, although it does crack me up that you wouldn't really find such a wide assortment of needles on a pine tree in the wild. Oh well, some artistic license is fine in my book!
For this tree, I restricted myself to a palette of mainly metallics with some reds tucked in as well. I really wanted the beautiful green to be the star of the show, mirroring my green velvet sofa on the other side of the room.
I was able to pull together this look using ornaments that were by and large thrifted or DIYed. I purchased gold and metallic glass ball ornaments whenever I came across them at thrift stores, but a very generous estimate of what I spent total to decorate this tree this year is about $30.
Don't be afraid to mix all different types of metals! Here, matte bronze meets mirror gold and silver, champagne gold, and mercury glass.
I've never had a real Christmas tree topper before this year! It was just perfect luck that I stumbled across this beautiful gold beaded snowflake (or is it a star?) topper at a thrift store right before I was ready to snap these final photos.
Thank you, whoever decided to donate this — it was absolutely meant for this tree! I couldn't find an exact duplicate online, but I do also love this delicate metal and acrylic snowflake tree topper.
I've already shared that the most of my ornaments were gathered over time from various thrift stores. It's let me pull together a beautiful collection of glass ornaments that I probably couldn't have afforded in any other way!
The vintage granny square afghan I used as a tree skirt is another thrift store find! I layered it on top of another blanket to give it a little more body and then just wrapped it around the base of the tree.
I've always adored granny square blankets, especially the ones with a black background and multicolored squares!
While the rest of the tree is very sparkly and glam, I think the handmade nature of this blanket helps ground it and make it feel a little whimsical, which I always love in my decor.
Whenever I'm picking up ornaments at thrift stores, I'm looking for two things: plain "base" ornaments to tuck into the branches and provide background color and gleam and then the vintage (or vintage-inspired) "starring" ornaments, with details that steal the show just a little bit!
Like this set of beautiful blown glass bird ornaments with glittered details and feathered tails! I found a basket of ornaments at the Salvation Army last year, shortly after Christmas, with about 30 of these treasures inside. I'd say they're definitely not actually vintage ornaments, but they reminded me strongly of the beautiful blown glass bird ornaments in my grandparents' basement and I would have bought them for that reason alone!
These gold mercury glass ornaments are definitely not vintage — I got them from Ace Hardware when I worked with them on a Christmas decorating post back in 2015 — but they definitely fit the vintage-inspired mold. I have a set of 12 and I like to put these on towards the end of decorating the tree to make sure they're in highly viewable locations!
And this one is always a favorite! This glass glittered Santa Claus ornament came from my parents and I have fond memories of pulling him out of the mass of paper towels (tip: paper towels are a great packing material for Christmas ornaments) every year growing up. Now he makes it on the tree every year at my house!
For this tree, the handcrafted element comes from these DIY Mini Sunburst Mirror Ornaments, a favorite crafting project from several years ago! Even though they are easily made from gold spray-painted toothpicks and miniature mirrors from the craft store, I don't think they look like an obvious DIY.
I love the way their spiky spokes break up all the smooth textures happening on the tree and the way the tiny mirrors catch the warm lights from the tree.
Make your own DIY Mini Sunburst Mirror Ornaments here!
And there you have it — all my secrets and tips for pulling together a warm and bright eclectic, gathered, glam Christmas tree!
So much of my home style depends on serendipity; stopping by the right thrift store at the right time and finding the right piece that speaks to my heart. It can make it really hard for me to share how you can "get the look" for your own home, so my absolute best advice is for you to frequent secondhand shops and start with whatever the universe sends your way. I realize that can sound like the most hippy-dippy advice ever!
But as I've been slowly gathering for my home over the last eight years or so, I've learned that I can set out with the best of intentions, but my absolute favorite finds and decorating projects are the result of pure, dumb luck and openness to working with what I have and can scavenge from the world round me.
I also hope you'll scroll down and visit the other talented bloggers participating in this Christmas tree style hop this week! Twelve on Main's neutral farmhouse-style Christmas tree is wrapping up today's round-robin!
Ready for more Christmas tree style inspiration?
It's so pretty! Thanks for the closeups!
love your tree and especially love the afghan tree skirt!!!! it's so fabulous!!!!
you are darling Brynne! Your tree and room look fabulous.
Haha, a Christmas tree control freak…I can relate! Love your tree, and using the granny squares blanket was genius!
What a pretty tree that demonstrates your style perfectly. Nicely done! I think the starburst are my favorite!
So pretty! I love the afghan as a tree skirt and it looks so great with the beautiful metallic and mercury glass ornaments. The pops of red are perfect! Such a nice balance and it does compliment your sofa nicely! You look adorable and festive. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Brynne I love all the special vintage and eclectic pieces you placed on your tree! I love the Christmas tree skirt especially! Beautiful gathered look as always.
First of all, so nice to see your shining face in this post! I feel like you've fallen out my life and I need to fix that! I was also totally expecting to see a white tree, but it looks like you've saved that one for another day.
The green is a nice touch for your living room, and your MIL is right – you gotta fluff those branches!
The tree looks fantastic though – happy holidays friend!


text:
"""Unittest for script_manager.py module."""

from google_compute_engine.metadata_scripts import script_manager
from google_compute_engine.test_compat import mock
from google_compute_engine.test_compat import unittest

class ScriptManagerTest(unittest.TestCase):

  @mock.patch('google_compute_engine.metadata_scripts.script_manager.script_retriever')
  @mock.patch('google_compute_engine.metadata_scripts.script_manager.logger')
  @mock.patch('google_compute_engine.metadata_scripts.script_manager.script_executor')
  @mock.patch('google_compute_engine.metadata_scripts.script_manager.shutil.rmtree')
  @mock.patch('google_compute_engine.metadata_scripts.script_manager.tempfile.mkdtemp')
  def testRunScripts(
      self, mock_mkdir, mock_rmtree, mock_executor, mock_logger,
      mock_retriever):
    mock_logger_instance = mock.Mock()
    mock_logger.Logger.return_value = mock_logger_instance
    mock_retriever_instance = mock.Mock()
    mock_retriever.ScriptRetriever.return_value = mock_retriever_instance
    mocks = mock.Mock()
    mocks.attach_mock(mock_mkdir, 'mkdir')
    mocks.attach_mock(mock_rmtree, 'rmtree')
    mocks.attach_mock(mock_executor, 'executor')
    mocks.attach_mock(mock_logger, 'logger')
    mocks.attach_mock(mock_retriever, 'retriever')
    run_dir = '/var/run'
    script_type = 'test'
    script_name = '%s-script' % script_type
    script_prefix = '%s-' % script_type
    test_dir = 'test-dir'
    test_dict = {'test': 'dict'}
    mock_mkdir.return_value = test_dir
    mock_retriever_instance.GetScripts.return_value = test_dict

    script_manager.ScriptManager(script_type, run_dir=run_dir)
    expected_calls = [
        mock.call.logger.Logger(
            name=script_name, debug=False, facility=mock.ANY),
        mock.call.retriever.ScriptRetriever(mock_logger_instance, script_type),
        mock.call.executor.ScriptExecutor(mock_logger_instance, script_type),
        mock.call.mkdir(prefix=script_prefix, dir=run_dir),
        mock.call.logger.Logger().info(mock.ANY, script_type),
        mock.call.retriever.ScriptRetriever().GetScripts(test_dir),
        mock.call.executor.ScriptExecutor().RunScripts(test_dict),
        mock.call.logger.Logger().info(mock.ANY, script_type),
        mock.call.rmtree(test_dir),
    ]
    self.assertEqual(mocks.mock_calls, expected_calls)

if __name__ == '__main__':
  unittest.main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


With owners meetings set to begin this week and spring training next week amid another tepid free-agent market, the willingness to bandy about ideas — and the openness to addressing concerns — is seen as a step in the right direction by both sides. Whether any substantive change comes of it, sources said, remains unclear.
The three-batter minimum for pitchers, first reported by The Athletic, is perhaps the most controversial measure, as it would ostensibly eliminate a job created by modern bullpen use: the one-out left-handed reliever. MLB's proposal of the idea illustrates the league's concern with both time and pace of game, as constant bullpen shuffling has contributed to the average game time lasting longer than three hours. The rule would apply to all pitchers, except in instances in which pitchers finish an inning or are injured, sources said.
The union did not strongly oppose the idea, according to sources, instead suggesting it preferred the implementation to be delayed until 2020 rather than 2019, as MLB proposed.
The league's other bid to deal with pace of play was the enactment of a 20-second pitch clock, something commissioner Rob Manfred can put into place unilaterally. While numerous players have spoken out against the pitch clock, the recognition that Manfred has the ability to mandate it, even without the union's support, gives him leverage on the issue, according to sources.
In the discussions, the possibility of the clock being turned off when runners are on base was raised, sources said.
One of the union's counterproposals was the adoption of the designated hitter in the National League, according to sources. While a compromise could be the rule being eased in, the union is advocating for a universal DH in 2019, sources said.
In addition to the universal DH, the MLBPA is interested in changes that would use draft picks to incentivize winning and grant players the ability to earn additional service, which could allow them to hit free agency earlier and theoretically counteract what the union believes is the manipulation of service time by teams.
Low-revenue teams that succeed — whether by finishing above .500 or making the playoffs — would be given greater draft positions or bonus pools under the union's proposal, according to sources. While the depth of the penalties were not clear, the union suggested teams that lose 90-plus games in consecutive years could be affected negatively in the draft.
In the wake of Oakland Athletics first-round pick Kyler Murray potentially leaving behind baseball to pursue an NFL career after a Heisman Trophy-winning season, the union also suggested the idea of bringing back the major league contract as an enticement for two-sport athletes to stick with baseball, sources said. Currently, all draft contracts are minor league deals subject to a draft pool that penalizes teams that exceed it.
Service-time issues remain a key concern for the union, according to sources, with teams capable of keeping major league-ready players in the minor leagues without recourse. While both sides acknowledge service time is a difficult problem to solve, the union's proposal included the possibility of additional service time for performance, playoff appearances or awards, according to sources.
Among the union's ideas was a single trade deadline before the All-Star break, sources said. Currently, the non-waiver trade deadline is July 31, and players who pass through waivers can be dealt until Aug. 31. An earlier trade deadline could force teams to emphasize the first half, which might force them to focus more in the offseason on acquiring players via free agency to improve the likelihood of that rather than allowing them to strike well past the 100-game mark.
MLB's carrot in its proposal was an expansion of roster size from 25 to 26, creating 30 new major league jobs, according to sources. The offering included a 28-man limit on September rosters and a maximum of 12 pitchers during non-September games, sources said.
The league also is interested in studying mound height, with the potential for Manfred to implement a lowering of the mound in 2020, according to sources.
Another league proposal would end all spring training games that are tied after 10 innings and use spring training and the All-Star Game as testing grounds for the rule that starts a runner on second base in the 10th inning of a tied game.
In typical bargaining sessions, dozens of ideas are offered, considered and placed on the back burner, so the likelihood of a handful of these proposals being ratified, let alone all of them, is unlikely, according to sources. Still, as MLB and the union seek to find a place of understanding amid a winter chill that has fractured already-tenuous relations, the mere discussion, sources said, is considered a positive.


text:
Tag Archives: Iran election
The Ayatollah Khomeini was praised by the New York Times as a saint 30 years ago. That's when Iran's nightmare began.
Do the Democrats want to see Syria look like Iran? Women should be barefoot and in Burkas like they now do in Iran?
Flashback to 30 years ago to the fall of the Shah of Iran and his pro-Western government. France and America's Democrat party let him go.
Ayatollah Khomeini was sending daily broadcasts to his Islamic followers while "in exile in Paris." The French gave him free international phone services so he could continue his campaign to take over Iran. Soon after, movie theaters were burned down by the scores. They were "sinners" according to Khomeini's Islamic teachings.
In one horror, Islamic followers, locked the doors of a theater and burned over 500 Iranians alive. There were also killings of Christians and Jews by the Khomeini mobs.
A strange call from Washington DC came in for the Shah. It was to be A CALL FROM SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY the leading liberal from the US, calling about human rights. It turned out to be some kind of elaborate hoax. When the Shah picked up the phone a quiet voice kept repeating "Mohammad abdicate, Mohammad, abdicate."
Did Carter's new CIA pull the prank?
Today. The Iranian people are fighting for their freedom and life and getting no support from the mainstream liberal media: the New York Times, Washington Post, SF Chronicle, LA Times, CNN, CBS, NBC, and America's dominant political party, the Democrats. As they did 30 years ago the "elite liberal media" are not reporting the crisis in Iran.
The are back on the same playbook that Jimmy Carter and the Democrats used in 1978 when they sainted the Ayatollah.
In fact, the NY Times described Khomeini as tolerant and "his entourage of close advisers is uniformly composed of moderate, progressive individuals." The editorials went on to say Khomeini would provide "a desperately needed model of humane governance for a third-world country. Andrew Young went even further saying Khomeini would be hailed as a saint. Jimmy Carter let the former friend of the West, the Shah fall. Soon after, their were mass murders of the Shah's government and Americans on assignment in IT and in the oil fields. One afternoon, George Link, an Exxon general manager working in Iran was being driven back to work after lunch when his driver stopped the car and got out to open a gate, an assailant leaped from the side of the road and tossed a bomb in the car. Link threw open his door and jumped out. A moment later the car exploded. Evacuations of Americans started soon after, but not soon enough.
Tensions wer running high and Paul Grimm, on loan from Texaco to try and get the Iranian oil companies back up was driving to work one morning when a shot was fired from a car following his. He died instantly.
After more bloodshed the Shah's kingdom decided to evacuate all it's Western employees. The expatriates assumed that their exit was only temporarty because the media was not reporting the violence. They would never return.
Within a month, Khomeini was on a chartered Air France 747, the extra seats on the flight were sold to the New York Times, Washington Post, the BBC and other European journalists to pay for the flight.
Khomeini was resting in the first class cabin about to become the new ruler after the Persepolis monarchy that had ruled since 330 BC.
Soon after Khomeini returned he set up his candidate to lead the new Iran. A puppet named Bazargan.
There were still 20 or so oilfield managers left, among the group was Jeremy Gilbert, an Irish mathematician who became a petroleum engineer for BP. They remained only a few days before they realized this country was a nightmare. Gilbert was the last BP man left because he was in a hospital with a case of hepatitis. He was nearly killed there when nurses started chanting "Death to Americans" and a fellow patient beat him nearly to death.
The old regime of 2000 years in Iran was gone. Ironically, Iranians are not Arabs. Now they were ruled by an Islamic sect of Arab tyrants.
The Ayatollah now had millions of fanatical puppets killing off the middle class Iranians and ready and willing to die for their mullahs. Some of the stories were told, of the 50 American hostages captured by "students," beaten and tortured as crowds chanted their favorite new "prayer" "Death to Americans!"
What the media didn't tell you about was the "Death to Iranians" that carried on well into the '80s.
The next two years brought untold terror to the world. Iraq, watching the internal blood bath and purge in Iran took advantage of the chaos and attacked their refineries and oil production cities. With the Shah dying of cancer, Jimmy Carter finally let him visit the US for medical treatment, but not stay beyond that. Some friend?
Egypt let the Shah spend his last months alive on their soil.
Meanwhile, Hussein ordered an all out war against Iran with legions of armies amassed on their shared border.
To the shock of the world, thousands of Iranian children with plastic keys to heaven around their necks ran ahead of the more important Iraqi tanks and soldiers, they were even dragging their coffins with them. The Ayatollah promised them heaven for their lives. They even used the young girls for finding land mines. Human mind sweepers.
Goats are more valuable to the mullahs. Mull that one over.
I wonder if the Iranians ever wonder why the Ayatollahs live to their 90s while they send 9-year-olds to death as human shields? Don't the mullahs want to go to heaven? To their perfume gardens with all those virgins?
A lot more than sign waving has to go on to bring freedom to that poor country.
And now you see where this all started.
And you aren't reading it in the newspapers in America. Their monopoly on rewriting history is over.
Iraq has it's new freedom thanks to America's other party, the Republicans.
Obama took two weeks to say anything about the Iranian protests and killings by the Islamic tyrants.
The media/Democrat party alliance is not reporting the side of the protesters. But TWITTER is. The day of citizen journalists has arrived.
Visit TWITTER. Sign up for a free account and search for #iranelections. Join the effort to free Iran.
This is a great source of citzen journalist sites: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=List_of_citizen_journalism_websites
Posted in 1, ahmadinejad, American Muslim Alliance, Andrew Cuomo, Ann Coulter, Barack Hussein Obama, Chavez, Che Guevara, Citizen Journalism, Dan Rather, David Horowitz, Democrats, Dennis Miller, Dinosaur Media, Disgruntaled Journalists, Glenn Beck, Hillary Clinton, Liberal Democrat, Limbaugh, McClatchy, MSM, MSNBC, Muslim, New York Times, Newspapers, President Bush, Progressive Democrats, Rush, Rush Limbaugh	| Tagged Ayatollah, Iran election | 12 Comments
ANTIFA Socialist Democrats or FBI informants may have been told to destroy the posters. Isn't that fascist of them? twitter.com/BGOnTheScene/s… 11 minutes ago
RT @JackPosobiec: 🔥🔥🔥 14 minutes ago
RT @lindathomas102: @ChuckCallesto I won't vote for DeSantis if he runs against Trump. 15 minutes ago
Smart move twitter.com/chuckcallesto/… 18 minutes ago
Words have meaning twitter.com/james_doidge/s… 27 minutes ago


text:
The Service Industry and its Discontents
As the industry struggles towards "business as usual", all restaurant workers have to return to is grueling work, exploitive conditions, and criminally low wages.
Jason Sparks
filed 22 October 2020 in Labor
In early February of this year I attended a "mandatory" staff meeting at the bar where I worked. Like every other service industry staff meeting I have ever attended, it followed the standard script: opening with praise for the staff, a rote rattling-off of everything that we were doing wrong or could improve upon with a litany of minute alterations to operating procedures and protocols, and a quick "any questions?" (There are never any questions.) We wrapped up with a final half-assed rally of thanks and praise: "You're the best, there's no one like you, #1." (This is an actual quote.) Afterwards there was pizza. It's the same thing every time.
However, at the end of this particular meeting, during the final lavishing of thanks and as most of us were already reaching for our coats, one of the partners went slightly off script and ad-libbed a complimentary flourish that gave me pause. He said, "It's because of all that you do that [this place] is as successful as it is…thanks to all of your hard work, this year I was able to buy a house." Though odd, and frankly quite a tacky thing to say to a room full of people whom you personally pay less than minimum wage, I do believe that he was being sincere. Spend enough time around them, and you come to realize that most bar owners (and restaurateurs) exude a certain aura of hep insouciance to anything other than their own brand, which tends to render them rather oblivious to their tone-deafness.
Over the course of the next couple of weeks, maximum occupancy allowances for bars and restaurants dropped and curfews began. Then, on the night of Sunday, March 15th, Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a complete shutdown of New York City. My fellow co-workers and I were informed by a laconic late night email from our employer:
"As per the mayor's order, tomorrow night we will be closing our doors until further notice. At least you will all be immediately eligible for unemployment. Let us know if you have any questions and we will keep you informed of our status."
What followed was a period of mad scrambling. Every single co-worker and friend I have in the industry relayed tales of desperately reconfiguring budgets, projecting and scraping, calling in favors, dodging student loan collectors, bargaining with roommates and pleading with landlords—all the while trying to find a connection somewhere within the sadly overwhelmed and grossly antiquated bureaucratic tangle that is the Department of Labor's online services.
Loyal bar patrons began starting relief funds to support this huge mass of the newly unemployed, and fellow industry people quickly began inundating each other with text and email chains covering everything from free legal advice regarding renter's rights and possible (or seemingly imminent) evictions, job opportunity leads, lists of resources for help with mental health and anxiety issues, financial counseling and aid, and even just simple "how are you holding up?" check-ins. It was an inspiring moment of solidarity, a welcome reminder that, despite everything, we were all more than willing to help our sisters and brothers.
The "check-ins" from our employers were much less inspiring. Some were platitudinal: "Hope everyone is doing well, maybe learning a new instrument or spending time with the pup in the yard. Holler if you have any questions about how unemployment works!" (I kid you not.) Some were openly pretentious acts of generosity: "Here's a link to an emergency relief fund for service industry folks you should try"—basically invitations to participate in charity auctions sent by those who had helped create this mass of uninsured people living paycheck to paycheck in the first place. They may as well have offered us $2 scratch-off tickets.
A number of those funds, charities, and other aid organizations had their servers crash multiple times due to the overwhelming responses they received from scared and desperate service industry workers seeking financial relief. In an attempt to assuage the worries of potential applicants, one site in particular issued a statement that they had to reconfigure their application process as the response that they'd received was so overwhelming. It then went offline for days.
To read through the posted pleas and expressions of anger and frustration on the social media sites of these organizations by people trying to get through was to see just how precarious and anxious the state of the working class has become. To paraphrase E.M. Cioran, it seemed even our very quest for relief had become just a new form of anguish.
The fact that we've found ourselves this unsupported is far from surprising. The service industry, one of the top four employment sectors in the United States (comprising 16.7 million people), has sat atop the list of low wage, high violation industries for the better part of 20 years. The industry is guilty of most of the worst kinds of workplace social and economic inequalities—in fact, its GINI coefficient (a statistical measure by which income or wealth inequality is represented amongst a defined group) is higher than the national average. The median income of service industry employees, in every area surveyed, are dead last when compared to that of every other industry.
The industry profits by paying its employees less than the minimum wage, relying on the largesse of patrons to make up the difference. This is due to a "tip credit" employers receive from the federal government, which is supposed to equal the difference between the cash wages paid and the federal minimum wage. Unfortunately, employers routinely neglect the responsibility to make up that difference themselves. In fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute, "investigations [in 2018] of over 9,000 restaurants in the U.S. … found that 84 percent of investigated restaurants were in violation of wage and hour laws, including nearly 1,200 violations of the requirement to bring tipped workers' wages up to the minimum wage."
These employers also regularly pay employees the tipped minimum wage for non-tipped work like setting tables or rolling silverware. It is also not unusual for employers to expect their employees to perform off-the-clock work and deny overtime pay (usually by offering a fixed per-shift rate rather than an hourly one). And, as anyone who has ever worked in the service industry can attest, bosses as a matter of routine fail to give workers uninterrupted breaks of any duration for shifts that can be ten-plus hours long.
Even when politicians address wage theft, their efforts tend to be completely spineless. Earlier this year, when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he was going to increase the minimum wage requirement, he excluded bars and restaurants—the largest employers of tipped workers, and again, the most shameless offenders when it comes to wage violations. And while Cuomo has been justly criticized, he is merely continuing a nationwide trend that began, according to a report by Fairwage.org, back in 1996 "[when] the National Restaurant Association struck a deal with President Bill Clinton: In exchange for a minimum wage increase, the tipped wage was frozen in place."
The federal minimum tipped wage of $2.13 an hour applies to any worker who earns $30.00 per month in tips. In Louisiana, where the service industry is one of the largest sectors of employment and workers rely on the federal minimum wage, Gov. John Bel Edwards has repeatedly attempted to raise the state's minimum wage to $9 an hour since he was elected in 2016. But despite his administration's continued efforts, concerted lobbying efforts by groups like the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the National Federation of Independent Business have continually resisted the effort.
Despite the industry's collectively objectionable record, some businesses claim they "are essential to the economic and social fabric" of our communities and that their low-paying jobs help "maintain the character of our neighborhoods, [by providing] the best pathway to social mobility for the majority of low-income families."
A steady stream of both cultural and business-oriented media outlets have claimed that "it is abundantly clear that bars and restaurants need and deserve a bailout…" No call for bailing out the industry itself, however, has been so audacious and self-centered as that of restaurateur and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, who called for restaurant owners to receive "four months of income replacement at 75 percent from the government in order to "'get open and get [them] through the slow period.'"
"Get open"—a.k.a., return to business-as-usual business. This, for workers, is unacceptable. Unacceptable because even if we do return to work, not only are we at risk of COVID-19 transmission, but our places of employment are now operating at a vastly diminished capacity—conditions far from ideal for those who rely on the generosity of patrons to even approach a livable wage. On top of that, we're also returning to workplaces that, for the most part, still lack healthcare coverage and sick leave. In fact, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has included the National Restaurant Association on the list of top 12 offenders who have been actively battling paid sick leave for restaurant employees.
Not only does the industry fight against having to pay its employees basic paid sick time, we aren't even offered unpaid sick time. The industry standard regarding time off is usually delivered in all bold caps: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COVERING YOUR OWN SHIFTS. This is simply a more concisely-worded: "Oh, you don't feel well? Awwww, too bad—you get back in that bear suit and dance…" It boggles my mind when I think of how many of us have muscled through shifts fighting off one ailment or another because we couldn't find shift coverage. And if we did manage to find it, it's shitty knowing that you'll have to miss a day or two worth of wages. And now we're being asked to work during the worst pandemic since 1918? I can just see that "MUST REPLY" email now "All employees are responsible for covering their shifts before they die." This is a form of cruelty and greed that tacitly gives a financial incentive to spread disease and compromises the safety and wellbeing of customers.
To add insult to injury, more states are fighting for legislation that will provide businesses immunity from any COVID-19 related lawsuits. The stated purpose of such measures (which will incidentally be retroactive,spanning from December 2019 until December 2024) is "to protect already-struggling businesses." These measures seem to do little more than place the employees of said establishments in the same category as customers; for both groups, any claims made against an establishment will be subjected to what is called a 'rebuttable presumption' on the grounds "that the claimant assumed the risks associated with COVID-19 infection, injury, or death when he or she entered the premises."
And while the protections provided to businesses by the proposed so-called SAFE TO WORK ACT—currently being pushed by the Senate as a provision of the next coronavirus relief bill—"help, but do not absolve employers," the heightened burden of proof and pleading requirements could make filing a lawsuit practically impossible. As the law firm Holland & Knight explains:
"…a defendant [i.e. bar or restaurant] who maintained a written or published policy on mitigation of transmission of the virus at the time of the alleged exposure would be presumed to have made reasonable efforts, which, in turn, the plaintiff may rebut by showing that the defendant was not complying with its own policy. In order to succeed [with a complaint] a plaintiff must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant 1) engaged in gross negligence or willful misconduct that 2) directly caused the alleged harm, damage, breach or tort resulting in the personal injury. Significantly, acts or omissions resulting from a resource or staffing shortage would not constitute gross negligence or willful misconduct by a healthcare provider."
Plaintiffs would also have to:
"…plead with particularity (a heightened pleading standard): 1) each element of the plaintiff's claim; 2) the identify of each defendant and the factual basis for the belief that a particular defendant caused the plaintiff's alleged injury; 3) every other person or place visited by the plaintiff and every person who visited the plaintiff's residence during the 14-day period prior to the onset of the plaintiff's symptoms, along with the factual basis for the plaintiff's belief that they did not cause his or her alleged injury; and 4) each alleged act or omission constituting gross negligence or willful misconduct."
All this basically boils down to: "It's your word against ours. Good luck with that." Given that the National Restaurant Association included in its proposed Blueprint for Restaurant Survival the necessity of "liability protections," we should not be surprised if, after COVID, this becomes a universally-accepted policy in the "hospitality" industry.
Most recently, in a typical display of business-minded self-interest, restaurants have started adding a COVID-19 Recovery charge to its patrons' bills. The stated aim of said measure: "to help dining establishments stay afloat" will indeed help restaurants' bottom line, but ultimately it will hurt their workers by "discourag[ing] tipping" according to a report by Rachel Wharton in the New York Times "…as some customers will mistakenly assume that some of the money automatically goes to employees." Again, these are employees that are already earning well below the minimum wage, who even pre-pandemic were already nearly twice as likely to live in poverty as non-tipped workers.
For most people employed in the service industry, broaching any of these topics—sub-minimum wage, lack of healthcare, lack of sick leave, lack of basic workplace protections—with one's employers is a risky endeavor. If you don't receive a "perhaps you'd be happier elsewhere" (and subsequently find your number of shifts cut or your schedule changed), you will invariably be proffered some slight variance of: "that's the restaurant biz," "it is what it is," or "you're being unrealistic." But these tired old saws are used by those who benefit from the status quo to ease their conscience and excuse themselves from making any sort of sacrifice. It does not speak well of those who employ such logic—nor of those who accept it.
The service industry continues to fight for owners, not workers. Melissa Fleischut, the president and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association recently said: "We should be doing all we can to ensure that lifelines exist for these small business owners"—again, just the owners, not their employees, at a time when the country's moratorium on evictions is drawing to an end and CARE payments for the unemployed have expired with no real relief in sight. And in an open letter posted on their website this past September, the Louisiana chapter of the National Restaurant Association argues that restaurants and bars should be allowed to fully reopen immediately. Utilizing some very specious and Trumpian reasoning, the authors state that "there is no direct correlation between actual transmission taking place in [restaurants] versus other locations."
But very little has been said about the people whom these "owners" employ, people who unlike customers have little choice regarding the assumed risk of returning, the people who back in March and April were turned out with no "lifelines" other than useless rent deferments, Kickstarter pages, and spectacular inaction by pandering, ineffectual politicians. Nothing has been said of the conditions which they expect us to thankfully return.
I mentioned earlier how I honestly thought that my boss's 'thank you for the house' crack was meant as sincere. I still do. Because of course the self-interested and monied classes would think that thanking us with a handful of stale compliments and slice of shitty pizza is an adequate reward for our labors; of course they expect us to unquestioningly return to the same conditions that lead us here; of course they would casually dismiss any questioning of the status quo, any critique of their modes of operation because the most we can ever muster in response is a "that's fucked up" muttered under our breath to a coworker. Individually we gripe, but collectively we cower or discuss it as if it's a problem happening elsewhere.
The initial outpouring of inter-community help at the start of the pandemic was encouraging, but generally there is little solidarity in the service sector these days. Only 1.4 percent of service industry workers belong to unions such as SEIU and Unite Here! While there are groups such as One Fair Wage, the Democratic Socialist Labor Commission, and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United who actively advocate for changes in the workplace, the reasons that things have remained as they are for so long are, according to Sam Bloch in The Counter, "more cultural than … economic or legal." As Bhaskar Sunkara explains in his book The Socialist Manifesto, "most people don't have any reason to believe that politics can improve their lives. Collective action—either in the workplace or outside it—is often riskier than accepting the status quo." The dilemma "is figuring out how to take anger at unjust outcomes … and turn it into a challenge to the system itself."
This needs to change, and it is not beyond our abilities.
Forming a union is critical of course, but it may be difficult in a resistant or apathetic environment with an entrenched culture of hopelessness. One way to start building awareness and a sense of agency is by becoming better informed as to what our actual rights and protections are. The Economic Policy Institute is a good resource. There are even a surprising number of law firms willing to pass on often overlooked information regarding workers' rights and even legal advice regarding how to file complaints. By simply being more informed on an individual level we can begin to chisel away at the small inequities of our workplaces that wind up encouraging the more blatant abuses, and maybe encourage our more apathetic colleagues to believe that better things are indeed possible.
If you are afraid of coming across as "hostile," "toxic," or "socialist" (all honorifics I myself have earned), you can try the carrot instead of the stick. Organizations like Restaurants Advancing Industry Standards in Employment are "committed to taking the "high road" to sustainability. [That] believe[s] in fair wages, better benefits, racial equity and gender equity in the restaurant industry…by raising standards everywhere." You can nominate worthy businesses at their website.
We can all continue to write and call our government representatives to demand that any bar or restaurant receiving aid should be forced to institute a basic non-tipped wage, healthcare coverage, and paid sick time for all returning workers. Believe it or not, actual correspondence does attract attention. Besides, the USPS can use some extra business.
Patrons can help also: if you like to write online reviews, try focusing more on workers' rights than menu items. I mentioned above that bar and restaurant owners, to the detriment of more personable traits, exude a certain type of narcissistic hepness. Reviews like "we rolled into such and such a place and it was great, but after talking with the owner and finding out they didn't offer their servers breaks during their shifts (sad emoji) we will not be back" might help more than you know.
This prolonged, COVID-19 induced period of (relative) inactivity has allowed us time to realize that our long-accepted norms are nothing but corroded structures based on inequality and exploitation. Hannah Arendt once said that there are moments in time when "the decline of the old and the birth of the new, is not necessarily an affair of continuity…the chain may be broken and an 'empty space', a kind of no-man's land, comes to the surface which can only be described in terms of a 'no longer and not yet.'" We are now in such an "empty space."
As much as service industry owners need bailouts, they need us to return to work even more. They need us to patronize their establishments. And for the most part, we are more than willing to return to work and looking forward to returning to our favorite eateries and pubs—but not to the old status quo.
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Posted on May 7, 2019 February 13, 2020 by admin
Some of the most trusted and widely recognized companies like Honda, Toyota and Ford don't make the exception to these challenges. Therefore, these three companies will have to navigate through a number of difficult challenges, and figure out how to take advantage of a few surprising opportunities.In the case of Honda, they are ahead of the game by investing more in Research & Development (R) and restructuring their strategy. The newly appointed CEO Hachigo has already set up a strategy "Prioritize quality over quantity". Hachigo spent years setting up the structure under his predecessor, Takanobu Ito, before taking over last June.
He said that the rapid expansion put too much strain on R resources in Japan and needed clearer lines of control. "We have come to see some issues in the front lines of our development and production facilities," Hachigo said. "This could seriously harm the engine behind Honda's creativity."To steer the next phase, Hachigo replaced nearly a third of the board and promoted younger executives for new blood. He appointed new people to key roles in charge of R, North America and automotive operations. The changes clear the top ranks of some prominent, older-generation executives under Ito.Hachigo said electrification will play a big role in Honda's new aura.
By 2030, he wants two-thirds of Honda's global sales to come from green cars such as hybrids, plug-ins, fuel cell vehicles and pure electric vehicles. That's up from just 5 percent today."We need to realize renovation of Honda's manufacturing," Hachigo said. "Management, including myself, must lead in changing our mindset, and every associate needs to change their perception and the way they work."Toyota is also following the footsteps of their Japanese counterpart by implementing new strategy and focusing more on R&D.
On their website it says "In the near future, cars are expected to connect with people and communities and take on new roles as part of the social infrastructure. New areas, such as AI, automated driving, robotics, and connected cars, are becoming especially important, and it is no longer enough to focus just on developing excellent cars and technologies or to carry on sales and service in the same old ways.To take on a new breed of initiatives, we therefore felt it crucial to form a new team, rather than use previous frameworks. Accordingly, in January 2016, we established Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
(TRI), and welcoming Dr. Gill Pratt as its CEO."When it comes to the fifth biggest automobile manufacturer in the world, Ford are still struggling to come up with a clear strategy how they are going to compete in this new market.Ford Motor Company's newly appointed CEO, Jim Hackett, delivered in a presentation his strategy for the future of the company which outlined five principles:• We will prepare for disruption by becoming fit.
• We will be in the vehicle business — moving both people and goods.• Our vehicles will be smart and connected.• These smart vehicles will thrive in a new transportation operating system.• We will evolve to capitalize on new business opportunities within this transportation operating system.His strategy was initially met with some skepticism due to the lack of specific details and a vague grand-scheme strategy for a rapidly evolving automotive industry.
In conclusion, Strategic planning is crucial for all the organizations in all the major industries. In the automotive industry, it is clear that not all the current competitors will survive but only those companies that plan strategies and implement them effectively will prosper. By bringing on board experts in cloud and connected services, big data, and digital content and investing and partnering with technology companies will help them establish a coherent connected product strategy and therefore design and build AVs.
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An art work has this intriguing effect of putting yourself in the shoes of the artist who created it. You are suddenly drawn to it while a multitude of questions dance on your head. Is the artist using this medium to express something he has lost and now wants to recapture desperately? Find the answers, and more, in an Art Exhibition of portraits and paintings that will dot the walls of SSAP from Saturday, May 27, 2017 until Tuesday, June 16, 2017. (Ribbon-cutting on opening night, after the 4:30 pm mass). Get some insight into what moved a company of artist inmates to pick up the brush. One described it as "skirting around some personal upheaval, mixed with bad choices, that pulled me down into a cycle of sustained drug abuse." Another went further, "It may be the rapture of being on drugs or of deciding to leave them behind, that released and opened up a sense of drama with an absolute absence of glamour." What they have captured on canvas will hopefully build up public awareness, enhance sustainability and ultimately be the key to unlock shackles of dependency. Own a piece of this world?
* Sale of artworks is under two exclusive categories: P4,000 and P6,000. Proceeds of sale will go to the penal facility holding drug-related offenders and to the improvement of the SSAP Sacristy.


This message is a call to action to the people of God – to do what 2 Chronicles 7:14 says. We're much too lukewarm. I hope you will heed God's word on zealously recommitting to Him with all our hearts and doing what He tells us to do if we want more of His involvement and interventions. IF enough of us do respond, I strongly believe God will do what he promises and we'll start seeing many more miracles, healings and God's intervention in our lives, in the church family and even in our country.


Beginning Wednesday, the Towson women will seek their fourth straight Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship. Last year, the William and Mary men ended UNC Wilmington's 13 year streak. The Griffins will look to repeat the feat this season.
Towson is lead by seniors Jenna Van Camp, Hannah Snyder, and Charlotte Holz, who, among others, will look to end their collegiate careers having never lost the Conference Championship. Van Camp holds second seeds in both breaststroke events. Snyder is seeded in the top eight in the 400 IM and 1650. Holz is in scoring position in the 200 IM, both backstrokes, and the 100 and 200 freestyles, though she will need to scratch two of these events.
William and Mary's Abby Mack was named the 2015 Rookie of the Year. The sophomore returns with three top ten seeds, in the 50 freestyle, and 100 and 200 butterfly. Junior teammate Selina Fuller is the top seed in the 200 and 500 freestyles, and is second in the 1650.
Last year's runner up James Madison has sophomore Katie Parker with a top seeded 200 IM, and top eight seeds in both breaststrokes. Classmate Maddie Massey is the top seed in the longer IM. Massey is also fourth in the 500 free and ninth in the 200 butterfly.
William and Mary is lead by their duo of 2015 Swimmer of the Year Jeremiah O'Donnell and their 2015 Rookie of the Year Evan Baker. The Griffins hold the top four seeds in the 400 IM, lead by O'Donnell. The senior is also top seed in the 400 IM and 100 breaststroke. Baker is the third seed in the 50 freestyle, first in the 200 butterfly, and second in the 100. Senior Billy Russell is also the top seed in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles.
While the William and Mary men are deep this year, UNCW should still score some big points in a number of events. Senior Zack Sowers is the top seed in the 100 butterfly, eighth in the 200, and sixth in the 50 freestyle. He is the Seahawks top qualifier in each of his events. Will Ryan will look to upset the Griffins in the breaststroke events, coming in as the third seed in the 200, and second in the 100.
Drexel's Zoltan Gercsak should make an impact on the endurance trifecta. The junior holds the top seed in the 1650 while he is third in the 500 and sixth in the 400 IM.
Don't know how to post this to the UNCW swimming page, Ellen Margaret, Ted Cremer do you??
I just posted it on the parents page. Good find!
Thanks for posting, article mentions Zack and Will.


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – When someone first told me about the General Motor's Futurliner, I had never heard of it. A gigantic red bus built back in 1939 and taken on the road across the country to showcase the products that GM made. Yes…in the early days they made more than just automobiles. Turbine jet engines, refrigerators, and something in the extreme infancy stage known as television.
The idea of the Futurliner was born from necessity and stemmed from the 1939 New York World's Fair. For those of you that recall, TV was first demonstrated there. GM executives were wondering what in the world they were going to do with all the displays they had after the show ended. The team came up with the idea of building 12 large, red, buses that would house many of the products they built. These buses, or Futurliners would travel in a convoy across the country from city to city showcasing GM's footprint in the manufacturing world.
The Futurliner was a huge success when they hit the streets in 1940 and 41. People flocked to see what this thing called television was and how it was possible to send a picture over the air waves. Their latest model production automobiles were also part of the convoy.
By 1942 the Futurliner, as successful as it was, was taken off the road and moth-balled due to the war effort. American companies were concentrating on making tanks, ammunition, and other military support equipment. It wasn't until 1953 the that Futurliner was brought back out and completely restored, refurbished, and updated. Unfortunately, it wasn't as popular the second time around. Most American households had television sets, and people were getting out and doing other things. They had no time to see GM's product line.
In the late 1990s a group of volunteers visited a museum in Auburn, Indiana where one of these old Futurliners had been parked…simply rusting away for years. They decided to bring it back to West Michigan, to Beaver Dam to be exact, and spent the next seven years restoring and refurbishing it to its original 1953 condition. Hence, the term known as the miracle of Beaver Dam!
The group spent countless hours completing the arduous restoration task. They even obtained permission from GM to have special tire molds made at a cost of around $35,000 to recast the original tires for the Futurliner (with the GM name) and not have to pay royalties.
These days the Futurliner can be seen in parades and special events and still travels around the lower 48 states and Canada. It's many trailered to its destination, then driven locally with its original 302 six-cylinder GMC engine, similar to what was placed in military vehicles at the time.
Its huge bay doors on the passenger side are driven open and closed by a special generator, and the inside houses several vintage items and displays from the past. Inside the driver's cab you'll find one main seat in the center with two more located directly behind the driver where back-up drivers would sit and change off for the long over-the-road haul as the convoy proceeded from city to city.
During the winter months the Futurliner is typically housed in the museum of its owners in Auburn, Indiana called the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States. You can click here for much more on the restoration project on what's known as Futurliner #10.
A beautiful complete book and DVD are available if you desire more information on this blast from the past of Michigan's motor history. Click here.
Got an idea for this kind of a West Michigan Story? I'd love to hear about it. Email me at Kevin@fox17online.com. I'll say thanks in advance and we still have many more stories to tell!
Why don't you have the video available? I wanted to Facebook it to Ed's daughter!