CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2001--The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. (NYSE:NMG.A, NMG.B) today reported diluted earnings per share of $0.80 on total revenues of $681.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2001.
For the 13 weeks ended April 28, 2001, total revenues declined 0.3 percent from $683.8 million in the year-ago period. Comparable revenues decreased by 1.4 percent. Operating earnings were $66.5 million compared to $79.8 million a year ago. Diluted net earnings per share were $0.80 on net earnings of $38.2 million with fewer shares outstanding compared to net earnings of $45.2 million, equal to $0.94 diluted earnings per share in the prior-year period.
For the 39 weeks ended April 28, 2001, total revenues rose 4.1 percent to $2,322.1 million from $2,230.3 million a year ago. Comparable revenues increased 3.4 percent. Operating earnings were $220.1 million compared with $223.9 million a year ago. Net earnings before cumulative effect of an accounting change were $126.2 million, equal to $2.65 per diluted share compared with net earnings of $123.9 million, or $2.53 per diluted share in the prior-year period.
"As expected, a challenging retail environment led to an essentially flat top line in the third quarter, while incentives and markdowns put pressure on margins," said Burton M. Tansky, chief executive officer.
Third quarter SG&A expense decreased in dollars and as a percentage of revenues compared to last year. This decrease reflects an ongoing cost reduction initiative to help offset lower sales growth and position the company for the future.
In the Specialty Retail Store segment, third quarter revenues of $572.6 million declined 1.4 percent from $581.0 million a year ago. Total revenues at Neiman Marcus Stores declined 1.6 percent in the quarter, with comparable revenues down 2.9 percent. Bergdorf Goodman posted a 0.4 percent decline in total and comparable revenues.
Specialty Retail Store segment operating earnings declined to $63.8 million from $80.6 million a year ago arising primarily from lower gross margins on higher markdowns taken at Neiman Marcus Stores and Bergdorf Goodman.
Third quarter revenues at Neiman Marcus Direct were $88.0 million, up 3.2 percent from $85.2 million in the year-ago period. Strong sales gains in the Chef's Catalog and Horchow businesses were partially offset by weaker sales in NM apparel.
Operating earnings in the direct marketing segment were $6.7 million compared with $7.1 million a year ago, reflecting lower gross margins and higher expenses primarily related to increased paper and circulation costs.
Revenues related to the company's brand development initiative rose slightly in the quarter, and NeimanMarcus.com revenues nearly quadrupled compared to a year ago.
"We are planning for a 3 to 4 percent comparable revenue growth in the fourth quarter, with higher markdowns necessary to clear inventory," said Mr. Tansky.
Inventories at the end of the quarter were $696 million compared to $623 million a year ago.
The Neiman Marcus Group includes the Specialty Retail Stores segment, which consists of Neiman Marcus Stores and Bergdorf Goodman, and the Direct Marketing segment.
The Company will host a conference call today at 9:00 am (EDT) to review these results. Interested parties may access www.neimanmarcusgroup.com to listen to a live broadcast.
Statements in this release referring to the expected future plans and performance of the Company are forward-looking statements. Actual future results may differ materially from such statements. Factors that could affect future performance include, but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or consumer confidence; integration of acquired businesses; changes in consumer preferences or fashion trends; delays in anticipated store openings; adverse weather conditions, particularly during peak selling seasons; changes in demographic or retail environments; competitive influences; significant increases in paper, printing and postage costs; and changes in the Company's relationships with designers and other resources. For more information, see the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.


text:
Home/Lifestyle/I'm a scientist – here's how your personality affects how bad your hangovers are
I'm a scientist – here's how your personality affects how bad your hangovers are
Emma JamesDecember 19, 2022
HANGOVER can be painful.
A pounding head, nausea and worry about what we may or may not have said the night before.
One expert has explained that the type of person you are could have an impact on how severe your hangover isPhoto credit: Getty
While your need to be near the toilet throughout the day is likely due to one too many glasses of wine, one expert has found that your personality type could also play a role.
Prof Craig Dunn, Lecturer in Psychological Sciences at Bristol University, said certain psychological characteristics could be linked to how a hangover is experienced.
The scientist highlighted previous research that found that neuroticism, a broad personality trait that causes people to view the world negatively, can predict hangover severity.
Prof Dunn said that extroversion (a personality trait usually characterized by being sociable and outgoing) is linked to binge drinking among college students – although it doesn't appear to be linked to worse hangovers.
Anxiety, depression and stress are also linked to worse hangovers, he said, writing in The Conversation.
Each of these moods is associated with a "negative bias" — a tendency to interpret the world more negatively, he said.
"Our results show that hangovers tend to interpret the world more negatively. As a result, hangovers can reinforce this negative bias, making some people feel worse than others," he added.
Severe hangovers, he added, could also be caused by how we handle certain situations.
Pain catastrophizing is a term used to refer to those who emphasize the negative experience of pain.
He added that research has also shown that people who score high on pain disasters also report more severe hangovers.
This suggests they are focusing on their negative symptoms — which could be making their hangover appear worse than it actually is.
Where to get help if you have a drinking problem
If you think you may have a problem with alcohol, you may need to seek help.
This may be the case if you often feel the need to have a drink or get into trouble because of your drinking.
If other people have warned you about your drink and it's causing you problems, then your GP is a good place to start.
There are other places where you can get help:
"Other studies have also shown that people who tend to manage their problems by ignoring or denying them experience worse hangovers," he said.
Emotion regulation is another important psychological mechanism that helps us deal with difficult situations, Prof. Gunn explained.
He said it works by effectively managing and responding to emotional experiences.
"Although hungover people report that it's harder to regulate their emotions, this may not be the case — studies show that participants are just as good at controlling their emotional response as those who weren't hungover."
"This could mean that people choose simpler (but less effective) regulatory strategies during a hangover — such as avoiding feelings of guilt or shame. But that has yet to be determined," he added.
He added that one way to deal with a hangover is to "suffer together."
He said studies have shown that connecting about your shared experience can be helpful in alleviating some of the negative emotional effects of a hangover.
https://www.the-sun.com/health/6947626/scientist-personality-affects-bad-hangovers/ I'm a scientist – here's how your personality affects how bad your hangovers are
Emma James
Lessons From 2022 for Elitists and Authoritarians
Banning Ranch one step closer to becoming a nature preserve
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I was dress-coded by a bouncer on a night out – but people think he has a point
The Best Business Casual Shoes for Men Are Ready-Made for Your Return to Office
I'm a hot server and have the best apron tying trick – it's an instant 'butt lift'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Mentorship ride promotes safety, camaraderie
Photo by Pvt. Andrew S. Ingram. Fort Carson Soldiers and members of the Colorado Patriot Guard Riders ride up the mountains to Cripple Creek as part of a motorcycle safety day ride.
by Shameka D. Edwards
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
About 25 Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and 13 Colorado Patriot Guard Riders participated in the battalion's first motorcycle mentorship ride to Cripple Creek Thursday.
"We have a lot of Soldiers that don't know how dangerous motorcycle riding can be," said
Lt. Col. Grady S. Taylor, battalion commander.
The battalion paired junior riders with four or less years of riding experience with senior riders, said Sgt. Maj. Tony Plair, the battalion S-3 noncommissioned officer in charge.
Plair, along with Capt.
Phillip Borden, battalion safety officer, and Sgt. 1st Class Maurice Turner, battalion operations sergeant, planned the ride.
The day started with Soldiers conducting preventive maintenance checks and services of all the motorcycles, and checking that all riders had proper personal protection equipment, up-to-date licenses, insurance and registration.
After the bikes were thoroughly checked, all riders gathered in the battalion's conference room for a safety briefing.
During the briefing Taylor spoke of how the ride was to help build motorcycle safety awareness.
"It's not just free time to ride a bike, its training," he said. "I take it seriously enough to take Soldiers out on a duty day; it's just as important as any other training because it will save lives."
After the briefing the riders headed out to begin the ride. As they arrived at Cripple Creek, they encountered rain and hail. Once the riders arrived back at Fort Carson, Plair conducted an after-action review to go over the positive and negative aspects of the ride.
The riders agreed that the biggest positive was that no one went down.
"The mentorship ride is incredibly important. It helps to keep guys from getting hurt doing something stupid. Motorcycles are fun but not if you're being stupid," said Capt. D. Barry Donaldson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company assistant S-3.
Donaldson, one of the senior riders, said he has been riding for about six years and had never participated in a group ride like this before.
1st Lt. Andrew Gerdes, a Company B platoon leader and a junior rider, said he had only been riding for about three months.
"I never rode on the interstate before and this is my first group ride," he said.
Gerdes said that he has the gear that meets the Army standards but not his personal standards. He said he promised his parents that he would be safe while riding.
"I think that we should do more of these rides because it gets the guys together and builds camaraderie in the battalion," said Sgt. Nathan Yancer, Company C.
The battalion has more than 40 riders. Safety standdowns, motorcycle safety counseling and encouraging junior riders to get with senior riders are some of the ways that the battalion is showing its commitment to motorcycle safety, Taylor said.
Related Items:Fort Carson, Motorcycle, Mountaineer, ride
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Talk about anything and everything here that is NOT related to competitive gaming.
Are you running with the best gaming technology? Have a question? Need help? Headset question? Wanna ask which PC or laptop to buy?
Warning! It can get hot and heated in here! Mature subject matter.
Why Do You Watch Video Games?


The Ontario Catholic E-Learning Consortium was established in 2010 and consists of 29 Catholic school boards across Ontario. The primary purpose of the OCeLC is to provide equity of access for Catholic secondary students to take secondary credits developed and taught by Catholic teachers. The OCeLC also supports Catholic curriculum writing projects, Technology Enabled Learning & District e-Learning contacts via virtual and face-to-face meetings, as well as hosts an annual Forum.


text:
using System;
using System.Configuration;
using System.IO;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Http;
using System.Web.Mvc;
using System.Web.Optimization;
using System.Web.Routing;
using Castle.MicroKernel.Registration;
using Castle.MicroKernel.Resolvers.SpecializedResolvers;
using Castle.Windsor;
using Castle.Windsor.Installer;
using Diary.CQRS.Reporting;
using Diary.CQRS.Web.Infrastructure;
using ECQRS.Commons.Repositories;
using ECQRS.InProcess.Repositories;

namespace Diary.CQRS.Web
{
    // Note: For instructions on enabling IIS6 or IIS7 classic mode,
    // visit http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkId=9394801

    public class MvcApplication : HttpApplication
    {
        private static IWindsorContainer _container;

        protected void Application_Start()
        {
            AreaRegistration.RegisterAllAreas();

            WebApiConfig.Register(GlobalConfiguration.Configuration);
            FilterConfig.RegisterGlobalFilters(GlobalFilters.Filters);
            RouteConfig.RegisterRoutes(RouteTable.Routes);
            BundleConfig.RegisterBundles(BundleTable.Bundles);
            BootstrapContainer();
        }

        private static void BootstrapContainer()
        {
            _container = new WindsorContainer().Install(FromAssembly.This());
            _container.Kernel.Resolver.AddSubResolver(new ArrayResolver(_container.Kernel, false));
            var controllerFactory = new WindsorControllerFactory(_container.Kernel);
            ControllerBuilder.Current.SetControllerFactory(controllerFactory);

            _container.Register(Component.For<IRepository<DiaryItemDto>>()
                .ImplementedBy<InProcessRepository<DiaryItemDto>>()
                .LifestyleTransient());

            _container.Install(
               FromAssembly.InDirectory(new AssemblyFilter(AssemblyDirectory)));

        }

        protected void Application_End()
        {
            _container.Dispose();
        }

        static public string AssemblyDirectory
        {
            get
            {
                var codeBase = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().CodeBase;

                var uri = new UriBuilder(codeBase);

                var path = Uri.UnescapeDataString(uri.Path);

                return Path.GetDirectoryName(path);
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Welcome to CT City, a monthly profile of Connecticut artists currently killing it. Being so close to NYC, CT artists have to fight a little harder to get out of the shadow of the Empire State, but deserve just as much respect. CT has a LOT going for it; these are some of the artists doing the Constitution State Proud!
Norwalk designer Eleni Tsaparakis had her share of titles & brick & mortar jobs before deciding to go into business for herself as a freelance digital designer. Founder of Eleni Digital Designs, she tried her hand at both in-house and agency design – big names including ASSA ABLOY (where we worked together) and Alexander Isley Inc. In an industry that is rapidly restructuring to cater towards digital-focused audiences, Eleni struggled finding 9-5 gigs with the right kind of digital work to excite her & grow her skills. So she did what any bold, determined artist only dreams of doing: working for herself.
Making the leap wasn't an easy process, but a necessary one to secure her peace as an artist, & one that I seriously admire. Garnering a steady stream of clients is a constant hustle, but Eleni continues to grow her reach & skills, servicing several local business & organizations. Her services include website design, motion graphics & social media marketing, using a model of monthly subscription packages to ensure she lands recurring work & solid client relationships – very important for any freelance artist!
Be inspired by her story and work at elenidigitaldesigns.com!
Born & raised in Norwalk, CT, Mike Alcutt has always chosen a life filled with art. From early days when he used to redraw sports logos, to currently donning over 20 tattoos he designed himself, even his current workspace (did I mention he's been my boss for a year?) housing dozens of pop vinyls and action figures – it's clear to see Mike lives & breathes creativity & inspiration.
Alcutt's preferred methods of art include painting & photography, often finding influences in his love for nerdy pop culture. A video game geek, comic book worm & wrestling superfan, his style blends street art, graffiti & stencil work to create pieces that make his eternal inner-child beam with pride. He's a walking comic-con, a Toys-R-Us adult, the class clown long after dismissal, & it shows in his energetic, devoted-fan masterpieces.
Being a Connecticut Artist, especially in the street art realm, means that I can bring something different to the state than just imagery of fall foliage and sunrises.
If you find yourself with a project cool enough to warrant his selective commissions, there's no better hands to leave your piece (and peace) in than in his paisley-tatted, paint-stained mitts. Be sure to follow his creative journey, even just for a chance to glimpse his beautiful ray-of-sunshine pup Bailey over at @malcutt. If you're ever at Burger Bar or in the SoNo area and bump into Mike, buy him a cold one, say the word "bazooka," and walk away.
First up, the newest on the art scene: Tara Borromeo, a portrait, events & lifestyle photographer based out of Northford, CT. Having originally chosen a career path in nursing & working as an Optometrist Technician by day, Tara has spent the last five months obsessively learning the ins & outs of her Canon arsenal, which now consists of two cameras & three lenses. Any photographer knows how expensive equipment can be, but no cost is too great for this budding photo professional.
In just two seasons, Tara has accomplished the feats of working with lighting, editing, and shooting for maternity, family, & even two local weddings. Her chops have already reached the coasts of Europe, where she managed to turn being unexpectedly stranded in Turkey & Budapest into exceptional travel photography. Did I mention she's a single mother? She managed to birth her own arsenal of adorable models to practice portraits on, & at the rate which she's improved in such a short time, her girls will be killing the runways while momma bear snaps in just a few years.
Her work can be seen below and much more at @taraborromeo. If you're a photographer looking for a behind the scenes or second shooter, or a model looking to practice your posing & get some killer IG material, don't hesitate to reach out!


Are you interested in starting or sprucing up a review site?
Perhaps it's for pleasure – you're the kind of a person who feels that urge to share your opinion on you favorite restaurant, movie or game – or maybe it's for profit but whatever your motivation, building a review site with WordPress is within the reach of even the most novice of WordPress users.
Here's 8 WordPress themes and plugins to help you on your way to review stardom.
Putting together a review site on WordPress is, on the surface at least, relatively straight forward: it's just a matter of picking the right theme, plugin or both.
Rather than providing a massive list of options for you to trawl through, I've done that for you and arrived at 8 themes and plugins that will allow you to build a review site.
First the bad news. There's only one freebie here and that's a plugin, the rest you will need to spend some of your hard-earned cash. I looked for free themes and plugins and all bar the WordPress Review Site Builder plugin weren't up to scratch.
And whilst the free plugin is pretty good, the paid options are probably going to build you a better review site that is more engaging.
Obviously, when it comes to reviewing those products that are not free, there's a strong reliance on demonstrations and trust in the supporting documentation and copy.
For themes, it is fairly easy to check the look and feel and how the theme works but for plugins this is much more difficult.
Google likes and supports schema.org and so really every review site should be making sure that its reviews are marked up as per the Review schema.
What? Only 8.6 for the greatest movie ever made?
In fact, this IMDb page is prime example of the use of multiple schemas, not just Review, so if you are interested have a look at it using Google's Structured Data Tool.
Despite the obvious benefits in having reviews marked up, disappointingly, only one plugin and one theme supported the Review schema, so if you don't pick these then be prepared to undertake some modifications to add this important feature (or hassle the developer) if you want to maximize your chances with the dominant search engine.
ProProview is my personal pick of the themes listed here in terms of look and features. It's just a shame it is compromised by the lack of support for schema.org.
The theme creates its own Review custom post type so there's nothing else to add.
A quick and seemingly easy way to have a review site up and running with very little effort if you can live without the schema.org support.
Swagger from Industrial Themes is a comprehensive if overly busy theme which supports schema.org but is potentially let down by the lack of user ratings.
All the features that you'd expect with a great looking rating widget, Pros and Cons, a product overview as well as plenty of options for laying out on the article.
It doesn't have user ratings which may be significant depending on your situation. It certainly seems to be an important omission given the general consensus is that allowing users to also rate considerably increases engagement.
InReview is what you'd expect from Elegant Themes: clean and good looking.
That said, the home page layout is a little conservative and the theme doesn't immediately project "review site!" in the same way that ProReview and Swagger do.
There's also no support for schema.org.
What it does have is Author and User Ratings, feature ratings, a slider and a couple of the essential widgets. The theme also comes packed with ET's range of shortcodes which provides considerable flexibility when laying out an article.
ET's themes are always well-written and easy to use and you'll have no problem setting up a review site with this theme. It's lack of support for schema.org and it's slightly understated look, though, do require careful consideration.
* this is the yearly membership fee and provides access to all (currently 87) themes.
The Reviewer from Design Crumb (via ThemeForest) is aimed more at entertainment reviews and provides a clean, if uninspiring, look with plenty of features.
Quite why this theme is entertainment only isn't clear. The theme appears to include entertainment-related taxonomies (and the display of reviews based on those taxonomies) but the features list makes no mention of this.
What is does mention is recent ratings and featured reviewer widgets, shortcodes and social networks.
The theme doesn't support user ratings nor does it support schema.org.
A good option, especially for those that want an entertainment review site and are not concerned about getting user ratings.
Smart Reviewer from Umbrella Web uses a Pinterest-style layout to get plenty of reviews on the home page.
It has all the basic functions you'd expect including ribbons, user ratings, affiliate links and provides three really useful widgets for similar, best and latest reviews.
Also in its favor is the excellent documentation.
However, it does not support feature ratings. Nor does it support schema.org which pulls the rug a little from the claim that the theme is "SEO optimized".
The copy claiming compatibility to WP 3.6 also dents the confidence.
This theme is definitely for those wanting that Pinterest look and feel.
WE Review (via WP Eden) has a focussed look and feel that strikes the right balance of content and whitespace – even the slider works!
The theme isn't standalone and requires the WordPress Review Site Builder plugin (available on the WP Plugin Repository). Such separation of visual from coding will please the purists.
Together they provide feature rating, user rating (although only individual ratings not overall) and a top-rated widget.
There's no support for schema.org.
A free plugin from the makers of WE Themes that adds a review custom content type to the WordPress admin interface.
The Review edit interface allows a separate review title and description to be set along with an affiliate link, price, editor rating and a ribbon.
Feature ratings can also be easily added.
The plugin provides two shortcodes: wp_review to list all reviews in a tabular format and all_reviews to list the views in a Pinterest style.
The plugin will work with any theme as it also provides its own templates for the review listings and review detail although there are no widgets.
A solid plugin that provides what you'd need for a basic review site and you can't argue with the price.
Interested in WordPress Review Site Builder?
UPDATE: A couple of readers have raised concerns about this plugin regarding bugs and support. Whilst, at present, we can't verify these concerns it is certainly the case that major WordPress host, WP Engine, has disallowed the use of this plugin. All-in-all it seems reasonable to exercise caution when considering this plugin.
This is a comprehensive plugin and is the only product, both theme and plugin, that promotes the fact that it supports schema.org with both support for both hReview and RDFa Review.
The plugin is aimed at adding reviews to existing content types. For site owners this is achieved through "editor ratings" whilst on the user side it's achieved via adding rating ability to comments.
It actually allows for feature rating by users which is a nice touch.
Other features include the selection of how to rate (stars, letter grades, percentage), post order control, comparison tables (vertical and horizontal), "was this review helpful?", Google Maps integration, two widgets and one-click embedding.
Add to this an apparent "set up a full site in one click" and 8 built in themes and the plugin seems to be pretty good value for money even at the above average cost.
There's a good list of sites using the plugin on the website.
WP Reviews from Author HReview is a premium product that provides good looking reviews that comply with the review schema.
The plugin adds a new Reviews option to the admin interface and has a strong focus on generating Google-friendly formats. It even has the link to the structured data testing tool and actively encourages the testing of its reviews. (They pass with flying colors, by the way).
The plugin provides author ratings and user ratings and, in fact, allows users to provide their own reviews both overall and by feature. It also includes the ability to create galleries and YouTube videos.
Three shortcodes provide the ability to embed a single review, a list of reviews and related reviews in a post, whilst three widgets provide options for embedding reviews and review listings directly into your theme.
WP Review works by adding metaboxes to the post type. My preference is for custom post types as I think it provides more flexibility but, that said, WP Review looks to be a comprehensive plugin with good-looking, clean output that would integrate well with most themes.
NOTE: You can download the related hReview plugin from the WordPress repository. This is a much simpler plugin that is focussed on providing a summary ratings box that is automatically displayed on a post page. This plugin is fine for adding very simple reviews.
* includes access to all plugins and SIX months support and upgrades. Additional support can be purchased in blocks of six months for $29.
The Pick Of The Bunch?
UPDATE: When I originally wrote this post, my pick was MyReviewPlugin. However, thanks to reader input – more proof, if we needed it, of the value of comments – there's enough doubt about this plugin for it not to be the pick. In particular, it's appearance on WP Engine's disallowed plugin list is obviously a major concern given WP Engine's reputation.
All the plugins and themes have their pros and cons and so there is no obvious choice. I would have picked Pro Review but for its lack of support for the review schema – an essential feature for any review site.
The strongest candidate, then, is the reader-suggested plugin, WP Reviews, particularly as it is highly focussed on ensuring that the reviews are review schema compliant. The use of custom fields rather than a custom post type is a drawback although if you're building a dedicated review site then this will be less of a concern.
The payment structure, with support and updates only available in six month blocks rather than the more common 12 months is food for thought, though, as is how easy it may be to change the layout of the output.
Have you built a review site using any of these products? In particular, have you used the MyReviewPlugin? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
Thanks for the heads-up, Suraj.
I've had a play with WP-Review and it seems to do a simple task – adding review capabilities to a post – very well but I'm not sure I'd use it to build a review site.
I like its support for the review schema but not using a custom content type does limit the flexibility somewhat. There are also no shortcodes or widgets.
Best suited for adding reviews to a site that has plenty of non-review content, perhaps?
Hi Chris, I have recently released a free WordPress review plugin, Review Content Type, that uses custom post type instead of adding review functionality to existing post types. You might wanna take a look at it!
Any constructive feedback or feature request is welcome!
Hi Chris, and thanks for a good roundup of review possibilities. Since you mentiones Elegant themes, I think Nexus (http://elegantthemes.com/preview/Nexus/) is a more contemporary choice. Also take a look at CSSIgniters theme Neuton (http://www.cssigniter.com/ignite/themes/neuton/).
But I wonder, could you make a good review plugin with some tweaks on the wpmudev´s plugin "custom press"? And also include support for schema.org?
As a freelance start-up I would love to have a review of freelance management plugins, handling client & project management, invoices, expences and payment etc.
Both nice themes and would work in the context of a review site if you don't mind integrating a review plugin in or building your own.
Hello there, this is a one nice collection of quality review themes and plugins! Thanks!
I am looking for a few WordPress bloggers/professional online marketers to beta-test and review my review/affiliate plugin, that I call "AffiGet".
AffiGet comes with a powerful bookmarklet, which allows you to hand-pick products on Amazon site and post reviews to your blog without having to leave Amazon!
To my knowledge, no other review/affiliate plugin provides such a streamlined and natural experience.
This might read like a blatant promotion, but I firmly believe that my plugin will be of value to all your readers who want to build a professional review site on WordPress.
Just a warning about MyReviewPlugin. I thought I found the best plugin for reviews/ratings, but the developer of this plugin is completely unreachable – despite how convincing the website is that they have great support.
There are lots of bugs that haven't been fixed, and I had to open a dispute claim with PayPal to get a refund (which I eventually did).
It's really a shame because the plugin has so much potential.
Thank you for the comparisons, I have a review site to do shortly, and never look forward to going through comparing what is available as a starting point, I think that it is crazy that Review Plugin can not have schema markup, I guess that whatever I use I will end up customizing but I would have thought that markup was a given.
I do have place and event review sites that are marked up as schema correctly and it does not mean that Google will display the review stars etc. just because it is marked up correctly.
As a tool demo sites should be checked with the Google tool.
I highly recommend as a service to your readers that WPMU remove any mention of this plugin. Your readers will pay their good money for it only to find out it is broken, offers no support and no way to get their money back despite the 45 day "money back guarantee". Congratulations to @threeaz for getting a refund. I had no such luck.
It is sad that the payment processing still works for anyone trying to purchase it. Somebody is getting other people's money for this knowing that it's a lemon. DON'T BUY IT!
WPMU: this plugin is a ripoff, please save your readers the trouble and make a correction to your review.
Ted, thanks for your comment – reader comments often add real value to these types of posts.
We'll certainly follow-up on your issues with the MyReviewPlugin.
As I mentioned in the article, reviews of paid products have to be on the information available so there is a certain level of trust.
Thanks for your response and for agreeing to put up a revision that points out the problems of MyReviewPlugin. Too many people have been ripped off from it.
Because of my experience with it, I now do a better job for myself of researching and selecting plugins. It's on me to try to verify their claims and who they are. For example, I now might either ask a presale question directly to the developer and check their support forums for recent posts. There's also a nice site by Jay Hoffman called TidyRepo.com in which he lists several plugins he's researched and vetted. I find that site a good starting point.
Thanks again for responding. Maybe search engines will pick up this article and save people the trouble and money of dealing with MyReviewPlugin.
very appropriate for me as it happens! I registered a domain name over 6 months ago with the intention of building a review site.
I'd already thought that WP was the obvious choice to power it. But in reality when I started looking deeper into getting it going I got lost in just how to achieve the goal. The project got shelved and I moved on. Today that has been revived by your reviews so thank you. I just have to weigh up if I want to go with a $90 punt on the best of the bunch, or try a half cocked effort with a lesser or free jobbie!
@ted_oehmke8 Just read your post – thanks for the tip off. Was considering it but looking again now.
On another note – Why don't wpmudev take up the challenge and do a review theme/plugin of their own?
I'm confused, did I misunderstand or was there a reason WP Reviews/Author HReview was not included?
I'm considering buying this and it would be nice to see it compared with the rest.
thanks for the update… I bought a single site license to try it out.
Thanks Mordavia for pointing out to the plugin. And, thanks Chris for responding and the great write up, I appreciate it.
Thanks Chris! Your timing is impeccable as I am just starting tonight on a site like this.
MyReviewPlugin has been abandoned by its developer, the last update was over a year ago. It was slowing our site way down and creating a lot of errors, so we had to delete it.
There are many reports across the web of it having problems and consuming a lot of resources. In fact, WPEngine bans it for excessive resource usage – http://support.wpengine.com/disallowed-plugins/.
I agree with previous posters that you are doing yourself and your readers a great disservice by recommending this plugin.
That's interesting that WP Engine have banned it.
OK, so I"m going to update the article and include the warnings about MyReviewPlugin (I think it's more useful to keep that sort of information in the article than remove all reference to it).
I also look forward to your perspective on the Author hReview plugin (both the free & premium versions), as we will be testing it on our site next.
The free version (hReview) is very basic and not really a consideration for building a full-blown review site. The premium WP Reviews plugin, however, looks pretty good.
As Chris said, the Free version of the plugin is very basic, however it works as it meant to be. However there are big differences I made in the Pro version.
14- of course a lot of bug fixes and other enhancements!
With all these features that plugin do not include user rating/reviews, here comes the WP Reviews plugin to help anyone to create a complete review site.
I set up Genesis Themes Guide with the intent to draw attention to and encourage user reviews of 3rd party Genesis child themes, and for that I've been using the Social Review Engine plugin by WP Social.
For some reason, I can't leave a link for it (I've put links in other comments without issue, but not for this one).
That said, I *really* like the layout of WP Reviews much better… was this plugin available 6 months ago when I was looking and seriously considering which one to buy?
Thanks for the post, I'm gonna try using WP reviews plugin.
Anyway, I'm just curious Chris… how do you do the "feature plugin" blue box with dotted lines? Is there a plugin for it or instructions?
There is another option out there for people that have existing review blogs (and the posts get lost to history). This isn't a whole site with lots of fancy visuals, etc, but it is a very easy way to organize blog reviews so that your readers can actually find stuff.
Hi, this was a very "enlightening" article! A question though regarding "Themes" vs "Plugins": Do I need both, meaning let's say that I purchase the "Swagger" theme – do I need to get one of the "Review plugins" as well or does the theme have the necessary functions? Or let's say that I got a nice theme already – like a Genesis/ StudioPress theme – and purchase one of the Review plugins – will this do the same?
We at InkThemes have developed a Review Theme for creating review based website easily.
Cost for a single licence $69 – what I did not account for and misunderstood as being included was a range of add ons that I had wanted to use with it. The basic site I am sure will make a reasonable job but to make it extra special pretty there are bolt ons at extra cost. See their site for details.
These cost between $14 and $49 each and I worked out that I would like 5 of them.
There is a multi site licence that includes all this at around 200 bucks but no deals for single site. Personally I thought that was just a bit too step for what I wanted.
But true to their word on request I received a full refund.
Also looking at the Inkthemes and jReview.
Wonder if I will get the task done before the blogs anniversary!!
I am very new to this and have probably very simple questions. If I wanted to go with the pro review template would it be possible to add the schema to it an how complicated could that become?
For those who review books, there's the Book Review plugin – https://wordpress.org/plugins/book-review/. It supports schema.org markup for more attractive Google search results, and also automatically pulls in a book's details given an ISBN. Disclaimer: This is a free plugin that I created.


Initially, we chose Kelly Aluise to sell our Westwood home because she walks the neighborhood, knocks on doors, gets to know the residents firsthand, and is exceptionally knowledgeable. But we had no idea how far she would go to ensure a positive experience for us.
From the start, Kelly worked closely with us on what turned out to be a very challenging sale. She helped to stage our home and brought flowers for the open houses. She helped us negotiate the sale price and got us two offers in the first week. Throughout escrow, she was on the phone with us every day, explaining every detail, making the complex understandable. When the buyer requested an extension to the escrow period that threatened to derail our plans for the house we were buying in another town, Kelly worked with all the parties involved to make sure everything stayed on track. But she went even farther than that.
The day we moved, our cat escaped, and we had no choice but to leave him behind. Kelly traveled many miles to purchase a "kind" cat trap, left food out for him every day for a week, finally caught him, and personally drove 110 miles to bring him back to us -- on Thanksgiving Day! She was everything we could have wanted in an agent, and much more. If you're buying or selling a home, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Kelly.
My wife and I can be described as a freight-train couple. When we decide to do something, we do it, and it gets done very quickly no matter what. So we decided to buy a house. We talked with our friend Carolin who is starting out in real estate to help us look for some houses. My wife and I saw... just way too many houses. We were getting notifications every hour of houses popping up in our area. It was the third house we saw that we JUST closed on. Carolin introduced us to Kelly who is her mentor and from there we were flying. Kelly handled all the craziness for us; the back and forth, back and forth, this amendment, that disclosure, every time we needed to go to the house or have an inspection Kelly was there. Anyways... Kelly is amazing. As first time homeowners she held our hand the whole way, gave us sound advice, was available for chats, and just generally made a very intense and fast process as painless as possible (closed escrow and had keys in less than 2 weeks). Not everyone is going to have such a crazy fast process, but even if you do she can handle it. Her demeanor is always pleasant and fun. She is the genuine deal... If you want someone who knows the ropes, treats you fair, gives very sound advice, and has an attitude that makes you want to be her best friend forever; she's the one. SHE'S THE BEST. And for the practical people... she's an amazing negotiator. We came down over $20k from the asking price. Call her. You won't regret it one second.
I had a great experience selling our duplex through Kelly.
She is caring, meticulous and very articulate. She is very knowledgeable and has a very warm and friendly way of interacting with her clients and prospective buyers. She walks the neighborhood and knows her area very well.
She kept us posted on the progress of the sale and was ready to meet anytime needed.
We were in escrow a few days after the first public open house.
My wife and I recently sold our home in Comstock Hills, and were fortunate enough to hire Kelly Aluise as our listing agent. From our very first meeting, we felt comfortable with her approach and confident she could help us get what we wanted for our house. Kelly was always available when we had questions and always went the extra mile to make sure the process of selling our home was as pleasant and easy as possible. In the end, we sold within weeks at a price we were very happy with. We would confidently recommend her to a friend for any real estate needs.
I just wanted to thank you for everything. I couldn't have picked a better real estate agent. As a single mom, I was terrified to list and sell my home and to find a new one. But you held my hand every step of the way, making the terrifying and difficult process not so scary. Your knowledge, advice, and support never wavered, and your positive attitude always made me feel like everything was going to be okay.
I am so happy in my new home in Calabasas (and thank you for showing me the 75 other homes that I didn't buy!).
I will recommend you to anybody and everybody I know who is looking for an agent. My kids and I are eternally grateful for the experience, and ultimately, that we made a new friend.


La Roux Changes her Style?
No, not the stupid quiff (which fortunately hasn't spawned a new hipster trend of people looking like they've slept in front of a fan), but her singing. Elly Jackson, the vocal half of La Roux, told the BBC that "The vocal style will be different… I've changed the way I sing, not on purpose, it's just happened." Clues to why, and what the future holds for the 80s synth pop corpse exhumers, came later in the interview: "The type of music I like now is completely different. I don't listen to '80s music anymore… obviously I still do, but not the same type of '80s music anymore. I'm into a lot more Italo disco and old funk." What sort of hair does Italo disco have?


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CITMA Live Mediation Seminar
Watch a live mediation to help you uncover their importance as a way of resolving potential trade mark oppositions.
You will see first-hand how a mediation is conducted and hear the points put forward by each side to help you provide the best for your clients.
The case we will be using for the mediation is adapted from last year's mock CMC and hearing event.
Joy Davies: Principal Lecturer at Nottingham Law School, dispute resolution lawyer and accredited mediator will act as our narrator. Throughout the mediation, Joy will offer top tips on what you should be looking for as well as major pitfalls to avoid.
In turn, UK IPO mediators and colleagues from Nottingham Law School will play out the roles of each party and their attorneys.
The mediation will be bookended by thoughts from our expert mediators.
You will also find out more how mediations sit within the Advanced Competency Framework for Chartered Trade Mark Attorneys.
Join us for this two-hour live event and see how a mediation could work out best for you and your clients.
By the end of this session, you should be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of mediation as a method of dispute resolution and, in some cases, a viable alternative to litigation
Explain the value of the UK IPO's mediation service to the trade mark profession
Identify how a successful mediation may provide creative outcomes for future business.
Meet your speakers:
Joy Davies, Nottingham Law School
Joy Davies is a Solicitor Academia at Nottingham Law School (NLS) and is a CIArb accredited mediator and a RICS assessor for mediation training. She has been a member of the Working Group for the ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition Rules (Paris) since 2011 and a judge in the competition since 2015.
Joy has also been an expert assessor in the VIAC-IBA CDRC Negotiation/Mediation Competition (Vienna) since 2018.
Joy is Principal Lecturer for the Practitioner Portfolio, Director of The Centre for Mediation and Dispute Resolution and oversees NLS' Internal Negotiation/Mediation Skills Competitions.
Alain Godement, Murgitroyd
Alain joined Murgitroyd's Croydon team in 2017 after completing his postgraduate degree where his dissertation analysed the practice of mass surveillance and wiretapping of ISSPs in relation to the General Data Protection Regulation. He qualified as a Trade Mark Attorney in 2021.
Andrew Isgrove, Patent Examiner at the Intellectual Property Office
Since joining the IPO Andrew has worked in the Patents Examining department working on a wide range of subject matter before specialising in Engineering. His role also involves working on ex-parte and inter-parte hearings. Andrew joined the IPO Mediation department in 2019.
Mark King, UK IPO, Trade Marks Hearing Officer and Company Names Adjudicator
Mark has been a Trade Marks Inter-partes Hearing Office, Company Names Adjudicator and Commercial Mediator at the UK IPO for over four years.
Prior to joining the UK IPO, Mark was on the EUIPO Board of Appeal and Opposition Division.
Charlotte Lavery, Allen & Overy
Charlotte is newly qualified trade mark attorney at Allen & Overy LLP. Charlotte attained her LLB at Queen's University, Belfast in 2015. She then continued her legal studies at Queen Mary, University of London's CCLS campus attaining an LLM in Intellectual Property Law in 2017. Charlotte has also recently completed and attained her Chartered Trade Mark Attorney qualification at Nottingham Law School, whilst carrying out a virtual secondment to an in-house IP Team of a multi-national and FSTE 100 company.
Before joining Allen & Overy's International IP Practice in 2019 as a trainee, Charlotte worked in-house with ASOS.com as part of their media, marketing and content legal team. Prior to this, she worked for QMUL on a European Commission funded project delivering European wide workshops on the impact and implementation of the GDPR for eHealth start-ups and SMEs.
Charlotte assists her clients in contentious and non-contentious trade mark and design matters. She has experience in managing global trade mark portfolios across a variety of sectors, including the retail, entertainment, media and banking industries.
June Ralph, UK IPO
June Ralph is a Tribunal inter-partes hearing officer at the Intellectual Property Office and became a CEDR Accredited Mediator in 2013.
Since joining the IPO in 1992 she has worked solely in the IPO's Trade Marks Directorate, and is currently the acting head of the IPO Mediation Service.
June specialises in mediations for trade mark cases.
CITMA member (until 1st November) - £135
Standard (until 1st November) - £165
CITMA member (after 2nd November) - £145
Standard (after 2nd November) - £175
To note
Payment online via debit or credit card only; proforma invoices are not available.
Full terms and conditions apply.
Closing date: 9am, Tuesday 30th November 2021.
2pm - 4pm Tuesday, 30th Nov 2021
+Add to calendar
2hours' CPD
IET London: Savoy Place, 2 Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL


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Michael Parrott, PGA
Sunday Clinics
Lesson Request
Originally from Portland Oregon, Michael accepted a golf scholarship to play for the University of Georgia in 1996. While attending, the Bulldogs were National Champions in 1999 as well as SEC Champions in 1998 and 2000. After playing as a professional for several years, Michael found his passion for teaching and has been the Director of Golf Instruction here since 2007. Michael still enjoys competing in local professional tournaments but his main focus is growing the game through club fitting and player development programs here at Brookfield Country Club.
Follow Brookfield Golf Academy:
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Ophelian Symbolism In Hamlet
In Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Ophelia intentionally kills herself. Ophelia, stricken to her core by the heinous murder of her Father, Polonium, began experiencing hysteria. Spiraling into despair, Ophelia quickly drifted into madness eventually unable to coherently answer questions. In her final hours, Ophelia surrounded herself with the beauty of nature. Gertrude states, "Her clothes spread out wide in the water, and buoyed her up for a while as she sang bits of old hymns, acting like someone who doesn't realize the danger she's in, or like someone completely accustomed to danger". This statement shows Ophelia's candid assumption about death, her willingness to put herself in danger. Gertrude explained to Laertes, "Climbing into the tree to hang the wreath of weeds on the hanging branches, she and her flowers fell into the gurgling brook". What can be concluded from this is the circumstances of Ophelia's death. Two symbols appear on Ophelia's tombstone. These symbols, a wild wreath, and a willow tree was chosen because they represented her innocence. Gertrude states,"There's a willow that leans over the…show more content…
To me, this song really resonated with the circumstances of Ophelia's death. Ophelia ultimately chose to drown when she refused help. The song starts, "Lay me down on a bed of roses. Sink me in the river at dawn. Send me away with the words of a love song." This quote could be compared to Ophelia's need to be surrounded by nature, her decision to drown, and how she longs for love. Those around Ophelia were astonished by her untimely death. As suggested by the songs title, Ophelia, died a young adolescent. Gertrude states, "I once hoped you'd be my Hamlet's wife. I thought I'd be tossing flowers on your wedding bed, my sweet girl, not on your grave." This statement shows the people closest to Ophelia never dreamed her life would end in such a
Self-Preservation In Hamlet And Ophelia
The ability for a person to both follow the wishes of others or deal with challenges while preserving his or her own morals, mental wellbeing and overall health is a balance that is hard to achieve. Often times the only way that people can effectively deal with conflicts in their lives is to throw away their instinct of self-preservation. Although Hamlet and Ophelia are lovers who claim to love one another, the emphasis that they place on their own wellbeing while dealing with demands varies greatly. Ophelia always puts her own wellbeing last, whereas Hamlet was willing to use Ophelia's mental wellbeing in order to protect himself. While some similarities exist between Hamlet and Ophelia's sense of self-preservation, the differences are exceedingly
Essay On Ophelia's Death In Hamlet
In "Hamlet" a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, the death of a character is an occurring event. William Shakespeare uses imagery and allusion to demonstrate the result of manipulation from other characters upon Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, and leading up to her death. Her death was not the consequence of disgraceful actions of her own, but rather by the involvement of others and their influence on her life. Hamlet's apparent rejection of her love and her father's personal vindictive leads up to her simple-minded state, entering a world of madness. She has now gone mad, singings nonsense songs and giving people flowers that she has picked from the garden. The cause of Ophelia's death has been debated over the years, was it a suicide
Hamlet Essay On Ophelia's Suicide
According to researchers, every 16.2 minutes, at least one person attempts suicide. Suicide is never the answer, but there are multiple characters in today's literature that show the impact of the events leading up to the ultimate decision. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia takes her life because of the actions the individuals around her did. But, that is not the argument. The argument is that the people around Ophelia are not to blame for her committing suicide, it is Ophelia's own fault, prompted by the madness surrounding her.
How Is Ophelia Presented In Hamlet
Women have been dominated and manipulated by men for many years. In Hamlet, the character Ophelia was living under the demands of her father. She didn't actually decide anything for herself. She obeyed every demand she received from her father Polonius because for her it was a form of loyalty. When Polonius was killed by Hamlet, she became vulnerable since she no longer had the person who decided everything for her. Her life in an instant became a disaster because it was Hamlet the one she loved, the person who had killed her father. Ophelia's death is debated as an accident or a suicide, but I believe it was an accident that ended in a suicide since she lost her father and Hamlet killed him.
Ophelia's Significance In Hamlet
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the main character Hamlet was out for revenge against the man who killed his father. In addition to his path of revenge Hamlet also deals with conflicting emotions towards a woman named Ophelia. During the play Hamlet's love, desirability, and dismissal towards Ophelia made me wonder if he was really in love with Ophelia, and it shows that her significance was that she was his last piece of sanity and love.
Love Is Toxic In Shakespeare's Hamlet
Throughout the play, Ophelia acts as a very honest person in the beginning, willing to tell Laertes and Polonius anything. She then receives mistreated love from Hamlet that leads her to drowning herself in a river. The true face and actions from Ophelia, Laertes, Polonius, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, and particularly Hamlet lead to their deaths. The end result leads to unfortunate events, including death. The love throughout the kingdom of Denmark becomes toxic, killing all who lives
A Comparison Of Love In Hamlet And The Awakening
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia's love for Hamlet ultimately leads to her madness. In order for Ophelia to build her relationship with Hamlet, she must go against her father's orders considering he strictly prohibited her from seeing him. Hamlet then breaks up with Ophelia saying, "I did love you once," and then tells her to go "to a nunnery," causing Ophelia to feel a great amount of betrayal. Ophelia is already heartbroken, and now Hamlet murders her father which was too much for her to handle.
Gertrude And Ophelia A Foil Characters In Hamlet
Patricia Thai Humanity English IV/CP Ms Shorey 04/01/2016 Compare Gertrude and Ophelia "Hamlet", one of the most famous play in the world, was written by the brilliant author William Shakespeare. In this play, there are two main female characters namely Ophelia and Gertrude. Moreover, as foil characters, both of them are also similarly depicted in several ways to generate the masterpiece "Hamlet" to become a classical work. When it comes to Hamlet, the family love appears as a string that connects both Gertrude and Ophelia to the main character – Hamlet.
Hamlet Compare And Contrast Hamlet And Ophelia
The story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself. Hamlet's insane behavior is a significant part of the story because it is supposedly part of his revenge plan, but also because of the additional problems, it creates. Some have argued that his madness was indeed an act, but rather real madness that he was trying to cover up by telling people
The Dehumanization Of Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet
Helpless. The characters around Ophelia's life treat her as an infant who can't make any decisions on her own. The men in specific, look at her as a mere puppet. Her father and brother guide her to make the choices they see fit and she follows their advice even if she disagrees with it. Overall Ophelia is dehumanized and characterized as an object that is to be manipulated and taken advantage of to help others achieve their goals. Whose emotions are not taken into consideration. The entirety of Shakespeare's Hamlet highlights and rejects the sexist treatment of Ophelia and depicts it in a negative light.
Comparing Hamlet And Ophelia's Suicide
The King and Hamlet's mother Gertrude talk about Hamlet's depression with Hamlet's friends. They do not know the cause yet. Hamlet's friends convince the king and queen to watch the play that night. The king and Polonius later decide to spy on Hamlet's conversations. They her him say the famous line " To be, or not to be: that is the question". Hamlet is thinking about killing himself at this point in the story. Ophelia comes into the room when Hamlet is talking about suicide. Ophelia says she wants to return his love but Hamlet goes on to criticize her and all women.
Examples Of Ophelia's Madness In Hamlet
Hamlet has come to see his mother, Queen Gertrude, and ends up stabbing Lord Polonius, which ultimately leads to his death. Lord Polonius' final words include "O, I am slain!" Even though this provides a slight amount of comic relief to the reader, it has a reverse effect on Ophelia's mental state. Her father's death seems to be the potent punch in this fight because she officially goes mad after this final event. This is apparent in Scene IV Act I, when Laertes has come back to visit his sister and check on her well being.
Hamlet Garden Motif
Gertrude reveals that Ophelia drowned while climbing in a willow tree above a brook, where she subsequently fell. Gertrude observed Ophelia crafting garlands "of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples" (scene vii, line 187). The tree Ophelia scaled and the flowers she plucked have symbolic meanings that characterize Ophelia. Willow trees' drooping branches symbolize depression and mourning, which is befitting of Ophelia's character as she fails to cope with the murder of her father and Hamlet's rejection of her. Each of the flowers also has a meaning attached.
Compare And Contrast Hamlet Play And Movie
After their secret was discovered, Hamlet rushed out of Ophelia's apartment and Polonius stopped Ophelia from going after him, causing her to drop the letter that Hamlet had given her. After reading the letter Polonius hurries to tell Claudius and Gertrude what he's discovered. Polonius and Ophelia find them at their private pool, where Polonius proceeds to tell them that he thinks that Hamlet's madness has been caused by his love for Ophelia. While her father is telling Claudius and Gertrude about his theory, Ophelia continuously tries to take the letter away from him. After finally giving up in her attempts to keep her letter private, Ophelia stands near the edge of the pool and imagines jumping in, which could point to suicidal tendencies.
Hamlet Sacrifice
Although Ophelia is not aware of Hamlet's madness - a saddening and very dramatic piece of irony at the time - his emotional abuse slowly leads her to a downward spiral into her own blackening hole of madness. Eventually, due to her father's death, Ophelia snaps and loses her mind, however; her madness would not have been orchestrated as drastically if
More about Ophelian Symbolism In Hamlet


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x- Uncategorized
Be MENINGITIS WISE…
National charity Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) are encouraging the public to Be MeningitisWise during Meningitis Awareness Week – 17-23 September and to be aware of the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia.
MRF says that the diseases affect around 3,600 people in the UK and Ireland annually. They are deadly diseases that can strike anyone without warning, killing one in ten, and leaving a quarter of survivors with life altering after-effects ranging from deafness and brain damage to loss of limbs.
We explored the impact of the diseases in our project 'Counting the Cost of Meningitis' and estimate that the life-long costs to the UK Government of medical treatment and ongoing care for a person seriously disabled by the disease are around £3 million. As a result the charity launched a petition last year calling on the UK Government to pursue the widest and earliest implementation of vaccines to prevent all types of meningitis and septicaemia.
Christopher Head, Chief Executive of MRF said: "There is currently no vaccine for meningococcal B disease which is responsible for the majority of cases of disease in the UK and Ireland. Nearly 18,000 signed our petition and this week it has been presented to 10 Downing Street, so thank you to everyone who supported us. However, we must remember that vaccines do not prevent all strains of meningitis and septicaemia yet, so it's vitally important that everyone is MeningitisWise and remains aware of the symptoms."
To find out more about the symptoms visit their website www.meningitis.org or download the iPhone App from: www.bit.ly/MRFapp
BEABA's Babycook Duo
Meningitis Baby Watch
"My Baba is packed with expert advice and information on all aspects of fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and parenting. We're constantly researching and reviewing the latest educational toys, gadgets and gizmos, and blogging about the latest crafts, activities, fashions and mouth-watering family recipes. My Baba is also the ultimate present guide with unique gift ideas for babies, toddlers and children of all ages." Leonora Bamford, Founder
WIN! A Skip Hop Zoo 3-in-1 Ride On Toy – Three Up for Grabs!
WIN! Lily's Doll Cottage with Furniture from Le Toy Van – Two to Give Away!


In the beginning of January, the quartet attended BMC's studio again, to record the material for their next BMC Records release. The new pieces have even more emphasis on traditional reed instruments like tárogató, clarinets, recorder and different kinds of peasants' pipes. At present the post-production works are going on, the album will be first available on the debut concert.


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Q: Vagrant up any alternative I was setting up vagrant  for the first time,
I used Vagrant up few times but , it didnt finished , before finishing I am getting error like
HTTP server doesn't seem to support byte ranges. Cannot resume.

at 15%
and
SSL read: error:00000000:lib(0):func(0):reason(0), errno 10054

at 81%
is there any other way I can download the contents like any zip or image file?
so that I can paste the content at ".vagrant.d" folder?

A: you mean like you could not download a box ? you can try to download the box alone first with following
vagrant box add --insecure <name of your box>

it should pass the SSL read error

A: Clean Download
You may be running into an issue that will be fixed in the 1.8 release. Rather than updating, you can also try the following to bypass the partial download cache:
vagrant box add <box name> --clean

Downloading Manually
If you really want to download the box manually though, here's how:

*

*Find the URL of the box you want to download. It will be in the format:
https://atlas.hashicorp.com/<username>/boxes/<boxname>.

*After visiting that url, click the version number you want to download. You should now be at:
https://atlas.hashicorp.com/<username>/boxes/<boxname>/versions/<version>.

*Next, append the provider you want to download:
/providers/<provider>.box.

*Finally, import the box into Vagrant:
vagrant box add --name "<user>/<boxname>" /path/to/download.box
Manual Example
As an example, here's how you'd import the current version of ubuntu/trusty64 for VirtualBox:
wget -O /tmp/ubuntu.box https://atlas.hashicorp.com/ubuntu/boxes/trusty64/versions/20151208.1.0/providers/virtualbox.box
vagrant box add --name "ubuntu/trusty64" /tmp/ubuntu.box
rm /tmp/ubuntu.box

Just note that the box won't be linked to the version in atlas, and won't have a version number. You could try linking it with the metadata_url, but I haven't tested this:
echo "https://atlas.hashicorp.com/ubuntu/trusty64" > ~/.vagrant.d/boxes/ubuntu-VAGRANTSLASH-trusty64/metadata_url

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


HÀ NỘI — The retail price of petrol RON95 decreased VNĐ400 per litre from 3pm on Wednesday, according to an announcement by the ministries of industry and trade and finance.
This is the first time the price of petrol RON95 has decreased since the beginning of this year.
After the adjustment, prices of some fuels are as follow: E5 RON92 not higher than VNĐ18,340 per litre (US$0.8), diesel 0.05S not higher than VNĐ15,716 per litre, kerosene not higher than VNĐ14,560 per litre, mazut 180CST 3.5S not higher than VNĐ12,528 per kilogram.
The prices were adjusted after the two ministries adjusted the use of the fuel price stabilisation fund.
For E5 RON92 it is at VNĐ600 per litre, RON95 is at VNĐ0, diesel VNĐ0, kerosene VNĐ105 and mazut VNĐ0 per kilogram.
The ministries of industry and trade and finance said that the adjustment of petrol prices for the purpose of regulating gasoline prices under the market mechanism under the control of the State, contributes to controling inflation and limits the increase in the consumer price index (CPI).
This adjustment is also expected to contribute to the production and business of enterprises, stabilise consumer psychology in the spirit of the Government's Directive No.48 on strengthening the management and administration in order to stabilise the market price, ensure social order and safety on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.
The Ministry of Finance is drafting a report to the Government on the proposal to refund excise tax on mineral oil used for the production of bio-fuel E5, based on the proposal of the Việt Nam Petroleum Association.
Petrol enterprises as well as the Việt Nam Petroleum Association are proposing the Ministry of Finance and related ministries to re-guide the non-deductible excise tax on mineral oil products used for the production of bio-fuel.
The proposal is believed to be reasonable with the real situation after the guidance of the Government that businesses can only sell RON95 and E5 from January 1 this year.
This also means that the non-deductible excise tax on E5 petrol is high.
For Petrolimex alone, the amount of non-deductible tax arising from the beginning of this year is estimated at VNĐ270 billion.


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Q: How can I process a command in determined probability in C? I would like to process a command like the way, that if I press  character A, make the corresponding command in e.g 15% of the cases. Thanks for your help!

A: You'll need to generate a random number when A is pressed.
EDIT:  For example:
#include <stdlib.h>

if(PressedA){
    int random=(rand() % 100); // random is in [0,99]
    if(random < 15){
        command();
    }
}

A: Something like that, I guess. (compile with -std=c++11)
#include <iostream>
#include <random>

int main()
{
    std::random_device rd;
    std::uniform_int_distribution<int> d(0, 99);
    int x = d(rd);
    if (x < 15)
    {
        std::cout << "you, lucky boy! " << x << std::endl;
    }
    return 0;
}


text:
Broadway Beat
Underfunded High School Forced to Forgo Production of "Heathers" for More Affordable "Heather"
by Kath Dunham. @kathdunham.
BILOXI, MS - Sources report that, due to budget restraints, Biloxi High School has had to forgo their upcoming production of Heathers for a more affordable production of Heather.
"It's really unfortunate but we just don't have the budget for all those Heathers," said high school principal Eileen Vu. "By putting on Heather instead, we'll be saving almost 66% of what we would have spent on costumes and hair for the full Heather capacity. I mean, going into this, we knew Heathers was an ambitious show, but we had no idea just how expensive three can be."
The whittling down also saved some money on printing, as the playbills required less bios, and less congratulatory messages from proud parents. Theatre teacher Ted Kraft expressed his disappointment in the cut back, noting that the school's athletics program wasn't forced to cut anything as integral as two Heathers.
"We deal with budget cuts almost yearly, whether it be to props or sets or staffing," said Kraft. "We've never had our Heathers cut, though. We'll get through it, but it's just a shame people don't see value in the arts. Or the value in three Heathers."
Competition in the audition room was, therefore, tighter than ever. High school senior Kelly Williams has been cast in the now sole, titular role of Heather.
"The audition room was tense as it is but all of us really got desperate when we found out there would only be one Heather," said Williams, "But, honestly, now that I have the role, it's a lot more than I bargained for. I'm doing all the Heathers' lines and songs. And have to learn to play one-person croquet."
At press time, a similarly underfunded high school in the town next door was putting on Mamma Mia! but with only one dad.
Patti LuPone Tirade Against Audience Cell Phone User Moves to Larger Theater to Accommodate Demand
Andrew Cuomo Announces "Arts Revival" Plan to Help Out-of-Work Entertainment Employees Die Faster
The Ultimate Sellout? Phantom Leasing Ad Space On Mask


text:
Hands on: Polaroid Z340 review
By Amy Davies
Retro styling and instant printing - is Polaroid returning to form?
The Z340 is styled after the classic chassis of the Polaroid One
We spent some time with the new Polaroid Z340, a new digital camera with an in-built instant printer capable of producing 3x4 inch prints. It will be available at the end of the year.
When Polaroid bowed out of the instant analogue camera market in 2008, there was a huge uproar.
Today, packs of film from the last production days in the factory sell for extraordinary amounts, while the Impossible Project has done its level best to keep Polaroid mourners satisfied.
Now, in a bid to recapture the lucrative market of photographers looking for instant physical prints, Polaroid has announced the Z340.
Using the vintage styling of the classic Polaroid One, lookswise, the camera instantly appeals to fans of the original.
On the top of the camera is a flip-up LCD screen which you use to compose the shot, as well as review images.
In practice, it's a little disorientating to use at first. Classically of course, you would have held the camera to your eye to use a viewfinder, which the Z340 doesn't have, so you need to use it with arms stretched out as with most modern compacts.
Given the rather cumbersome build of the Z340 – which is an obvious necessity given that it also houses a printer – it's a little awkward shooting with it arm's length, but this is possibly something to get used to over time.
The buttons on the camera are few and far between – a good thing considering this is meant to be as basic and simple to use as possible.
Obviously the biggest risk with traditional Polaroid shooting is that if the picture was no good, you ended up wasting paper.
With digital photography, this problem is of course removed. With the Z340 you can even go one step further and make basic edits to a shot, such as cropping, before deciding to print it. You can also add borders, including the classic Polaroid white frame.
Printing speed is one of the most important aspects of this camera, and using this pre-production model was impressive. The time from taking a photograph to holding the physical print in your hand is around 30 seconds.
The Z340 is equipped with a 14 megapixel million effective pixel sensor, but looking at the image quality from our albeit brief time with the camera indicates that it is not superb. But, who ever bought a Polaroid camera for high quality shooting? The quality is certainly no worse than the traditional prints of old and perhaps even adds to the 'retro' feel of the camera.
ZINK printing technology
Although you will have to purchase paper packs for the Z340, because it uses ZINK (Zero Ink) technology, you won't need to buy ink. The process works using thermal technology to produce images, with the paper containing cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals inside the paper that are activated when heated.
We can see this camera appealing to photographers looking for something a little bit different, perhaps the street photographer who wants to give their subjects a copy of the image, or at parties.
One of the drawbacks however is the price. At over £200 it might put off the typical 'fun' consumer that the product is so clearly aimed at. That said however, with availability scheduled for December it might see itself at the top of several Christmas lists.
The Polaroid Z340 price will be £229.99 RRP and will be available from December 2011.
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Amy Davies
Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.
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Thanks to our friends at Highwire PR for hosting a media panel on storytelling tips for PR professionals. Panelists included tech reporting veterans Michael Liedtke from the Associated Press, Harry McCracken from Fast Company, Steve Nellis from Reuters and newcomer Sarah Kuranda from The Information.
Associated Press — The target audience includes your aunt Sarah who lives in the Midwest and doesn't know that much about technology. This outlet is basically at the point where it doesn't cover enterprise tech any more. Focus on stories with broad impact on average American consumers. Facebook and Uber are among the most important companies the AP will cover. If you're not one of these two companies, consumer apps and gadgets have strong appeal.
Fast Company — The focus here are stories that no one else will have, so shift away from breaking news into the story behind the story. (Example: Starbucks Brews A Tech-Infused Future, With Help From Microsoft: When the biggest name in coffee sought to use tech to make its stores both more human and more efficient, it found a partner in another Seattle institution.) Also, avoid the pile-on method for pitching targets. Once McCracken has posted a story on a particular topic like augmented reality, he's highly unlikely to post a second story on the same topic in the next year.
Reuters — As an international wire service with headquarters outside the U.S., Reuters is looking for breaking news exclusives and/or stories with international appeal. Avoid flagging competing publications' scoops that Reuters missed, but apply the pile-on tactic here — if there's breaking news for which you have an expert source, offer commentary for follow-up stories.
The Information — Since this is a subscription-based publication that favors long-form, investigative journalism, play the long game by offering introductions to expert sources. It's unlikely a story will result in the near term, but your source could be tapped in the future. Kuranda is looking for people that are super smart or who have unique, first-hand experiences to share, such as someone who was directly impacted by the #metoo movement.
As always, keep pitches short, and indicate clearly why each of the above outlets' unique audiences should care about what you're offering. Finally, think about what success looks like for the reporter; regardless the topic or news, a good story is a good story is a good story, and they're looking for the stories that will go viral across other news outlets and in readers' social feeds.


The following non-governmental organizations also took the floor Caritas Internationalis International Confederation of Catholic Charities (in a joint statement with World Evangelical Alliance), Catholic International Education Office, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, International Federation of ACAT Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture , Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de l'homme and Maarij Foundation for Peace and Development.
The following non-governmental organizations also took the floor Maarij Foundation for Peace and Development, Eastern Sudan Women Development Organization, Ius Primi Viri International Association, International Lesbian and Gay Association, Al Zubair Charity Foundation, Global Welfare Association, International Buddhist Relief Organisation , Human Rights Now, World Evangelical Alliance (in a joint statement with Assyrian Aid Society – Iraq), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, Sikh Human Rights Group, Association pour l'Intégration et le Développement Durable au Burundi, Liberation, Indigenous People of Africa Coordinating Committee, Solidarity Switzerland-Guinea, Guinea Medical Mutual Association, Society for Development and Community Empowerment, Iraqi Development Organization, Alsalam Foundation, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain Inc, Prahar, Organization for Defending Victims of Violence, Verein Sudwind Entwicklungspolitik, VAAGDHARA, Pasumai Thaayagam Foundation, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de l'homme, Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, Conseil International pour le soutien à des procès équitables et aux Droits de l'Homme, African Green Foundation International, Conseil de jeunesse pluriculturelle (COJEP), International Organization for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD), Tourner la page, Association Thendral, Tamil Uzhagam, ABC Tamil Oli, Association culturelle des Tamouls en France, International Solidarity for Africa, Action of Human Movement (AHM), L'Observatoire Mauritanien des Droits de l'Homme et de la Démocratie, Association des étudiants tamouls de France, Zero Poor in Africa, Jeunesse Etudiante Tamoule, International-Lawyers.Org, Freedom House (in a joint statement Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Forum-Asia, CIVICUS – World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Front Line, the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders), Africa Culture International and Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Forum-Asia.
World Evangelical Alliance, in a joint statement with Assyrian Aid Society – Iraq, drew the Council's attention to the situation of civilians in northern Iraq and the Iraqi border areas with Turkey, including the situation of Christian minorities in those areas. The ongoing hostilities between the Turkish army and the PKK were a source of instability affecting the livelihood of civilians and the enjoyment of human rights, and hindered the return of internally displaced persons, including Assyrian Christians, in Iraq.
Association pour l'Intégration et le Développement Durable au Burundi said technical assistance was critical for countries facing grave human rights situations. The establishment of measures to handle peaceful protest situations was needed as there was a rise in their suppression or complete neglect of their occurrence. In India, both oppression and neglect were applicable with the State Government failing to address the issue. All States facing such problems should receive technical assistance in that regard.
Conseil International pour le soutien à des procès équitables et aux Droits de l'Homme drew attention to the importance of providing technical assistance and capacity building to mainstream human rights in national policies. It urged the Moroccan Government to support Sahrawi people in their desire for national independence. Morocco was called upon to support refugees and provide technical assistance to all internally displaced people.
L'Observatoire Mauritanien des Droits de l'Homme et de la Démocratie drew attention to the families of the disappeared in Sri Lanka who had been protesting for nearly 600 days, calling for accountability and justice. These families had lost faith in the Office of Missing Persons due to the failed commissions of the past. It noted that the families feared working with the Office of Missing Persons without international intervention or international experts monitoring the process.
Freedom House, in a joint statement Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Forum-Asia, CIVICUS – World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Front Line, the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, noted that Cambodia had not been responsive to the recommendations of United Nations human rights experts. While acknowledging the recent release of political activists, the organization was concerned about the powers to limit the freedom of expression online. Civil society and trade unions found themselves increasingly affected by self-censorship.


Usage: gzip [OPTION]... [FILE]... Compress or uncompress FILEs (by default, compress FILES in-place). Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. -c, --stdout write on standard output, keep original files unchanged -d, --decompress decompress -f, --force force overwrite of output file and compress links -h, --help give this help -l, --list list compressed file contents -L, --license display software license -n, --no-name do not save or restore the original name and time stamp -N, --name save or restore the original name and time stamp -q, --quiet suppress all warnings -r, --recursive operate recursively on directories -S, --suffix=SUF use suffix SUF on compressed files -t, --test test compressed file integrity -v, --verbose verbose mode -V, --version display version number -1, --fast compress faster -9, --best compress better --rsyncable Make rsync-friendly archive With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input. Report bugs to .


Let these funny Social Service Quotes from my large collection of funny quotes about life add a little humor to your day.
There's no conflict between the social-welfare state and open markets.
problem that cannot be resolved juridically.
the experience and conduct of the individual member.
cards as carefully as if she were plain.
but the honing is uniform.
and he never would have gone home.
Thank you for visiting: Funny Social Service Quotes - Funny Quotes about Social Service.


Creating a great recruitment website takes a lot of hard work. You need to decide upon a brief, agree on the budget, and identify a supplier. Once that's been done, you have to decide how you want your website to look- and what features and functionality you want to include.
Enter the team profiles page. If you want to keep engaging and converting potential applicants, it's important that you get your recruitment website right if you want to avoid falling behind and losing your profits to a competitor. To get ahead, you need to leverage and foreground your most valuable resource: your recruiters.
With years of experience working within the recruitment industry, these consultants have built up a reputation that you can harness as part of your business plan. By including a teams page, and making it a prominent part of your website, you're more likely to attract curious browsers and potential job applicants. In fact, when used correctly, your recruiter's team profiles can help improve candidate engagement, your conversion rates, and even your company's reputation.
By creating staff profiles that prominently feature your recruitment consultants, you can make sure that they play a more active role in engaging candidates: put them in charge of 'managing' roles, and include a section on their profile page where candidates can browse those vacancies, as well as articles that they've written. By interconnecting jobs, blogs and consultant profiles, you can extend the candidate journey, making it easier for them to keep browsing your site and- ultimately- find a job that suits them.
Including this type of staff profile also encourages applicants to interact with your recruitment consultants. By giving potential candidates a point of contact for any job they might be interested in, they'll be more likely to get in touch regarding a question about the role, about the application process or more- and once they've done that, they're much more likely to submit an application. Similarly, by showing your consultants as authors on the blogs that they've written, browsers who are intrigued about the subject matter can click through and find more content- and jobs- on that person's profile.
Giving your recruitment agency a human face through their staff profiles could even help your company's reputation. Whether you want to demonstrate a more friendly, approachable side to your recruitment consultants, or emphasise their professional expertise, their profiles can be tweaked or designed to suit your company's aesthetic and make them an integral part of your candidate- and client- attraction strategy.
Why wait? Take control of your team profiles and get involved in the conversation.
Looking to innovate your recruitment website? Why not have a look at our Recruitment Marketing Playbook for Recruitment Agencies- or take a look at our Portfolio for great examples of how to do a website right.


LONG BEACH, Calif. At a ceremony in Long Beach, Sheriff Lee Baca announced the designation of the Maria Cecilia Rosa Memorial Highway.
In March 2006, the 30-year-old Rosa was about to leave for work at the county jail when two men tried to rob her.
She pulled out her gun, but before she could fire, the men shot her twice and killed her.
Both men were later caught and convicted.
"She made a difference in everybody she ever met, and that's why we're doing what we're doing here today," said Baca.
Following the ceremony, the memorial sign was installed on the Long Beach Freeway.


© Turnagain Pass is contrasted with the Chugash mountains along Seward Highway.
The trip from Anchorage to Seward along Seward Highway is one of the most scenic drives you can take. Frequent pulloffs offer vistas of snowcapped mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and wildflowers at almost every turn, and side trips and hiking trails beckon adventurous explorers.
The road up Portage Valley leads into the 5.8 million-acre Chugach National Forest and past three hanging glaciers that are perched in the cleavage of mountain canyons.
Portage Glacier pokes its nose through the mountains at the head of a valley that it cut a long time ago. Since 1890, it has receded one mile and will be out of view by 2020 so don't procrastinate taking a trip to see it. Now, only a few bergs float in water that was once brimming with ice.
The visitor center offers excellent descriptive displays of glaciers and the best chance to see ice worms, pin-size critters that burrow into glaciers and eat algae. Temperatures above freezing can kill them.
You can take a day cruise along the rugged coast of Kenai Fjords National Park to see wildlife and tidewater glaciers that calve into the sea. Along the way, you may see orcas breach at boatside or a humpback whale with young swimming placidly along.
At Chiswall Islands, thousands of puffins and kittiwakes circle the boat. Just when you think you've seen the best, the boat stops at the foot of Holgate Glacier.
With the engines cut, the cracking and popping of the 500-foot wall of aquamarine ice thunders through the frigid air. A slab of ice silently slips from the face of the glacier and crashes into the water. Seconds later, the blast reaches your ears. This is no dainty wildflower beside a trickling stream; you're witnessing the raw power of nature that carves valleys through mountains and determines the weather of the entire planet.
The Seward Highway is in a richly varied and highly diverse area of Alaska. Over the length of its route, the character of the byway continually changes with its proximity to water, mountains, and towns.
Seward: The Seward Highway begins in the town of Seward nestled among the fjords surrounding Resurrection Bay. Nearby Kenai Fjords National Park offers the chance to see puffins, otters, eagles, arctic terns, whales, seals, and other marine life.
Ptarmigan Creek Recreation Site: Traveling north, the landscape surrounding the byway becomes one of alpine meadows dotted with rivers and lakes. During late July and early August, Ptarmigan Creek Recreation Site, 23 miles from Seward, is an excellent place to stop and watch the incredible salmon run, when thousands of red salmon head upstream to spawn.
Portage Glacier: Another few miles along the byway is Portage Glacier. Portage Glacier provides an incredible opportunity to watch glacial action on fast forward. One-hour boat tours are available to better witness the action.
Twentymile Flats: Farther north is Twentymile Flats, an expanse of lowlands and intertidal mudflats where three river valleys empty their silt-laden waters into Turnagain Arm and provide unobstructed views of the surrounding mountain peaks and glaciers.
Turnagain Arm: Turnagain Arm experiences the second highest tides in the world, often up to a 38-foot change in water level. Bore tides, a rare natural phenomenon in which the front of an incoming tide is a moving wall of water from three to five feet high, can be witnessed during extremely low tide here.
Anchorage: Anchorage offers a wealth of Alaskan history and cultural sites that you can enjoy.
The natural beauties you'll discover along Seward Highway are truly like no other you'll find in the United States -- or the world.


They have been pretty popular for a while but recently it seems like they are EVERYWHERE. Which I don't mind because I absolutely love this trend. It really reminds me of the Hollywood Regency style which excites me :). So, I decided to round up some of my favorite finds that feature (duh) palm prints, palm leaves, palm trees – you get it.
Hmm… should we turn this into a drinking game? Drink every time you see the word "palm"? Ok, don't do that – you will die.
clutch Etsy.com – These are perfect for bridesmaids gifts! Especially a summer or beach wedding.
Baby footie pjs Etsy.com – It is hard to find cute palm print items for baby boys – I love that this is gender neutral!
leaf collar clips Etsy.com – This is such an easy way to jazz up any collared shirt.
wooden watch Etsy.com – Father's day is coming up soon – how cute is this wooden watch??
yoga mat amazon.com – If I did yoga/worked out I would definitely get this.
porcelain plate hm.com – These plates are so cute. There are also matching mugs and bowls. Makes me want to have a party!
Tracy Reese one shoulder dress nordstrom.com – It's just cute – need I say more?
Dolce Vita platform sneaker nordstrom.com – I like this "abstract" take on this trend.
Lilly Pulitzer hostess tray nordstrom.com – Again, makes me want to have a party. And have a drink. It's just SO FUN!
Rip curl beach tote nordstrom.com – I would throw my palm print clutch in there and head to the beach STAT.
palm print pjs asos.com – … and then come home from the beach with a sunburn and throw these jams on.
Palm tropical flower bikini boohoo.com – This is what I would wear to the beach.
Graham and Brown Honolulu wallpaper Target.com – Then I would come home and wallpaper my house. Ok, I know I am getting out of control now.
Table runner Target.com – Table runner for the party I'm having. There are also matching placemats!
Ok, guys – even if you're not that into this trend I hope that there is something on this list that appeals to you. I know sometimes prints can be intimidating but I suggest giving it a try! If you're not a print person just try the clutch or the beach bag.
Let me know if there are any trends that you're into right now. I'd love to hear them!


I am pleased to announce three exciting pieces of Prairie Gold news: an upcoming radio interview, our Midwestern book tour, and a Goodreads Giveaway.
Today, editors Lance M. Sacknoff and Stefanie Brook Trout will discuss Prairie Gold on KRUU 100.1 FM, the Voice of Fairfield. Stefanie will read an excerpt from her essay "Letters After Achilles." Listen live from 1:00-2:00 pm to catch the Writers' Voices talk radio show.
Featuring poetry by Lindsay Tigue, Sandra Marchetti, Nancy Cook, Stephanie Schultz, and Michelle Menting; fiction by Matthew Fogarty and Molly Rideout; and nonfiction by John Linstrom and Sarah Elizabeth Turner.
In addition to the off-site reading, we will also have a table at AWP, so come see us at Booth #119!
We expect to add one more Iowa reading in Des Moines and a few more outside of Iowa, so follow Prairie Gold on Facebook to make sure you don't miss any additional developments.
Prairie Gold is on Goodreads, which means you can now add it to your shelf. Have you already read it? Please take a minute to rate and review the book. Don't have a copy yet? Enter our Goodreads Giveaway contest by October 31, and you could win one of five copies!


The report of the event "A Symposium on AI and Society" and "Beneficial AI Tokyo" was published in a journal of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, vol. 33, No.2, 2018.
The introduction can be downloaded (in Japanese).