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Three Earthquakes Rattled Southern California
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Three earthquakes rattled the Coachella and Imperial valleys Monday morning, but there were no reports of injuries or serious damage.
The first temblor, which measured a magnitude 4.0, struck at 10:04 a.m. about 6 miles southwest of Niland, according to the U.S. Geological Society.
Two subsequent quakes struck the area, one at 10:11 a.m. just southeast of Salton City that registered a magnitude 2.5, and a magnitude 3.0 that hit at 10:16 a.m. about 6 miles northwest of Calipatria.
The epicenters for all three quakes were just off the Salton Sea shoreline.
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Controversial bill would force business owners to take down bulletproof glass
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WTXF) - A controversial bill is currently working its way through city hall designed to regulate 'stop and go' liquor stores. One part of the bill would force business owners to take down bulletproof glass inside their stores. But at what cost to their safety?
Broad Deli sits on the corner of the 2200 block of North Broad, inside a wall of bulletproof glass separates customers from workers.
"The most important thing is safety and the public's safety," owner Rich Kim said.
Rich Kim's family has run the deli, which sells soda, snacks, meals and beer by the can for 20 years. He says the glass went up after a shooting and claims it saved his mother-in-law from a knife attack. Now, he may be forced to take some of the barrier down.
"If the glass comes down, the crime rate will rise and there will be lots of dead bodies," he said.
A bill moving through city council reads: "No establishment shall erect or maintain a physical barrier."
It's called the 'Stop and Go' bill and is being offered by City Councilwoman Cindy Bass.
"Right now, the plexiglass has to come down," she said.
She wants to put some controls on these small stores that she says sell booze, very little food and are the source of trouble in her district.
Rich Kim resents the charge stores like his attract loiters and argues calls to police are often met with a slow response.
Mike Choe runs a non-profit supporting Korean-owned businesses. He plans on raising $100,000 to fight the measure.
"I do think it's a bad bill that will endanger Korean Americans,' he said.
Bass says she's battling for her constituents.
Kim argues as a Korean-American he's being targeted.
"This bill targets Korean Americans," Cole asked. Bass responded, "Absolutely not. I find that offensive."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


After 7 tough rejections from Apple, we are excited to say that our new hilarious iPhone App Bumify is finally launching on June 9th! We will be releasing more photos and a video trailer shortly. Be one of the first to sign up for our newsletter for a chance to win a free promo code.
← Hilarious Bumify App releasing soon!


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Top Five Lies About Nullification
From: tenthamendmentcenter.com Dec 7, 2018 By: Mike Maharrey
We hear them over, and over, and over again — the same, tired, worn out misconceptions or downright lies about nullification.
Historians, legal scholars and journalists all parrot these fallacies every time anybody proposes nullification. They use these misconceptions as a way to derail efforts to stop federal overreach and limit the power of the general government. Some of them sound plausible — especially if you were a product of government schools. But all of them are wrong.
Following are the top five lies about nullification and a brief overview of why they're wrong.
1. The Supremacy Clause Prohibits Nullification
This probably ranks as the most common nullification objection. According to the naysayers, the Constitution's supremacy clause makes every federal edict "the supreme law of the land." As such, a state has no authority to challenge it in any way. This erroneous assertion ignores the most important words in the clause. Only the Constitution and laws "made in pursuance thereof" qualify as supreme. Any federal act not in pursuance of the Constitution is, as Alexander Hamilton put it, "void."
One does not obey or enforce a "voided" act. In fact, James Madison asserted that a state is "duty bound" to "interpose" when the federal government attempts to operate outside of its constitutional bounds. The supremacy clause does not undermine nullification. It actually enforces it. To learn more, click HERE and HERE,
2. John C. Calhoun Invented Nullification
Virtually every mainstream article about nullification invokes the name "John C. Calhoun." Most of them will assert that he came up with the idea for state nullification. This, of course, is meant to tie the principles of nullification to slavery, as the South Carolina senator was an unapologetic supporter of the institution.
It's true that Calhoun was a central figure in the so-called "nullification crisis" in the early 1820s and 1830s. But this had nothing to do with slavery, and he did not come up with the idea of nullification.
In fact, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison first formalized the principles in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions two decades earlier in response to the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. These laws enacted by Pres. John Adams in 1798 were clear violations of the due process clause, the First Amendment and the Tenth Amendment. Jefferson and Madison both insisted a state had both a right and duty to step in and stop the overreach. It was Jefferson who insisted nullification is "the rightful remedy."
"Where powers are assumed which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy: that every State has a natural right in cases not within the compact, (casus non fœderis) to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits."
Jefferson and Madison were working on a strategy to implement nullification after the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures passed their respective resolutions, but Jefferson's ascendancy to the presidency and the subsequent end of the Alien and Sedition Acts rendered the issue moot.
Obviously, this has nothing to do with Calhoun. The principles were well-established long before Calhoun invoked them. But unsurprisingly, articles about nullification almost never mention Jefferson or Madison. To learn more, click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.
3. James Madison Opposed Nullification
Despite the fact that James Madison penned the Virginia Resolutions and was one of the first people to formalize the principle of nullification, pundits invoke a second common misconception claiming Madison actually opposed the idea. They rely on arguments he made during the aforementioned nullification crisis in the late 1820s and early 1830s, but they take his comments out of context.
In fact, Madison opposed a specific nullification scheme developed by Sen. John C. Calhoun. He never renounced the general principles.
Calhoun built on the ideas outlined in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions and claimed that if a single state nullified a federal act, it was annulled within that state and it legally bound other states to honor its action until three-quarters of them overruled the nullification.
Madison's anti-nullification comments specifically addressed this scheme. But Madison did not condemn the more general principles of state nullification. In fact, Madison reaffirmed the idea even while opposing Calhoun's version, writing, "Thus the right of nullification meant by Mr. Jefferson is the natural right, which all admit to be a remedy against insupportable oppression." To learn more, click HERE.
4. The Supreme Court Decides Constitutionality
Even if they admit that federal actions violating the Constitution have no legal force, modern pundits will always claim that it's the Supreme Court's job to determine the constitutionality of an act — not a state. They will usually refer to John Marshall's famous opinion in Marbury v. Madison to bolster their case.
In effect, these people argue that the federal government determines the power of the federal government. Thomas Jefferson pointed out the absurdity of this notion in the Kentucky Resolutions.
"The government created by this compact was not made the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself; since that would have made its discretion, and not the Constitution, the measure of its powers; but that, as in all other cases of compact among powers having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress."
In the Report of 1800 (a defense of the Virginia Resolutions) Madison also insisted that the Supreme Court only had the final say in a dispute between the three branches of the government, but not in a dispute over federal power in relation to the states.
"The States then being the parties to the constitutional compact, and in their sovereign capacity, it follows of necessity, that there can be no tribunal above their authority, to decide in the last resort, whether the compact made by them be violated; and consequently that as the parties to it, they must themselves decide in the last resort, such questions as may be of sufficient magnitude to require their interposition."
As far as Marshall's opinion in Marbury goes, most people take what he said out of context. And regardless, it's ludicrous to argue that the Supreme Court decided it has the final say, therefore it does. To learn more click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
5. Nullification Supported Slavery
The final common misconception trumpeted over and over again is that nullification was all about slavery. Again, this is meant to tar the idea as "racist." Actually, it nullification was about slavery, but not in the way the mainstream wants you to believe.
In fact, nullification was never used to support slavery. Slavery was the law of the land according to the federal government. There was nothing for slavers to nullify.
But abolitionists did use the principles of nullification and state powers to fight the fugitive slave acts.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was enacted to aid southern slavers in their efforts to reclaim their "property." It allowed a slave owner, or his representative, to haul a black person back South into slavery merely on his world. It denied an accused runaway any semblance of due process. It also compelled citizens to assist in fugitive slave rendition if ordered to do so and made assisting suspected runaways a federal crime with stiff penalties.
But at the state level, northerners rebelled. They asserted state sovereignty and passed aggressive personal liberty laws to thwart execution of the act. In support of their stand, apologists appealed to the notion of "states' rights," sometimes directly quoting arguments advanced by John C. Calhoun during the "Nullification Crisis" decades earlier. These abolitionist efforts were so successful, South Carolina and several other seceding states listed northern state nullification of the fugtiive slave laws as justification for leaving the union — and they used the word nullification.
So, nullification was "about slavery," but it never supported slavery. To Learn more, click HERE.
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30 years of African History Month in Britain is as good a reason to highlight 30 British black music albums spanning five decades! Read, and create your list, if you like. The comment box is open!
I've always found list-type pieces most difficult to write. Having been a fan and also worked within the music industry for over forty years, part of that time as a journalist, you can imagine the number of albums one would have accumulated.
Not having revisited several of these albums for decades, this piece seemed like an uphill task, until I discovered my eureka moment at the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in Brixton.
On one side of the BCA wall is a mural depicting the covers of the albums highlighted within the current 'Black Sound: Black British Music's Journey Of Creative Independence' exhibition, which ends November 4 2017.
So I decided to approach this piece by focusing on the albums on that wall that I have owned or consumed via streaming, and include a few not featured in the exhibition.
I love American artists, from James Brown, Isleys, Ohio Players, Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder. I also love African-Caribbean artists such as Culture, Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Third World, Buju Banton, Garnett Silk and Tarrus Riley, not to mention continental African artists such as Angelique Kidjo and Lucky Dube. However, as founder of BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress, my focus simply had to be on British recordings.
Of course this list is subjective. There are many albums by commercially successful artists such as Corinne Bailey Rae, and underground artists such as Akala, which couldn't be included simply because of the limited number allowed. This list reflects my age, and the fact that I still haven't fully got on board the MP3 and mobile way of listening to records – still love the CD, and lately vinyl. And I'm also not down with albums that warrant Parental Advisory stickering. That's in part why there's a paucity of albums of the late 2000s.
On the BCA mural are Stormzy's 2017 chart-topping 'Gang Signs & Prayer' and Skepta's 'Konnichiwa', which reached no. 2 in 2016. Although they aren't in my list, I acknowledge these self-released albums for their commercial success.
So as we mark African History Month @ 30 in the UK, here is my list of albums in chronological order spanning five decades and several genres.
OK, enjoy, go discover, and let the debate begin!
This pan-African band managed to cross over their West African and African Caribbean influence mixed with a bit of rock and loads of jazz long before world music was coined.
This band mixed Rasta inspirations, jazz, funk to create dance-floor classics such as 'Bra' and 'The Message', both sampled by '90s American rappers.
This creditable and insightful debut highlighted socio-political themes, like the magnificent 'Back To Africa', which spoke to disenfranchised African youths and Rastafarians.
The Amoo brothers' creative control on their sophomore set delivered a sophisticated offering, including the jazz/soul socio-conscious standard 'Children Of The Ghetto'.
The only album by this group from Brent, it contains two crossover Brit-funk hits, 'Hi Tension' and 'British Hustle', which respectively made the top 20 and 10.
This Brummie band helped define the British reggae band sound with songs about Marcus Garvey, Rastafari, and disenfranchised African youth vignettes.
Another band out of the north-west London borough of Brent, Tradition covered roots and lovers rock, of which the latter's typified by 'Every Little Beat Of My Heart'.
The opening track 'Swinging' powerfully showed off the band's jazz-funk chops – riffing guitars and horns, phat b-line, and irresistible percussive grooves.
The band's questionable fashion sense shouldn't detract from the top-notch production, phat bass, Leee John's attention-grabbing vocals, and fine songcraft that straddles Brit-funk and disco.
Oh gosh – how many times did I play this album? Lots! Simply because Linx produced clever, pop-friendly Brit-funk gems like the classic 'You're Lying'.
Although this first British jazz album to breach the pop top 40 has some fine original material, the Sasaye Greene-featured cover of The Real Thing's soulful socio-commentary 'Children Of The Ghetto' absolutely dominates.
A sassy rapper, as evidenced by the electro-driven UK and US top 5 hit 'Buffalo Stance', Neneh demonstrated fine singing talent on the part-rapped cuts like 'Inna City Mamma'.
In 1990 multi-instrumentalist and singer Omar's debut's title track was the lick on pirate and emerging legal black music radio before a major re-release of the album a year later.
This includes crossover hits like the reggae-infused 'Just Keep Rockin'', though on 'Street Tuff', he had reason for explaining himself by rapping "Is he a Yankee? No I'm a Londoner".
Very innovative and the calling card for the multi-genre blending trip-hop style. Contains the sublime 'Unfinished Sympathy'.
Discovered this mid-1970s album from Kongo's 1992 rare groove-inspired re-release. Contains real live, feel-good soul, funk, and jazz-funk, like 'Talking About Love'.
Laden with the ubiquitous Soul II Soul breakbeat, this radio-friendly, pop and soul tinged reggae album contains three modest hit singles including 'One More Chance'.
With Incognito you get quality jazz funk, such as 'Closer To The Feeling, instrumentals like 'Pyramids', and delicious vocal-led jazzy soul cuts.
Discovered this 1971 recording from Stern's 1994 re-issue. This established Fela's Afrobeat template of socio-politically-tipped pidgin and Yoruba singing/rapping and instrumental solos over rock-solid rhythms.
The 20 minute-plus 'Timeless' suite, dominated by Diane Charlemagne's amazing vocals and sophisticated arrangements, established this album as a drum & bass classic.
Credible R&B album that even the Yanks bought into. Talented Mark's debut produced seven UK hit singles, including the chart-topping title track, which reached no. 2 in the US but sold more copies than what was no.1!
This slick R&B/garage chart-topper would have had three chart-topping singles had the record company not mis-calculated stocks of my favourite – the mellifluous pop-tinged 'Walking Away'.
Swing tracks recorded pre-Windrush in the 1930s/40s London by African big bands led by the likes of the sauve Guyanese Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson.
Garage rapper Ms Dynamite demonstrated her talent as an R&B singer, with a little reggae in the mix, on this Mercury Prize winner. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee!
The third of her consistently quality albums, this contains the rocky, hip-hoppy bittersweet 'Shoulda Woulda Coulda', and 'Gold', one of the deepest ballads ever!
1950s African British diaspora's multi-cultural offer of South African kwela, West African highlife, and Caribean calypo including Mona Baptiste's ironically blissful 'Calypso Blues'.
Proof that conscious rap can rock and still drop knowledge, be it bigging up mum, commenting on war, or delivering head-nodding rhymes on African history.
This producer-turned-artist proved most innovative with electronica, synthy-pop, rock and hip-hop forming the building blocks of this hits-laden album.
From the moment one hears the rocking breakbeats, classy arrangements and Emeli's dulcet tones on 'Heaven', a pleasing listening experience is assured. This was 2012's biggest-selling album and the runner-up in 2013.
Kwaku is a music industry and history consultant. He's the founder of BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress, which focuses on domestic black music, discussions and networking, and music industry issues and education. He's recently developed the 'British Black Music History Through The Ages' educational video, and is the convener of the African History Month UK Network Conference on Nov. 18 2017 in London. Music activities are posted at www.BBM.eventbrite.com and African history events at www.AfricanHistoryPlus.eventbrite.com.
Where can I find the educational video on British Black music?
Thanks for interest Nathalie – unfortunately the 'British Black Music History Through The Ages' educational video is only available as a resource for my presentations.


What's the last great movie or TV show you saw that made a lasting impression on you? The most ingenious minds behind the most captivating shows and movies apply their knowledge of science and engineering, and use their passion for storytelling to make film, television, and animation possible.
The BS in motion picture science major provides a science- and engineering-based education in the fundamental imaging technologies used for the motion picture industry. By combining a core curriculum in practical filmmaking from the College of Art and Design and course work from the imaging science major from the College of Science, this major prepares students in the art and science of feature film, television, and animation production. Topics include film and digital image capture, film scanning, digital image manipulation, color science, visual effects, and digital and traditional projection. New facilities provide students with hands-on experience on the same equipment being used in major motion picture production today.
Utilizing research, critical thinking, creativity, and a range of problem-solving principles, students are taught to address complex motion imaging workflow issues within the constraints of time, space, budget, and technology. Graduates enjoy a variety of career opportunities, from feature film and television post-production to imaging equipment design and essential motion imaging technology research and development.
After an RIT career filled with unique experiences, Anna Dining '17 (motion picture science) continues to flourish as a professional.
Alumna Victoria McGowen contributed work to a Spider-Man film that won an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
Victoria Scholl '16 (Motion Picture Science, Imaging Science) spent a year researching in Switzerland as a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant recipient. Learn about her experience here.
There is an RIT graduate behind the enhanced image quality of movies viewed with Dolby Laboratories' technology.
A fundamental course in non-synchronous film production and an introduction to digital video editing. Filmmaking is presented as a means of interpretation and expression. This course combines technical information in motion picture exposure and editing with a theoretical and practical approach to motion picture continuity. Production is in (non-sync) format and post-production is digital software. Students furnish film, tape and processing.
This is the second sequenced production course for freshmen film/video students pursuing a concentration of live action production. Emphasis is on a variety of approaches to the edited image. In addition to continuing to develop basic concepts of creating articulate film language in short productions, this course introduces the nature and importance of the sound component in creating cinematic works and focuses on digital workflow. An essential course for students in the film/video curriculum who must be able to create not only images but also mature and appropriate soundtracks for their film and video works.
This course is an introduction to all aspects of professional film/video narrative production. Students produce short projects while learning basic shooting and crewing procedures, studio protocol, equipment handling and maintenance, and basic sync editing.
This course provides specialized knowledge and work in sound to allow the student to be able to distinguish and evaluate proper sound techniques and productions to encourage the beginning of professional work in the sound industry. Each student records audio and prepares a mixed soundtrack to professional quality standards.
This class is intended to introduce the student to the gamut of animation thinking and making through classroom instruction and hands-on practical experience. Lecture and readings will emphasize the process, theory and practice of animated filmmaking with extensive film screenings to illustrate each technique and related aesthetics. Hands-on supervised studio sessions will guide students to an intuitive understanding of the process of producing animation and students will use this understanding to analyze various animated works Each student will develop their personal vision through assigned projects utilizing the material discussed in class.
Contemporary digital media authoring, processing, and consumption are increasingly dependent on established technologies from the Information Technology (IT) and network computing industries. This class provides an overview of IT and networking fundamentals critical in emerging digital media workflows. Emphasis is placed on the architecture of modern digital media production and post-production facilities. Further, media industry technology standards for cinema, television, internet and mobile consumption will be introduced. This class is designed for students in CIAS and GCCIS who are interested in mastering the basic principles of IT and networking infrastructures used in digital media and broadcast applications.
Students create models for animation in three-dimensional software. Students learn various modeling, texturing, and lighting techniques that apply to animation and digital cinematography. Students' model, texture and light three-dimensional environments.
This course offers hands-on experience in manipulating live action video and applying digital effects. There is an emphasis on digital compositing using rotoscoping, image tracking, alpha channels and transparency. Composites may be accomplished through green screen shooting, transfer modes, masks, and/or traveling mattes. Node based compositing will also be addressed as well.
This course offers a full investigation of image capture technologies used in contemporary motion picture production. Historical image generation techniques will be provided as an introduction to modern media and equipment. Fundamental characteristics of silver halide photochemical imaging systems will be explored with emphasis on typical metrology and imaging properties. Electronic image capture will also be presented in the context of fundamental imaging properties. Standard film and video workspaces and workflows will be examined as a direct introduction to post-production technologies to be presented in subsequent motion picture science courses.
This course focuses on the specific technologies of motion picture post-production and imaging science. Motion content generated via film or electronic technologies on set are ingested into the post-production chain utilizing various optical, opto-mechanical, and electronic systems. Topics will include video standards, telecine transfer, digital color spaces, digital intermediate, special effects, color correction, and image processing. Motion content mastering will be explored as an introduction to exhibition technologies to be presented in the final motion picture science course. Particular emphasis will be placed on production equipment testing, data acquisition and image analyses.
As the final course in the motion picture science core technology sequence, this class completes the study of motion picture technologies, focusing on exhibition and display engineering. Topics covered include traditional mechanical film projection, electronic projection and the color science associated with image appearance. Special focus will be given to evolving exhibition standards, image quality evaluations and emerging techniques. The course will conclude with an investigation of 3D technologies and varied distribution models for motion content.
In this course student's in their final year begin work on a major student project. Students may work on projects including motion picture engineering, image science research or relevant craft. Students are in charge of their own work, but they work directly with an adviser to track their progress on the project. The class meets one hour each week to provide discussion on project progress and learning.
A continuation of Senior Project I, in this course students in their final year continue work on a major student project. Students may work on projects including motion picture engineering, image science research or relevant craft. Students are in charge of their own work, but they work directly with an adviser to track their progress on the project. The class meets one-hour each week to provide discussion on project progress and learning.
† Please consult adviser for list of SOFA elective courses.
Motion picture science requires 3 years of math; pre-calculus and physics are recommended.
Courses in liberal arts, science, design, drawing, and film, video, or animation.
Transfer as a third-year student is uncommon, as comparable programs are not generally available at other colleges.
The School of Film and Animation maintains memberships in a number of professional organizations: Animation World Network, College Art Association, Rochester Audio Visual Association, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, University Film and Video Association, Siggraph, and BEA.


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Afro-Brit Kingsley Ben-Adair to Portray Barack Obama in James Comey Miniseries
Angela Helm
Filed to:Barack Obama
Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword" at TCL Chinese Theatre on May 8, 2017, in Hollywood, Calif.
Photo: Kevin Winter (Getty Images)
Looks like a Kingsley is set to play our once and forever KANG, Barack Hussein Obama, in an upcoming miniseries based on James Comey's tell-all memoir.
James Comey Spills the Tea on Donald Trump and His Pee
Apparently, Michael Cohen isn't the only person Donald Trump tried to get to act as a fixer for…
Deadline reports that director Billy Ray tapped Afro-British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir in the miniseries adaptation of former Comey's book, Higher Loyalty, in a CBS Studios produced vehicle.
In addition to Jeff Daniels in the lead role as Comey, Deadline reports:
Spotlight's Brian d'Arcy James will play Mark Giuliano, the former FBI Deputy Director; Steve Zissis (HBO's Togetherness) is set to play Jim Baker, the former FBI General Counsel, and Shawn Doyle (House of Cards and Fargo) will play Bill Priestap, the assistant director of the FBI Counterintelligence Division.
Ben-Adir has starred in The OA, Peaky Blinders and Deep State and next stars opposite Zoe Kravitz in High Fidelity. He's also part of the ensemble cast for Noelle for Disney +.
A Higher Loyalty recounts Comey's role as head G-Man from 2013 until the time President Donald Trump unceremoniously and publicly fired him in May 2017, so Obama's in there at least for a few years; but truthfully we'd take our forever president however we can get him.
The New York Daily News reports that the series doesn't yet have a network.
No word on who will play Trump, but a flaming hot bag of shit sprinkled with Cheeto dust has been called back for a second audition, and a baboon's monkey ass has been hired as a body double.
More from The Grapevine
Barack Obama Calls Out 'Cancel Culture' in the Era of Donald Trump
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Donald Trump Can't Stand That Obama Won a Nobel Peace Prize and He Never Will
Ms. Bronner Helm is a Contributing Editor at The Root. Mouthy Black Girl. Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Fellow. Shea Butter Feminist. Virgo Sun, Aries Moon.


My neighbors were having a cookout and all I could smell was the delish, perfect summer smell of a fire on a summer night.
I started craving smores but I felt silly going outside to cook just one smore.
Plus, we had a family cookout the next day so I wanted to figure out something quick, easy and delish, to both satisfy my craving and taste awesome to wow Dave's family.
I found the recipe on Pinterest via My Recipe Magic!
Preheat oven to 350°F. (If using crackers- Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs). Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in a small bowl.
Using a spoon, place a small scoop (about a tablespoon) of crumb mixture in each cup of a Mini-Muffin Pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups. Bake 4-5 minutes.
While the crust is in the oven, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup. Put into the oven and bake for 1 minute.
Break remaining candy bars and place in amicrowave safe container. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute-1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Drizzle chocolate over the top of marshmallows, using a spoon or toothpick.
I absolutely recommend doubling the recipe!
My smores cups were gone within minutes!
Disclaimer: This DVD was given to me in exchange for review, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
I write a lot about my daughter. She just turned 2 last month.
Sometimes, it's tough to be 2.
So when I heard about a yoga program for children, I was intrigued.
I know, personally, that a little yoga is good for my body and was excited about being able to offer the same therapeutic "exercise" for my toddler.
Waaaait. My toddler doesn't even like to pick up her toys when I ask, never mind do exercise when I ask. There is no way she'll love it.
The folks over at Playful Planet made a yoga dvd that enthralled my two year old.
And, even better, I enjoyed doing it with her!
There are two stories and the different yoga poses help your child use their imagination to be a part of the story!
Loving her new yoga DVD from Playful Planet!
The DVD says for children from 3-8 but my 2 year old loved it, and so did I!
I've also 'liked' Playful Planet on Facebook and follow Playful Planet on Twitter because they are constantly posting fun activity ideas, like a cardboard box tunnel maze, or yummy recipes, avocado fruit salad anyone?
I love that I've found a fun indoor activity for Emmalee that doesn't include scrubbing playdoh out of my carpet!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was offered product in exchange for a review and giveaway. Sponsor is responsible for prize distribution.
Do you have a toddler fashionista?
Lots of dresses, skirts, dressup high heels, necklaces... a true girly-girl.
She's big into dressing herself, picking out her own clothes, putting on her own shoes, and of course, picking out a bow to go with her outfit.
I love bows and thankfully, so does she! We're constantly buying more at the store.
When I was on Etsy, I stumbled across the most adorable shop, The Fairy Patch Boutique!
As much as I love the cutesy, sparkly, girly accessories for my daughter, sometimes I want a more subdued approach to cuteness.
The greta thing about The Fairy Patch Boutique is that you can get clips done on snap clips or alligator clips!
My daughter prefers alligator clips and won't go near the snaps so I love that you can customize your custom clips even more!
Win a years' worth of #Fabsmile supplies from FlossandBrush.com!
This is a sponsored post from FlossandBrush.com as part of their #FABsmile campaign. As a member of Mom It Forward Blogger Network. I was given the products in exchange for my honest opinion. The sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment.
I was never really great at brushing my teeth.
But I've gotten better. I brush everyday and include Emmalee so that I know she develops good oral hygiene.
So now I just have to remember to buy new toothbrushes every 3 months!
Did you know that the American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every three months?
FlossAndBrush.com makes it easy to always have new toothbrushes every three months.
Legit, a dollar. And these aren't any cheap yucky toothbrushes that are going to deteriorate in a week and a half. They're made by G.U.M!
My favorite part? I mean, other than the $1 per person, is that since they arrive every 33 months, there are no guesses as when to switch your toothbrush out!
Go say hello on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!! Then come back here and enter to win!
Only open to US Participants.
Emma's favorite thing in the whole world, is the world "zoo".
There are days where she'll wake up and the first words out of her mouth are "zoo" and "peeeeease".
We live relatively close to Buttonwood Park, and go (a lot) so I am always looking for new places to bring her.
A coworker mentioned Capron Park Zoo in North Attleboro and it looked like the perfect place to go on a sunny afternoon.
Capron Park Zoo is a great little zoo, perfect size for my princess.
It has kangaroos, alligators, goats, boars, lions, lemurs, and more but is small enough for Emmalee to walk around on her own.
There is an area to feed the goats, complete with hand sanitizer for after, just make sure you bring quarters for the food!, and another feeding area for the pond that is full of ducks, baby ducks, fish and turtles!
There's also a bubble machine that just constantly blows bubbles. I think Emmalee chased bubbles for a good 15 minutes at one point!
After we walked around the zoo, we went back outside to have a picnic on the playground.
This is the smaller of the two sets, but it was a great size for Emmalee.
They stamped our hand so we could come back in no problem!
After lunch and playground time, we wnet back in for some water fun at the new splash pad that Capron Park Zoo had put in.
It's small enough to be able to see your child at all times, but with a couple of "camp groups" there, it was a bit crowded.
When she was all done playing in the water, we walked over to the concession stand for a popsicle., and at $1.25 for a rocket pop, I think the prices are reasonable.
As we were leaving, I realized we were by a super great penny candy place that my mom used to bring me to.
The Old Country Store in Mansfield has a whole wall of penny candy!
Emma filled up a bucket for less than $3!
I love having such fun things to do with my daughter so close to home!
Have you ever been to either place?
Disclaimer: I was offered jewelry in exchange for hosting this giveaway but all thoughts and opinions are my own!
Nothing says "Summer" quite like Lilly Pulitzer's perfect prints.
And now that we are smack dab in the middle of summer, it seems like a perfect time to give away some perfectly preppy summer sparkles.
Aren't they just the greatest preppy bracelets!?
She makes Lilly Pulitzer inspired jewelry and was more than happy to send me bracelets in her anchor pattern and her whale pattern!
Jill Mac makes matching drop earrings and studs in all the patterns as well!
And she has even more great designs, including professional baseball teams and SORORITIES! on her Ebay site!
So here's the deal, there will be TWO lucky winners!
One will win the "whale" print and the other, the "anchor" print.
Winners will have 48 hours to contact me to claim your prize!


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Earl E. Bakken
Medical Devices Center
The Bakken Academy
Prototyping Facility
Lab Hours & Tours
Medworx™
Innovation Collaborations
DMD Conference
Innovation Fellows Program /
Fellows Leadership
Innovation Fellows Leadership
Danny Sachs
dansachs@me.com
DANNY SACHS, MD, MBA
Danny is a physician entrepreneur. He founded or co-founded several device companies that have attracted venture capital funding, including Respicardia, Amphora, Mainstay Medical, and Kspine.
He was a venture capital investor with Investor Growth Capital and Spray Venture Partners, and served as a director on the boards of ten health care companies. He was previously an Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Danny holds over 30 patents or applications across a variety of therapeutic areas. He earned BA and MD degrees from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Alumni Fellows
Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center (EST 2007) | 420 Delaware Street SE, G217 Mayo Building, Mpls, MN 55455 | Connect with Us
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Last modified on May 5, 2021


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9 New Summer Exhibits for NYC Kids, Including The Hunger Games & Live Spiders!
Submitted by Stephanie Ogozalek on Mon, 06/08/2015 - 6:11pm
While summer is the season of outdoor fun in NYC, sometimes you need a break from the parks, beaches, sun and sweltering heat. Going to a kid-friendly museum exhibit is an engaging and enriching way to spend a humid afternoon soaking up some culture along with cool air-conditioning.
Not only are most of the spring exhibits we highlighted still on view, there's also a fresh batch of kid-pleasing installations opening as well as a few new permanent attractions. We've got the scoop on where kids can get up close and personal with live spiders, learn American history, party like a rock star and make like Katniss from The Hunger Games. Plus, One World Observatory is finally open and a must-see.
Jewish Museums in NYC: 5 Cultural Spots for Kids
Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 03/16/2015 - 10:00am
In our multi-cultural society, NYC kids are exposed to lots of different cultures. In fact, it's not uncommon for children of all backgrounds to want to celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, Purim and Lunar New Year, and, perhaps, even teach their parents how it's done.
Exploring various ethnic traditions at school and with friends is fun, but there are also many New York City institutions where you can learn about different cultures in more depth. We've written about museums that focus on Himalayan and Chinese cultures, and now with Passover coming up, we thought it was a great time to highlight local institutions where children can learn about Jewish culture.
One thing to keep in mind when visiting a Jewish museum is that an exhibition of hand-crafted menorahs may be right around the corner from a huge sculpture commemorating the Holocaust, prompting kids to ask a bunch of difficult questions. For children who are ready, some of these institutions explore the the Holocaust in an appropriate way. Visiting spots like the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Anne Frank Center are a lot more engaging than reading a dry textbook but also less scary than watching graphic newsreel footage or looking at archival photos.
Here are five great NYC spots where kids can learn about Jewish culture, traditions and history.
Kids Cuts: Haircutting Salons for Boys & Girls in Brooklyn
Submitted by Karlyn Ferrari on Sun, 01/25/2015 - 10:00am
You can't hold on to that soft and glorious baby hair forever. Eventually, you have to get the kid a proper haircut. While you can hit the local barbershop, Brooklyn's dedicated kiddie hair salons offer a more memorable and (hopefully) tear-free experience. The stylists are accustomed to snipping squirmy tots, and DVDs, toys and balloons keep nervous kids distracted and happy. A few spots even offer activities like storytime and classes. So pack up your little one and head to one of these cutters.
Live in another borough? Check out our roundups of children's salons in Manhattan and Queens.
Top 10 Cool Kids' Concerts: Laurie Berkner, Suzi Shelton, Pixar in Concert & More Live Family Music for Spring 2014
Submitted by Raven Snook on Mon, 04/21/2014 - 6:00pm
We finish up our spring culture coverage with a roundup of the ten best kids' concerts taking place this season. They're not all your usual kindie rock suspects, either. There are some seriously awesome-sounding family music shows coming up including a one-day-only concert by the queen of preschool rock, Laurie Berkner; a kid-friendly performance by former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant; an album release party for Brooklyn songstress and mom Suzi Shelton; and the New York Philharmonic's fun classical spin on Pixar movie themes.
As usual, we've kept an eye on the prices. Yes, a few of the special concerts command high ticket fees, but some picks are under $20 and three are 100% FREE. Here are 10 concerts where you can clap, dance and sing along this spring.
Hanukkah for NYC Kids: Top 8 Ways to Celebrate the Festival of Lights
Submitted by Alina Adams on Sun, 11/17/2013 - 4:00pm
Thanksgiving isn't the only holiday we'll be celebrating this November. For the first time in more than a century, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are set to coincide. This is literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience—unless you plan to live another 70,000 or so years. That's the next time Thanksgivukkah is supposed to occur!
Hanukkah starts at sundown on Wednesday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Eve) and continues for eight nights and days, and there are lots of ways to mark the holiday beyond lighting your Menurkey at sundown every evening. In fact, a lot of the best Hanukkah fetes take place this coming Sunday before the holiday even officially begins. From fun-filled Jewish museum family days to giant menorah illuminations to Thanksgivukkah parties honoring both holidays, here are the top eight ways to celebrate Hanukkah with NYC kids.
Special Needs Art Classes for NYC Kids
Submitted by Michaela on Tue, 10/22/2013 - 9:00am
During my previous monthly special needs posts, I've rounded up music classes and dance lessons for New York City children with special needs. Today, I'm highlighting adaptive art programs for children with different abilities, like my tween son.
Although my boy has participated in all kinds of special needs sports, and social groups, art has never been very high on his wish list. With his limited fine-motor skills, short attention span and tendency to get easily frustrated, it's understandable that it's not a favorite. But I really wanted to find a creative outlet for him that he would enjoy.
So I started to investigate the kinds of special needs art programs available around the city, and as usual I wasn't disappointed—but I was surprised. While there are only a handful of studios offering adaptive experiences, some of NYC's major museums have incredible special needs hands-on sessions, most of which are FREE. Here are five special needs art programs for families, as well as two others that sound interesting but are open only to schools.
Breaking: Spots Available at NYC Parks Experience Summer Camps, Possibly New York's Most Affordable Day Camp
Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 06/13/2013 - 10:00am
With so many great summer day camps in NYC, finding a good one isn't an issue, but it's hard to find a camp that's as great a deal as NYC Parks Experience Summer Day Camp at just $500 for the entire summer. Usually parents have to enter a lottery to get a place at these coveted camps, but the Parks Department has given Mommy Poppins the inside scoop that there are some select spots still available.
Run by the New York City Parks Department, this seven-week program has multiple locations throughout the five boroughs. Campers enjoy outdoor adventures like hiking in local parks, a variety of sports including swimming, as well as educational activities like field trips to museums and other cultural destinations.
You can no longer apply through the Parks' Department website. The only way to snag one of these spots is with the information in this post. So read on to find out about NYC Parks Experience Summer Day Camp locations with availability, and how you can register your child.
Or check out other hot deals on cool summer camps where kids can engage in a wide range of activities, from chess to pottery to language immersion to circus.
Family-Friendly Crown Heights Restaurants: Where to Eat with Kids in Brooklyn
Submitted by Lisa B on Sun, 05/19/2013 - 10:00am
We finish up our month-long focus on Crown Heights, Brooklyn with a roundup of our favorite family-friendly restaurants in the area. These eateries really reflect the diversity of the neighborhood. You'll find delicious kosher spots serving up New York-style pastrami on rye alongside authentic Mexican joints, Indian delicacies like samosas dished out next to Caribbean staples such as roti and jerk chicken.
Although most of these small, family-run restaurants don't have kids' menus, they all offer lots of options for picky little eaters and price-conscious parents. So after a trip to one of the neighborhood's great cultural attractions like the Brooklyn Children's Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or the Jewish Children's Museum, grab a family meal at once of these kid-friendly Crown Heights restaurants.
Crown Heights for Kids: Drop-in Culture Spots Where Families Can Play and Learn
Submitted by Sarah G on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 4:00pm
What's the one neighborhood in NYC that has not one but two children's museums? If you guessed the Upper West Side or Park Slope, try again. Crown Heights, Brooklyn is home to the super-popular and interactive Brooklyn Children's Museum as well as the lesser-known Jewish Children's Museum, which features an entire floor of games including an indoor mini-golf course. So while there may not be any traditional kiddie gyms in Crown Heights (yet—it's only a matter of time), there's certainly no shortage of places for kids to play and learn.
In addition to the aforementioned tot spots, there's the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum, which are both very kid-friendly and offer wonderful family programming year-round. Plus the historic Weeksville Heritage Center is about to debut its brand-new Education and Cultural Arts Building. We continue our month-long spotlight on Crown Heights with a look at everything these institutions have to offer families, including lots of opportunities for enriching drop-in fun.
5 Unique Mother's Day Brunch Ideas in NYC: More Than Just a Meal
Mother's Day always feels like so much pressure. Where will you brunch? Will the kids like it? Will you ever be able to pay off the credit card bill? With Mother's Day fast approaching on Sunday, May 12, it's time for you (or your partner) to start planning (although what's the old adage? If you want something done right...).
Our NYC Kid-Friendly Restaurant Guide is filled with fantastic family restaurant recommendations in all five boroughs, including eateries with family entertainment. We even have two posts dedicated to traditional Mother's Day brunch options, both swanky spots and reader favorites. But if you're looking for a unique Mother's Day brunch experience, one that comes with more than just a meal, we have five offbeat ideas that include arts and culture, a cool waterfront foodie tour and fun at an iconic racetrack.


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What is Tradecraft?
How to Train Your Humans II: Products that make Habits Last
Lakshmi Mani in Tradecraft
This is Part 2 in a series on habit change. Click here to read Part 1.
Remember Joe? He's in his mid thirties, with a noble goal of losing 20 pounds. Joe really wants to work out regularly, but whenever he gets home, he ended up watching TV to relax. He's so used to this cycle that it's become a habit he can't shake.
Image Credit: Jake Fleming
In the first part of this series, we learned about designing products that use good triggers and motivators to get users like Joe to engage in healthy behaviors. Now, how can we ensure that these new behaviors become long term habits?
In this second part, we return to Nir Eyal's Hooked model again to look at reinforcing Joe's behavior through rewards and an investment into your product.
Rewards serve as a way to positively reinforce users for the actions that they take.
Interestingly, brain imaging studies show that it's not the sensation of the reward that excites us. Rather, it's the anticipation of receiving the reward that activates the brain's pleasure centers.
When a reward is given each time after a good behavior, anticipation fades away, making the behavior seem dull and routine. However, when the reward is given in an unpredictable manner, we start repeating behaviors for the thrill of the chase.
It's the reason people play slot machines. They don't win money each time. The thrill of hitting the jackpot is way more exciting than the money itself.
So, variable rewards can also be very powerful in repeating healthy behaviors. In Nir's Hooked model, there are 3 types of variable rewards, rewards of the tribe, hunt and self.
Reward of the Tribe
We are social creatures. We crave belonging, connection and acceptance from other people. As such, rewards of the tribe are very powerful in encouraging repeated behaviors. Let's look at some of these rewards.
Rewards of Competition
Competition is a powerful social motivator. It establishes your status within the community, and gives users a good sense of self esteem.
Health apps use many gamification concepts such as leaderboards and user challenges to achieve this. The reward of winning is highly variable because your rank is not only dependent on your performance, but also how others have performed.
Nike+ Leaderboard (Left), Jawbone's Duels (Middle) and Strava's League Challenge (Right)
For the user, this causes a strong craving to reach the top. In fact, studies about gaming found that fear of losing in a competition is an extremely powerful motivator for users to get better next time!
Rewards of Cooperation
Rewards from cooperation can be a sense of belonging, feeling a part of a community, feeling wanted and loved.
Apps such as Fitocracy and Weilos use social feeds make it easy for users to join groups and encourage one another. Upon completing their goals, users get rewarded with props and encouragement from fellow members.
Weilos (left) uses 'Inspired' and Fitocracy (right) uses 'Props'
The praise the user receives each time is variable. This creates a sense of craving, to keep on sharing and working out on the platform to receive approval from peers.
Rewards of the tribe are extremely powerful for users, and are also a great way to foster an active and thriving community around your product.
Reward of the Hunt
We as a species are also excited by the thrill of the hunt. What once used to be a hunt for food, animals, shelter, has now translated into a hunt for things like money, fancy objects, and deals.
Gamification concepts of rewarding users with badges and trophies is common place in many health app these days.
These rewards are given for completing different actions. They are doled out in a variable frequency, making it thrilling for users to achieve them.
Reward of the Self
These are rewards that satisfy our intrinsic need for personal excellence and a sense of competence.
A lot of health apps accomplish this through gamification techniques such as levelling up and progress bars.
Credit: Superbetter
One of my favorite examples is Joyable, an app used to help people reduce social anxiety. Users attempt a series of tasks progressively from low to high anxiety, giving them a progressive sense of control of their anxiety.
Joyable's mini goal breakdown
Note about gamification
With the increasing popularity of gamification, it might be tempting for us as product makers to want to use them all in our products.
But slapping gamification concepts onto a product, without consideration about who the users are, will only lead to poor product design.
We need to ask ourselves, will this reward actually motivate my user?
For example, research in gamification shows that only the top 5% of performers enjoy the leaderboard experience. Poorer performers are actually terrified by leaderboards!
If you're designing a mass market wearable, pitting the fitness freak athlete with the out of shape middle aged dad will lead to an unsatisfying experience.
Understanding your users' intrinsic motivation which we discussed in Part 1 is essential in designing a good rewards system.
When users take an action and we reward them for it, they end up making a small commitment of time/effort in using your product.
As product makers, we can leverage on this small investment to encourage better behavior in the future. We are strongly driven to be consistent with our own past behaviors. Robert Cialdini, describing his principle of Consistency and Commitment, says that "Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment."
Health apps such as Jawbone make an excellent use of our deep need to be consistent with ourselves.
Jawbone asks users to make a small commitment in the morning to sleep by a certain time at night. And at night, Jawbone makes the big ask of reminding you to go to sleep at the time you committed to. And by simply clicking on the "I'M IN" button, 72% of their users were more likely to go to sleep on time!
Users also irrationally value their own efforts, which Dan Ariely calls the IKEA Effect. Users tend to value a product that they've spent effort and time on way more than a product in which they put no labour into. For example, the first time you open Carrotfit, it only has a basic weight tracking function. The small action of regularly taking your weight earns you points and earns you new functionalities such as workouts and new difficulty levels. The more effort you put into unlocking the app, the more you end up valuing the app as a result.
By repeating tiny actions again and again, we start valuing the results of these actions highly. And when this happens repeatedly, users start to change their attitude towards the new behavior, setting them on a path towards habit change.
Health apps encourage these tiny actions, by getting users to invest their data, time, content or their reputation.
Investing Data. Lots of health apps encourage users to key in their weight, their fitness profile, or to import data from other apps. For example, apps such as Sleep Cycle and Pillow track your sleep data. Each day you track your sleep, the new data is used to recalculate your sleep patterns. This makes it much harder for users to leave the apps.
Sleep Cycle (Left) and Pillow (Right
Investing Content. Health apps also get users to invest a little bit of content, making it easier for them to repeatedly use the product. For example, Zipongo, a healthy recipe recommendation app asks you to enter your food preferences and allergies during the onboarding process itself. So the first time you see recommendations, the content is highly curated for your needs.
Zipongo's curated recipies
As you favorite more recipes, your recipe list gets more and more curated based on users who like similar recipes to you. By asking users to invest just a tiny bit of information about themselves in the onboarding process, Zipongo ensures that as time goes on, each action becomes an investment into more curated content. This makes it easier for users to repeatedly use Zipongo for their cooking needs.
Investing Reputation. Apps that focus a lot on social workouts, such as Strava, reward their users with trophies and ranks as a sign of their accomplishments. When users start to work out, they build up a list of trophies and followers. Over time, this becomes a big investment into the product as the user now has reputation to maintain on the platform.
Investing Time. By asking users to invest even just a few minutes of their time and effort, we can get them to keep repeating certain behaviors again and again. Ginger.io is a product that helps users who struggle with depression. It uses 2–5 minute exercises to engage users into mindful thinking and behaving.
Aadpted from: Xiayouji.com
Once the user completes an exercise, these are taken into account by the app, to tailor future interventions based on the current 2–5 minutes exercise the user undertook.
Setting up users for next steps
During the investment phase, it is also important to set up future triggers to start the next habit forming loop. For example, when I first sign up for Jawbone, Step 1 of my onboarding is asking me to set my movement, sleep and weight goals. Sure, it's an easy enough task and I do it.
Jawbone's onboarding process
Jawbone then uses this little information I invested to regularly send me new triggers to go to sleep on time and move more. It is important that during the investment phase we are able to get investment that can help trigger users to take action the next time. By doing this, we can increase the chances of a user cycling through the habit forming Hooked model multiple times.
Tying it all together
Nir's Hooked model is a great way to look at how we designing products that help our users with long term health behavior and habit changes.
It's important to encourage good behaviors by giving our users timely triggers, that have a clear call to action. We also need to give users the motivation they need to want to perform that action. By making the action as easy as possible, we also increase the likelihood the user will do it.
A surprising and engaging reward at this time helps users form positive associations through repeated use. Through this process, users invest more into your product, making it more likely that they will cycle through the habit forming loop. And voila! We're on our way to forging long term habits.
The examples I shared are all interesting ways in which companies out there are tackling a difficult problem of habit change. However, these examples aren't meant to be an one size fits all solution. As product makers we need to understand our users' deep pain and what truly motivates them. Everything that we design must flow from that core.
Once we understand our users' intrinsic needs, the Hooked Model can serve as a great framework to design for long term healthy habit formation.
Tradecraft
Stories about startups, technology, traction, and design from Tradecraft members
Thanks to Kannan Chandrasegaran, May Wang, and Aaron Otani.
Lakshmi Mani
lakshmi-mani.com / Product Designer @ Stride. Previously @ Cognitive. Changing behaviors with design. Guilty pleasures: British panel shows.


Stay 7 nights from £1,220 p.p. (Low Season) and from £2,060 p.p. (High Season) in a Studio King Room, on a room only basis.
The Viceroy Snowmass combines fully equipped, self-contained studios and apartments with all the services of a modern, top-class hotel. Super-stylish and ultra convenient interiors feature granite fire surrounds and flat-screen TVs. Families will appreciate the freedom of their own kitchen, but the mountain-view Eight K restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner should you prefer a break from cooking.
Each room has air-conditioning, tea/coffee making facilities, hair dryer, bathrobes and slippers, bathroom amenities, personal safe, iron and ironing board, 42-inch flat-screen television, DVD\CD player, iPod/iPhone docking station, wi-fi internet access and a twice daily maid service.
Facilities: Compact studio rooms comprise bed with fireplace, gourmet kitchen with premium kitchen appliances, a private sundeck and flatscreen television.
Facilities: Depending on the size of your party, choose between one and four bedroom accommodations. Internally you'll find a fireplace, compact kitchen, full appliances and flat screen televisions, while externally there is a private sundeck.
Facilities: Following the same concept as a one-bedroom suite, these rooms benefit from an extra den area complete with additional sofa bed.
Setting: One of the most innovative in Snowmass Village, enjoy ambient lighting and Latin flair in this intimate restaurant.
Setting: With a contemporary fireplace and cosy spaces to gather, this new modern coffee establishment is a hub for guests and residents alike.
The hotel offers ski-in, ski-out convenience while the other Aspen-area ski mountains can be reached by efficient public transport. Aspen, considered one of the most affluent ski destinations in the world, has always had an illustrious reputation; starting out as a silver-mining town, the town grew strong and wealthy off the metal. That is, until gold came along. Aspen suffered for a short time until it discovered its finest asset to date soft, white snow...and lots of it. Aspen boasts 184 kilometres of piste including eight snowboard parks and 42 ski lifts. There are 23 black runs, 26 red and 27 blue. In fact, Aspen is made up of four mountains, all of which are challenging for the well-practised skier, except for Buttermilk which is better for beginners and those new to the scene.
A paradise for golfers, Viceroy Snowmass is just minutes from the world-class Snowmass Club, host to a magnificent Jim Engh signature course. The 18-hole, championship design boasts stunning panoramic vistas and impeccably maintained fairways and greens, alongside challenging elevation changes and bunkers. Following the rolling terrain of the Rocky Mountain landscape, the course features picturesque ponds and streams, offering a scenic and enjoyable golfing adventure to novices and pros alike. Club facilities include an exquisite restaurant and bar, a fully stocked pro shop and a complete practice facility, whilst, as a Viceroy guest, you can enjoy priority tee-times.
Learn the vital skills and artful techniques needed to create a delicious and unique three-course culinary masterpiece, at Viceroy Snowmass. Don your very own chef's coat and join Executive Chef, Will Nolan, in a relaxed, informal and hands-on lesson, cooking an exquisite meal with market-fresh ingredients. After your hard work, enjoy your tasty creation alongside the finest, expertly-paired wine. Also, nearby, the friendly Mawa Kitchen and Cooking School offers unforgettable and nutritious cookery workshops, led by local guest chefs.
The opulent spa sanctuary houses six treatment rooms, a waterfall infinity pool and a relaxation lounge. Treatments include a range of rituals, massages, water therapies, thermal wraps, exfoliation, facials and beauty therapies. The fitness suite has the latest Technogym equipment.
The hotel offers ADA compliant accessible guest rooms in the following categories: Studio, One Bedroom, One Bedroom with Den and Two Bedroom. These rooms feature doors with at least a 36-inch opening, a roll-in shower, grab bars around the bathroom, a raised toilet (raised by 1 inch) and accessible wash basin. All of the accessible guest rooms as well as rooms within the Three Bedroom and Four Bedroom room categories offer items suitable for hearing-impaired guests such as visual alarms and visual notification devices for door and phone. Service animals are also allowed. Public areas such as fitness centre, meeting spaces, all restaurants and lounges, pool entrances, business centre and registration desk. Service animals are also allowed.
Our dedicated Luxury Ski Experts are ready to help you design your luxury holiday to Viceroy Snowmass. Furthermore, we have 1 Travel Consultant whose personally visited Viceroy Snowmass and can offer you their first-hand knowledge and experience.


This School Leavers is set to be one of the largest yet! It's not only important to have an Epic time, it's also important to stay Safe, keep your friends Safe and make Good Choices!
This School Leavers week don't hesitate reaching out to the Red Frogs and make School Leavers the Best Week of Your Life.
If you need a friend, need some support, need some encouragement, need to know more about God or just need some pancakes cooked for breakfast, then save these details as the Red Frogs are Awesome.


Testing, Testing, 1. 2. 3.
*Restesting Fetal Chromosomes. I had my first and third miscarriage tested. I think for the second one I was in such shock that it happened again that I just had my husband take care of arrangements with the funeral home and didn't even think about testing. Anyways, they were not able to grow cells from either culture therefore no results were found. Hospitals keep tissue in wax blocks for 20 years. We are having those wax blocks extracted and sent to California to see if they can get DNA from the tissue. I am not holding my breath too long for these results as many times they still are not able to get results. I will also be able to find out the genders of the babies so I know that's going to be a hard pill to swallow. I have my hunches so hopefully knowing if I was right will give me some closure. We'll see.
*She also wants to take a closer look if I really do have PCOS. I've retaken some hormone tests, fasting insulin/glucose and will have an ultrasound of my ovaries on Thursday. She has taken me off the metformin too. The newest clincal research study just proved that Clomid is still the number one drug to induce ovulation...so she is taking me off metformin and I will be on Clomid once I can try to get pregnant again. It was hard for me to accept going off if since I don't ovulate without it...but man oh man did that drug make me sick for the past two years- so I don't miss that!
*Thyroid numbers. She will treat a TSH number over 2.5 and my last two non-pregnant numbers were 3.08 and 2.8. The numbers climb higher during pregnancy so she wants to look closer at that.
*Re-testing all non-inherited blood clotting tests.
*Hysteroscope to look for scar tissue, infection and residual septum. And yes, I will be awake and watching with her.
I go Thursday for the hysteroscope/biopsy/ultrasound and follow up. Fun day, huh? I am anxious so send your prayers and good thoughts my way please. Just as my luck has gone these days the hospital where I had my D &C's screwed up and only sent out my slides to pathology...and never sent the wax blocks out for the DNA. So I won't have those results as they are just being sent now. Should have been done 4 weeks ago. I was so mad when I found out, but I guess at least they found them as many times they are lost. I am TRYING to stay positive in 2012...My luck has to change at some point!
Soon after my second miscarriage I had scheduled an appt. with Dr. L at the fertility clinic since "Dr. Bad Luck" ob/gyn thinks that two miscarriages in a row right at the second trimester is normal. Dr. L. said since all my tests came back normal for a second time the answer had to be my misshaped uterus and we had to take a closer look. A saline ultrasound revealed that I had a large septum down the center of my uterus. The good news..it could be removed through surgery. If the baby implants on or too close to the septum there will be limited blood supply/nutrients and can cause miscarriage. The miscarriage rate with a septum is about 90% without surgery. After surgery it drops to less than 10%. I didn't have to think twice about it since FOR SURE this had to be the answer to my problem! I could have jumped on his lap and hugged the man. Finally someone told me I had something I could fix! Surgery went perfectly. I had a new roomy uterus and felt like the dark cloud over my head shifted out of the way just enough to let just a little sunlight through.
Two weeks post surgery I am in his office asking to for another saline ultrasound to have everything checked out. I was paranoid that he didn't get everything during the surgery (sometimes women need two surgeries to correct a septum). I had to make sure before I tried to get pregnant again. The ultasound tech said "he did too good of a job" your uterus is "perfect". I was ready to get pregant again...and five days later I did. Pregnancy #4...with a new outlook in the back of my head thinking...everything is fixed...I am fine. If only I had a crystal ball.
Back to Dr. Bad Luck's office I went and was allowed ultrasounds before every 2 week appointment to avoid the torture of having them put that dreaded dopplar on my stomach. I can't handle that anymore. Unless the baby is flipping around in my stomach the moment they are putting the wand to check for a heartbeat I don't want it done. I was armed this time with progesterone suppositories, metformin, baby aspirin and my Mom at every appointment so I wouldn't be alone. Things were going great. Strong heartbeats at every ultrasound and I was starting to show. And then it happened again. This time at my 13 week ultrasound and 3 days before Christmas. The second she put it on my stomach I saw the tears well in the ultrasound tech's eyes as those dreaded words came out again..."I'm so sorry". I looked at my Mom and saw pure sadness. The baby wasn't moving and was curled up in a ball. How could this happen again? How could God do this to me again? I just saw the baby 13 days before and it was perfect. It was waving at me and had the most perfect little nose when looking at its profile. I can still picture it perfectly in my mind. All the hope I had - gone in one short second.
Off I went for another D & C. I just absolutely could not believe it. Dr. Bad Luck had nothing to say, other than...try again and this time maybe I would be put on heparin injections since maybe I had some undetectable clotting disorder. Three weeks later I sat across from Dr. L at the fertility center and he had nothing to say to me since he already fixed my uterus. I don't believe them. Something is causing this. The chances of miscarriage after 10 weeks is like less than 5% and I've just had my third in a row. And to top off my bad luck they couldn't grow cells on the fetus again for testing. Merry Christmas to me.
I can't sit back and do nothing. No one is going to take control of this situation but me. I have to do everything I can and then put it in God's hands. So I researched a ton and made an appt with Dr. Stephenson. She is the director of the Recurrant Pregnancy Loss program at U of Chicago Hospital. I feel good about this. She has dedicated her life to research and helping patients like me - and there are very few doctors in the country that specialize in this. She was wonderful in my initial consult. Although she did say this is a tough case she is going to do everything she can to come up with a plan for me. She took 21 tubes of blood from me that day with more tests to come (I have my follow up next week and will talk about that in my next post). Whatever happens from this point forward I will know I am with the best Dr. and I have done everything I can. I have a wonderful husband, miracle daughter, 3 angels in heaven and supportive friends and family so I know I am not fighting this alone.
So what was supposed to be 3 easy steps as I wrote in my first post has taken me...oh I'd guess about 147 steps so far. Whatever it takes me I will do. Whatever tests and injections and plans are laid out for me I will get through. Afterall, I think it will be worth it...Don't you?
Sounds easy, right? Not so much for me.
My husband and I got married in fall of 2007 and I immediately stopped my birth control. I just had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy for me to get pregnant. I was right. Fast forward 9 months later and I still wasn't ovulating. 60 day cycles combined with a abnormally shaped uterus diagnosed after a HSG got me a ticket straight to Dr. L at the fertility center. Stress and anxiety towards getting pregnant immediately entered my life. I was diagnosed with mild PCOS and a temporary diagnosis of "bicornuate uterus" after some preliminary tests. I was told if I did get pregnant I could be at risk for miscarriage or preterm labor.
It was my first IUI with a Clomid and Metformin mix that I became pregnant. Relief. Happiness. Nervousness. It was a textbook perfect pregnancy ending with a C Section and my beautiful daughter, Nora. 7lb. 8oz. You always hear people say they never thought they could love something so much, but its true. She is my blessing.
A little over a year later my husband and I decided to try for another, since of course in my head I already envisioned having trouble conceiving. I certainly have had my fill of trouble, but not in the way that I had originally thought.
Pregnancy #2 happened quickly, and I was only taking Metformin so I didn't need any interventions with Dr. L. I was nervous as usual, but things were progressing normally with great looking heartbeats and ultrasounds through 12 weeks. We stuck Nora in a Big Sister shirt and told all our family and friends. Everything was roses and daisies until I went in for my 16 week appt and they couldn't find a heartbeat on the dopplar. I immediately went into panic mode and they wisked me next door to the ultrasound room. She put the wand on my belly and immediately fell silent. It was like I was in a dream...totally removed from the situation and in disbelief as I sat and stared at the baby lying still on the screen. I was alone. I wanted to go home and hug Nora and never let her go. Questions came flooding out...why me? what happened? was it something I did? and to be honest one of my first reactions was, when can I get pregnant again? The baby stopped growing at close to 14 weeks and my Dr. recommended having an induction and delivery since once the fetus reaches a certain point, D & C's become more tricky and dangerous. My husband and I spent the night in the hospital and at 6:30 the next morning I delivered the baby. I didn't want to look, I didn't want to hold it. I just wanted it to be over. When the priest came into bless the baby both he and the nurses repeatedly asked me if I was sure I didn't want to hold it. I insisted "no" because I just wanted to move on. They warned me that I may regret my decision later and they were right. I regret it. In hindsight I would have looked so that I would have the memory of our baby on that day.


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mr-bungle in - CD Reviews, DVD Reviews, News
ANNIHILATOR Taps Ex-SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO, Former ICED EARTH Singer STU BLOCK For 'Metal II' Album
earMusic has announced a remarkable reissue series of (almost) the entire ANNIHILATOR catalog. "Metal II" kicks off this extensive catalog campaign that will give you special editions, bonus material, exclusive and previously unreleased tunes. And "Metal II" is only the first taste, ahead of a huge catalog campaign covering studio records and long-lost rarities. In ...
Former EXODUS Guitarist RICK HUNOLT: 2008 Re-Recording Of 'Bonded By Blood' Was 'An Absolute Waste Of Time'
In a brand new interview with Brazil's Heavy Culture, former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt was asked about the band's decision to re-record its classic 1985 debut album, "Bonded By Blood", in 2008 and release the new version under the title "Let There Be Blood". "To be completely honest, I think it sounds all right, but ...
ADRIAN SMITH + RICHIE KOTZEN Announce 'Better Days' EP
BMG will release a limited-edition 12-inch black vinyl of four previously unreleased tracks by Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen's project SMITH/KOTZEN on November 26 in conjunction with international Record Store Day's Black Friday event. The "Better Days" EP reflects the ongoing strength of the dynamic writing and recording partnership between these two world-class musicians, following ...
Longtime QUIET RIOT Bassist CHUCK WRIGHT Signs With CLEOPATRA RECORDS For Debut Solo Album
QUIET RIOT's longtime bassist Chuck Wright has signed with Cleopatra Records for his debut solo album, "Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky", to be released in early 2022. Wright has worked alongside such rock music luminaries as Alice Cooper, Greg Allman and various members of GUNS N' ROSES and KISS to name a few, and now embarks ...
METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN Members Mourn Death Of Veteran Heavy Metal Journalist MALCOLM DOME
METALLICA's Lars Ulrich, BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi, IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares and Doro Pesch are among the heavy metal musicians who have reacted on social media to the passing of longtime music journalist Malcolm Dome. The veteran U.K. writer died over the weekend at the age of 66. Dome has written about ...
VOLBEAT's Becoming' Is 'Tribute' To Late ENTOMBED Singer LARS-GÖRAN 'LG' PETROV
VOLBEAT's Michael Poulsen has confirmed that the band's new song "Becoming" is a "tribute" to the legendary Swedish death metal band ENTOMBED, whose lead singer Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov died eight months ago after a battle with bile duct cancer. He was 49 years old. In a new video explaining the inspiration for "Becoming", Poulsen said ...
NEAL SCHON Mourns Death Of Longtime JOURNEY Manager HERBIE HERBERT
JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon has paid tribute to the band's longtime manager Walter James "Herbie" Herbert II, who died at his home in Orinda, California on Monday, October 25, of natural causes. He was 73. Herbert had been suffering from a "prolonged illness," his longtime assistant Maria Hoppe, who is the executive director of Sweetwater ...
DAVE GROHL On Lawsuit Filed By 'Nevermind' Baby: 'He's Got A 'Nevermind' Tattoo. I Don't.'
Dave Grohl says that he hasn't spent a lot of time thinking about the recent lawsuit filed over the cover of the iconic NIRVANA album "Nevermind". This past August, Spencer Elden, the man who claims he was the baby featured in the image, sued the surviving members of NIRVANA as well as the estate of ...
LORDI Recorded Seven New Full-Length Albums In Nine Months: 'We Could Have Easily Done Ten'
Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI will release no less than seven new studio albums in the fall. The LPs will mark the first new music from LORDI since the arrival of 2020's "Killection", a fictional compilation album which contained songs that LORDI would have written had the band existed between the early 1970s and the ...
THE BLACK CROWES Photo Book From ROSS HALFIN Coming Soon
Rufus Publications and Ross Halfin have announced a new limited-edition book, "The Black Crowes", featuring thousands of unseen images from Ross's extensive library. Produced alongside Chris and Rich Robinson, the book is a huge photographic essay on the band, formed in Marietta, Georgia in 1984. The book features introductions from both brothers. Chris writes in ...
(HED) P.E. Announces 'Califas Worldwide' Album
(HED) P.E. has announced the details on its "Califas Worldwide" compilation album, dropping December 17 via Suburban Noize Records. Califas is a Hispanic nickname for Southern California, a moniker that perfectly describes (HED) P.E.'s Huntington Beach G-Punk sound as it melds together with artists from around the world to create the unholy union of "Califas ...
JUDAS PRIEST's RICHIE FAULKNER Thanks His Cardiothoracic Surgeon For Saving His Life: 'I Don't Know How I'm Still Around Today'
Richie Faulkner has credited Dr. Siddharth Pahwa, cardiothoracic surgeon at Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, with saving his life. On September 26, the JUDAS PRIEST guitarist suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival, just a short distance from ...
Dave Lombardo says that he misses the "energy" and the drumming "style" of SLAYER. The 56-year-old drummer discussed his former band while commemorating the 35th anniversary of arguably the greatest and most influential thrash album of all time, "Reign In Blood". Reflecting on the classic effort, Lombardo told Metal Injection: "I ...
JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist RICHIE FAULKNER Discharged From Hospital Following Heart Surgery
Richie Faulkner is now resting at home in Nashville following emergency heart surgery at Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. On September 26, the JUDAS PRIEST guitarist suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival, just a short distance from ...
CIRCLE JERKS Add New 2022 Dates To First Tour In 15 Years
Punk legends CIRCLE JERKS have announced their first and only North American tour in over 15 years, which is set to take place spring 2022. The dates span both coasts and (mostly) everywhere in between with support from NEGATIVE APPROACH and 7SECONDS who will be reuniting for the first time in over five years. Tickets ...
DAVE GROHL Says He Has 'Many Ideas' For New 'Nevermind' Cover In Wake Of Child Sexual Exploitation Lawsuit
Dave Grohl says that he is open to the idea of changing the cover of "Nevermind" for any subsequent reissues of the iconic NIRVANA album. The former NIRVANA drummer touched upon the prospect of a new "Nevermind" cover while speaking to The Sunday Times about the lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, ...
SAVATAGE Legend JON OLIVA Arrested For DUI, Cocaine Possession
Legendary SAVATAGE singer John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva was arrested earlier this week on the west central coast of Florida for driving under the influence as well as possession of a controlled substance. The Pasco County Jail web site shows the 62-year-old musician was arrested at 3:43 a.m. on Thursday (September 30) ...
'ALICE COOPER Day' Declared In Milwaukee
Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed Friday, October 1 as "Alice Cooper Day" throughout the city. The legendary rocker is playing tonight at the BMO Harris Pavilion as part of his U.S. tour with special guest Ace Frehley. Barrett explained his decision to honor Cooper, writing in a tweet: "If you are a Milwaukeean, you cannot ...
THE WINERY DOGS' Third Album Is 'Sounding Great,' Says MIKE PORTNOY: 'Everything Is Super Strong From Top To Bottom'
During an appearance this past Wednesday (September 22) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the third album from THE WINERY DOGS, his power trio with guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen and legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ...
LORDI Shares Two Thrash Metal-Inspired Songs From 'Lordiversity' Box Set
ALICE COOPER Display Added To Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 'Legends of Rock' Exhibit
Rock and roll is as much about the spectacle and the visual as it is the sonic and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Alice Cooper spawned a new generation of rock and roll fans with both. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is adding a new Alice Cooper display to its popular ...
Ex-STYX Singer DENNIS DEYOUNG Says He Would Be 'Perplexed' If Somebody Confused Him Vocally With LAWRENCE GOWAN
In a recent interview with Rock History Music, original STYX singer Dennis DeYoung was asked for his opinion on the man who replaced him, Lawrence Gowan. Gowan has been in STYX for 22 years, which is longer than DeYoung's initial run with the band. "I've said this a million times: Larry ...
QUIET RIOT Bassist CHUCK WRIGHT Pays Tribute To Liberal Icon RUTH BADER GINSBURG With 'Army Of Me' Video
Longtime QUIET RIOT bassist Chuck Wright will release his debut solo album, "Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky", in early 2022. A video trailer for the LP's first single, a hard-rocking, intense interpretation of Björk's 1995 hit "Army Of Me", is available below. The song and the accompanying clip represent Wright's exploration of disorder and parallels with ...
EDDIE VAN HALEN Memorial Plaque In Pasadena Gets Formal Approval
A memorial honoring legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen in his former hometown of Pasadena, California has received a "formal approval" to be installed near the city Convention Center, which is next to the Civic Auditorium, where VAN HALEN played a number of times between 1975 and 1978. The memorial tribute push has been ...
ALICE COOPER's Band Returns To Live Stage For First Time In A Year And A Half (Video)
Alice Cooper and his solo band played their first concert in a year and a half last night at Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The band's setlist was as follows: 01. Feed My Frankenstein 02. No More Mr. Nice Guy 03. Bed Of Nails 04. Rock & Roll (THE ...
ALICE COOPER Partners With ROCK & BREWS To Launch 'Poison Burger'
Rock & Brews restaurants have teamed up with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame legend Alice Cooper in creating an outrageously hot and tasty burger. The Poison Burger features Cooper's "Poison" Reaper Hot Sauce and jalapenos to give your tastebuds a spicy thrill. The new menu item is available nationwide at Rock & Brews restaurants ...
DAVE LOMBARDO To His MR. BUNGLE Bandmate MIKE PATTON: 'You Have My Complete Support'
Dave Lombardo has publicly voiced his support for Mike Patton after the singer announced that he was canceling all previously announced fall 2021 concerts due to mental health reasons. Earlier today, the FAITH NO MORE and MR. BUNGLE frontman issued a statement saying that he "cannot continue" with the dates because of unspecified "issues that ...
MIKE PATTON Cancels All FAITH NO MORE And MR. BUNGLE Fall 2021 Concerts 'Due To Mental Health Reasons'
FAITH NO MORE and MR. BUNGLE have canceled their previously announced fall 2021 performances. Mike Patton, who sings for both bands, said in a statement: "Sorry to report that due to mental health reasons, I cannot continue with the currently scheduled FAITH NO MORE and MR. BUNGLE dates. "I have issues that were exacerbated by ...
ALICE COOPER And THE CULT Announce Co-Headline U.K. Tour For May/June 2022
Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Alice Cooper will team up with rock icons THE CULT for a U.K. tour in May-June 2022. The dates are as follows: May 23 - Arena, Swansea May 25 - The O2, London May 27 - AO Arena, Manchester May 28 - The SSE Hydro, Glasgow May 30 - ...
ROSS THE BOSS Once Again Apologizes For Calling MANOWAR's New Music 'Terrible' And Referring To JOEY DEMAIO As A 'Scumbag'
Former MANOWAR guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman has once again apologized for his disparaging comments about the band in a recent interview, saying that he takes "full responsibility" for the words that came out of his mouth. A founding member of MANOWAR, Ross recorded six albums with the band before leaving after 1988's "Kings Of ...
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HEART's ANN WILSON Releases Music Video For Her Cover Version Of ALICE IN CHAINS' 'Rooster'


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I've noticed developers worry about vulnerabilities in applications they develop. I also think most of them try to do their best to prevent any problems. And I must confess I've lost a couple of nights of sleep because I convinced myself an application I worked on had a security problem. Knowledge about vulnerabilities is key for safe applications. Scanning the code for web application vulnerabilities and actively testing a running application for any signs of weakness are helpful steps to stop worrying and actually improve security.
Knowledge of security vulnerabilities, as a developer, can reduce the number of vulnerabilities introduced and it makes fixing them easier. Next to these benefits, confidence is a big one and it makes communication with security experts easier. Finishing new features and validating security often don't go hand in hand. More importance is given to creating new functionality and less to security testing. I agree it is hard, but not impossible, to go fast and also deliver secure software. Secure software and fast development can be achieved by automating security testing and increasing the overall knowledge of developers about security. Both will cost time at first before having effect. On top of these actions it is advised to have the security of an application tested by an expert, as expert knowledge is irreplaceable.
A lot of developers are no experts in security, and it's also unrealistic to expect this from them. There's a certain kick you get from developing a new application or functionality which is, for most developers, different from the thrill of finding a vulnerability. Not often you find people who are equally motivated or skilled in performing both. Learning about security vulnerabilities has another benefit for developers: you get to know the tools you work with better, specifically the limitations and the risks of those tools.
To understand why knowledge of vulnerabilities is interesting from a developer perspective, I will provide a couple of examples in the Node.js environment.
Another way a regular expression can be exploited is when a repeatable sub-expression has a valid match which is also a part of another match. Catastrophic backtracking is triggered at the point where the actual input becomes invalid. Something that should also be avoided are the '|' with overlapping values on both sides. Given the second example expression, if we provide an input with many zeroes and at the end a forward slash, then the execution would take quite long. Testing the input defined below did cost me around 550 ms to finish execution. Adding one more zero increased the execution time to around 800 ms (EMCAScript regex).
We shouldn't ever allow a user to find and exploit such a vulnerability. To help avoiding unsafe regular expressions during development a linting tool like safe-regex is useful. It will scan the source code for problematic regular expressions. If it is not feasible to change the problematic regular expressions it is important to filter user input on size, format or certain characters.
For applications running on Node.js, this kind of regular expression attack can have disastrous consequences. Because the event-loop can be blocked by the regular expression, and the event loop also notices each new client connection. The result of this ReDoS is an unresponsive application for many clients. To make it broader, any running process on the event loop that is affected by user input could endanger the application. An example of an intensive process that also can block the event loop is the parsing of a very big JSON file.
Path Traversal is a probing approach used by attackers in exploring unsecure locations in applications. Most networked applications use resources located on (url) paths to expose entry points of the application. Detecting if path traversal on a site is possible can be done by adding '../' to an URL like the examples below.
The URL encoding %c0%af are two pairs of hexadecimal digits that together form a character /. There are multiple ways to represent a unicode character and most libraries don't enforce strict rules when decoding.
This double encoding can also play a role in bypassing cross-site scripting (XSS) filters. Attackers can craft a new URL with the query parameter value containing a URL double encoded HTML.
Often in an application a first decoding is done and after that a sanitation check. It is possible that the now single-encoded HTML is not detected by the application. This won't be a problem if the data is not decoded again. But when it is decoded again before it is saved in a database, then there is a problem. The malicious HTML will be stored unencoded and is potentially displayed at a client when the specific data is retrieved.
Security configuration can reduce the danger of malicious scripts that somehow are inserted into a page. A cookie can have sensitive data and it's important to prevent attackers from stealing this data. An easy solution is using the HttpOnly flag in the 'Set-Cookie' HTTP response header on the server. The browser then won't allow scripts to access the cookie. Configuring this header with Express, which is a web application framework for Node.js, can be done with the following code.
To add security headers to requests in Node.js the library Helmet can help. The code you need to define in the Node.js application using Helmet is simple.
To prevent this attack, you can maybe best use a whitelist of allowed protocols in the href property. These are only a couple of ways of how to prevent XSS. As you can see in the previous examples, a vulnerability is easily overlooked and is often a matter of details. I hope to have shown a couple of interesting vulnerabilities and solutions to fix them. Reading about vulnerabilities, and playing around with them, is a really nice way to learn more about tools and techniques we developers use everyday.
I have a couple of more suggestions for making sure that a application is safe. The first one is: check dependencies for vulnerabilities. Use an application like Snyk or npm-audit to automatically find and report any known vulnerabilities in the dependencies. Dependencies are often a large part of the code running in applications and this code should also be secure. The second advice is to do security testing, both manually and automatically, because mistakes will be made. A free and simple testing tool is the OWASP ZAP, which can do multiple security checks, also for XSS and Path Traversal vulnerabilities.
I hope I have shared some interesting security stories and piqued your interest in some issues, if you were not already interested.


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Hallmark holiday movies filmed in Connecticut
Lidia Ryan
A new Hallmark holiday movie called "One Royal Holiday" premiered this year. It was filmed in Woodstock, Putnam and Hartford and takes place in the fictional town of Kentbury, Connecticut.
It's just the latest Hallmark movie to be filmed in the Nutmeg State; four others filmed in the area in recent years as well.
Check out some of holiday Hallmark movies that were filmed in Connecticut recently.
©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Robert Clark
One Royal Holiday (2020)
Filming locations: Woodstock, Putnam, Hartford, Connecticut
Plot: "When Anna offers a stranded mother and son shelter in a blizzard, she learns that they are the Royal Family of Galwick. Anna shows the Prince how they do Christmas in her hometown, encouraging him to open his heart and be true to himself." - Hallmark
Holiday for Heroes (2019)
Filming locations: Stonington, New London, Colchester, Connecticut
Plot: "After a year's worth of letters exchanged between Audrey Brown and soldier Matt Evans, their worlds collide for the first time off the page. Will the spirit of the season bring Matt and Audrey's love beyond their letters?" - Hallmark
Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018)
Filming locations: Old Lyme, Essex, Connecticut
Plot: As Christmas approaches, Elizabeth Bennett, a New York event planner, is sent to a quaint, small town to organize their holiday festival. When she arrives, she finds William Darcy, a high-profile billionaire lacking in holiday spirit, in the process of selling the charming estate she hoped to use as a venue." - Hallmark
©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Michael Larsen
Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (2018)
Filming locations:- Old Wethersfield, Connecticut
Plot: "Emma returns home to celebrate Christmas for the last time with her siblings in the house they grew up in. After their parents' recent passing, the siblings reluctantly agree to sell the family home on Honeysuckle Lane, leaving Emma in charge of its belongings." - Hallmark
Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Giovanni Rufino
Romance at Reindeer Lodge (2017)
Filming locations: Hamden, North Haven, New Haven, Branford, Chester, Connecticut
Plot: "A group of adults from different parts of the country have sworn off partaking in holiday events. Two of those people are Molly and Jared. Upon arriving at their destination, they discover it's a Christmas themed ranch. With no flight out until after Christmas, the group ends up staying." - Hallmark