text:
The Duke and The Domina — excerpt
He's poor. She's rich.
He's a sub. She's a switch.
It's not love. It's a Marriage of Kink-venience!
Grayson Locke Danforth, the Duke of Warrick, is a trained military strategist, to put it…mildly. He would have studied those who came before him, Sun Tzu in particular. Sun Tzu, a Chinese general who was a master strategist and philosopher, is believed to have originally written The Art of War. I studied several different translations of The Art of War and reference the translated text throughout this book with quotes at chapter headers.
While Warrick would most likely have studied the original French translation by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Maire Amiot in 1772, that translation wouldn't have lent itself to use here, as I have no intention of translating it from French for you.
The first known English translation was done by Everard Ferguson Calthrop, a British officer, in 1905, but it's incomplete. The first complete English translation I could find any reference to was the Giles translation of 1910.
This book takes place in 1883…so you see my dilemma.
Since Sun Tzu is believed to have lived somewhere in the neighborhood of 544 to 496 BC, it is logical to believe Warrick would have found and used the text in one of its various forms and translations. I decided on the French, because it was complete long before he was born, and was well known.
I will say my favorite of the translations is the most recent, done by James Trapp, even though I didn't use anything from his translation simply because it's so recent and I wanted to use something that was as timely as possible, as well as in English.
I purchased the hard-bound edition of James Trapp's translation from Powell's in Portland, Oregon. If you would like a copy of the text, get that one. It's a lovely book, with a traditional Chinese book binding and beautiful printing.
Translation used completed by:
Lionel Giles, 1910
In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact, to shatter and destroy it is not so good.
The corset tightened, and Grayson let out his last breath of freedom, finally at ease. Corsets were popular with the men of Victorian society, but the reason he wore a corset was different from the rest. For them it was vanity, a softness of the waist, or a straighter posture. But for him? He had no need for help with posture or waistline. His structure was not at issue.
Grayson needed the binding and the constriction, the pain of the tension and the relief when it released.
Grayson breathed against the steel bones, letting them pinch as he watched the process in the cheval mirror. If he took a deep enough breath, if he held it long enough then shifted, he could bruise his skin where the boning crossed his ribs.
He put his hands against the front of the corset and breathed again, waiting for as long as he could before exhaling, then he used his muscles to prolong that feeling.
The pinch. The burn. The release.
Then he nodded to his valet in the mirror's reflection, and his shirt was brought to him. Then his waistcoat.
Grayson wasn't looking forward to today. It took everything in him to not run, leave Britain, and return to India—his home. It's where he felt safest. Here in England, a country he'd wished to never see again, he was constantly on edge. Terrified he would be discovered. There was too much scrutiny here, particularly for a man like him.
The fact that chance or fate or whatever machination would take his father and brothers without warning, without so much as an inkling, was beyond cruel. That today he was to meet the woman his father had contracted for his oldest brother, the woman he would marry, the woman who was now to become his duchess, was beyond him. Grayson couldn't fathom marriage to anyone, but to a society miss? The daughter of a duke? A highborn lady who would expect certain things from him? This was truly unfathomable.
This woman would be in his life and in his house. It would be impossible to escape her. The fact that he was an honorable man never rankled more than it did now. Honor was all he truly had, when the rest of him was…what he was, and he would be forced to hide who he was even in his own house, where he slept.
To live out his greatest fear in life, to be a man of society, a husband, a father, a proper gentleman—he choked suddenly and leaned over, his breath stolen from him. He rested his hands on his knees at the thought, attempting to catch his breath as the corset bit into his lower abdomen.
"Too tight, Your Grace?" Rakshan asked as he held Grayson's jacket.
Grayson lifted one hand and waved him off, unable to voice an answer. Breathing in through his nose, he stood tall again then pushed his arms back behind him. Rakshan slid his coat up his arms then yanked the tail, straightened the shoulders, walked in front of him, and buttoned him up. Then he pulled the brush from the dressing table and slid it across his chest, shoulders, and back.
Grayson closed his eyes and settled into the calm of the movements on him. He would need to take that calm with him today to meet the woman he would marry. The future Duchess of Warrick, his dead brother's fiancée, the woman who would prevent him from ever being himself.
He may not miss his family for the reasons people believed he should, but miss them he did, because they were all that had prevented him from becoming who he now had to be.
The Warrick.
Lulu snapped the single tail just to the left of Oliver's shoulder, letting the sonic boom send shudders through his muscles. She loved the dance of muscle as it rippled across the back of a client, the skin undulating like a soft wave carried to shore. She snapped it again quickly, this time on the right before the first ripple had a chance to make its way fully across the broad expanse of his back—and Oliver did have the loveliest back.
With near-perfect symmetry and structure, he was simply beautiful with his arms stretched out to the bedposts above his head. The canvas of his physique, almost flawlessly balanced, could not have been more suited to her art.
He pulled against the bindings on his wrists, his muscles tightening in the center and stiffening his spine. The tension straightened his back as the lats on both sides flexed. The action made his back even bigger and more impressive, exactly what she needed him to do, exactly as she had instructed, throughout his training.
Lulu waited for him to steady, then she struck him in earnest. First on the left just below his scapula, then on the right without pause.
Tonight she would give him the wings they'd worked so hard for.
She picked up the second bullwhip and tested the air with both bullwhips in tandem. This was her special trick and hers alone, and her clients paid thousands for the honor of it.
She followed the pattern of his muscles down his lats, not letting him breathe between the strikes because the tension played out in his back. The feathers of his wings, made by the welts of the whips, needed to follow his natural musculature in order to look perfect. It was a difficult and practiced dance. Each strike had to be exact, because she wasn't to draw blood, yet, and it was incredibly easy to draw blood with a single tail. Much too easy.
For her part, the muscle control required of her had taken years to perfect, the ability to strike in tandem with an exacting weight and placement was nearly impossible. She practiced daily and worked her shoulders and back twice weekly to train out all signs of dominance on her left side. She worked harder than anyone else had ever considered doing. That's why the clients paid, and they got exactly what they paid for.
Lulu painted his lats with the red feathers, different weights and lengths of strikes making different patterns until he looked as though his back would physically give birth to the wings she put there.
She set the bullwhips aside and picked up the Wartenberg wheel to add more subtle texture to the feathers. Then the evil stick for the center of the wings, for additional definition. She used multiple tools to complete her work, each leaving a different pattern.
She didn't use the bullwhip where the bone was close to the surface, because the chance of drawing blood was much too high. Instead, she used the floggers to paint broad strokes, then the wheel and the stick to define. The final effect was well-defined crests with fluffier-looking feathers down to the tips, but it was the last feather that sold the piece.
She picked up her whips again for the final strikes, the most painful of all. They would hit the soft hollows below his ribs, carefully avoiding his kidneys, and painting the final, long feathers that would go from his sides to just on either side of his spine. The feathers would bracket those beautiful dimples in a searing pain he would remember for the rest of his days. These would bleed, but only slightly, and only because he'd asked for them to.
He yelled into it, a deep, throaty growl. They always did, if not during the process at least during the last strike. None of her subs could contain themselves through that final strike—blood or no.
Lulu dropped the bullwhips and inspected his back. The small cuts at his lower back bled two small rills of blood that slid easily into the dimples at his spine, pooling there. "Don't move," she whispered.
She walked to him and leaned across his back, careful to avoid streaking the blood while brushing his newly formed wings with her corseted breasts, running her fingers down his sides, at the very edges of his feather welts.
"Don't move, don't breathe, we're almost there," she whispered over his shoulder into his ear. Her breath sent goose bumps across his skin, his welts, causing shudders of pain to rack his body once again. She loved the sound that came from the depth of his rib cage. She wrapped her hands around his waist, skimming her thumbs just at the edges of the last welts to the center of his spine.
"Thank you, Mistress," he breathed, his voice tense and hard but gracious, and she was brought to life in that. She hit a switch on the wall, then walked to her camera. The lighting was set, the stage created. All Lulu had to do was check the focus and press the shutter, and they would both have a permanent reminder of why they were here.
She stared into the ground glass at the upside-down reversed image to check the framing. "Don't move, my darling," she said as she made the final adjustments to the focus. This was one of her best yet, and she had the beautiful man before her to thank for it.
She grinned and gave a little booty shake at her excitement, but when she stepped to the side to take up the shutter release, her heel caught on the tripod and her ankle rolled. Her hand flew out to grab anything to help steady herself, catching the leg of the tripod. As the camera tipped she went down hard, hitting her head on the floor, the camera crashing down with her.
The entire thing landed just in front of her as though she were composing an image, their legs tangled like lovers. She could see the back of the camera, the image out of focus, the tilted room projected on the shattered glass, the wings she'd only just created attempting to take flight as Oliver fought against his cuffs.
She blinked, struggling to keep her eyes open, focusing intently on the back of her camera one more time to try to keep herself from passing out. As she felt the warmth of blood pooling beneath her skull. she heard him yell her name, but she could do nothing but close her eyes and dream of wings.
…to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence.
Grayson arrived at Exeter House at half past three as requested by His Grace, the Duke of Exeter, his future father-in-law. The man had been his father's best friend and therefore Grayson's enemy. He didn't trust the man, simply for that close relationship to his father.
Nearly half an hour after arriving, he was still pacing in the parlor—certainly a power play at the hands of Exeter. Grayson didn't know how much Exeter knew of him, how much his father may have said, but he knew returning to claim the Warrick title under order of the queen would ruffle feathers, and every peer would be of a mind to put him in his place, especially this one.
It was one of the reasons he'd remained hidden, for the most part, since his return two years prior. Grayson wasn't thrilled to tie up the rein of his third-son-of-a-duke, worthless, spare-to-the-spare-of-the-heir position.
It made him angry beyond bounds that he could not get out of the marriage contract. He would have preferred to simply walk away from all of his father's contacts, contracts, friends, and fellows, and that was why he'd waited until today to speak to his bride.
Her father wanted the title for his daughter and would not relent, no matter how Grayson had attempted to break the contract. Grayson had no purse to buy him out, unfortunately, and Grayson believed Exeter may actually be aware of that.
Grayson knew it was crass, that he should have at least been sociable, but he was not a sociable man and had no sociable mien. He didn't want to be here in a fancy parlor in London. In London at all, for that matter, or in England, or even on this godforsaken continent. He didn't want—
The door swung wide, and a liveried footman in mint green stepped in. Grayson cringed. "The Lady Cecilia Lennox."
Resigned to his fate, Grayson straightened his shoulders and prepared to meet his bride. A gentleman, he said to himself. He was a gentleman. The footman stepped aside—and beauty walked in. Grayson's hands fell to his sides, and his jaw slackened—he knew it did. He tightened it and composed himself again as the footman introduced him.
"Lady Cecilia, His Grace, the Duke of Warrick." The footman turned swiftly and pulled the double doors closed behind him with a resounding click, and they were alone.
"Aren't you in need of a chaperone, or some such?" Grayson asked quietly.
"Am I?" she asked tersely.
He didn't have an answer for her, so he motioned to the settee and chairs. She took one of the chairs, and he relaxed only slightly and sat in the chair adjacent, so they wouldn't have to stare directly at each other.
Yet he did stare. She was vibrant, like a garden after a rainstorm, when the world is wet and the sun has just begun to re-emerge, the flowers open to the water and the warmth. The thought frustrated him because he didn't want to like her.
Her hair was a warm red, nearly brown, and her eyes were a heavy green threaded with mahogany. She was like a wood nymph from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Well, save the clothes. She was buttoned up rather close.
She looked to him, then away just as quickly. "This is fascinating," she said as she stood and walked to the fire in the grate, her words pinched and angry. "I simply cannot remember the last time I enjoyed such brilliant conversation."
She stared at the flames, and he felt instantly guilty. But the attraction he'd felt waned once she spoke. Her demeanor seemed more akin to an empty vase, and truthfully, he didn't blame her. Perhaps they could come to some sort of honorable arrangement once others were no longer party to their contract. Once it was simply between the two of them.
He stood and approached her slowly. "Lady Cecilia, I beg your pardon for my abhorrent behavior. This is all yet a shock to me."
"A shock…to you? We've been betrothed for near on two years, and you haven't made a single attempt to meet with me for the entirety of that engagement. I've been betrothed since I was a mere child. And this is a shock…to you?" She turned on him, her skirts swinging toward the grate, sparks flying in all directions as her voice rose. "A shock. And what would you say it is for me?!" Her voice filled the room. Grayson watched in horrified silence as she moved toward him and her skirts caught up in flames.
"My lady!" He tackled her to the floor as she screamed and fought him, but he heard an awful crack as her head hit something and she went silent. He stomped on her skirts as he yelled again, this time for help. His heart had never raced as it did now.
He pulled a pillow from the settee and smothered the remaining flames in her skirts. Grayson heard the door open and looked up to see the footman. "Call for a physician!" he yelled, then turned and started separating the layers of skirts and petticoats to be sure the fire was out completely.
It was just as he reached her drawers, saw the gentle curve of her backside in the gap, that he heard a shriek from the doorway. He looked up to find Cecilia's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Exeter, standing in the doorway.
For fuck's sake, as if his life wasn't as difficult as possible at the moment. He looked down once more, to be sure the fire was out—it was—then looked up to attempt to explain. But the duchess had fainted, the duke narrowly catching her before she hit the floor across the room from him.
"Your Grace, let me explain—" he started.
"What is there to explain?" the duke yelled. He handed his wife unceremoniously to a waiting footman and approached Grayson. "Looks to me as though you attempted to murder my daughter."
"Sir, no, I—"
"I knew you were dishonorable. But I chose to hold to the contract your father and I signed, out of respect for his friendship."
"I'm attempting to be honorable, sir. This isn't—"
"Are you telling me you're currently behaving as a gentleman should?" he railed on.
Grayson shook his head and started to rebut him, but realized that Lady Cecilia hadn't moved in quite some time. He knelt at her side again and brushed his knuckles across her temple. "My lady?"
"I must insist you unhand her," the duke yelled.
"Your Grace, I beg you, just give me a moment. This is not at all what it seems." He felt Cecilia's head shift and turned back to her. He leaned closer, spoke softly, "Cecilia?" He skimmed the stray hair from her face, as her cheeks pinked a bit. "Cecilia, please," he said. She turned her face into his hand, and her eyelashes fluttered against his fingers.
"Holy shit, that hurt," she said. Her hand moved to her head, and she winced. "Oliver? What the fuck just happened? Who the hell is Cecilia?"
Grayson dropped his hand as the shock of her words washed through him, and every conversation he'd had with Roxleigh about the man's wife ran through his mind. He shook it off because there was no time to consider options at the moment. If this was what he assumed, he needed to handle the situation and protect the woman. Grayson looked up to her father, who stood agape as a footman rushed in, pulling a small man in a suit with him.
Thank God, a physician.
"Shh," he said, "try not to…try not to speak. You took a hard fall. The doctor's here. Just give him a minute to look you over."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, their eyes truly meeting for the first time. She assessed him for a moment, then her eyes narrowed, and if he hadn't already been on his knees, that look would have sent him there. Every assessment he'd made of her when she first walked in—save how stunningly beautiful she was—vanished and was replaced in that look. "My lady."
Her eyes widened, and she started to look around the room. He felt her heartbeat pick up in the fingers he held on her wrist. She lifted her shoulders, and he tried to coax her back down. "Stay, try not to panic. I've got you."
Her irises flared. "Hands off," she ordered, and he carefully but quickly released her, immediately sinking back on his haunches. "Don't touch me." She didn't take her gaze from his.
Grayson pulled his hands back to his knees. Once she clearly decided he was no longer a threat, her hands began to move, touching her head as she winced and hissed a breath, then feeling down her corseted chest, waist, and reaching her skirts. One of her hands found her bared bottom, and she narrowed her gaze on him again as the doctor ordered the footman to help him lift her to the sofa. Grayson tried to tell them to wait, but they didn't heed his warning.
"Why is my ass hanging out?" she asked as she pushed the men away, and the doctor put his bag down and pulled out a syringe. Grayson saw exactly how this was to go long before anything happened. The doctor intended to drug her into submission.
Grayson didn't understand why this woman had such a foul disposition, but he was certain she was fairly lucid and didn't need drugging. She needed only a minute to gather herself. He stood, pushing the footmen away and putting himself between Lady Cecilia and the rest of them.
"You will not touch her," he said.
"Don't be ridiculous," the doctor responded. "She clearly needs to be sedated for treatment."
"No, she doesn't. What she needs is a minute of privacy. Get out. All of you."
The doctor gaped and turned to the Duke of Exeter, who said, "Excuse me, Warrick, but you have no right to give orders in my house."
"Where it concerns my fiancée, I certainly do. We have a contract. She belongs to me," Grayson said.
"I have a contract with your dead father and dead brother, not with you," Exeter spat.
Grayson looked directly at the duke as he started to backpedal. "You have a contract with the Duke of Warrick. That is me, and you pressed for it to be finalized. Now get out until I call for you to return." Grayson wondered if the man truly thought him a careless idiot but brushed that aside, since he didn't actually care and didn't have time to deal with the man's ranting.
Exeter and the doctor stared at each other momentarily, then he nodded and waved the footmen to the doorway. "This discussion is not finished," Exeter said as he pulled the doors shut behind him. Grayson had the distinct feeling they hovered just beyond the closed doors.
Grayson turned back to Lady Cecilia and once again sank to his knees at her side. One of her hands covered her eyes, and the other pushed against her waist. She was visibly shaking. "They've gone. Would you like me to help you to the settee?" he asked.
"And yet you're still here. I must be dreaming," she said under her breath, then she looked up to him. "Do as you will, because this isn't really happening anyway."
Lulu watched the man closely. He lifted his hands and showed them to her, and she nodded. He reached for her, and she allowed him to run his hands over her to check for injuries. Then she allowed him to pick her up as she tried to straighten her skirts and cover her backside.
She closed her eyes to concentrate. She had absolutely no idea what was happening. Last she remembered, she was with Oliver, painting his back with wings. He'd earned it. After months and months of submissive training, he'd finally been ready. Then…what happened next?
She felt her feet touch the floor but kept her eyes closed as she shifted her hands on the biceps of this man—Warrick? Wasn't that what he'd said? Yes—no—well, yes and no. He'd called himself the Duke of Warrick. Oh, she needed to stop reading historical romances.
The duke held her steady and didn't move. He was waiting for orders. She knew it like she knew what year it was. Like she knew where she lived. Like she knew who she was. It was second nature to her—this dance of submission—and apparently he'd been well-trained, which meant no matter where she was, she was safe. She trusted in this, trusted in the BDSM community she knew and loved and the universal truths it provided.
She shook her head. This was a dream. Of course she was safe. Lulu started to open her eyes again, but the light in the room was simply too bright, so she tucked her face against his shoulder and kept her eyes closed.
After a moment to gain her balance, she patted his biceps to let him know she was okay, and his hold on her relaxed. She tilted, and his hands returned. "Maybe I should sit," she said. Oh man, that was loud. She must have a concussion, but…it's all a dream. She felt him shift her to the couch. He released her as he sat next to her, but his hands stayed ready.
"Could you get the blinds?" she asked. "It's too damn bright."
"The—I can shut the curtains," he said.
Who cares what you have? Just close them, she thought.
She shifted as his weight left her side, and she put her hands on the couch to steady herself. The world behind her eyelids grew more dim, and she slowly started to open her eyes. Good Lord, she'd fallen into a BBC miniseries.
The man came back, and she looked up to him carefully as he sat next to her. He was…stunning, really. Dark, brooding, very well dressed, very well put together. Heathcliff maybe, or Rochester, some devious man for certain. She couldn't see much more than his hands and face because the rest of him was completely covered by his clothes. "Downton Abbey perhaps?"
"Pardon?" he said.
"Sorry, nothing, I just… What year is it supposed to be?" It was her dream, right? Wouldn't her actors answer her questions? As well as her dream man. I mean, he is something. She usually dreamed of famous people, but this man—she couldn't place him. He wasn't at all familiar, but by the look of him, he would be famous someday. He rested his elbows on his knees as if resigned to something, then he knotted his hands together.
"Eighteen hundred and eighty-three," he said simply.
"Ah, Victorian. Way before Downton Abbey. Cool. God, my head hurts. Can I get a cool rag or something?" she asked.
"I will ask for one. Are you ready to see the physician?" he asked. His voice was simply mesmerizing. She knew he tempered it to keep from hurting her head, but the depths of it resonated in her chest—as close as he was—and damn if he didn't smell amazing. She felt her nipples harden against the corset she wore. At least something was working properly.
This was one of the most vivid dreams she'd ever had. Her hands flexed against her legs, as if to hold on to it for a minute because she felt so incredibly lucid through the pounding in her head, and she simply didn't want to wake up yet. She'd have to hurry and get his ass naked and tied to her bed before she awoke.
"I beg your pardon?" His voice dropped so low it was feral, and for the second time, she looked into his eyes. His deep, black, heavy eyes.
"Sorry? Did I say something?" she said, and he nodded. "What did I say?" she asked, attempting to feign innocence.
"You… I fear repeating what I heard."
She laughed and instantly regretted it. "Yeah, probably something about you being naked and tied to my bed. Listen, can you send the doc away so we can get down to business? This dream needs to move along because I'm all kinds of horny right now."
He stared at her, a look of complete and total shock on his face. Holy crap, she didn't usually make her dream men so compliantly non-compliant.
"What do I need to do, make it old school? Fine! Fetch the physician, if you must. I would like to have a lie-down," she said as she put on her best British accent. He flinched, so it probably sucked as usual. She flicked her fingers at him to shoo him off to the door.
His eyes narrowed on her before he spoke. "Cecilia, I'm going to ask a favor of you. I'm going to bring the doctor in here. Please do not make any references to time or place. Please simply convince him you are well so he will leave and we can continue our discussion."
Lulu smiled and wondered if she should ask him if he should be using someone's Christian name, just like the heroines always did in her favorite historicals. He stood before she managed the words and went out into the hallway. Well, all righty then. Looked like they'd get rid of the doc and get right down to it. Fantastical.
The door swung open again, and the doctor came over to her. He treated her as if she were a CPR dummy—with no senses—poked and prodded without so much as a by-her-leave. Then he asked her inane questions, to which she tried to respond in a decent fashion. It helped that the man she wanted to tie to her bed was standing behind him, shaking and nodding his head with the answers.
"She may need rest for a few days, but she should be just fine." The doctor looked to her once more. "We should check you for burns."
"Burns?"
"She had no burns." God, he was spare in his speech. She loved it. Wait, burns? She looked down at her dress and realized what the awful smell was. The skirts were in tatters, fringed with burn marks. She looked over to the fireplace. Huh, okay, apparently she caught fire and that's how she ended up on the floor.
Oh my God! She'd been a victim of the flaming crinolines. This was a seriously intricate dream. Even the smell of burning chemicals hung in the air, bitter and sharp. Yuck.
She turned back and smiled at the doctor as if to say, Time for you to go. He watched her warily for a moment, and she tilted her chin up and narrowed her eyes on him. He stood.
"Your Grace, if you have need, call on me. I should return in a few days to check on her, make sure her head is clear."
Warrick nodded. "I will send for you, if necessary."
Lulu grinned at Warrick. "So," she said, "about that bed." Warrick's eyes looked like they might just pop right out of his skull, and everyone in the room stopped and looked at her.
"Too soon?" she asked.
Someone behind her whisked the curtains open, and the light assaulted her. She winced, stood, was immediately light-headed, and she felt Warrick's arms surround her and then…nothing.
Such bad timing. Damned dreams.


(CBS News) Sunday night on "60 Minutes," Lara Logan interviewed a Taliban commander, who spoke about a growing relationship between al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Logan spoke with "60 Minutes Overtime," about how she managed to arrange the interview with a Taliban commander and the precautions she took during the course of their conversation. Logan told "60 Minutes Overtime" producer Ann Silvio that it took "months of negotiations" to get the interview and that she first met the commander in 2006 when he was just a Taliban fighter. Logan recalled their first meeting in 2006, during which he saved her life by pointing out a landmine that he had laid and that Logan nearly detonated. To hear more about her harrowing 2006 experience and what it was like to interview someone who does not believe "that women should show their faces in public," watch the video HERE.


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MAKA is thrilled to present the education event of the year! First, Utah native son turned celebrity stylist, Ammon Carver, will take the stage to present L'ANZA's seasonal cut and color techniques. Then, international platform artist, Patrice Beauté's Tatjanna Czypionka will show off the precision cutting and museum-worthy updos that have made her a hit from Spain to Salt Lake City!
Ammon Carver has come a long way from his days training show horses in Utah. Now a prominent industry force and unparalleled beauty expert, Ammon has styled celebrities including Leighton Meester, Maggie Grace, and Kate Beckinsale. He has worked behind the scenes with luxury brands Van Cleef & Arpels, Ralph Lauren Polo and more. His editorial designs have appeared in Vogue, Marie Claire and Seventeen. Ammon has received multiple NAHA nominations.
avant-garde styling and masterful color techniques. As a true industry leader and highly regarded stage artist she has played a key role in media productions, photo shoots and educational videos.
Tatjanna's fresh, unique approach and her understanding of cutting, styling and finishing for today's forward thinking clients have made her a much sought after mentor.
A seriously fun presentation of artistry in hair!
We're going back to our roots to prove hair is fun! We've combine comedy club stylings with must-see demonstrations and three of today's top artists. But make no mistake, while our show may be fun, our artists are serious about showing trends, techniques and tips that will make an impact on your life behind the chair!
L'ANZA combines MATT SWINNEY'S NAHA-winning glamorous cuts and styles with LEAH FREEMAN'S award-winning color.
From the pages of Vogue, to the top of opinion polls, George Alderete has been everywhere! His color formulations are legendary.
A fresh face from Neuma, Kell Grace is a master wig maker, an updo guru and a Joseph Paris and Martin Parsons collaborator.
In-demand comedian, Jesse Joyce has been seen on The Tonight Show, Entertainment Tonight and Last Comic Standing.
We've got two ticket options to fit your budget and schedule. Choose General Admission or Full Access Pass!
Includes show admission and gourmet appetizer buffet.
Includes show admission, gourmet appetizer buffet, Comedy Show & Dinner Buffet.
Plus, Full Access Pass ticket holders can purchase a Guest Pass to have that special someone join them for the evening!
Includes Comedy Show & Dinner Buffet. Valid for guest of stylist with Full Access Pass only. Limit one GUEST PASS per Full Access Pass. Quantities limited.


Native Green Glow in the Dark Jefferson. Made from EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), giving your children's feet a feeling of cool and cushy freedom. They mould to their feet and are incredibly lightweight, shock absorbent, washable, waterproof, and odour-resistant. All Native shoes are also animal by-product free.


Join us for a seriously biting conversation with Mikhail Iossel and Amy Knight on Trump and Putin, American politics and Russian totalitarianism. "Mikhail Iossel is an intense and thoughtful force for decency in the world." (George Saunders). From a youth spent in the USSR to a life remade in the USA, Iossel shares the brunt of this experience on Facebook, where thousands follow his blistering, penetrating posts on Trump's America and Putin's Russia, and his pensive, eerily timely recollections of life under totalitarianism. Notes from Cyberground brings together a choice selection of Iossel's aphorisms, ranging from a few words to a few hundred. Each chapter covers a month from Election Day 2016 to summer 2018. Amy Knight, a historian of the Soviet Union and Russia who has been described by the New York Times as "the West's foremost scholar" of the KGB, is the author of six books including, most recently, Orders To Kill: The Putin Regime and Political Murder. She writes for the New York Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, and the Daily Beast, and she has appeared in the US on CNN, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, PBS NewsHour, Fox News, Al Jazeera, C-Span, and NPR. Q&A and book signing to follow.
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Courtauld research student, Cathy Corbett, reveals the discovery of an important resource for twentieth-century sculpture in the V&A archive.
Two hundred questionnaires completed by early twentieth-century sculptors have recently come to light in the Archive of Art and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum. These questionnaires have been in the V&A since the late 1930s, but two thirds of them are not listed in the online catalogue, with the result that they have been effectively hidden from researchers for years. The questionnaires are revealing and informative and will be of interest to anyone who is researching twentieth-century sculpture. There is also, perhaps, a cautionary tale here for those of us who rely so much on online inventories and search facilities these days.
William Kineton Parkes (1865 – 1938) was an English art historian and writer whose articles were regularly published in The Studio and Apollo, as well as in a number of American arts journals, from the late 1880s onwards. Most famously he wrote two influential series of books on modern international sculpture: his first two-volume series, Sculpture of Today was published in 1921, whilst the two volumes on The Art of Carved Sculpture appeared a decade later in 1931.
After his death in 1938, Kineton Parkes' archive was bequeathed to the V&A. The bequest included approximately three hundred and fifteen questionnaires which Parkes had sent to sculptors in the 1920s, in preparation for what has always been assumed he planned to be a third volume of Sculpture of Today. Though that volume was never written, the foolscap sheets, containing biographical details as well as lists of what the sculptors believed were their most significant works, offer a fascinating snapshot of each of the sculptors polled between 1922 and 1925.
What happened to the questionnaires in the years after they were received by the museum is unclear, but in 1990 the questionnaires were handed over from the V&A sculpture department to the Archive of Art and Design, at which point the questionnaires were recorded in a typed list, loosely arranged by country of birth. The Kineton Parkes archive has also now for many years been listed in the National Art Library's online catalogue. What is not at all clear in the current online listing, however, is that these entries constitute barely a third of the questionnaires in the archive. I made this somewhat serendipitous discovery when, having booked to see some of the questionnaires of those British sculptors who are listed online, I was then unexpectedly handed other folders, one of which contained a questionnaire returned by Ossip Zadkine, my current research interest, which I knew was not listed or searchable on the NAL online catalogue. Further investigation then led me to establish that, whilst the online list had British sculptors including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Leon Underwood, and other sculptors listed by country alphabetically from Austria to Finland, the majority of questionnaires, those from sculptors hailing from France to Westphalia, were not online and these included returns from such notable twentieth-century figures as Constantin Brancusi, Jacques Lipchitz and Alexander Archipenko.
Though the questionnaires could be consulted in the archive at Blythe House in West London, the absence of so many from the online directory meant that researchers were unlikely to stumble across them, and this is evidenced by the apparent lack of interest that has been shown in them in the last twenty-five years. Recent digital records show that since 2007 there have only been five requests, including my own, to see any of the questionnaires. And yet these questionnaires provide an interesting general overview for students of twentieth-century sculpture, as well as offering invaluable insights into the work of individual sculptors.
In his questionnaire, which in its final version was written in French, German and English, Parkes asked sculptors to state their place and date of birth and to give details of their art education. He then provided space for them to list their 'Principal Works with dates where exhibited, descriptions of subjects, materials etc.' Such information from more than three hundred sculptors provides opportunities to note, for example, that all apart from one of the twelve Russian sculptors had studied in Paris, or that a large number of the respondents from all over Europe refer to having been in Paris in 1910. The list of who had studied where and when would also be very useful for anyone researching art schools of the period, or looking for alumni from particular academic years.
It is the sculptors' own listing of works, though, which is arguably the most important part of the questionnaires because sculptors were encouraged at a particular point in their career to suggest which were their most important works. In some cases the sculptors said they had submitted annotated photographs of their works and, in the case of Brancusi, he simply wrote that the list would follow, with no evidence that it did, but in the majority of cases the sculptors described in often no more than a dozen lines what their most important works were, and they often also included where they had been shown.
The questionnaire returned from the Russian sculptor, Ossip Zadkine (1888? – 1967), was of particular interest to me (fig.1). His sheet was submitted at a relatively early point in his career, when he had experienced some success exhibiting in London, Paris, Brussels, and Berlin, and had just had his first solo exhibition at the Licorne Gallery in Paris, an event to which he refers in his submission. He also mentions that he had exhibited in Rome, which is neither listed in the Zadkine catalogue raisonné (Sylvain Lecombre, Ossip Zadkine: L'oeuvre sculpté, Paris, 1994) nor noted anywhere else, and now needs further investigation. His list of works is fascinating for those looking at his early career, and includes La Guitariste from 1921, a work of which there appears to be no other record. The simplest of biographical information is also, in Zadkine's case, intriguing. Literature on Zadkine has disagreed about whether he was born in Smolensk or Vitebsk, but here Zadkine records his place of birth as Smolensk, though with a question mark in front of it which may have indicated his own uncertainty. Similarly, on the question of his date of birth, Zadkine puts a faint question mark in front of his answer of 1890. Interestingly none of the literature on Zadkine had ever questioned his established date of birth until very recently when researchers in Belarus uncovered school documents which suggest he might have been born in 1888, yet here, as early as 1922, Zadkine seems to have been recording that there was uncertainty about when he was born.
There will doubtless be similarly rich pickings for other researchers. Access to Elie Nadelman's questionnaire was hampered both by his absence from the online record and by the fact that his handwritten name had been misread and copied onto the typed list as Elia Madsluean. He records his date of birth as 1885 whereas most other documentation on him states that he was born in 1882. Archipenko gives very full biographical notes and then writes a long letter to Parkes on the back of the form, whilst Henri Laurens includes an English appraisal of his work which seems to have been copied from elsewhere. Many include more than just a list of works. William Zorach notes, 'I am better known as a painter,' and Lipchitz writes imperiously that he has 'Des pierres dans presque toutes les collections importantes' (Stone carvings in nearly all the important collections). Joseph Csaky asks that photographs of his work should be returned to Léonce Rosenberg, and several other sculptors refer similarly to photographs of their work, so it seems likely that Parkes requested them. This may partly explain the large number of photographs of twentieth-century sculpture and sculptors that Parkes had collected and which were bequeathed at the same time as the questionnaires. These photos are coincidentally in the process of being added to the V&A online catalogue, though only recently has their connection with Parkes been investigated. There are over four thousand photographs, and while they illustrate many of the sculptures mentioned by Parkes in his books, it is not clear what relationship they had, if any, to the questionnaires. Certainly in Zadkine's case, the three photographs of his works do not correspond to the works he listed for Parkes (fig.2&3), though all the works predate the questionnaire so they could have been sent at the same time. There are also many photographs of works by sculptors who do not appear in the list of questionnaires and it may be that these can help us to compile a list of those like Ivan Meštrović and Toma Rosandić, who were almost certainly sent questionnaires, but appear not to have returned them.
It is likely, as the NAL website contends, that these questionnaires were intended to be preparation for a third volume of Sculpture of Today which was never published. What does not appear to have been noted elsewhere, however, is that the questionnaires which were returned from the sculptors who carved were unquestionably used when Parkes wrote his final two-volume opus The Art of Carved Sculpture several years later. In Zadkine's case, Parkes copied almost in its entirety what Zadkine had written but transferred the information poorly, for example changing: 'Job and his friends' to 'Job and his family' and giving dates of works as dates of exhibition, when Zadkine had supplied them as dates of production.
In the case of those sculptors who did not make it into The Art of Carved Sculpture, for example Archipenko, I can see no evidence that the material from his questionnaire was utilised by Parkes in any form, and therefore access to his and those of the other partially hidden sculptors will be of even greater interest.
These questionnaires, considered either individually or as a group, are a fascinating read for anyone interested in twentieth-century sculpture, and I am told that a list of all the questionnaires is going to be online in the NAL catalogue very soon. In the meantime the typed list in the lever-arch folder and all the questionnaires can be consulted by appointment at Blythe House.


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Mazibisa: A man on a mission
0	November 4, 2018 12:36 PM
NKOSANA George Mazibisa is a young man on a mission. While his age mates are looking for employment, he has already set up a company and is creating jobs.
Source: Mazibisa: A man on a mission – The Standard Nov 4, 2018
BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
Nkosana George Mazibisa second from right was honoured with the most impactful award in Lagos, Nigeria last week by Awele Vivian Elumelu (third from left) wife to billionaire Tony Elumelu alongside five other African entrepreneurs.
After resigning from his job in 2013, Mazibisa has not looked back. He put together his savings and ventured into business, starting a company called Mazibisa Inc, which has interests in retail and manufacturing.
His business got a major boost when he was selected for the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) programme which seeks to empower African entrepreneurs across the continent with a $5 000 non-refundable seed grant and mentorship.
"When I was selected, the TEF was in its second year. So out of 45 000 applicants, I managed to be in the Top 1 000. I went through a six-month mentorship programme with a mentor from Malawi. He would give me tasks which are hands-on and tailor-made for business success. I got knowledge about market intelligence and how to survive in a difficult environment. So for six months I was under his mentorship," he said.
The 29-year-old believes it was the mentorship and experience that enabled him to start a new line of business specialising in biscuit and potato crisp manufacturing.
"After the programme, I started another company called Swaad Taste of India, a biscuit and potato crisp manufacturing entity. After realising that most potato crisps in shops were coming from South Africa, I saw the opportunity and started my own crisps production. So from that journey and experience from TEF, I managed to expand my business," Mazibisa said.
He said the current production capacity was 640 cases per month, with the product mostly found in retail shops in Bulawayo. His two companies have a staff complement of 20 people.
Apart from being part of TEF, Mazibisa said he was also selected for the Nelson Mandela Washington Fellowship in America.
"TEF provided me with the seed capital, whereas the Mandela Fellowship provided the experience. I combined both. One of the key takeaways or lessons that I learnt from TEF and Mandela Fellowship is that for our businesses to strive, we need to be eco-friendly. Remember we have El Nino in Zimbabwe. So the survival of agribusiness must be hinged on climate adaptation," he said.
"So we realised that we needed to come up with a programme of roping in schools as information centres for climate change, vulnerability assessment and entrepreneurship. So we came up with a greenhouse project where we train schools on climate change and at the same time entrepreneurship.
"What it means is that we train all 188 schools in Bulawayo. We facilitate the construction of the greenhouse such that when they produce potatoes, we look for a market."
He said the greenhouse pilot project he launched at Mawaba primary school in Bulawayo was successful and attracted the attention of the former United States ambassador to Zimbabwe, Harry Thomas.
Apart from the ambassador, the European Union mission in Zimbabwe also toured the project in July this year.
Mazibisa's project was last week honoured with the most impactful award in Lagos, Nigeria, at the TEF forum, arguably the biggest gathering of entrepreneurs in Africa by billionaire Tony Elumelu.
Elumelu owns United Bank for Africa, a leading pan-African financial services group headquartered in Nigeria. The bank operates in more than 20 African countries and offices in London, Paris and New York.
Founded in 2015 by Elumelu, TEF is a 10-year programme with a $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10 000 entrepreneurs for the economic development of Africa.
The TEF goal is to invest in businesses that will generate at least 1 million new jobs and contribute at least $10 billion in new annual revenues across Africa.
Chamisa guns for Mnangagwa
Ncube needs be to politically savvy: Experts

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Cantilever Park
3G Pitch for Hire
First Time fan?
Michael Rose says there's a lot more to come from Yellows
Michael Rose says the Yellows must continue working together and working hard, with lots more to come from the team.
Paul Carden's side currently sit at the top of the Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division side, with an unbeaten start to the season and 12 league points.
The side, who are yet to concede a goal this season, have opened the 2020/21 campaign with results against Basford United, Gainsborough Trinity, Atherton Collieries and Whitby Town. But Rose insists the team can't get carried away.
"We have started very well, but there is a lot more to come," he said.
"At times we haven't played particularly well in certain parts of the games and rode our luck a little bit.
"Charlie has done really well in goal, including the penalty save and few other good ones, so he deserves a lot of credit.
Charlie Albinson starting the season in fine form 👏 #WeAreWarrington pic.twitter.com/gINz6mvPri
— Warrington Town FC (@theyellows) October 6, 2020
"We are creating chances at the other end as well, but we know we can always improve on that.
"We've just got to do what we have been doing really. As I said, it's still very early on and we can't get carried away with ourselves. We just need to keep working together and working hard and hopefully the results will continue."
Rose, 38, featured on trial with the club during pre-season, having played more than 500 games in the Football League for the likes of Rochdale, Morecambe, Stockport County and Norwich City, winning promotion on four occasions.
"I've really enjoyed my time here so far, I've settled in well getting to know the lads better by the day," he said.
"Training is good and there is a lot of talent here. I've known Cards (Paul Carden) and Bees (Mark Beesley) for years, so it made it easier for me to come down.
"I've always stayed in touch with Bees and to be fair to him he's rang me for the past couple of years and asked me to come. Cards knows how he wants us play and it's a good group of lads that want to learn and progress."
READ: Amis backs arrival of new striker
The Yellows look to continue their fine start to the season as they travel to the Don Amott Arena to face Mickleover, who sit 16th in the league table with a record of one win and two defeats.
"It's early days and we can't get ahead of ourselves," said Rose.
"We have to take each game as it comes and improve ourselves each week.
"There's a few things we can work on and tidy up which I'm sure will be looked at in training this week as we go into Saturday."
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Home|travel ban
The Ethics of Visiting North Korea
The Travelogue podcast from Condé Nast grapples with the question of whether tourism to North Korea is right or wrong.
North Korea Tourism: U.S. Travel Ban Takes Effect
A U.S. ban on its citizens travelling to North Korea has come into effect, at a time of heightened tensions over North Korean missile launches. The new rule was announced after U.S. student Otto Warmbier died after being released from prison in North Korea. The State Department said it was necessary "due to the serious and mounting risk" of detention.
In the Wake of Travel Ban, Islamic Art Institution Plans its First Show
The Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (IAIA), New York's newest arts space, has not yet found a permanent home. But that won't stop it from moving ahead with its first exhibition. The institute is opening to the public on May 4 in Little Italy with a show of work by four contemporary women artists. The space will serve as a temporary location while the institute searches for a permanent headquarters in New York.
The Trump Slump? Tourists Say They're Scared to Visit the United States
The fallout from President Trump's executive orders limiting travel from some Middle Eastern and African countries is having far-reaching implications for U.S. tourism. It is not just visitors from the countries targeted by the bans that are souring on U.S. travel; the seven countries included in Trump's original order in January account for 0.1% of incoming travelers. Rather, an atmosphere of fear at the nation's airports are scaring off people without the slightest connection to the Muslim world.
Public Diplomacy Dies in Darkness
As the Trump Administration marks the completion of its first 100 days, Mark Dillen's analysis of the crisis in America's place in the world remains as relevant as ever.
I Was a Stranger & You Welcomed Me: The Church & Immigration
Immigration [...] has recently become the focal point of President Trump's first weeks in office. In response to his travel ban, which suspends the refugee program and prevents immigration to the United States from seven predominately Muslim countries, a variety of groups and organizations have spoken out about what it means to be American, how we should move forward with immigration, and what intrinsic values are essential to the success of the United States.
A look at the response of some U.S. Christian churches to President Trump's travel ban
Power of the Plate: Pop-up Dinner Series Protests Trump's Travel Ban
Peace Meal Kitchen is an exercise in gastrodiplomacy – fostering cultural exchange and increased understanding through food. As NPR wrote in 2014, while the concept is fairly new in terms of its place in cultural diplomacy as a whole, "the idea itself can be traced back to the ancient Romans, who often made peace with their enemies over a good meal."


.: Three Streets Productions :: Current Productions :.
"I need a good lawyer and a Dairy Milk. I'd settle with just a Dairy Milk."
It's Christmas, and Eliza's got an advent calendar, a job she hates and a crashing sense of loneliness. At least the bloke with the lump on his head still cares. A bit.
Terry's got Eliza. That's all he's got. That, the odd rat, and the title of Britain's Most Dangerous Armed Robber. He misses his Lizey. He misses his daughter.
Based on a true story, this debut play by Georgia Brown is a timely and touching insight into the life of Britain's prison population.
"Have you spoken to anyone else? Boring conversations give me an eadache."
"Daddy's Girl is a wild, funny, soul-baring show about an unusual father-daughter relationship. It hurtles along like a rollercoaster and I hugely enjoyed the ride," Michael Billington, Guardian critic.
Daddy's Girl premiered at the Vault Festival, London, on 27 January 2017.
You can see photos of the production here and you can view footage of the production here.
You can read a 4 star review of the piece here.
"Tell me your age tell me your age tell me your age. I can't. We don't know who's in."
It's Enayat's 17th birthday. Sally's sung him a song, and got him a cake. But there's too many candles. 18 of them. And Enayat never wants to be 18. Because when he turns 18, he might just disappear.
Josh Azouz's funny, sharp and bittersweet new play explores a relationship caught in the web of the UK immigration system.
10,000 Smarties has been researched and developed with young people from across Oxford who have experienced migration and the UK immigration system.
Following performances of the play, there will be readings of short plays written by young people from Oxford – a chance to experience the freshest in emerging writing talent and the results of our youth playwriting programme.
10,000 Smarties premiered at the Old Fire Station, Oxford from 30 June - 2 July 2016.
10, 000 Smarties is a co-production with the Festival of the Arts Oxford and is supported by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts, the Greenbelt Trust and the Doris Field Charitable Trust.


Author, Editor, 21st century expat living in the Middle East.
A native Californian, Julie Gray is an author, editor & 21st century expat living in Tel Aviv. Julie is writing her second book,They Do Things Differently Here, and The Freaking Autumn of My Life appears in Aging: An Apprenticeship, available in April, 2017.


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MEDIA RELEASE: FMF ranked among the top think tanks worldwide in Global Think Tank report
The FMF has been ranked once again among the top think tanks in the world in the 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index.
The FMF is listed 94 out of the 4,998 non-US Think Tanks, 119 out of the total of 6,826 worldwide Think Tanks (including those in the United States) and 22 out of the 612 Think Tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Index, released on 28 January 2013 at a function hosted by the World Bank in Washington DC, is compiled annually by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. According to the researchers, the calls for nominations for the 2013 index were sent to 6,826 think tanks and thousands of journalists, public and private donors, and policymakers worldwide. The programme "conducts research on the role policy institutes play in government and civil societies around the world".
The TTCSP conducts the annual survey with the assistance of "a panel of 1,900 peer institutions and experts from the print and electronic media, academia, public and private donor institutions and governments around the world. The think tanks are ranked in the categories Top Think Tanks in the World, Top Think Tanks by Region, Top Thinks by Areas of Research, and Top Think Tanks by Special Achievement."
Many of the think tanks included in the study are private organisations while others are affiliated to political parties, governments, universities and other public institutions and therefore cover a wide and comprehensive spectrum of activities such as defence and national security, foreign policy and international affairs, economics and politics, health care policy, and many others. .
The full report and rankings in all the categories can be found at Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program.
The Free Market Foundation (FMF) is an independent, non-profit, public benefit organisation, created in 1975 by pro-free market business and civil society national bodies to work for a non-racial, free and prosperous South Africa. As a policy organisation it promotes sound economic policies and the principles of good law. As a think tank it seeks and puts forward solutions to some of the country's most pressing problems: unemployment, poverty, growth, education, health care, electricity supply, and more. The FMF was instrumental in the post apartheid negotiations and directly influenced the Constitutional Commission to include the property rights clause: a critical cornerstone of economic freedom.
The FMF has a wealth of information in papers, articles and opinion pieces available on the website which can influence the public debate and present alternative policies to the people of South Africa. Please look at www.freemarketfoundation.com.
Jayne Boccaleone
jcconsulting@mweb.co.za
Eustace Davie - FMF Director
FMF Media Release
Progress through freedom
Publish date: 03 February 2014
FMF Media Release, FMF, Economic Freedom, News


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Review: The Silent Sales Machine Hiding On eBay - Make money from those who don't bid on your auctions.
Review: Google AdSense Secrets - Joel "Dr. AdSense" Comm teaches how to make the most out of AdSense.
Review: The Rich Jerk - Strategies for affiliate marketing, pay per click, selling information products, and more.
To analyze the keyword density of a webpage, enter the URL and click "Analyze".
Optimum density is about 4-7%.
Density over about 10% risks being discounted as "keyword spam".
Scores are show with all words included, and with "Don't count" words removed.


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About Genetic Counseling
Florence and Laurence Spungen Family Foundation
Recent Grantees
Holocaust Postal Collection
Postal Collection
75 Years After: Stories and Artifacts Witnessing World War II and the Holocaust
Webinar Only
Webinar ONLY 75 Years After: Stories and Artifacts witnessing World War II and the Holocaust 2020 marks 75 years since the end of World War II and the liberation of most of the concentration camps established by Nazi Germany and its allies. To commemorate this occasion, our November webinar will delve into the Holocaust collection of the Spungen Family Foundation in the Chicago area. PGSA member, Mr. Kiel Majewski will moderate a discussion that draws on rare documents and artifacts…
Harbor from the Holocaust: An IHMEC and WTTW Joint Event – Community Screening and Conversation
Event Date: Thursday, August 27, 2020 - 6:30 pm CST Location: Virtual – OVEE (https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/qbzul) RSVP WTTW believes in the power of film to engage communities in dialogue around the most important social and cultural issues of our time. Our Community Screenings bring audiences together to experience the best of PBS documentaries, to spotlight societal and culturally relevant topics that can promote healthy discussions long after the film airs. Join WTTW, The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, and Asian…
Spungen Foundation Summer Event: Conversation with Holocaust Survivor Agnes Schwartz & Community Leader Lewis Lee
Thursday July 16th 5pmPT / 7pmCT / 8pmET via Zoom Link to register: Spungen Summer Event Registration Please join us for a 90 minute conversation with Agnes Schwartz, a Holocaust survivor, and Lewis Lee, a community leader in Milwaukee. The program will start with the testimonials of Agnes and Lewis as well as their take on current affairs and then we will transition to Q&A from the audience for the last ~30 minutes. Kiel Majewski will moderate the discussion. This…
Survivors Week #4
The Spungen Foundation, since the summer of 2013, has given scholarships to graduating seniors from Billings (Montana) West High School for going to Auschwitz with Eva Kor (CANDLES Holocaust Museum, Terre Haute IN). In the spring of 2017, Billings students unable to go to Poland used their spring break time to come to Illinois for an in-depth "Survivors Week." The students and teacher (Rob Stanton) visit Baha'i Temple, CANDLES, and Illinois Holocaust Museum. When in Lincolnshire for lunches/dinners,…
Postal Service in the Lodz Ghetto 1940-1944
August 26, 2019 - September 30, 2019
National Archives – Lodz, plac Wolności 1, 91-415
Łódź, Poland
In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the final liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto in the summer of 1944, rare letters and post cards from the Spungen Foundation and State Archive in Lodz created a unique exhibition that will open in Lodz Poland on Monday August 26th.
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NCEA – National Catholic Educators Association
McCormick Place Convention Center Chicago, Illinois United States
Along with Mr. James Schuster, history teacher at Carmel Catholic High School (Mundelein, IL), Danny Spungen will be exhibiting and talking about artifacts/documents that have made an impression on Carmel students over the years.
- Brochure
Phi Theta Kappa Honors in Action Conference
Inver Hills Community College, 2500 80th St E
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076 United States
The Spungen exhibit will spend the week of March 18th, 2019 in the Inver Grove Heights region working with Professor Vicky Knickerbocker and the Action Conference she is hosting. More details to follow.
Survivors Week
Billings West High School Billings, MT United States
The Spungen Foundation since the summer of 2014 has given scholarships to graduating seniors from Billings (Montana) West High School for going to Auschwitz with Eva Kor (CANDLES Holocaust Museum, Terre Haute IN).
- Schedule
December 4, 2018 @ 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Valparaiso University, Heritage Room-Harre Union
Valparaiso, IN United States
An Informal Discussion with Former Shanghai Jewish Refugee, Harry J. Abraham. Open to entire University community.
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Carmel Catholic High School
Carmel Catholic High School Mundelein, IL United States
For the 1st time, Zofia Gadomska will speak about her Polish parents (Stanisław & Stefania Prycak) and uncle Michał Pyrcak. The family hid 17 Jewish people in their barn in a small Polish village during WWII. One day when the uncle was out buying food, he was handed over to the Germans, sent to a concentration and was never seen again. All 17 Jewish people survived and the family was honored as Righteous Among Nations by Israel's Yad Vashem. For students and invited guests only.
Prycak - Yad Vashem Introduction
© 2021 Florence and Laurence Spungen Family Foundation
PO Box 91943, Santa Barbara, CA	93190
Administrative Contact:
Carol Spungen
Holocaust Postal Collection::
Daniel Spungen:


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DiZoglio to Chair Senate Committee on Community Development and Small Business
Posted on February 14, 2019 by ddizoglio
On Thursday, State Senator Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, was named the chair of the Community Development and Small Business, as well as the vice chair of the committees for Municipalities and Regional Government and Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
In addition, DiZoglio will sit on the committees for Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Financial Services, Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, and Transportation.
Committee assignments handed to members by Senate President Karen Spilka will help shape a legislator's priorities for the next two years.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity, as a freshman senator, to head a committee that will debate substantive policy and can help communities along the New Hampshire border," said DiZoglio. "As a region, the Merrimack Valley will greatly benefit from policies that encourage redevelopment and help our small businesses thrive."
On the same day that DiZoglio was tapped to lead the senate committee and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Lowell, was appointed its vice chair, Merrimack Valley Reps. Andy Vargas, D-Haverhill, and Christina Minicucci, D-North Andover, were given seats on the House Committee on Community Development and Small Business.
"I'm pleased so many local legislators will also serve on these committees to bring strong representation for our region," said DiZoglio. "I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting right to work."
In his second term representing the 3rd Essex District, Rep. Vargas is looking to apply his private sector experience assisting budding entrepreneurs to his work with the committee.
"In a time where small businesses struggle to compete in this new economy, I'm looking forward to doing all we can to support local entrepreneurs," said Vargas. "We build stronger communities when we prioritize community development and boost our small businesses."
Rep. Minicucci, who succeeded DiZoglio as representative for the 14th Essex District, said Thursday she is thrilled to bring her own small business experience to the table in her first term and join her regional colleagues to find innovative ways to support our small businesses.
"The Merrimack Valley has always been a hub of entrepreneurship," said Minicucci. "Community development is a team effort and I look forward to working with community stakeholders to support our entrepreneurs, help existing companies innovate, and grow job training opportunities to ensure our economy continues to thrive."
Haverhill and Methuen Receive Shannon Grant to Combat Youth Gang Violence
The Cities of Haverhill and Methuen will be receiving $185,000 through the Commonwealth's Shannon Community Safety Initiative to address regional youth gang violence.
An additional $29,709.61 will also be distributed to the University of Massachusetts, Lowell's satellite campus at Harbor Place in Haverhill, which is a Local Action Research Partner with the program.
The $7.1 million being distributed through this year's grant is being administered by the Commonwealth's Executive Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The Shannon Grant, is designed to help reduce the prevalence of gangs through community policy initiatives that encourage youth mentoring and improving relationships among families, law enforcement and school faculty.
"The funding provided through this grant will enable the Haverhill Police Department and our partners to continue to provide critical services to at risk youth in danger of falling victim to gang affiliation, criminal behavior and abandonment of educational and vocational opportunities designed to prepare them for productive futures in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," said Haverhill Police Chief Alan DeNaro.
"The Shannon grant awarded to Methuen and Haverhill aids us dramatically as we combat drugs and gangs on our streets and in the Merrimack Valley," said Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon. "Senator DiZoglio's efforts toward obtaining continuing funding are vital as we compete for available resources. I want to thank her for her consistent support of law enforcement and our efforts to make the Merrimack Valley safer for everyone."
"I am pleased to see Shannon Grant funding return to Haverhill as we continue working to thwart the corrosive influence of gangs in our communities," said State Senator Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen. "Young people are the Merrimack Valley's most valuable asset, and we at the state level are excited to continue working with our amazing local law enforcement partners to help keep our kids moving toward bright futures."
Dennis Everett Honored For Community Work in Haverhill
Posted on February 4, 2019 by ddizoglio
As part of Black History Month and the state's efforts to commemorate the work
of prominent African Americans in Massachusetts, state legislators nominated local activists, businesspeople and community leaders to be recognized during Black Excellence on the Hill Day on Monday, February 4.
The nominee for the 1st Essex District, Dennis Everett of Haverhill, received a citation Monday from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus for his work within the city and around eastern Massachusetts.
A married father of seven, Dennis and his wife Katrina Hobbs Everett are heavily involved with the Rehoboth Lighthouse Full Gospel of Haverhill, where Katrina's father and mother, Bishop Franklin Hobbs and co-pastor Carolyn Hobbs, have been longtime community leaders.
Through their non-profit, Power of Self-Empowerment (POSE), the Everetts work with at-risk youth and seek to empower individuals toward self-sustained social responsibility. Everett has taken a special interest in helping men who are reentering society after a stay of incarceration.
A proud member of the Insulators Local 6 union, Everett's faith and passion for music are a big part of his activism. Under the stage name Preacha Rhymes, Everett's music has helped raise awareness around issues such as gun violence and has been recognized by local media.
"I'm overwhelmed, grateful and humbled by this honor. I'm motivated to work even harder," said Everett Monday while also thanking his wife for her love and support. "We're a team and we support each other always."
"Dennis embodies so much of what makes the Merrimack Valley and its communities great,"said State Senator Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen. "As anyone in the Acre and Mount Washington neighborhoods of Haverhill can attest, Dennis and Kat are real difference makers in this city and I look forward to working with them and POSE in the years to come."


Sydney, Aug 29, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of The BetMakers Holdings Limited ( ASX:TBH) ( OTCMKTS:TPBTF) ("BetMakers", "TBH" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the more terms regarding the acquisition of Global Betting Services Pty Ltd ("GBS").
- $3.5M payable on 30 June 2019.
- if the EBIT of GBS during the Performance Period is equal to or more than $1.5M, the Performance Payment will be $3M.
TBH has the discretion to pay the Performance Payment in cash, via the issue of ordinary shares in the capital of TBH ("TBH Shares") or a combination of both. If any or all of the Performance Payment is paid in TBH Shares, the value of the TBH Shares will be based on the 15-day VWAP immediately prior to the Performance Date, subject to a floor price of $0.10 per share. The issue of TBH shares is also subject to the Seller not having a relevant interest in more than 19.9% of the total issued capital of TBH.
- $4.5M payable to the shareholder of CDK on 30 June 2019.
All other terms of the Transaction set out in the DO Announcement remain unchanged.
TBH CEO Todd Buckingham explained "We have completed the Due Diligence around GBS and we are very excited with the opportunity to combine our solution with both DynamicOdds and GBS."
"The flexibility around payments allow the Company to be able to get on with the task at hand and start delivering products to our customers."
GBS's Gerard Lazar commented: "We are fully committed to the BetMakers strategy and believe this will be a significant move for our company. We are happy to be able to assist in the restructure of this deal to allow the business to execute on the growth of the business through product development, further content and International expansion"


I wondered many times what is the main difference between the two, and while it may be obvious for some, it is not for many.
Graphics - … deals with… of course, graphics.
Web - … again… of course, deals with the web.
It wasn't until yesterday when it hit me. Above all the definitions that may exist over the two types of designer, Graphics designers are the ones that are very much into "what the eyes like" and can distinguish between what needs to be done and what needs to be tried out. Many of us "think properly with the eye" yet do not know what do to, and so… we try this, we try that… in the end, coming to a point where we often say "Hell, it looks shittier than the first version".
Web designers, on the other hand, are the ones that do the interface for a website. Often enough, they also take care of the programming - that's a low point. Designers should deal with what is for the feeling, and not with what is for the need. Therefore if you still want to stick to the term "web designer" - there should be "web graphics designer" and "web functionality designer", the later being the programmer himself.
The thing that happens with the two designers is that often they DO NOT KNOW their limits.
Therefore you see graphics designers doing also web work, meaning that they follow some rules and code a website or a website template, without actually knowing much of the basics. Also, you see web designers doing someone else's web work, meaning programming, or vice-versa - programmers doing web design.
How it hit me yesterday?… I was going through some templates for WordPress, and I immediately wanted to adapt one of them to my needs. The second I went into the code… pfff. Disaster! The result was….simply building the same template almost from scratch, having almost the same result (due to my needs), but in a cleaner way.
I wonder how we* got to be so selfish, so ego-centric, on a market where SHARE is the main word nowadays. Everything is open-source (let's give a big applause to Microsoft &others for sticking to keeping to their "strong character and healthy moral backbone") and stuff can now be shared in a second. Why? Because Internet is all about sharing (information). And since the Internet is the "new sun" of our planet, the "share" is the light coming down on it.
It's one thing to keep your copyright over one thing though, and another to keep the whole idea to yourself, rather than "employing" a proffesional and squeeze the best out of that portion of your idea.
I rest my case… Look at the websites that go round the Internet… 90% of them are full of crap. Not to mention that… let's say… maybe almost 10% of all are web design groups which emphasize their "skills" and "proffesionalism", and 90% of those 10% are again.crap.


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Q: VBA - Copy columns A to I to a new worksheet at the end of the book I have wrote the following that will copy the first worksheet entirely to a new one, at the end of the current workbook.
Sub Copy()
    Dim test As Worksheet
    Sheets(1).Copy After:=Sheets(Sheets.Count)
    Set test = ActiveSheet
    test.Name = "copied sheet!"
End Sub

However, I figured that I really just need to copy the data in columns A to I only, I don't care of the rest of the columns.
How can I do this please? Any help

A: Since Excel sheets have over 1 million rows, it's always a good habit to limit the range we're acting on:
Sheets.Add After:=Sheets(Sheets.Count)
With Sheets(1)
    Intersect(.Range("A:I"), .UsedRange).Copy Sheets(Sheets.Count).Range("A1")
End With

or, even faster if we only need to paste values:
Sheets.Add After:=Sheets(Sheets.Count)
With Sheets(1)
    With Intersect(.Range("A:I"), .UsedRange)
        Sheets(Sheets.Count).Range("A1").Resize(.Rows.Count, .Columns.Count).Value = .Value
    End With
End With

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Premium Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Finance
Citigroup's investment bankers are challenging Wall Street's best — and they may be on the verge of a breakthrough
Alex Morrell
Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat.
REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.
Citigroup's investment bank has ambitions to compete for the top spots in the league tables.
The bank has been mid-tier since the financial crisis, but recent improvements in mergers and acquisitions and equity-capital markets suggest the bank may be on the verge of a breakthrough.
The bank may be firing on all cylinders, but industry analysts and top executives say Citi still has work to do to climb the final few rungs.
"It continues to be a very, very competitive landscape, so we take nothing for granted," one senior banker says.
Citigroup officially ended its long overhaul this summer, with CEO Michael Corbat declaring the firm "strong and stable" and that its "restructuring is over" at the first investor day the bank has held since the financial crisis.
While Corbat was talking about the group as a whole, he could just as easily have been talking about Citi's investment bank.
Citi has largely loomed outside of the upper ranks of the investment banking league tables since the crisis. While JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch duked it out for league supremacy, Citi was busy cleaning up messes, shedding extraneous businesses, and generally getting its affairs in order.
But Corbat's comments this summer arrived at a telling time for Citi's investment bank, which, like the financial giant overall, is showing strong signs of progress.
"If you look at all the metrics for the latest 12 months, for a couple of years, and year to date, we have demonstrated a significant increase in our wallet share," Raymond McGuire, head of Citi's corporate and investment bank, told Business Insider.
Through the first three quarters of the year, Citi generated $3.8 billion in investment-banking fees, a 27% increase from 2016 and good enough for fourth place in the league tables, according to data from Thomson Reuters. It's the highest year-over-year gain so far of any of the top-10 investment banks.
The bank has been strong in bonds and loans for years — it maintained its third-place ranking in debt-capital markets through the first nine months of 2017 — but now its mergers-and-acquisitions advisory and equity-capital markets businesses are gaining steam as well, setting the stage for a serious challenge to the upper echelon of Wall Street's global investment banks.
Citi ranked fifth in fees from M&A, climbing 25%, to $860 million, the biggest gain in the top 10 aside from fourth-place Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which increased fees by 40%. In ECM, Citi ranked fourth with $902 million in fees, a 90% gain — the largest among the top 10.
"It seems like it's finally coming together for Citi," said a consultant who regularly works with top management at the largest investment banks on Wall Street. (The consultant declined to comment on the record because their firm doesn't authorize discussing individual clients publicly.) "They've always been ranked mid-tier. But we're seeing significant improvement."
Still, the bank hasn't reached the pinnacle yet, and it will be a hard fight surpassing the competitors ahead of them.
Raymond McGuire, global head of Citi's corporate and investment-banking division.
"It's been a mission for them probably for the last five or more years to do better in equity league tables and M&A. They fell down in the ranks during their crisis years," said David Hendler, founder of Viola Risk Advisors and a bank analyst of more than 30 years.
"They're making strides to try to penetrate it at some point, but they probably still have to work on their overall relationships and expertise."
A prime seat at the table
In early November, McGuire sent around a memo to his corporate and investment-banking division staffers praising the group's strong year. In the opening line, he highlighted Broadcom's record-breaking $130 billion takeover offer of Qualcomm, in which Citi played a leading advisory role, illustrating "the momentum that we have heading into 2018."
It hardly matters that the offer was rejected days later — Broadcom is still pursuing — as it served as a symbol of the level Citi has reached: In the largest M&A deal of the year, and the largest tech deal in history, Citi had a prime seat at the table.
It was the largest, but it was only one of a handful of megadeals Citi advised on in 2017. The bank is also defending Spanish infrastructure conglomerate Abertis Infraestructuras from takeover bids worth as much as $44 billion, advised on the $30 billion aerospace merger of Rockwell Collins and United Technologies, and advised medical devices company Becton Dickinson's $24 billion acquisition of CR Bard, taking the lead on lining up a combination of loans, bonds, and equity to finance the deal as well.
"If you look at the roster of transactions where we've been involved and been in a lead position, that roster of transactions can pull comparable to many of our competitors," McGuire recently told Business Insider.
What's changed for Citi?
According to McGuire, it's partly a result of the investments Citi has made in pulling in top-tier bankers to complement its already high-caliber roster of veterans.
"The foundation to this, the bedrock to this is talent. You have to make certain that you have the talent that is the best trained, that has the best experience, that can exercise the most refined judgment," said McGuire, who's personally involved in every major strategic hire.
Citi has hired more than 20 at the managing director level around the world for its corporate and investment-banking division this year, according to the memo. That includes a new head of M&A in EMEA, Alison Harding-Jones; a new head of the China corporate and investment bank, Guorong Jiang; and a new head of investment banking in Brazil, Eduardo Miras.
Leveraging a global presence
Structural changes have also helped the massive bank better leverage its largesse and global presence, according to McGuire.
Citi has touted its worldwide footprint often throughout its more than 200-year history. The bank repeatedly emphasized its "global network" at its investor day, referring to the company's presence serving large multinational companies in 98 markets around the world.
Most of the revenue from these large clients comes from providing traditional corporate banking services — daily financial tasks like sending and receiving money, trading financial products, using commercial credit cards, corporate lending, and exchanging currency.
Citigroup's global headquarters in New York City.
Investment banking's needs are more episodic, but the global roster of clients Citi serves daily would seemingly provide an advantage in capturing these opportunities when they do arise.
"The corporate bank has historically been the foundation of how we engage with our clients and how we do this globally," McGuire said. "If we can leverage the infrastructure that we have with the corporate bank and the relationships we have there to bring in those people who have the experience and expertise and judgment on the advisory side, including equity-capital markets as well as M&A, then we can bring solutions to that client, wherever they need solutions in the world."
It's an opportunity Citigroup hasn't always been able to make the most of. The investment bankers and corporate bankers haven't historically always worked in concert to leverage these relationships, and the largest and most complex global deals have more routinely gone to competitors at the top of the league tables.
After Actavis bought Allergan for $73 billion in a highly complex deal in 2015, CEO Brett Saunders said he couldn't fathom the transaction happening without a single, universal bank with broad expertise. He was referring to JPMorgan, saying, "Very few banks could have done what they pulled off."
"There's no reason why Citi, with its presence and capabilities, shouldn't be doing these," the industry consultant said. "You never really see them on those large, mega-structured deals."
But under McGuire, Citi has taken steps to better leverage its global presence. About seven years back, the corporate and investment banks were formally combined with the clear direction to collaborate.
"In many instances where we had more senior, more client impacting corporate bankers, we coheaded them with a similar profile from the investment bank," McGuire said. The global industrials unit, for instance, is coheaded by a top investment banker and a senior corporate banker.
The integration was physical too. Corporate and investment banking teams used to be separated, but now they share facilities and many physical barriers have been eliminated. They use the same elevator banks, for instance.
"We made sure that the likelihood of interaction is high," McGuire said.
Citi's IPO bonanza
Citi's equity-capital markets team has also delivered a strong performance, with the bank's $900 million in revenues through three quarters, nearly double last year's level.
Tyler Dickson, Citi's global head of Capital Markets Origination, credits the firm's global presence with helping the ECM business generate money from several macro trends that others weren't as prepared to capitalize on, including the volatility of oil commodity prices, interests rates defying expectations, and unexpected geopolitical results, like the election of President Donald Trump.
According to Dickson, Citi is able to more quickly and effectively respond to such developments and then match companies needing capital with investors looking to deploy.
"When you're in close to 100 countries and doing business in 160, I think that's allowed us to identify market industry trends that other people may have naturally missed because they're good in a certain geography or product base."
The company has had a bonanza of IPO assignments this year, and ranks No. 1 on the league tables in global IPOs through the first nine months, according to Thomson Reuters data. It's finished in the middle of the table in recent years.
The bank had a lead role on Altice's $1.9 billion US IPO this summer, the largest US telecom public offering in nearly two decades. It also had a lead role on the $2.4 billion IPO of South Korean gaming firm Netmarble Games in May, the largest IPO in the country in seven years.
Talent, again, has also played a crucial role. Citi set itself up for success by adding to its strong ECM roster during the lean IPO years of 2015 and 2016 when other banks retreated.
Tyler Dickson, head of Global Capital Markets Origination at Citi.
"We invested in the lower-volume period of the cycle," Dickson said. "And we did that while a number of our competitors pared back on their banking talent and pared back on their equity-capital-markets talent. And when the markets snapped back, they had to redouble their efforts in anticipation of catching up, and I think we sort of had the slow and steady wins the race strategy around that."
Dickson's team is also proactive about moving top bankers around the world to take advantage of opportunities. In 2015, for instance, Citi felt that the trends driving ECM in the US — like low interest rates and central-bank liquidity — would soon manifest in Europe as well.
Philip Drury, a longtime veteran and head of Citi's equity-capital-markets operation for the Americas, was sent to London to capitalize on the opportunity, taking over as the head of Capital Markets Origination for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
"Our existing talent, plus our new talent, has given us the best banking and capital-markets team on the street, and that's translating to all of our products," Dickson said.
"I think we've had a longstanding commitment to the equity-capital-markets business, but I do think we're firing on all cylinders right now," he added. "It continues to be a very, very competitive landscape, so we take nothing for granted."
There's still some ground to cover
McGuire is clear about his goals for the investment bank: It wants to be perpetual contender for the top spot in the league tables.
Despite its recent momentum, McGuire acknowledges Citi still has "some ground to cover" to get there.
"I have confidence and conviction that we'll get there just based on the talent that we have and some of the investments that we've made and some investments that we intend to make going forward," he said.
The deal business is lumpy, and banks can move up and down the rankings year to year because of a handful of big transactions. Whether the bank can sustain its momentum will play out over the coming quarters.
In M&A and ECM, Citi still sits behind the familiar faces — JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley.
"We know they have all these historical tentacles all over the world, but maybe this time they can pull it together. But they've got stiff competition," Hendler said.
"Citi's still trying to catch up," he added. "They've had a good couple of quarters. Let's see if they can put it together for a year or two."
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In this research paper, I will explore the disparity between the ideal of southern hospitality and the antagonism exhibited toward immigrants in the South. Although the South is frequently associated with hospitality, immigrants to the South often experience hostility instead. I will discuss the modern conception of southern hospitality and its historical development. I will look at the effects of racism in molding a fearful southern view of immigrants. I will also examine the role that religion has played in shaping the southern worldview, both in the past and today. I will discuss ways in which southern churches can and are advocating for immigrants. I hope to propose some potential solutions which might bridge the gap between southern hospitality and hostility.