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Archive for the 'Soho' Category
Stan 'The Spiv' Setty in 1949.
On March 8 2013 Camden Council permanently closed Warren Street to cars. The road had long been used, presumably for decades, as a rat-run for drivers hoping to avoid the congestion that would often build up at the junction between Tottenham Court Road and the Euston Road.
Closing a road to traffic in central London is hardly unusual these days but in this case there was a certain irony. For much of the 20th century Warren Street had been the centre of the used-car trade in London and was the oldest street car market anywhere in Britain.
"It's a nice little runner" – Two car dealers on Warren Street in November 1949.
It all started in 1902 when Charles Friswell, an ex-racing cyclist and successful engineer, astutely hopped on the running board of the new burgeoning car industry and opened Friswell's Automobile Palace at 1 Albany Street on the corner of the Euston Road. It was a five-storey building that could accommodate hundreds of vehicles in garage and showroom spaces, with repair and paint shops, accessory sales and auction facilities. It was known as 'The House of Friswell' and 'The Motor-World's Tattersalls' and was a huge success.
Friswell's Great Motor Repository at Albany Street.
Friswell's in Albany Street by the Euston Road.
Smaller car dealers started to open along the Euston Road but as the traffic got busier it became harder and harder to park cars outside their main showrooms. Many of the premises, however, had entrances or exits that opened up on the parallel Warren Street (the road was actually built in the 18th century as an access road for the newly built properties on Euston Road).
By the start of the First World War most of the car sales were actually now taking place in Warren Street. The main dealerships were soon joined by 'small-fry' or 'pavement dealers' – men who bought and sold cars of questionable provenance on street corners, cafes, milk-bars and pubs. Frankie Fraser described Warren Street in his book Mad Frank's London:
They'd have cars in showrooms and parked on the pavement. There could be up to fifty cars and then again some people would just stand on the pavement and pass on the info that there was a car to sell. Warren Street was mostly for mug punters. Chaps wouldn't buy one. People would come down from as far away as Scotland to buy a car. All polished and shiny with the clock turned back and the insides hanging out. And if you bought a car and it fell to bits who was you going to complain to?
Car dealers on Warren Street in November 1949.
Warren Street March 2013. Photograph by Lucy King.
Dodgy car-dealer spivs outside 54 Warren Street in 1949.
54 Warren Street today. Photograph by Lucy King.
In December 1949 the magazine Picture Post published an article about the used-car market in Warren Street. They described the road as the northern-most boundary of Soho (Fitzrovia is actually a relatively recent construct and only really been used since the fifties) and explained that was the reason why, " it attracts a fair amount of gutter garbage from the hinterland." The reporters feigned shock at the numerous cash-deals that were going on;
Bundles of dirty notes were going across without counting…there is nothing illegal about a cash sale unless, of course, the Income Tax authorities can catch them – which they cannot – or thieves fall out and pick each other's pockets – or unless, of course, someone gets killed.
And someone did get killed. His name was Stanley Setty, a shady Warren Street car-dealer, with a lock-up round the corner in Cambridge Terrace Mews . He hadn't been seen since 4 October when he had sold a Wolseley Twelve saloon to a man in Watford for which he received 200 five pound notes. The next day Setty's brother-in-law called at Albany Street Police station to report him missing but it also didn't take long before Setty's fellow traders and black-marketeers noticed his absence from his usual patch outside the Fitzroy Cafe on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Warren Street.
Car dealers loiter outside the Fitzroy Cafe on the corner of Warren Street and Fitzroy Street in London, 19th November 1949. Stan Setty used the cafe as his personal office.
The former stamping ground of Stanley Setty on the corner of Fitzroy Street and Warren Street today. Photograph by Lucy King.
Stanley Setty's Citroen parked outside his garage in Cambridge Terrace Mews just north of the Euston Road and west of Albany Street.
Stanley Setty had been born in Baghdad of Jewish parents and arrived in England at the age of four in 1908. Twenty years later he received an eighteen month prison sentence, after pleading guilty to twenty-three offences against the Debtors' and Bankruptcy Acts. In 1949 he was still an undischarged bankrupt and thus unable to open a bank account. Despite this, or more likely because, Setty dealt in large amounts of cash and he was what was called a 'kerbside banker'.
It was widely known that, on his person, he never carried anything less than a thousand pounds, and, if he was given a couple of hours notice, he could produce up to five times that amount. His real name was Sulman Seti but to many he was known as 'Stan the Spiv'.
A spiv in 1945 with a Voigtlander camera for sale on the blackmarket in London. The brooches on his lapels are also for sale.
Spiv is a word that's almost non-existent today and a couple of years ago there were more than a few blank faces when Vince Cable showed his age when describing the City's much-maligned bankers as 'spivs and gamblers'. After the Second War, however, the word was almost ubiquitous. It was used to describe the smartly-dressed black-marketeers that in a time of controls and restrictions lived by their wits buying and selling ration coupons and sought after luxuries.
When the war had come to an end in the summer of 1945 it was estimated that there were over 20,000 deserters in the country and 10,000 in London alone. These deserters, all without proper identity cards or ration books, had only one choice to make (if they didn't give themselves up and receive a certain prison sentence) and that was to be part of the huge and growing black market underground.
The word 'spiv' had been used by London's criminal fraternity at least since the nineteenth century and meant a small time crook, con-man or fence rather than a full-time and dangerous villain. The exact origin is lost in the London smog of thieves' cant, and is etymologically as obscure as the derivation of the goods the spivs were trying to sell. In The Cassell Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green suggests the word originally came from the Romany spiv, which meant a sparrow, used by gypsies as a derogatory reference to those who existed by picking up the leavings of their betters, criminal or legitimate.
In 1909, the writer Thomas Burke, in a short story featured in the Idler magazine entitled 'Young Love in Bermondsey' mentions 'Spiv' Bagster, the 'Westminster Blood' who can 'do things when his dander's up'. Henry' Spiv' Bagster actually existed and was a newspaper seller and petty-thief. His many court appearances for selling counterfeit goods and illegal street-trading were occasionally mentioned in the national press between 1903 and 1906.
Thomas Burke wrote about characters from and around Bermondsey including Barney Grierson who was 'always handy in a scrum'; Hunky Bottles, 'captain of the Walworth Whangers', Battlng Bert, Jumbo Flanagan, Greaser Doodles as well as 'Spiv' Bagster.
Another theory about the word 'spiv' is that it could well have come from the slang term 'spiff' meaning a well-dressed man. This turned into 'spiffy' meaning spruced-up and if you were 'spiffed up' you were dressed smartly.
Over time the two meanings of 'spiv' seemed to have mysteriously combined and in 1945 Bill Naughton, the playwright and author brought up in Bolton but best known for his London play and subsequent film – Alfie, used the word in the title of an article he wrote in September 1945. Written for the News Chronicle, just a few weeks after the end of World War Two, Meet the Spiv began:
Londoners and other city dwellers will recognize him, so will many city magistrates – the slick, flashy, nimble-witted tough, talking sharp slang from the corner of the mouth. He is a sinister by-product of big-city civilisation.
James Agate in the Daily Express reviewing Naughton's article described the spiv as:
That odd member of society… a London type. Which would be a Chicago gangster if he had the guts.
The word 'spiv' caught the imagination of the public of all classes. People who would have normally described themselves as law-abiding, appreciated, albeit grudgingly, what the spivs had to offer. During the war many people would have felt that without the black market it was almost impossible to have any quality of life at all and the spivs offered an escape from the over-whelming and suffocating strictures of austerity, rationing and self-denial. The sympathetic acceptance of the men with the flashy suits with the wide lapels and narrow waists only increased when the war came to an end. The wartime restrictions were now just restrictions, and the diarist Anthony Heap summed up the mood of much the country at the end of 1945:
Housing, food, clothing, fuel, beer, tobacco – all the ordinary comforts of life that we'd taken for granted before the war and naturally expected to become more plentiful again when it ended, became instead more and more scarce and difficult to come by.
By 1946 the archetypal spiv character was more well known, the columnist Warwick Charlton in the Daily Express wrote in November of that year:
The spivs' shoulders are better upholstered than they have ever been before. Their voices are more knowing, winks more cunning, rolls (of bank-notes) fatter, patent shoes more shiny. The spivs are the "bright boys" who live on their wits. They have only one law: Thou shalt not do an honest day's work. They have never been known to break this law.
When war came they dodged the call-up; bribed sick men to attend their medicals; bought false identity cards, and, if they were eventually roped in, they deserted. War was their opportunity and they took it and waxed fat, sleek and rich. They organised the black market of war time Britain. Peace had them worried but only for a moment. Shortages are still with us, and the spivs are the peace-time profiteers.
Seventeen days after Stan 'the Spiv' Setty went missing, on the 21 October 1949, a farm labourer named Sidney Tiffin was out shooting ducks on the Dengie mud flats about fifteen miles from Southend when he came across a large package wrapped up in carpet felt. He opened it up with his knife to reveal a body still dressed in a silk cream shirt and pale blue silk shorts. The hands were tied behind the back but the head and legs had been hacked roughly away.
It was estimated that the truncated body had been immersed in the sea for over two weeks and without the head it was thought almost impossible to identify. But the celebrated, not least by himself, Superintendent Fred Cherrill of Scotland Yard's fingerprint department managed to remove the wrinkled skin from Setty's fingertips which he then stretched over his own fingers to produce some prints. Prints that turned out to be a match for those of Setty's.
Within a few days the police found more evidence after they had instructed bookmakers around London to look out for the five pound notes they knew Setty had on his person the day he went missing. Five pounds was a lot of money in 1949 (worth over £150 today) and at that time any five pound note withdrawn from a bank would have had its number noted by the clerk along with the name of the withdrawer.
On the 26th October one of the Setty fivers was found at Romford Greyhound Stadium and on the next day five more were traced back to a dog track at Southend. The police were closing in and on 28 October a man was arrested and taken to Albany Street. Not long after a flat was searched at 620B Finchley Road near Golders Green tube station.
Brian Donald Hume with his wife Cynthia. At the time of his arrest in October 1949 they had a three month old son. She was a former night-club hostess and went on to marry the crime reporter Duncan Webb.
The man arrested was Brian Donald Hume who had originally met the physically imposing Stanley Setty two years previously at the Hollywood Club near Marble Arch. Hume had been impressed with Setty's expensive-looking suit with the flamboyant tie and his general overall wealthy appearance: "He had a voice like broken bottles and pockets stuffed with cash," Hume later recalled.
Setty realised that Hume could be useful for his illegal operations and they became 'business' partners dealing with classic 'spiv' goods such as black market nylons and forged petrol coupons but also trading in stolen cars which Hume stole for Setty to sell on after a quick re-spray. Hume was also useful as he had qualified for a civilian's pilot's licence after the war and had been getting a name for himself within London's underworld as 'the Flying Smuggler'.
Hume was born illegitimately in 1919 to a schoolmistress who gave her son to a local orphanage to bring up. He was retrieved after a few years and brought up by a woman he knew as 'Aunt Doodie' but who actually turned out to be his natural mother. According to Hume she never properly accepted him as she did her other children and he would later comment: "I was born with a chip on my shoulder as big as an elephant."
In 1939 he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot but left in 1940 after getting cerebrospinal meningitis. An RAF medical report at the time, however, described him as having 'a degree of organically determined psychopathy'.
Hume as RAF Officer c.1943
During the war he bought an RAF officer's uniform and used his knowledge to masquerade as Flying Officer Dan Hume, DFM. Hume passed off forged cheques at RAF stations around the country ("it was a great thrill to have everyone saluting a a bastard like me") but he was soon caught and in 1942 he was bound over for two years.
On 1st October 1949, Setty and Hume's thin veneer of friendship was stripped away during an argument at Hume's Finchley Road flat. Setty had recently upset Hume by kicking out at his beloved pet terrier when it had brushed up against a freshly re-sprayed car and the confrontation soon became physical. Hume, not a person who particularly found it easy to control his temper, was now in a violent rage and reached over and grabbed a German SS dagger that was hanging on the wall as decoration. He later told a reporter:
I was wielding the dagger just like our savage ancestors wielded their weapons 20,000 years ago . . . We rolled over and over and my sweating hand plunged the weapon frenziedly and repeatedly into his chest and legs . . . I plunged the blade into his ribs. I know; I heard them crack.
Hume stabbed Setty five times after which he lay back and watched his victim's last breaths. He wrote later: "I watched the life run from him like water down a drain".
Hume dragged Setty's hefty thirteen stone into the kitchen and hid the body in the coal cupboard. The next day, while his wife was out, he started to dismember the body with a linoleum knife and hacksaw, eventually wrapping the body parts in carpet felt adding some brick rubble for additional weight. The following morning Hume arranged to have his front room redecorated, and had the carpet professionally cleaned and dyed to get rid of any stray blood stains. What upset him most was having to burn £900 worth of bloodstained five pound notes.
Later that day Hume took the carpet felt parcels to Elstree airport and hired an Auster light aircraft to dump Setty's remains over the English Channel. It took several attempts, and broke the plane's window in the process, before Hume was successful in getting the parcels to slide out of the small side-door. As it was now getting dark Hume decided to land at the closer Southend airport and had to hire a car home for which he paid, of course, with one of Setty's left-over fivers.
The actual Auster light aircraft used by Brian Hume to dispose of Setty's body.
Brian Donald Hume, 1949.
A week after his arrest on 5t November Hume appeared at Bow Street Magistrates' Court charged that he:
Did, between 4th and 5th October, 1949, murder Stanley Setty, aged 46 years. Against the Peace.
By now there was so much evidence collected by the police including fingerprints, identified torsos, blood-stains found in the flat of the accused, hire cars paid by the victim's proven money and so on that anyone involved in the case thought that realistically there could only be one verdict.
The trial at the Old Bailey started on the 18 January 1950 and Hume's defence was based around a story that he had originally contrived for the police. Essentially, it was that he had been paid £150 to dump some heavy parcels over the English Channel by three former associates of Setty called Max, Greenie and The Boy. Hume's descriptions of the three men seemed so accurate and detailed that the story sounded credible to many in the courtroom.
The defence also called on Cyril Lee – a former army officer who lived within earshot of Setty's lock-up for three years. He was no friend of Setty's and admitted that he disliked the sort of men that had been habituating the garage at Cambridge Terrace Mews. He told the court that although that they weren't 'the sort of people I would like to see round my doorstep,' he had heard two people that were called 'Max' and 'The Boy' and also acknowledged that he had seen a man who looked like Hume's description of 'Greenie'.
Queues for Brian Hume's trial at the Old Bailey, 18th January 1950.
Police officers carry bloodstained carpet and floorboards from the home of Brian Hume into the Old Bailey at his trial, London, 18th January 1950. A week later, Hume was convicted as an accessory to the murder of his business associate Stanley Setty.
The Judge, Mr Justice Sellers, spoke to the jury about the inferences and assumptions they had to make but also told them that if there was any doubt about what had happened then they were compelled to return a verdict of not guilty.
The jury were ready in less than three hours to return their verdict and to most people's surprise, it was that they had failed to agree on one. Hume was retried, and on the 26th January 1950, and after the judge had instructed the new jury to return a not-guilty verdict for the charge of murder, he was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact. Hume was sentenced to just twelve years in prison but he didn't hide from the courtroom that he had expected less.
Three years before the case of Setty's murder caught the imagination of the British public in 1946, George Orwell wrote the essay 'Decline of the English Murder'. What he thought of the Setty murder case we will never know as on the very same morning that Brian Hume was taken to begin his sentence at Dartmoor Prison, Orwell's funeral was taking place at Christ Church on Albany Street. The church was situated just round the corner from Stanley Setty's lock up in Cambridge Terrace Mews and on the very same road where Friswell's grand Automobile Palace once stood and where Hume was originally taken in for questioning at Albany Street Police Station.
Brian Hume was released from Dartmoor Prison on 1st February 1958. It was almost certainly the only time in Hume's life that his behaviour was described as 'good' but it was for this reason he was released four years early. Because of the law of double jeopardy Hume was secure in the knowledge that he could no longer be retried for murder and he brazenly sold his story to the now defunct Sunday Pictorial. The front page splash began:
I, Donald Hume, do hereby confess to the Sunday Pictorial that on the night of October 4, 1949, I murdered Stanley Setty in my flat in Finchley-road, London. I stabbed him to death while we were fighting.
For the benefit of the Sunday Pictorial newspaper Brian Hume was photographed celebrating his release from prison with champagne. It didn't go down well with the public.
Hume admitted in the article that he had murdered Setty alone and Max, Greenie and The Boy was just figments of his imagination. The astonishing detailed accuracy of the descriptions of the trio that had successfully fooled some of the jury were actually based on the three policemen who had originally interviewed him.
In May 1958 Hume, complete with a false passport and what was left of the money he had received from the Sunday Pictorial, fled to Zurich in Switzerland. To raise more money he started committing bank robberies back in England that were cleverly synchronised with flights at Heathrow enabling him to flee the country before the police had even started their enquiries. Eventually Hume's luck ran out when he shot and killed a taxi driver after another attempted bank robbery. This time it was in Zurich and Hume was ignominiously captured by a pastry chef before being rescued by the police from a gathering angry crowd.
Hume was at last found guilty for murder and he received a life sentence with hard-labour. In 1976 he was was judged to be mentally unstable by the Swiss authorities and this gave them the excuse to fly Hume back to England where he was incarcerated at Broadmoor Hospital. Hume was eventually released in 1998 but it was just a few months later when his decomposing body was found in a wood in Gloucestershire. The body was identified as Hume's by it's fingerprints.
Not unlike the Manson Family killings in 1969 that seemed to bring an end to the peace-loving hippy era and the summer of love, the shocking Stanley Setty murder changed the public perception of the typical Spiv as a loveable rogue forever. There was always something slightly comical about the Spiv and indeed the exaggerated clothes and manners lent themselves to caricature. The spiv-like comedy characters continued to be part of British popular culture for the next couple of decades or so – notably Arthur English's Prince of the Wide Boys, George Cole's 'Flash Harry' in the St Trinian films, and Private Walker in the early Dad's Army episodes.
London, 1950. British actor and comedian Arthur English dressed as the spiv known as 'Prince of the Wide-Boys'.
But it was rationing that gave spivs a major reason to exist and during the General Election of 1950 the Conservative Party actively campaigned on a manifesto of ending rationing as quickly as possible. The issuing of petrol coupons ended in May 1951 while sugar rationing finished two years later and finally in 1954 when the public were allowed to buy meat wherever and whenever they wanted, it brought an end to rationing completely.
By the time Brian Hume was released from prison in 1956, the era of the Spiv had essentially come to an end.
Baby Wren Films
Tags: death, lock-ups, Metropolitan Police, murder, nylons, rationing, spivs
Posted in Camden, Fitzrovia, London, Marylebone, Soho | 41 Comments »
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Mary Quant, 1963
These days the King's Road looks not unlike many other high-streets across the country, albeit a bit posher. If you stroll down the road you'll see, just like anywhere else, Boots, McDonald's and the ubiquitous coffee-shop chains. In fact, always a trend-setter, the King's Road was where Starbucks chose to open its first ever UK coffee-shop in 1998.
The Kings Road has earned its notoriety for setting rather more exciting trends than over-priced milky coffee of course and it was here that perhaps the most celebrated fashion-statement of the last century really took off – the mini-skirt.
Everybody knows that Mary Quant invented the mini-skirt. Except she didn't. In reality nobody really knows for sure who produced the diminutive garment first. Some say it was John Bates, famous for dressing Diana Rigg in The Avengers so memorably. Others say it was the French designer Andre Courreges, although Quant would later write: "Maybe Courreges did do mini-skirts first, but if he did, no one wore them."
There is no doubt that skirts were getting shorter each year in the early to mid-sixties but this was almost certainly to do with technological advances that enabled tights to be produced relatively cheaply than anything else.
It is, however, almost universally accepted that Quant invented the word 'mini-skirt' after naming her version of the short skirt she was designing after her favourite car – the Mini. Even this isn't exactly true as the Daily Express and other papers used the term in the 1920s to describe the relatively short skirts of the era. It is interesting to note that in Quant's first autobiography 'Quant by Quant', published in 1966, the word 'mini-skirt' isn't even mentioned.
Although it was the first British Starbucks that opened at 128 King's Road in 1998 it wasn't the first coffee shop that opened on the premises. This was the Fantasie coffee bar which opened at the beginning of 1955, admittedly a year or so after Gina Lollobigida opened the Moka espresso cafe at 29 Frith Street, but still one of the first coffee bars in London and certainly outside Soho.
Fantasie coffee bar in 1955. A screen grab from the film Food for a Blush – released in 1959 but filmed in 1955/6
Starbucks on the King's Road today
It was owned by an ex-solicitor called Archie McNair who lived above the cafe. He also had a photographic studio in the premises used by a young team of photographers one of whom included the young Anthony Armstrong-Jones later, of course, to become Lord Snowdon the husband of Princess Margaret.
It was at the Fantasie that McNair and his friends Mary Quant and her boyfriend Alexander Plunket Greene worked on a plan to open a boutique on the Kings Road. "It was to be a bouillabaisse of clothes and accessories…sweaters, scarves, shifts, hats, jewellery and peculiar odds and ends," wrote Quant years later.
McNair initially had asked Quant and Plunket Greene to help him with starting up Fantasie but they declined both thinking that coffee bars were to be a flash in the pan. A decision they'd regret as it became crowded every night with a large group of young people who would become known as the Chelsea Set. In the evening vodka was occasionally and illegally added to the drinks and a local Chelsea-based band called the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group regularly played there. Both of which contributed to the big success of the cafe.
Chas McDevitt
Quant romantically wrote about the 'Chelsea Set' of the time describing a bohemian world of 'painters, photographers, architects, writers, socialites, actors, con-men, and superior tarts' although the author Len Deighton described the same people as 'a nasty and roaring offshoot of the deb world' (it seems they have never left). Deighton was upset how the new crowd ending up replacing 'an amiable mixture of arty rich and bohemian poor' who, rather horrifically, all had to move out of the best parts of Chelsea beyond World's End and even to 'cisalpine Fulham'.
In 1955 McNair and Plunket Greene managed to buy the basement and groundfloor of Markham House on the corner of Markham Square and next door to a grotty pub called the Markham Arms (now a Santander bank). They paid just £8000 for the freehold.
Bazaar in 1955
Bazaar and the Markham Arms (now a Santander bank) today
The King's Road in 1958. The Bluebird Garage can be seen down the road at numbers 330-350. The garage was opened in 1923 and was the largest in Europe with room for 300 cars in the main garage.
The King's Road today-ish. The garage is now a restaurant of course.
The shop, which they called Bazaar, opened in November 1955 and was an almost immediate success with the stock flying out of the door. Although initially this was partly to do with naively selling their clothes and accessories too cheaply thus not only losing money on everything they sold but also upsetting the local shops and their wholesalers by undercutting the fixed retail prices.
It wasn't long, however, that the trio of entrepreneurs realised that by luck they were on to a huge thing:
We were in at the beginning of a tremendous renaissance in fashion. It was not happening because of us. It was simply that, as things turned out, we were a part of it.
Mary Quant and Alexander Plunket Green
Mary Quant and APG worked incredibly hard. They had also opened a restaurant in the basement of Markham House which soon became the place to come to in Chelsea. But if they worked hard they also played hard – incredibly they were still both only twentyone.
According to Quant the couple always found time to visit the music hall shows at the Chelsea Palace theatre down the road from Bazaar. At the time the shows were often slightly risqué in nature. "We went once a week" said Mary. "the Chelsea Palace chorus girls wore very naughty fur bikini knickers."
It must have been a very funny show…
Paul Raymond's 'Burlesque' was performed at the Chelsea Palace in 1955
Burlesque by Paul Raymond – how kind of Jeye's Fluid to sponsor the show (see the bottom of the bill)
Chelsea Palace of Varieties
The Chelsea Palace of Varieties had opened for business in 1903 at 232-42 King's Road on the corner of Sydney Street opposite the Town Hall. It seated 2524 people. Marie Lloyd appeared there in 1909 and performed an act so vulgar that a complaint was made to the London County Council.
By 1923 it started to be used as a cinema as well as showing straight plays and ballets. In 1925 it was taken over by Variety Theatres Consolidated and from then until its closure in March 1957 it presented live theatre, often of a risque nature. One of the shows put on in 1955 called 'Burlesque' was produced by Paul Raymond at the beginning of his career.
During the latter part of 1956 the Chelsea Palace ran a Radio Luxembourg talent competition and it was won for four weeks in a row by the Fantasie coffee shop regulars – the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group. McDevitt described his flat in Chelsea at the time:
The flat I the King's Road was an ideal pad in an ideal position. It provided a haven for many an itinerant jazzer, visiting American folkies and unsuspecting embryo groupies.
During the Chelsea Palace talent contests McDevitt met a twenty year old Glaswegian singer called Anne Wilson whose stage name was Nancy Whiskey.
Within six months Nancy Whiskey and McDevitt's skiffle group had recorded a single called Freight Train. Amazingly, to most people concerned, it actually ended up in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. They even appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in the US along side the Everly Brothers six years before the Beatles' famous appearance.
The particularly British institution of skiffle only lasted two or three years perhaps but its influence was long-lasting. It was a do-it-yourself reaction to the bland mediocrity that many young people felt about the popular music of the time. This was echoed twenty years later in the mid-seventies with punk which had a lot of similarities with skiffle. The Kings Road played its part in that too.
With his new success Chas McDevitt opened his own coffee bar in Berwick Street in Soho which he called, of course, the Freight Train coffee bar.
The swinging sixties were a bit of a myth this is what the King's Road really looked like.
The King's Road: Sundays weren't for shopping in the Sixties
In 1957 the Chelsea Palace was renamed the Chelsea Granada and was to become a cinema. Although almost immediately the building was leased to Granada Television, within the same company, and the stalls in the theatre were replaced by a studio floor and it became Granada Studio 10 for the next eight years to augment the specially built studio complex in Manchester.
Sidney Bernstein, who with his brother Cecil owned Granada and which had recently won the franchise license to broadcast commercial television in the north west of England, numbered their studios by just using even numbers. This was simply so as to appear they owned more studios than they did.
It was actually the last of the London theatre to TV studio conversions. The Shepherd's Bush Empire was now a BBC studio and Associated Television had already converted the Hackney Empire and the Wood Green Empire.
Incidentally it was at the Wood Green theatre in 1918 that the American magician known as Chung Ling Soo, (or William Robinson as he was really called) was tragically shot and fatally injured while performing his infamous act which involved catching (or not) a bullet between his teeth.
His last words were "Oh my God. Something's happened. Lower the curtain." It shocked everyone. Not so much that he had been shot but that he wasn't Chinese and spoke perfect English.
William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, told almost no one that he wasn't Chinese.
Boris Karloff wonders 'Who Killed Chung Ling Soo'.
Studio 10 was used for the long running and extremely popular comedy series – the Army Game which ran for five years from 1957. An incredible 154 episodes were broadcast and the cast included many that would become household names for decades to come – Alfie Bass, Geoffrey Palmer, Bill Fraser, Dick Emery and Bernard Bresslaw and the writers included a young John Junkin, Marty Feldman and Barry Took.
The Army Game
Another very popular show that came from Granada's King's Road studio was the variety show called Chelsea at Nine. It ran for three series and purposely took advantage of the studio's location in the capital to feature artists that were appearing in town. This meant that sometimes you would get one of the finest jazz musicians on earth playing after a comedian that would struggle to get on the end of a bill in Skegness.
Ella Fitzgerald once had to introduce an act who was appearing after her on the show as 'the world's greatest song and dance spoons man'. She laughed and laughed and simply couldn't do it.
On the 23rd of February 1959 a very gaunt and very unsteady Billie Holiday was helped up on stage and performed three songs. Strange Fruit, Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone and I Loves You Porgy. Luckily for us the shows were by then being recorded but they proved to be the last she ever made and she died just five months later of cirrhosis of the liver in a New York hospital on 17th July. Only Strange Fruit and I Loves You Porgy still survive.
Billie Holiday – I Loves You Porgy
The Chelsea Palace was shamefully demolished by developers in 1966 after Granada vacated the premises. If one day you're buying a sofa in Heals which is situated on the corner of the King's Road and Sydney Street where the Chelsea Palace once stood, you might take a few moments to note that one of the world's greatest ever singers sang a few songs maybe just where you're standing.
Heals today and not the Chelsea Palace
King's Road in 1967
By the time the Chelsea Palace was demolished the miniskirt was ubiquitous on the King's Road and pretty well everywhere else. In the ten years since she and APK had opened Bazaar she had become an international success. Quant and her clothes were an integral part of the so-called Swinging London. At the age of 32, dressed of course in a miniskirt, she received an OBE from the Queen.
Brilliant Pathé footage of Mary Quant in 1967
Loudon Wainwright who wrote a column for Life magazine and was based in London
In 1967 Loudon Wainwright, father of Loudon Wainwright III and grandfather to Rufus and Martha was working in London for Life magazine. In his column called 'The View From Here' he wrote:
Until very recently one of my least crucial handicaps has been a sort of built-in propriety which, for example has forced me to avert my eyes whenever I say that a lady was going to have difficulty with her skirt. By difficulty I mean that the skirt was threatening to go up too high – in a chair, in the wind, as its owner disembarked from a taxi.
Loudon continues…
I'm not sure how this propriety has survived the miniskirt fashions…but a few days of lovely spring weather in London have abolished it forever. The balmy sunshine there brought out the miniskirts in mind-reeling profusion. The town was positively atwinkle with thighs…the training of years misspent in the useless protection of female modesty betrayed me, and I had to learn how to stare. Yet soon the delightful truth that I was supposed to notice - burst upon me..
A few months later Mary Quant was interviewed in the Guardian
That's the thing about today's fashions – they're sexy to look at but really more puritan than they've ever been. In European countries where they ban mini-skirts in the streets and say they're an invitation to rape, they don't understand about stocking tights underneath.
Miniskirts and men outside Bazaar in 1966/7
Mary Quant and APG in 1964
I recommend Max Décharné's utterly fascinating book The King's Road – The Rise and Fall of the Hippest Street in the World It's packed with so much extraordinary information about this fascinating street in Chelsea and inspired this piece.
Tags: coffee, fashion, fifties, jazz, Kings Road, miniskirts, sixties, skiffle, teenagers
Posted in Chelsea, Fulham, Kings Road, London, Soho | 26 Comments »


text:
Q: How to Disable UFW on EC2 after Blocking SSH Accidentally enabled ufw without allowing 22 (SSH). Now I'm blocked out of my EC2 instance.
I keep seeing that the general easiest solution is to edit the EC2 instances' user data. Most of the solutions I'm finding all seem copy+paste of the same thing posted here. However, it seems like this overwrites all existing user data associated with the instance which I'd like to preserve. I've tried adding the following directly to the top of my user-data but it doesn't seem to work.
#!/bin/bash
ufw allow ssh
ufw allow 22
ufw disable
...
<user data>

Do I have to replace all existing user data with the general solution below in order to access my instance?
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="//"
MIME-Version: 1.0
--//
Content-Type: text/cloud-config; charset="us-ascii"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="cloud-config.txt"
#cloud-config
cloud_final_modules:
- [scripts-user, always]
--//
Content-Type: text/x-shellscript; charset="us-ascii"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="userdata.txt"
#!/bin/bash
ufw disable
iptables -L
iptables -F
--//

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Motorola One Power has now been officially launched in the Indian market. As the name suggests, the highlight of the handset is its massive 5000mAh battery. Motorola also confirmed that the handset was developed in partnership with Google to offer regular security patches and timely software updates. Priced at INR 15,990, the handset is now open for pre-bookings exclusively via Flipkart. It will go on sale on October 5.
In terms of specifications, the Motorola One Power features a 6.2-inch full HD+ LCD Max Vision display having an aspect ratio of 19:9. Under the hood, the handset gets powered by Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor bundled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage. The handset also offers expandable storage of up to 256GB via a microSD slot.
As for cameras, the Motorola One Power comes with a 16MP+5MP dual rear camera setup with support for 4K video recording. For selfies, the handset gets a 12MP front-facing shooter. Elsewhere, the handset also boasts a rear mounted fingerprint scanner.
The handset runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, and will be upgradeable to the new Android Pie. Connectivity options on the handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB Type C, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.
As already mentioned, the highlight of the Motorola One Power is its 5000mAh battery which is promised to offer 6 hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of charge using the bundled 15W fast charger.


This is Letter No. 40 in Barker numbering. See below for Context and background.
The Lord Sang-gyas (sangs rgyas) is the Tibetan name for the Buddha.
and herself) in the Pioneer; with a few words in a leader, to say, that a still more substantial official proof is shortly expected from the Prince D. which will settle the vexed question as to her identity for ever at rest. But you know best. This idea may have struck you; but will it ever be seen in such a light by others?
Suby Ram is, according to a research by Daniel Caldwell, Rai Salig Ram, a highly respected native of European education and Government official, who lived at Allahabad. See Theos-talk.
belong to the former, sensitives to the latter. Unless regularly initiated and trained — concerning the spiritual insight of things and the supposed revelations made unto man in all ages from Socrates down to Swedenborg and "Fern" — no self-tutored seer or clairaudient ever saw or heard quite correctly.
His Society refers to "Radhasoami" the organization founded by Shiv Dayal Singh who was Suby Ram's guru.
idolators is a negative or derogatory term for idol-worshippers.
you could persuade her for I do not wish to use my authority in this case.
Sinnett has noted at the head of this letter: Received about February, 1882. This is another instance of inaccurate dating. From the contents of the letter, it had to be received before the middle of November 1881, probably around the 9th or 10th.
A great deal of what amounted to persecution was going on against both H.P.B. and Col. Olcott, and the Society generally. This letter begins with a direct reference to the damage being done by this campaign of vilification.
Clive Rattigan had become the owner of The Pioneer of which Sinnett was editor. He had been involved in the attacks on H.P.B. and Olcott. Here the Mahatma suggests that he should publish the letters from H.P.B.'s uncle in The Pioneer with an editorial note referring to the official proof of H.P.B.'s identity expected from Prince Dondoukoff. This would settle the question of whether she was a "Russian spy." Obviously, Mr. Rattigan made no such suggestion. He had no sympathy with Sinnett's interest in Theosophy or in his defense of H.P.B. and Col. Olcott, and he later relieved Sinnett of his job as editor, giving him a year's salary in advance to get rid of him!
It seems clear that this letter to Sinnett was sent through someone other than H.P.B., for at that time she did not know about the plan to have her go to Allahabad.
On both sides of two sheets of standard size white paper, in dark red ink except for four words in black ink. The letter is very difficult to read.
↑ George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 81.
This page was last edited on 17 December 2018, at 20:26.


My sister has a Bachelor's degree and she is employed in private Sector as a supervisor currently based in Valavanur. We belong to a middle class, joint family with moderate values.
My sister is employed in government Sector as a supervisor with a Higher Secondary Education. She currently lives in Viluppuram. We belong to a middle class, nuclear family with traditional values.
My name is M.vidyasagar and I am working as a Supervisor in the Private Sector coimbatore working. I have completed my M.Sc.. I grew up in a Middle Class, Joint Family with Moderate Values.
I am a supervisor with a Bachelor's degree currently working in private sector in Viluppuram. I come from a middle class, nuclear family background with traditional values.
My name is Sakratees and I am work as a Supervisor in the Private Sector. I have completed my MCom. I have been raised up in a Middle class, Joint family with Orthodox Values.
I am a supervisor with a Bachelor's degree currently working in private sector in villupursm I belong to an upper middle class, nuclear family with traditional values.
I have a Bachelor's degree and I am employed in private Sector as a supervisor currently based in Viluppuram district vanur(Pondycherry 15min travelling). I belong to a middle class, joint family with traditional values.


It's not typical, this book review. But it is summer. Rebekah and Caleb, my two youngest children, put their doodling skills to work, as well as their smiles, with today's book review.
What better tool to help keep the children in your life busy than with a book of jokes and doodles?
Cute, convenient little books for the young, artsy doodler in your family, that's what Rob Elliott's Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Girls and Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Boys are. A doodle is started, your budding artist finishes it. It's fun!
These books are not only for doodles, however. They're for smiles as well. The jokes inside are fun, innocent, and fully capable of making little and big kids alike smile.
Traveling? These books are a perfect size and weight for travels. They're big enough to draw in, small enough to fit in a backpack, purse, or maybe even a larger pocket.
If you have a doodle-loving child, whether it's one that's home or on the go, consider these books for a possible perfect fit.
Note ~ Both books were supplied, free of charge, from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Pinterest a visual learner's delight!
Let me know you've stopped by for a visit. I'd love to connect.
What a great book idea for kids! I would have liked to have these on hand for vacation when my girls were kids. By the way, your kids look like they have some artistic tendencies, Kristy!
Me too, Cheryl. They really are neat ones. Thanks for stopping by.


16 acres of farm income property along with an additional 21 acres for recreational / hunting use, located down a secluded country lane near to Rockwood State Park. Farm yourself or cash rent the tillable land. Cash rent can produce as much as $300/acre per year. More acreage could be put into production for a greater return on investment. The property offers deer, turkey and other small game. Horses are allowed.


text:
https://apnews.com/article/health-jonesboro-virus-outbreak-arkansas-c374dd6f1055892b7718be5ebf9ab6b9
Virus cases at University of Arkansas approaching 1,000
By ANDREW DeMILLOSeptember 8, 2020 GMT
FILE - In this April 27, 2020 file photo, Gov. Asa Hutchinson takes off his Arkansas Razorbacks facemark as he arrives for the daily coronavirus briefing at the state Capitol in Little Rock. Hutchinson issued the order Thursday, July, 16, 2020, effective Monday, July 20, requiring people to wear masks in public throughout the state, which is dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases. The governor issued the order after weeks of resisting such a requirement. (Staton Breidenthal/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas health officials on Tuesday said their biggest growth in new coronavirus cases is among college-aged people as the number of active infections at the University of Arkansas' main campus approached 1,000.
The Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday reported 294 new confirmed virus cases statewide, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 66,021. Cases among people 18 to 24 years old grew by nearly 17% last week, two to three times more than any other age group.
"We're clearly seeing what we believe to be a reflection of those cases in colleges and universities," Dr. Jose Romero, the state's health secretary, said.
The university on Monday reported 439 new cases during the weekend, bringing its total active cases to 923. The vast majority of the cases are students, the university said. The state Health Department in a separate report said the school has 961 active cases.
The spike comes days after the school moved to restrict on-campus events and off-campus parties over concerns about the outbreak. The school told students they would treat organizing or attending large parties without masks or social distancing as a violation of the student code.
Arkansas State University in Jonesboro on Tuesday reported 107 active cases on campus.
The number of people statewide who died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, rose by nine to 917. The number of people hospitalized rose by 10 to 409.
The department also reported 20 positive cases through antigen testing. The state has 5,844 active virus cases.
The actual number of cases in Arkansas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson also announced that the state is spending $4 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to purchase an additional 120,000 antigen tests. The tests are being purchased through a multi-state purchasing agreement and the goal is to have them available in October through the end of the year, he said.
A Little Rock middle school on Tuesday also shifted to online-only classes after a staff member tested positive for the virus. The Little Rock School District said nine employees and 42 students from Dunbar Magnet Middle School who came into contact with the staffer will be quarantined for 14 days.
Check out more of the AP's coronavirus coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ademillo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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Dmitry Evgrafov
Comprehension Of Light (130701 / FatCat)
Loneliness… It's an unbearable concept. Perhaps what's more frightening about this feeling is that it's not reminiscent of being alone. In fact, one most likely feels that cruel jaw-grip of loneliness when surrounded by others. Standing on a corner of a busy intersection. Sitting behind the desk in a building full of humming lights. Riding the train in a suffocating crowd. Sometimes even a panicking fly in the house could feel like a welcome friend. And the more one drifts with others who are lost in their world of glowing screens, their drug-induced drowned-out reality, their ever-repeating and haunting past lives, the more one feels loneliness – detached from each other, unjoined, unhinged. Perhaps that is why, beyond obeying the laws of gravity, we seem to seek out another lost soul. Drifting through some unknown attraction. We want that brief coupling. We want little love. Perhaps that's why a way of connection can be reached via music, defying the distance, opposing all time. In that moment of bond with another's existence, through music, we're feeling united, with loneliness gone.
Dmitry Evgrafov's music is not about loneliness, but it is a bit bleak and immediately hits home. Listening to the twelve pieces of Comprehension Of Light is akin to reconnecting with a good and old friend. And although it's only a second release for Evgrafov on FatCat's offshoot, 130701, it feels like I've known him forever, among all of my favorite music by Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka, Max Richter, and Jóhann Jóhannsson. It's no wonder that 130701 picked this Moscow based Russian composer to host in its roster. It fits with the concept… it fits with the theme. Responsible for introducing us to so much of modern classical wonder, the UK-based label is not wrong with shining its spotlight, and I'm ever so thankful for meeting Evgrafov, even though I feel like he's been in my life.
On Comprehension Of Light, some neutral melodies give way to their darker grim counterparts, casting a shadow of noir-fi and dread. I kind of like the eerie pieces, like the dramatic "Tamas", which reminds me of the slow creepily seductive soundtrack of Mica Levi's Under The Skin, with its menacing percussion, ghastly build-ups, and boundless drops. Further, uplifting piano-rich cinematic passages sway in their dance with the strings and deep-rumbling bass. The album paints an arch, from darkness to light, despair to hope, isolation to amalgamation. The sound aches to be merged with the images, even if it's only your own film behind closed eyelids, and I wouldn't be surprised to see (to hear?) Evgrafov appearing among the credits of next famous score.
Expanding on this conceptual underpinning, [Evgrafov] writes of "some dark events and changes that happened a few years ago made me rethink everything I was careless or blind to. Gradually, year after year a big hole started to grow inside me. My faith and values got lost, my inner core blurred, all my moral intentions disappeared". This album thus tells a story of recovery, mapping "a road from ignorance, vanity and darkness towards a more wholesome approach to life."
It's also a pleasure to see a few of familiar names among the list of contributors and collaborators on the album. Here, Iskra String Quartet is appearing among Memotone, Benoit Pîoulard, and Abul Mogard, all of whom have before appeared on these pages. Throw in a mastering touch by Martyn Heyne who has previously worked with Nils Frahm, Peter Broderick, Svarte Greiner, Ben Lukas Boysen, and Orcas, and we're all in a good company. Comprehension Of Light is available digitally, but of course, I recommend that you get it on vinyl.
Words by HC
Resina, Julia Kent and Jean D.L., and Aaron Martin
Track Premiere
Resina – Surface
Dave Howell – 130701 Label Showcase / 24 tracks for HC
VA – Eleven into Fifteen (130701)
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구독신청(Subscribe) 샘플신청(Free Sample)
Gangnam-gu, South Korea
Fine Dust :
Home > National > North Korea
+ A
Korea to chair IAEA for first time
In this June 7 file photo, the flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) waves at the entrance of the Vienna International Center in Vienna. [AP/LISA LEUTNER/YONHAP]
Korea will chair the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors for the first time since it helped found the organization in 1957, the Foreign Ministry announced Monday.
"We consider it an international recognition of the contribution that Korea has made so far on preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and for the peaceful use of nuclear power," a Foreign Ministry official told the press on Monday.
The board of governors consists of representatives from 35 nations including Australia, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United States, and is one of the two decision-making bodies of the IAEA.
The board meets five times a year to make recommendations on the IAEA's programs and budget, reviews applications for membership and approves safeguard agreements, through which the IAEA verifies that a country is keeping its commitments on nuclear nonproliferation. Additionally, the board makes decisions on establishment of nuclear safety standards and promotes international cooperation on research and application of nuclear technology on agricultural production and industrial resource management.
While Korea has a number of its key security interests being dealt at the IAEA, including the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan and IAEA monitoring of North Korean nuclear weapons program, Korea's assuming the chair will not necessarily mean the country will have more say in the IAEA's decisions on those issues, the Foreign Ministry said.
"The chair of the board must maintain objectivity in dealing with these issues at the IAEA, and so when the board discusses Fukushima and other issues, the chair will maintain this objectivity," said the ministry official.
"If there is any change at all that comes with Korea's role as chair of the board, it will be that we will be able to understand what the IAEA board members have on their agenda in regards to the North's nuclear weapons programs a little earlier than others, as they will report their findings to the chair," said the official. "It will then be the job of the chair to ensure these agendas are communicated effectively amongst the members."
North Korea was a member from 1974 to 1994. IAEA inspectors were forced to leave North Korea in 2009. The IAEA has since then been using public information and satellite images to monitor its nuclear weapons programs. Last month, the IAEA reported sightings of suspicious activities at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex.
The IAEA board nations are divided into eight regions, and a country per region takes turn to assume the chair position annually. Korea is part of the Far East nations, which also includes Japan.
For the last seven times that it became the turn of a Far East nation to assume the role, Japan did so six times, and Vietnam once.
Korea's Foreign Ministry said it had the "full support" from Japan in winning the chair position this time.
"The cooperation between Japan and Korea at the IAEA is strong," said the ministry official. "Japan agreed that Korea should take on the chair position and there was also a strong consensus within the Far East group that Korea should take on the role."
Shin Chae-Hyun, Korean ambassador to Austria and Korea's permanent mission to the international organizations in Vienna, elected the chair of the IAEA board of governors on Monday. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]
According to the ministry, Korea is the 11th biggest donor among IAEA members in terms of its funding of the organization's programs. In the past 20 years, Korea contributed over $10 million to its nuclear security and nonproliferation initiatives.
Shin Chae-Hyun, Korean ambassador to Austria and Korea's permanent mission to the international organizations in Vienna, will assume the one-year role through September 2022. His predecessor was Ambassador Heidi Alberta Hulan, Canada's permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna and ambassador to Austria and Slovakia.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
iaea korea chair board of governors
More in North Korea
North Korea may have tested a solid-fuel rocket engine
NATO chief encourages Korea to 'step up' support for Ukraine
Accused spies for North Korea likely face imminent arrest
North Korea slams NATO chief's visit to South Korea as 'prelude' to confrontation, war
North denies sending arms to Russia, slams U.S. for 'groundless rumors'
Outside directors have important role they're not playing
Governors tell Japan not to release Fukushima water
IAEA chief calls North's nuclear activities 'cause for serious concern'
Bank of Korea raises rates by a quarter point
The BAI's independence (KOR)
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ROQUE Santa Cruz says he is ready to revive his stalled career after leaving Manchester City to go ''home'' to Blackburn Rovers.
The Paraguay striker has returned to Ewood Park on loan until the end of the season, 18 months after leaving for City in a £17.5million deal.
Santa Cruz, 29, has struggled to make an impact under Roberto Mancini at Eastlands, finding himself behind fellow front men Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Emmanuel Adebayor.
He has played just twice this season and scored only four goals during his frustrating spell at the club.
Santa Cruz said: "I felt a bit ignored by the manager. It's been hard not to play, not to be chosen, even though I feel great.
"It's frustrating. I've been playing a lot through the years with small injuries and just when I feel perfect to play and perform I wasn't selected.
"I feel like I am coming home. This has been the easiest decision of my career.
Santa Cruz became a huge fans' favourite during his first spell at Rovers, scoring 29 goals in the two years after his arrival from Bayern Munich in 2007.
His move back to east Lancashire contains no provision for a potential permanent deal, but the South American admits he would like to stay with Rovers long term.
Manager Steve Kean said: "It is about quality – he is fantastic on the ground, has a great touch and obviously his aerial ability has never been in question.
In an eventful week at Blackburn, forward El-Hadji Diouf has also got involved in a row with QPR manager Neil Warnock.
Warnock accused Diouf of taunting player Jamie Mackie, who broke his leg in last week's FA Cup tie between the two clubs. The QPR boss labelled Diouf ''the lowest of the low''.
Kean tried to take the heat out of the situation, and said: "I have spoken to El-Hadji and he has told me his side of the story.


text:
Alternative News - Conspiracy News
Gun Page
Other Folk's Videos
Right Edition
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Right Jokes
Right Quotes
Right TV
in Right Edition Videos
ATF Stats – Gangs and Violence
ATF: 423M guns in America, 1.2 per person, 8.1B rounds of ammunition
America's love affair with guns is only getting stronger.
New federal data shows that there are 422.9 million firearms in circulation, or about 1.2 guns for every person in the country.
What's more, despite years of criticism of modern "assault-style" rifles such as the AR-15 and AK-47, there are a record 17.7 million in private hands, proving that it is the most popular gun around.
And last year alone, the arms industry produced 8.1 billion rounds of ammunition.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/atf-423-million-guns-in-america-1-2-per-person-8-1-billion-rounds-of-ammo-a-year
What Liberals Don't Understand: A Serious Attempt at Gun Confiscation Could Lead to Civil War
"From my cold, dead hands!" – Charlton Heston
Liberals love to fantasize about confiscating every gun in America. It may be their most beautiful dream. Liberals get control of the Supreme Court and ignore the Second Amendment; Washington makes gun ownership illegal; almost all the guns come pouring in or are destroyed; a few hapless Jim Bobs who won't get in line get shot up by the cops and then the government is free to do anything it wants and if people don't like it, well, what are they going to do about it without guns?
Or, alternately, D.C. could hire goon squads in local communities to go house to house to confiscate weapons. Yes, people would be killed in conflicts with the police and goon squads that come to take their guns. Liberals would cheer. They would not be cheering when police chiefs, officers, and goon squad members who carry out these orders are assassinated at their homes by armed people from their own communities.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/liberals-dont-understand-serious-attempt-gun-confiscation-lead-civil-war/
Criminal Gun and Gang Violence in Canada
Increasing number of gun crimes
While overall crime rates in Canada are much lower today than decades ago, for the third consecutive year the total number of firearm-related homicides in Canada increased, reaching 223 in 2016, 44 more than the previous year.Footnote1 Shooting has now become the most common form of homicide, surpassing homicide by stabbing and beating.Footnote2
Gang-related murders involving guns is no exception. In 2016 alone, police reported 141 gang-related homicides, 45 more than in 2015. The largest increases in the number of gang-related homicides committed with a firearm were reported in Ontario (+22) and British Columbia (+12), with the majority of these occurring in Toronto and Vancouver.Footnote3 Since 2013, firearms murders in Canada's largest cities have almost doubled from 134 to 223.Footnote4
Gun violence is also increasing in rural areas. In Canada, three out of 10 violent gun crimes happen outside of a major city. Overall, the Territories and Saskatchewan have the highest rates of firearm-related violent crime
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2018/03/criminal-gun-and-gang-violence-in-canada.html
World's Largest Outdoor Show!
The Great American Outdoor Show is a nine-day event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that celebrates hunting, fishing, and outdoor traditions treasured by millions of Americans and their families.
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex
2300 North Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA, 17110
https://www.greatamericanoutdoorshow.org/
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On the Path () is a 2010 Bosnian drama film written and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. The film was screened in competition at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. At the 7th Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival the film won the FIPRESCI Prize.

Plot
Luna and Amar are a young Bosniak couple living in Sarajevo. Both have traumatic memories from the Bosnian War of the 1990s. Luna had seen her parents killed by an anti-Muslim militia in Bijeljina, and had come to Sarajevo with her grandparents as a child refugee. Amar had served as a soldier in the war and lost his brother. At present, however, they have apparently built up a successful life - she as an air hostess with B&H Airlines, he as an air traffic controller at the Sarajevo International Airport. When she comes back from a flight they make love passionately and go to have a good time at a local nightclub. Though identifying as "Muslims" in the context of Bosnia's ethnic set-up, religion plays no part in their life. In fact, Amar drinks alcohol a bit too much - which is forbidden by Islam - and it is this which begins to put their relationship under strain.

First of all, Amar loses his job for being drunk at work. Luna is very worried and has little hope of realizing her fragile dream of having a child with Amar. But her fears for their future increase when Amar takes on a well-paid job in a Muslim community hours away from where they live. Only after quite some time has elapsed during which they have had no contact with each other, is Luna allowed to visit Amar in this community of conservative Wahhabis in its idyllic lakeside location. She notices that the men and veiled women live in strict segregation and are closely watched. Luna asks Amar to return home with her but Amar insists that life in this isolated community of faithful followers has brought him peace and also keeps him from drinking. When he returns home a few weeks later, Luna realizes that Amars attitude to religion has fundamentally changed. Amar claims that his only interest is to become a better person, but Luna finds it extremely difficult to follow his line of thinking. She begins to question everything that she has believed in, even her desire to have a child. As the wounds of a tragic war-filled past continue to haunt her, Luna tears herself apart searching if love is truly enough to keep her and Amar together on the path to a lifetime of happiness.

Cast
 Zrinka Cvitešić
 Leon Lučev
 Mirjana Karanović
 Nina Violić
 Jasna Beri
 Jasna Žalica
 Mirvad Kurić
 Sebastian Cavazza
 Marija Kohn
 Izudin Bajrović
 Vanessa Glodjo
 Ermin Bravo

References

External links

2010 films
Bosnian-language films
2010 drama films
Films directed by Jasmila Žbanić
Films set in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Films about Islam
Bosnia and Herzegovina drama films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Who has the edge in key Senate races?
(CNN) – Don't be surprised if a few Senate races become election night cliffhangers.
With polls showing a dead heat in states like Iowa and North Carolina, voters could wake up tomorrow morning, and still not know the outcomes.
CNN's John King breaks down the races with razor thin margins.


You guys have already heard me talk about how much I love the TV show The Vampire Diaries. Aside from having wonderful and consistent romantic tension, splendid characters, and fantastic plots—all things that are very essential to the makings of a good show—I've been able to pinpoint more specifically what makes this show so good.
It's a fantastic device that works well to create well rounded characters, show excellent character development, and help the story get better and better as it continues. (How many times have we been disappointed by a second or third season of a show—or a sequel to a book series—because it wasn't as good as the first one?) The Vampire Diaries only gets better with each succeeding season—something I can't really say for any other show.
I'm now going to talk about "the bigger bad guy" and how TVD uses it. *Spoilers may be below up to the third season.
First, take a look at this guy.
This is Damon Salvatore, our antagonist for season one of TVD—well part of season one. His brother, Stefan Salvatore, has just moved to Mystic Falls, your average small town. Except, of course, for the fact that there are vampires and other mystical creatures—a very creative town name on the creators' part, I know. Damon has promised his brother an eternity of misery, so he follows Stefan around to try and make his life hell. At the moment, that mostly includes ruining Stefan's budding relationship with Elena Gilbert. Oh, and Damon also has a secret agenda to reunite with his one true love, Katherine (Elena's doppelganger), whom he believes has been stuck in a tomb for 100 years, give or take.
Now check out this chick.
This is Katherine. Turns out, she wasn't stuck in a tomb. She's actually been just fine out and about living her life. Damon's crushed at first, but once he falls in love with Elena (whoops), he moves on. This is when Katherine makes her appearance and starts making it her agenda to make both brothers' lives miserable. So now Damon is a good guy (most of the time.) He helps Stefan and Elena out as they try to get rid of Katherine.
Now at this point, things are a little harder to follow, so I'll summarize even more.
Elena gets kidnapped by Rose.
Rose assumes that Elena is Katherine (another whoops), which is why she kidnapped her in the first place. Katherine sort of helps to get her back. But before that happens, Rose takes her to this guy.
Elijah needs Katherine as a bargaining chip. You see, his brother Klaus has been holding his brothers and sister as undead hostages in coffins. Rose eventually tries to help the rest of the gang fend off Elijah and provides information on these scary brothers. Turns out that Klaus is even scarier than Elijah.
And eventually Elijah joins the team to try and stop Klaus, who is basically unkillable. Our ultimate bad guy.
Note that there are many other bad guys throughout the TV series. I'm just trying to give you guys a taste of what I'm talking about.
But now on to the main points I'm trying to make. There's always a bigger bad guy. This enables each episode to be better than the last. Because the stakes are higher (vampire pun intended), and the conflicts are more intense as the bad guys get badder and more powerful.
It's also fascinating to see characters undergo such change. The bad guys become good guys as their goals align with the good guys'. They don't always become perfectly good—they still have their fun flaws, but they do change in remarkable ways that are exciting to see.
Now, TVD isn't the only show out there that's doing this. Look at Loki's character in the second Thor movie. Look how he aligns with Thor to face a bigger bad guy. Look at Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. These changeable bad guys are everywhere. And look at how much we love them! These are the characters that have the most fan girls—just saying.
Sometimes looking at where characters are going can help you solidify who they need to be at the beginning of your story. This can help with rounding out characters and their development. And it also makes for some interesting plot turns.


The 19 year old sister of Nicole Richie, this American model has already turned a lot of heads. Sofia has secured contracts with fashion icons such as Tommy Hifiger and Chanel. Already 5 years into her career, she continues to gain popularity among designers.
Sofia Richie was born in Los Angeles, Ca on August 24, 1998.
Who are Sofia Richie's Parents?
Not everything is known about Sofia Richie's love interests. Sofia Richie orientation is said to be straight. Sofia Richie has also been romantically associated with Jake Andrews.


Do you live in Avenal, California? Help us verify the data and let us know if you see any information that needs to be changed or updated.
The current time and date in Avenal is 3:12 AM on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.


Hopefully everything is okay – Alison has asked everyone to respect her privacy at this time, so we'll refrain from listing off a litany of possible reasons she's not attending. Instead, keep her in your thoughts and, if you're going on Ship, send her videos so she doesn't feel like she's missing out!
Holy Ship!!!! is back in 2015 with two sailings!


Communication of genetic risk information to daughters in families with fragile X syndrome: the parent's perspective.
Parental approaches to communicating information about genetic disorders to their children may be an important determinant in how the children manage stress as well as their adjustment and adaptation to that information. We explored communication patterns through structured interviews with 46 parents of daughters who learned about their genetic risk status as minors. Three different levels of knowledge about fragile X syndrome were explored: 1) informing that it has been diagnosed in the family and is an inherited disorder, 2) informing about the possibility of a daughter being a carrier, and 3) if testing had been done, informing the daughter of her actual carrier status. Additionally, parental perceptions of their daughter's understanding of the information were explored along with frequency of discussions. We found that communication about genetic risk was initiated by the parents. Five disclosure patterns were identified with variations in style, content, and frequency of communication related to the information that was being disclosed. Aspects of resilient communication were present for all levels of disclosure; however, as the information became more personally relevant for the daughter such as disclosure about the possibility of "being a carrier" for fragile X syndrome and there was uncertainty regarding potential outcomes, the conversations included fewer resilient characteristics. Uncertainty about what and how to present information may negatively affect a parent's ability to include elements of resilient communication when disclosing genetic risk information.


Located as it is within an easy 30 kilometres from Lisbon, Sintra is one of Portugal's most popular attractions. It's a small village listed on the Unesco World Heritage list for its Romantic 19th century architecture.  Even before the 19th century, Sintra was a popular vacation escape for the Portuguese monarchy and aristocracy, who added their mark to the landscape by building wonderful palaces (among them two royal ones), chalets and a castle.
Sintra can be visited in an one day trip, catching a 45-minute train ride from Lisbon, or you can stay in the village for 2 or more days in one of the many guests house in and around the village.
The highlights of Sintra are its landscape and historical monuments. There are some monuments that shouldn't be missed, like the Pena Palace, the Quinta da Regaleira, the National Palace of Sintra, the Monserrate Palace, the Convent of Capuchos, the Moorish Castle and the view from the Seteais Palace.
Sintra is an example of 19th century Romantic architecture, a style which is ornate and colourful. For this architecture styling, the town was made a UNESCO heritage site. Through the years the town has attracted to those drawn to the fantastical, from fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Anderson, who called the town the "most beautiful place in Portugal," to romantic and tragic poet Lord Byron, who called it a "glorious Eden." The central area is a 15-minute walk from the train station, and has a number of shops, cafes, restaurants and museums, including the Palacio Nactional de Sintra (see below). A tourist centre is located down from the main square at the end of Parca da Republica where you can get a map and information on the sites of Sintra.
The Quinta da Regaleira is a unique monument that was designed by Luigi Manini (Count of Fagagna) and was owned by Carvalho Monteiro. It has a palace and a big garden, with lots of tunels, small lakes, towers and open spaces. It's very connected with the masonic movement. One of the important spots there is the Poço Iniciático.
The national palace in Sintra is located in the centre of Sintra, and is hard to miss with it massive two white chimneys towering above the rest of the historic centre. The origins of the building date back to the 9th century, constructed by the Wallis, the Moorish governors of Sintra at the time. The original Arab style can still be found in the building, but many remodellings and expansions have added in other architectural styles, predominately Manueline and Gothic. The Palace today is a museum and tourist attraction. Opening Hours: 10:00am - 5:30pm (Last Entry: 5:00pm) Monday - Sunday, excluding Wednesdays when it is closed. Admission: €4.
Pena Palace, sitting atop a steep hill overlooking Sintra, is the "exuberant creation" of Queen Maria II of Portugal and her consort, Fernando of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. It is the epitome of the Romantic architecture, an ornate and eclectic decorative style - a mix or architectures including Renaissance, Baroque, Moorish, Gothic and Manueline. The interior of the Palace holds a museum with various artefacts and recreations of what the Palace would have looked like when it was used by the Portuguese Royal Family.
Surrounding the Palace is the Pena Park, a 85 hectare site that brings together plants and trees from around the world. There are a number of paths through the park. A park guide and map is available on purchasing a ticket.
Opening Hours: 16 Sept -30 June 10:00am - 5:30pm / 01 July - 15 Sept 10:00am - 7:00pm. Last Entry: 1 hour before closing. Admission is €7.00 for admission to the palace and park. Pictures are not allowed inside the palace, but otherwise are allowed on the grounds and outside the palace. To get there, you can hike up from the town in about 30 minutes, or take bus 434 from Sintra station to the Palace (tickets bought on board for €4).
The Moorish Castle, standing on a peak overlooking Sintra, had its beginnings as a military fort, believed to date back to the 9th century and the period of Arab occupation. It served as an excellent observation post for monitoring the coastline for attack, and because of its cliff-top location was hard to attack and easy to defend. It has past through a number of hands since then, including passing to the Portuguese crown in Dom Afonso Henriques in 1147. Henriques built Romanesque Chapel of São Pedro just outside the walls of the castle. Today the castle is mostly in ruins, but the walls still remain and offer excellent views of the surrounding countryside.
Opening Times: 9:30am - 6:00pm every day, with last entry at 5:00pm. Admission is €3.50. To get there, take you can hike up from the town in about 30 minutes, or take bus 434 from Sintra station to the Palace (tickets bought on board for €4).
Located outside Sintra, the neo-classical buildings are now a luxury hotel, but still worth a trip to see the ornate styling.
Nineteen kilometres from Sintra is Cabo da Roca, the western most point in mainland Europe. The high rocky point offers good views of the sea. There is a gift shop and cafe at the point.
The festival of music and dance takes place every year in June and July.
Between June and July, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sintra hosts some of the finest ballet dancers, pianists and chamber musicians during this cultural celebration. Past performers have played for the likes of Paris' chamber philharmonic and Lisbon's Gulbenkian Orchestra. Former palaces, churches, parks, and country estates are among the festival's stately venues.
Lisbon is the closest major city with an airport. From Lisbon Airport a bus, train or car is the best way to get to Sintra.
If you are in the centre of Lisbon, go to Rossio train station and catch the train that goes to Sintra. There is a train every 20 minutes. The one way ticket costs €1.80. Go to the end of the line.
Coming from Oriente station or towards the north, the line through Oriente, Areeiro, Entre Campos and Sete Rios (near Jardim Zoologico metro stop) goes to Monte Abraao, where you can transfer to the train to Sintra.
Sintra is on the IC-19 road to Lisbon. The IC-19 is a major commuter route, and congestion is common on the road.
Bus 418 connects Sintra with Estoril and bus 417 runs to Cascais. Both of these buses have hourly departures from Sintra's main bus station at Portela da Sintra.
The historic centre of Sintra is small enough to walk. To get to the tourist attractions outside the centre, bus, walking or driving are options.
The IC-19 runs into Sintra. Drive up the Volta do Duche to get to the Historic Centre. Estrada de Pena is a circle road the runs up by both the Moorish Castle and the Palace of Pena.
Bus 434 runs from Sintra train station along the ring road to the Palace and Moorish Castle. Tickets bought on board for €4 for the whole day.
From the train station, walk along Volta do Duche to get to the historic centre. To get to the Moorish Castle or Palace of Pena, take Rua Marechal to the Santa Maria church, and then take the walking path (Rampa do Castelo). The path is dirt and stone steps, but is well maintained. The path will pass close by the Moorish Castle, and then onward to the Palace of Pena (with a short jaunt along the ring road).
You cannot leave Sintra without trying two pastry specialities. One is the Travesseiro and the other is the Queijada de Sintra. You can try the first ones, in the most famous café in Sintra, Piriquita, localized in the centre of the Vila. Queijada de Sintra you can find in almost every café in Sintra, but the famous ones are from Sapa or Gregório. Sapa is localized in the beginning of Volta do Duche. Gregório is in the main road that connects Vila de Sintra with São Pedro. The main one, not the road that starts in the historic centre. If you are on a budget avoid the restaurants in the historic centre, they are expensive. Try to meet locals or ask anyone a cheap and good spot to eat well.
We have a comprehensive list of accommodation in Sintra searchable right here on Travellerspoint. You can use our map to quickly compare budget, mid-range or top of the range accommodation in Sintra and areas nearby.
This is version 28. Last edited at 3:01 on Aug 2, 17 by sleepBot. 3 articles link to this page.


The UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has cautioned residents against using Facebook in a way that is contrary to public morals and the principles of Islam.
The new guidelines appear in the TRA's 'Facebook White Paper', one of several in their series of social media white papers.
It says the laws of the UAE prohibit the publication of content which goes against the social and moral welfare of the UAE or any content that is offensive to a nation or its government.
Primarily, users should not tag other users without their consent. The UAE law contains broad provisions relating to the protection of privacy and reputation.
The TRA cautions users against sharing their passwords or otherwise do anything that might jeopardize the security of their account.
Full versions of the white papers and corresponding infographics will be accessible via the TRA's official website.


Connecticut held focus groups and developed multilingual educational materials on carbon monoxide poisoning prevention during power outages and winter storms.
Connecticut developed an emergency preparedness guide that includes information on radiological emergencies, blizzards, and flash floods, among other issues.
The Immigrant Emergency Communications Program uses community health workers and translated materials to promote awareness of carbon monoxide dangers during ice storms/power outages and other emergencies.
A West Virginia health agency used a mobile H1N1 vaccination clinic to reach rural areas and/or when snowy roads made travel to clinics difficult.


Marketers and entrepreneurs focus much of their time and energy on growing their email list and generating leads. For any email marketer, the success of this strategy is determined by the number of subscribers and how well these subscribers are converted into actual sales.
There's a lot of emphasis placed on crafting seamless email sequences, valuable content, and a great landing page. However, online signup forms are often neglected even though they can significantly affect contact submission rates.
Signup forms play a significant role in conversion optimization. They enable you to gather information about your prospects that you can use to craft personalized content and offers for that prospect.
When creating signup forms, be it for your landing page, homepage, or blog posts, keep in mind that the primary purpose of this offer is to provide value to your sales prospects. The more smooth the experience is for them, the easier it is to see the value in your offering.
Read on to get tips and techniques for designing and crafting your signup forms.
Two column forms can be confusing for some users, especially when they use the "tab" key when moving from one field to the next. Using two columns can also make the number of fields overwhelming, so keep things simple and minimize the chances of a prospect getting frustrated or giving up.
Create a CTA button that's big and easy to see, click or tap. Note that more than 90% of the world's users now access the internet using a mobile device. Hence, a large CTA button prevents the need for your user to zoom in on their screen just so they can click your CTA button.
Canva uses large CTA buttons with varied colors to help users distinguish which method they would like to use when signing up.
Large form fields are especially helpful to users who use their mouse or touchpads when moving from one field to the next. This is also helpful for users who are using their fingers to interact with mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones.
It's also a good idea to make sure there's enough whitespace in between the form fields. Whitespace makes your form easier to read and reduces the chance of a user accidentally clicking/tapping on the wrong field.
Safety is a top concern of users when filling out signup forms. By including a trust seal somewhere on your form or landing page, you're assuring them that the information they are providing will be kept private and confidential.
This especially holds true when the signup form asks for additional information such as their phone number, address, or credit card, like in Salesforce's case.
Your signup form's look and feel should match your brand's personality and colors. But, don't get too carried away. Ensure that the form is still clean and neat enough to maintain the focus of your visitor on the form fields and your CTA button.
Don't ask your prospects for more than you're willing to give them. The length of your signup form should mirror the value of your offer. In other words, the number of fields your form has should match how valuable the offer is.
If your offering is a subscription for blog updates, you might require two form fields (name and email address). Whereas for something like a virtual event or a webinar, there's inherently more value in your offering so you might ask for additional information like company name, job title, and number of employees.
When you place a signup form on your landing page or website, you want visitors to do one thing – sign up. Eliminate distracting images, navigation buttons, or links that redirect a user's attention away from your signup button. Remove distractions from your signup forms and keep them clean to maximize the focus on what matters – your landing page offering.
Use an image along with your signup form to reinforce your branding and message, but make sure that it redirects their attention towards the signup form and your CTA button.
MailChimp uses an image of their mascot to direct the eyes towards the signup form.
Some users are hesitant to sign up to websites and services for fear that they'll start receiving countless emails that are not relevant to them. Include an opt-in box that they can uncheck if they don't want to receive your marketing emails.
By providing your prospects with this option, you're establishing that they can trust you not to send emails they don't want or need. You can eventually ask them to subscribe to your newsletter after establishing your credibility.
With signup forms, it's not just about asking for personal information. It's about asking for the right stuff. Determine which details are absolutely necessary for your sales team, lead generation campaign, email list, or your trial. Keep it as simple as possible to prevent friction.
If a form field is optional, then that means you don't need it. If you don't really need to know their phone number, location, or company, then don't ask for it. Should you need more information from your subscribers, you can always ask for it in the future.
A Formstack survey found that websites that used the social autofill feature were able to increase their form conversions by 189%. Ease of use is key, keep in mind that 85% of users claim that the social autofill makes signing up to websites easier.
Imagine how easy it would be for your users if they could sign up to your newsletter or service with just one quick click of a button. You can also allow users to connect their social media accounts to enable one-click signups.
Captchas (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) are used to ensure that real people, not "bots," are signing up. However, the problem with captchas is that it makes it difficult for users with visual impairments and learning disabilities to register.
Another issue you need to consider is that while captchas may distinguish bots from real people, this doesn't prevent spammers (who are real people) from signing up.
The light gray placeholder text on your form fields can strain a user's short-term memory and confuse them. Empty form fields are more noticeable. With just one look, users can determine that those are the fields they need to fill out.
Also, since this text disappears once you click on a form field, visitors who use the tab key may miss reading what it indicates before it disappears. All of which may add confusion and possibly frustration to the experience. Placeholder text is a potential time waster and may inhibit visitors from converting.
Indicate what the user is supposed to type over each form field to provide direction and instructions. This enables users to clearly see what information you need from them and where to place it.
Signup forms should be strategically positioned directly in the line of vision of your visitor. Some businesses choose a floating or popup signup form to ensure that website visitors don't miss it.
If you're using a popup form, ensure that users can easily exit the popup to prevent them from being turned off by the disruptive signup form. Again, give them the option to say "no" to build trust and credibility.
There are now 3.448 billion active mobile internet users around the world, and they account for more than 55% of the global web traffic. This means that if your signup forms are not responsive or optimized for mobile devices, you could be alienating a large portion of your audience.
Signing up using a mobile device is a totally different user experience. Since the screen is smaller, they're tapping with a finger instead of clicking and typing on a tiny keypad instead of a keyboard.
Create signup forms with buttons large enough for users to tap on the correct button and the right field. Make it convenient for them to register using their smartphone or mobile device. If you need more information, give them the option to improve their profile and contact information once they have access to a laptop or desktop.
The LinkedIn signup form on mobile is designed differently from their desktop version but includes all the relevant information. The best part about it? The headline communicates the benefits of signing up individually. That way, the text doesn't crowd a small screen any further.
By the time that a user arrives at your signup form, they've already seen what you have to offer, and they've most likely done ample research about your product or service. But, this doesn't mean that you don't need to reiterate the value and benefit of your offer.
Follow in Facebook's footsteps, write a headline that's benefit-oriented to communicate the value of your product or service right away. Reinforcing your unique selling point (USP) helps establish the perceived value of your offering, so always include a description of your USP at the top of your signup page.
The social proof technique uses either short testimonials from existing clients or statistics that support the relevance and value of your offer. Social proof continues the process of selling your brand and business to potential customers.
You've probably heard it before, and we'll say it again – use action words in your call-to-action to compel your users to take action. "Signup Now," "Subscribe Now," or "Download Now" are the most common CTA buttons you'll encounter. Why? Because they work.
However, the danger of using the usual CTA copy is that you won't differentiate yourself from your competitors. Contextualize your buttons and be creative. Ensure that you minimize the text to just 2 to 3 words that are highly compelling and relevant to your offer.
Some companies effectively use wit and humor in their signup forms, and users can't help but succumb to it. As we all know, human beings are social creatures, and what's a better way than humor to initiate interaction and engagement?
Humor and cleverness laced into copy entice users and encourages them to interact with your brand further. If your signup form copy is creative, your emails can be all the more interesting.
You can add some humor on the fine print at the bottom of your signup form or newsletter subscribe form. Nerd Fitness effectively communicates their quirky personality in their newsletter form copy.
Another question you'll need to address is whether you're going to use a single opt-in or a double opt-in.
With a single opt-in, a user's email is automatically added to your subscriber or email list once they hit that submit button. With a double opt-in, users are required to actively confirm that they've signed up to your website by clicking on a link that's sent to their email address.
While a single opt-in makes it very easy for a user to start receiving your emails or to use your service, a double opt-in ensures that the email addresses in your lists are actively engaged. A double opt-in reduces the chance of high bounces and low deliverability rates.
At the end of the day, you decide which opt-in to use, but it all boils down to maintaining the health of your email list and protecting your reputation as a marketer. Figure out how your audience responds to double opt-ins via A/B testing. You'll then be able to determine whether or not the double opt-in strategy will work for you.
There are different types and styles of signup forms that can be used for various purposes. You can create a popup signup form that appears after a specific timeframe, a floating signup form that opens once a website is loaded, or a subscription form that's embedded in your blog posts or webpages.
For whatever style you choose, ensure that you follow the key principles in signup forms.
After capturing your lead data, it's time to start nurturing them towards the end of your sales funnel. Keep your techniques up to scratch with our Complete Guide to B2B Lead Nurturing!


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Microsoft says PlayStation Home 'feels like 2005 tech'
What does Microsoft think of Sony's PlayStation Home service? Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg told Kotaku the following:
"What Home to me feels like is Second Life for hardcore gamers. It doesn't feel like it broadens the experience and invites people in. When they unveiled it, it seemed innovative. I think what's happened is now here we are a couple of years later and we feel beyond that. It feels like 2005 tech in 2008. I'm not sure that's what people want."
Greenberg also defended the price of Xbox Live Gold subscriptions ($8/month or $50/year), saying "I think we have seen people are willing to pay for the premium experience. When they compare Live, even to Home, there is still a huge gap."
Some of you might recall that I'm in the seemingly small minority that thinks Xbox Live Gold should be free, but it doesn't appear that Microsoft's even remotely leaning towards letting everybody in without paying.
At any rate, It'd be interesting to see Sony's reaction to Microsoft's comments. I hope things don't get too out of hand, though. If I could offer advice to both parties, it'd be:
1. No one wants to be defeated.
2. It doesn't matter who's wrong or right.
3. Don't wanna see no blood, don't be no macho man.