text:
Tag: Passing
Alex Song perfects the art of the lofted through-pass
Sandro Mazzola is talking about Andrea Pirlo. The former Internazionale forward, who played exclusively for the club between 1960-1977, spotted Pirlo as a teenager at Brescia (and not Mircea Lucescu as Wikipedia states) and convinced the club to sign him. The midfielder, he says, is the greatest passer in today's game and in particular, he is talking about the lofted, weighted pass. "Pirlo's footballing intelligence exploits angles and avenues others just don't see," Mazzola tells Champions Magazine. "Then his exceptional technique enables him to flight the pass brilliantly over distance, and to weight every delivery even when under pressure."
This season, it's been Alex Song who has joined him in mastering the art of the lofted pass. But while Mazzola may be talking about the high pass as a means of switching the emphasis of play, usually from side to side — after all, he did start his Inter career under Helenio Herrera where the short, lateral pass which pervades the modern game, was scorned and saw West Germany dominate through the accurate, long passing of Günter Netzer and then Wolfgang Overath — there's arguably a greater skill Song and Pirlo have perfected; that of the lofted through-pass.
This season, both players have made 24 assists between them and are among the highest exponents of the through-ball in Europe. Yet, while it may be expected of Pirlo, it's not so much of Song who has come to the fore for Arsenal with his defence splitting passes in the absence of Cesc Fàbregas. "He has improved his technique of transmission," said Arsène Wenger. "When he arrived here, the passing of his longer balls was not the best. But he was worked on that, improved on that and now he can combine vision with technique."
There are three passes of Song that stand out; his assist against Everton in December which made everyone – neutrals that is – take note of his special ability and he repeated the trick against their Merseyside rivals, Liverpool, with another deft pass. Both were finished emphatically by Robin van Persie. The third one against Blackburn, though, is not an assist but it demonstrated perfectly, just how much of a weapon he's been to Arsenal in opening up defences as he floated the ball onto path of Theo Walcott to cross. Nevertheless, he managed to produce a carbon copy of that pass in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa which directly did lead to a goal.
Song's not all about chipped passes though. His best assist is probably neither of the above. That came against Borussia Dortmund when, looking as if he had run into a cul-de-sac with three defenders converging on him, he deployed another little unbeknownst weapon in his armoury, clever footwork to jinx between them. His cross after was perfect as van Persie (again) guided a header in. And he's shown he can keep it on the ground too; he played a sumptuous pass between a trio of perplexed Blackburn defenders to find Gervinho in the 4-3 defeat and did well to ignore him away to Norwich City, instead threading it to van Persie. The other five of his eleven league assists have come against Tottenham (a left footed cross to Aaron Ramsey), Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion (both to Andre Santos), Wolverhampton Wanderers and Norwich at home. (Note: he also floated the pass that led to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first goal for Arsenal in the Champions League but for a ricochet off a defender as he dribbled with it, it might not stand as Song's assist).
Alex Song might nominally play as the enforcer but last season, he showed he's becoming the complete link between the defence and attack for Arsenal.
By Anam ~ Arsenal Columnin Players May 21, 2012 October 21, 2015 627 WordsLeave a comment
Improved fitness and technique exposes the specialists
The increased conditioning and speed of the game means the technical level of players will be forced to improve thereby exposing the specialists.
Juventus' problems started with their over-reliance on Diego and Felipe Melo. That, some would argue, is justified given that they were big money summer signings but the Old Lady's woes should not be entirely blamed on the Brazilian pair. Diego, in particular, is not a traditional 'trequartista' as he likes to drop deep but Juventus were expecting him to play as one. Felipe Melo on the other hand has won many fans – including Arsene Wenger – since his stellar début against Italy at the Emirates Stadium but even then he was playing Robin to Gilberto Silva. Now he was expected to anchor the midfield with Momo Sissokho – a pairing instantly striking because of both players' unwillingness to pass the ball short confidently and which will invariably lead to incompatibility with Diego.
Two defensive midfielders are not just regressive in a creative sense; it can be a double-edged sword defensively too. Because of the Italian game's predilection with finding solutions through the middle, two 'volantes' seems a reasonable tactic to stop the playmaker from influencing. However, it can also put undue pressure on the back as it would mean play not circulating as fluently and the ball coming back more. Liverpool in particular, following the absence of Xabi Alonso have found this out the painful way.
Former AC Milan defender Franco Baresi feels Melo could have offered a solution to Real Madrid's neo-Galacticos before his transfer to Juventus – in that he could play in a different line to their current central midfielders – going by the thinking that modern football is one of between-the-lines players. "One thing does not fit," says Baresi. "Why have they [Real Madrid] hired Xabi Alonso? Xabi Alonso is a good player but he serves the same profile as Gago, Granero and Mahmadou Diarra. They had to sign Felipe Melo. He is technically and physically superior (EDITOR: that's highly arguable!) and is able to give a new dimension to the midfield. Lass, Xabi and Granero play on the same plane. It is a mistake to put them together. The only one who breaks the line is Guti."
That Sissokho and Melo were playing in the same line as each other (similar players) meant there was no unpredictability about Juventus and it slowed down their fluidity of play. Even in Brazilian football, with their penchant for playing two 'volantes', one would still have a slightly different function; here there seemed little distinction. "I don't like to play the 4-4-2 in two lines," says Jose Mourinho. "I like the match in between lines and players with dynamic creativity to do that. What are you a midfield player or an attacker? Nobody knows." So in theoretical terms, a standard 4-4-2 stands to lose against a 4-4-2 which transforms into a 4-2-3-1 as Mourinho effectively implies, as a triangle will always beat a line (you can further split the central midfield to two accounting for the innate specialities of the midfielder). Volker Finke (now coach of Urawa Red Diamonds) also feels a flat central midfield template is inefficient in the modern game as positions are nowadays separated into bands/lines in order to allow the team to control space better.
Some would argue the interpretation on the offside law made the splitting of players' roles necessary as suddenly the larger pitch meant there was more space to play in. The game became faster and more physical, and that gave the rise to the popularity of the defensive midfielder because their superior physical ability allowed them to dominate the centre and allow the side to play with more creative individuals. Pep Guardiola, just before he retired, commented on the situation saying: "…football now is different. It's played at a higher pace and it's a lot more physical. The tactics are different, too. To play just in front of the back four now, you have to be a ball-winner, a tackler, like Patrick Vieira or Edgar Davids. If you can pass too, well, that's a bonus. But the emphasis, as far as central midfield players are concerned, is all on defensive work."
If improved fitness killed off the ball-playing defensive midfielder between the mid-nineties and the mid-to-late noughties, it seems improved fitness has now given them the kiss-of-life. Advancements in fitness is universal now with players running on average a lofty matter of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) a match. That puts a greater emphasis on speed as the ball is travelling much more and at a higher pace. Der Spiegel journalist, Christoph Biermann, following the findings of sport analysts at the German Sport University Cologne writes; "At Manchester United, the winner of the Champions League, the players whose job it is to stop the opposing team's attacks are in possession of the ball for an average of less than one second per contact. The faster the ball circulates, the better, goes the thinking."
The sequence between getting the ball and passing the ball has become shorter and that exposes any technical shortcomings of a player. The Premiership has seen the effect of this as many clubs have bow abandoned the idea of playing destroyers in the middle for ball-playing midfielders. Even Tottenham, who had early success in converting Wilson Palacios from a box-to-box midfielder at Wigan to a defensive midfielder, have chosen to pair the technically more superior Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric in the centre lately. The physicality and defensive steel possibly conceded by this method is sought to be compensated by managers making sure their sides are organised and compact in the defensive phase. Roy Hodgson's Fulham side, en route to the Europa League Final have perfected this art.
The increased fitness also means there is more pressing higher up the pitch, further exposing the destroyer and the need to pass quickly. Jaroslav Hrebik, the Czech Republic under-19 coach sums up the trend perfectly. "Defensive midfielders and centre-backs will have to be more creative," he says. "Defences will try to adapt so there will be a lot of pressing to slow down the counter. Defensive positions will be tight, flexible blocks – tightest around their own area. This means the flanks and wigers will beomce more important."
The compact nature and defending in front of the area, as Hrebik describes, has effectively ushered the natural playmaker into a stealth position. Playmakers now come in a number of forms and have essentially become players of "between-the-lines." "The word Enganche (playmaker) is dangerous," says former Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone. "But, I like enganche, although with some variations. More like the playing style of Zidane, call it a prototype of enganche? That evolved into the enganche roles today of Kaká, Totti, Pirlo, Ronaldinho and Robinho. I believe enganche today must come from another sector, there must be wider variety of options." Kaka was thought by AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi as an attacking midfielder and so wanted new signing Ronaldinho to play as a forward – Carlo Ancelotti, however, was adamant that Kaka was already a striker. The example of Luka Modric is perhaps the most pertinent as in his homeland of Croatia, he is known as a natural number 10 but was converted to central midfield by Slaven Bilic and has also often played in a roaming role on the left, using his movement off the flank to create havoc. Increased conditioning of players today is also another factor as it means that there's precious little time to shape a game.
The above trends seem to therefore highlight a shift to one of universality and football in a holistic nature. Technicality should become more important than ever, giving for the moment, less distinction to players of a high physical ability. That is not to say it should be skimped on; Arsene Wenger feels players such as Alex Song and Robin van Persie, who mix a degree of physique and technique are sought to be the future and as the game gets faster, has put more emphasis on passing the ball quickly in his current Arsenal side. "Players will become bigger, faster and stronger, but the ones with talent will succeed," says Barcelona's Andres Iniesta "Someone like Ronaldo is physically superior to most. In the future there might be less difference between this type of player and the rest, but with someone like Xavi, the physical side of the game is less important. Barcelona have shown that."
By Anam ~ Arsenal Columnin Arsenal May 6, 2010 June 3, 2010 1,426 Words23 Comments


text:
Theodore Roosevelt, Readying for His Inauguration, Complains of Bad Tailoring
The first time Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential Oath of Office, on Saturday, September 14, 1901, his ascension to the presidency was so unexpected, he had to borrow clothes to wear to the ceremony. Just hours before, he had been hiking high in the Adirondacks; then, suddenly, President McKinley, recovering from a gunshot wound sustained in an assassination attempt the week before, worsened and died - and Vice-President Roosevelt, fresh off Mount Marcy, urgently needed something decent to wear. He scrambled, then, to borrow a frock coat, striped trousers, a waistcoat, a four-in-hand tie and patent leather shoes - that he might be sworn-in as President like a gentleman.
Some four years later, Roosevelt, living in the White House and about to take the Oath of Office for a second time, was still concerned with looking the part. In this marvelous letter, he takes a haberdasher to task for some shoddy tailoring. Inauguration Day, he explains with some annoyance, is less than two weeks away, and he can't possibly wear what's been sent to him:
This morning I hoped the frock coat would do, though the trousers were hopeless. But on trying it on again, the cut and hang are so bad that I do not like to wear it on inauguration day; as for the trousers, I don't think any change can help them.
Please send some good man on at once to get the coat, try it on me, & have it radically altered; can another pair of trousers be made.
The failure is very annoying, as now inauguration day is less than a fortnight off. Have the man here Tuesday morning at nine.
No doubt Messieurs Rock & Co. got Roosevelt's wardrobe just as he wanted - for the night before his Inauguration he exulted, "Tomorrow I shall come into office in my own right. Then watch out for me!"
Clothes make the man.
Autograph Letter Signed, as President, 2 pages, quarto, The White House, Washington, February 19, 1905. To clothiers Rock & Co.
US Presidents [+]
The Road to the Inauguration: 1905
Feb 19t[h] 1905
Messrs Rock & co [sic],
Having Ascended to the Presidency Just a Week Before, Millard Fillmore Orders a New Black Hat
President-Elect James K. Polk Anxiously Queries His Tailor About New Clothes for His Inauguration
President Andrew Jackson's Big Cheese Tasting
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Transcript & With Malice Toward None Quote in Autograph

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


900.2 Applicability of other laws and regulations. (a) Except as otherwise indicated in this section, the activities of life care communities shall be subject to any other laws governing such activities including, but not limited to, Articles 28 and 36 of the Public Health Law and Article 7 of the Social Services Law and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(7) the requirements regarding the review of the character, competence and standing in the community of any principal stockholders pursuant to section 2801-a(3) and section 600.2 of Chapter V, Title 10 (Health) of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York shall not apply to the community as a whole (to which the provisions of this Part regarding controlling persons apply), but shall apply to any nursing home component to be operated by the life care community operator.
(3) the requirements regarding the transfer, assignment or other disposition of ten percent or more of the stock or voting rights pursuant to section 3611-a(2) of the Public Health Law and sections 760.14 and 765-1.13 of Chapter V, Title 10 (Health) of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York shall not apply to the community as a whole (to which the provisions of this Part regarding controlling persons apply), but shall apply to any home care services agency, subject to Article 36 of the Public Health Law, which is to be operated by the life care community operator.
(3) the requirements regarding the review of character, competence and standing the community of any principal stockholders pursuant to section 485.6 of Chapter II, Title 18 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York shall not apply to the community as a whole but shall apply to any adult home component established as part of a life care community.


My Pet World: Can puppies recognize their puppy brothers, sisters?
A: All these years later, the chance your dog would recognize a litter mate is a definitive "maybe."
Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Lore Haug, of Houston, explains: "Siblings most certainly can recognize one another. But when they're separated at a young age, there's no way to consciously remember. Still, it seems that at some olfactory level we don't fully understand, even litter mates separated at a young age probably do recognize one another on a subconscious level."
If Callie is not spayed, it's possible she'd resist hooking up with a brother. This ability is beneficial for the species.
Haug also notes that we know dogs recognize their own breed, or specific general characteristics of other dogs. For example, if your dog was bitten by a dog with a turned-up tail, she could be understandably wary of all dogs with turned-up tails.
A: "Cats have their very own set of upper respirator viruses," says Dr. Mike Thomas, of Indianapolis, past president of the American Animal Hospital Assn. and immediate past president of the Companion Animal Parasite Council. "We don't get viruses from cats or usually give our viruses to cats. By the way, if your cat goes off food and water for over a day, contact your veterinarian."
Incidentally, there have been some individual cases of people with the H1N1 influenza virus passing it on to their cats. While it's rare event, some viruses will jump species. Still, feel free to continue to share your bed with Miss Murray.
A: Was the Cushing's disease (which is hyperadrenocorticism, the production of too much adrenal hormone) under treatment when your dog began to awaken and have accidents overnight?
"The key is to determine if Cushing's disease and the increased water intake is responsible, and also to rule out diabetes, or another other physical explanation," says veterinary behaviorist Dr. Nicholas Dodman, chairman of the behavior clinic at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Mass.
D: Disorientation, such as dogs standing at the wrong side of a door to go outside, or generally seeming confused.
I: Altered social Interactions, such as dogs becoming disengaged or mysteriously aggressive toward previously favorite people, or other animals.
S: Sleep disturbances, such as getting up in the middle of the night. Older dogs naturally sleep more but this alludes to a change in the sleep cycle.
H: House-soiling, previously housetrained dogs having accidents.
"Canine cognitive dysfunction is a diagnosis of exclusion, and that can be tricky," says Dodman. "A dog who walks into a glass door may have visual problems. Or a dog getting up a 3 a.m. might do so for physiological reasons.
"Catching canine cognitive dysfunction early on is very helpful," adds Dodman, a proponent of a drug called Anipryl. Some veterinarians are also dabbling with drugs used for human's Alzheimer's, but little is known about their effects on dogs. Additionally, Dodman says, nearly all older dogs can be offered nutritional supplements without a downside, such as L-Carnitene or melatonin. There's actually a prescription diet dubbed BD for Brain Diet (Hill's Science Diet), which can also be beneficial.
A: "Gallstones can occur in dogs but they're very rare," says internal medicine specialist Dr. Saundra Willis, of Seattle. "And diet is not typically a therapy for gallstones. So, I suspect you mean that your dog had urinary bladder stones. Now, were they calcium oxilate stones or struvite stones? It would be a complete guess from here to determine what those stones were caused by."
Depending on the circumstances, "diet absolutely may be able to help control the reoccurrence," Willis adds.
Willis recommends a conversation with your vet to learn exactly what condition your dog has. If the vet in unwilling to have such a conversation, something is wrong. Also, Willis worries that the weight loss could be unassociated with the new diet, but rather the result of another problem.
Note: I want to publicly acknowledge and thank Dr. Sheldon Rubin, who has read over my syndicated columns for medical accuracy for 15 years.
STEVE DALE welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column. Write to Steve at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207. Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state.


tests for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including hepatic ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein testing.
Include the results of the initial tests with the referral (see recommendation 1.2.1).
Offer a 48-week course of peginterferon alfa-2a as first-line treatment in adults with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B and compensated liver disease.
Offer tenofovir disoproxil as second-line treatment to people who do not undergo HBeAg seroconversion or who relapse (revert to being HBeAg positive following seroconversion) after first-line treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a.
Offer entecavir as an alternative second-line treatment to people who cannot tolerate tenofovir disoproxil or if it is contraindicated.
Offer a 48-week course of peginterferon alfa-2a as first-line treatment in adults with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B and compensated liver disease.
Offer entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil as second-line treatment to people with detectable HBV DNA after first-line treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a.
Offer tenofovir disoproxil to women with HBV DNA greater than 107 IU/ml in the third trimester to reduce the risk of transmission of HBV to the baby.
In people who are HBsAg positive and have HBV DNA greater than 2000 IU/ml, offer prophylaxis with entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil.
Start prophylaxis before beginning immunosuppressive therapy and continue for a minimum of 6 months after HBeAg seroconversion and HBV DNA is undetectable.
start prophylaxis before beginning immunosuppressive therapy and continue for a minimum of 6 months after stopping immunosuppressive therapy.
 Avoid use of peginterferon alfa-2a in pregnancy unless the potential benefit outweighs risk. Women of childbearing potential must use effective contraception throughout therapy.
 At the time of publication (June 2013), tenofovir disoproxil did not have a UK marketing authorisation for this indication. The prescriber should follow relevant professional guidance, taking full responsibility for the decision. Informed consent should be obtained and documented. See the General Medical Council's Good practice in prescribing medicines – guidance for doctors for further information.
 At the time of publication (June 2013), entecavir, lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil did not have a UK marketing authorisation for this indication. The prescriber should follow relevant professional guidance, taking full responsibility for the decision. Informed consent should be obtained and documented. See the General Medical Council's Good practice in prescribing medicines – guidance for doctors for further information.


Are there any other issues with 4.9.4, for Mac users? I'm uisng OS Sierra 10.12.5, also. Still using DS 4.9.3.
My product list any search does not show any DS version, so I can not download the update in order to use Genesis 8 . How can I get the stand alone?
Thanks for the info, I'll stick with this for a bit then as it all seems to be working OK. Have tried the Gen 8 base figure and as you say it gives an error but seems to open OK.
Genesis 8 female does not work fully in older versions of DS.
Can you please document, what doesn't work for older versions?
For everyday usage there wasn't any limitation trying it with 4.9.2.
Even te Clones fully worked.
I imagine there are others. but those are the ones I'm aware of.
IRAY Network Rendering? Softbody dynamics? Cloth Dynamics?
Since I don't see any mention in the promos, I am assuming that there is no addition of Softbody or Cloth Dynamics, but the mention of "cloud" makes me hopeful that there may be IRAY network rendering (without the purchase of extra IRAY licenses). ???????
Can't GoZ to work now. I'm upgraded to 4R8 today and now my bridge won't connect. I have reinstalled from ZBrush AND DAZ Studio via DIM. SO what do I do now?
I saw a comment in another forum that 4R7 needed to be uninstalled before installing 4R8 to avoid GoZ issues, but I don't know how absolute that is.
First it loaded it, but I had to redownload "West Park Legacy Legacy" since it was missing files, and now I can't load that product anymore. it worked fine in the older version.
I had to install it through DIM, since Conenct doesn't show it.
There's a bug in relation to Victoria 8's y position when grabbing her hands or arms for direct movement.
load Victoria 8 > click and drag either her hand or feet directly.
Notice how the entire figure translates say 20 points up or down (based on the height of the figure. I was able to get it jerk down if applied a negative height via the body morphs).
I also noticed this sort of behavior in Genesis 3 when applying any of the pose helpers. Such as say 'shoulder shrug'. If you were to apply any of these helpers and attempted to grab said affected area, you would experience an unintended jerk in positioning.
This bug is reproducible on the mac and pc versions.
hmm,, odd.. it worked before in 4.9.x cause I made a movie scene.
Is this using ActivePose? I can't reproduce it.
nope. just using the translate tool. Make sure victoria 8 is loaded. If there's no morphs loaded the issue doesn't happen.
I'm not sure I understand -- you're trying to apply translations to a body part? Not rotations?
yes but via dragging the actual body part. Avoid clicking the translate tool arrows. just click and drag the skin surface of the hand or feet.
I'm facing constantly fatal errors after update to 4.9.4 some of them I didn't traced.
One situation is when I place a Genesis 2 Female dress on a Genesis 3 Female figure, in the auto-fit screen choose "Genesis 2 Female" and "Dresses/Knee-Lenght".
The webpage on the bug report doesn't exist.
Other problem, non-fatal, is happening with https://www.daz3d.com/batch-render-for-daz-studio-4-and-rib. In batch render when I use a Genesis 3 Figure with a Genesis 2 Hair, it is like the hair position occurs after the render action. This means all images were generated with the misplaced hair, but the scene looks right on Daz. The same scene on manual render is rendered normally, generates the correct image.
Open a support ticket and attach the bug report, include the words "Bug Report" in the title.
I never knew you could do that without switching to ActivePose, but if you use the ActivePose tool it works correctly.
Did anything change for the export to FBX format?
Didn't have that problem with the previous version.
Sorry but I'm always not sure....Can I just download and install or do I have to deinstall first? Does the installed content stay where it is?
Just download and install, it doesn't affect the installed content.
I did not see that line before now.
Me either, it never was stated before.
Is the highlighted statement still valid? I created new categories and assigned items to them in 4.8, but the items don't show up in 4.9.4.
I just installed 4.9.4.117. Then I reinstalled the dynamic clothing controller. It doesn't work. The plugin window says the plugin is installed, but when I open the controller, all I see is the basic controller, and furthermore it doesn't recognize any dynamic clothing loaded into the scene.
I just installed 4.9.4.117. Then I reinstalled the dynamic clothing controller. It doesn't work.
Do you mean you reinstalled the plugin installer you already have? That won't work — the Dynamics plugin is one of the oddballs that gets updated whenever DAZ|Studio is updated. You must download a fresh copy of the installer; the last two numbers of the version number for D|S and the plugin must match (the current plugin version is 1.6.4.117, so the ".4.117" is the same in both).


Sure, you remember to wipe down your counters and mop your floors. But when it comes to germs, there are much dirtier places where they could be hiding. Did you know some areas of your home have more germs than a public toilet seat? And most of them are in your kitchen. Yeah, it's pretty gross.
After the nastiest flu season we've seen in a while and some food poisoning scares we wish we could forget, cleaning and sanitizing your home is more important than ever. Your typical cleaning rotation is a great place to start — but it likely has some blind spots.
Besides knowing how often you need to clean the different areas of your home, it's also critical to know where you need to clean. It goes beyond just your kitchen and door handles. Some of these items are in your car. Some, you carry with you constantly. And others are just sitting around your home, festering and growing more contaminated from your neglect.
It's time to do spring cleaning the right way. Here are 15 items in your home that you never thought to clean, but really should.
Out of sight, out of mind. With your air vents out of direct view, it's easy to forget to clean them. But behind those plastic vents, there's a huge pileup of dirt and debris just begging to be cleaned. If you let the dust — and potentially mold — build up, it'll get spewed throughout your home every time you turn on the AC. Air vents can be cleaned using an attachment on your vacuum. To clean your bathroom fan, simply remove the cover, unplug the fan, and clean the removable rotating piece with a damp cloth. You'd be surprised how much gunk can build up!
Hopefully you're cleaning your car's interior regularly, but if there's one part of your car you should clean even more often, it's the wheel. You touch that thing every single day — after wiping your nose, touching your face, being outside… We bet you even eat in your car, too, right after you touched the wheel! Good news is that it's easy enough to clean. Simply keep your front seat stocked with disinfectant wipes and clean the wheel every now and then. You might also want to consider wiping down the radio buttons, door handles, and other areas.
We know to clean the nooks and crannies of our homes, but what about the objects you're using to clean them? Your brooms, mops, sponges, and other cleaning utensils could be teeming with bacteria. After you clean, consider cleaning the tools you used themselves.
Think about it — your credit card gets around. That thing passes through the hands of waiters, cashiers, and clerks, as well as the insides of every card machine it swipes through. After all that foreign contact, it collects more germs than you'd think. According to a study conducted by microbiology students at St. Petersburg College, half of all credit cards sampled at local malls, stores, and hospitals tested positive for MRSA. Consider disinfecting your card now and again — or at least washing your own hands after you touch it!
If you don't use a dishwasher, you could unknowingly be eating bacteria for breakfast. The drying rack you use for your dishes is probably hiding hordes of germs unless you clean it. Just because the dishes are (somewhat) clean doesn't mean the dish rack is!
Your silverware gets washed; your dishware gets washed…. But what about the drawers you store them in? Every now and then, empty out your kitchen drawers and do a clean sweep.
Everyone knows you have to clean makeup brushes, but your hairbrush is often forgotten. Luckily, they're easy enough to clean. Simply use some shampoo and scrub the brush just as you would any other surface. Rinse, dry, and you're all set!
You probably use your earbuds all day — they bounce around in your purse and your pocket, get shoved in your ears, passed through people's hands… They can collect a gross amount of bacteria from your ears and the other surfaces they touch. Especially if you share them, these earbuds can easily pass germs from person to person. Without submerging them in water, simply clean them using a cloth and some soap or a disinfectant.
We know the ice at restaurants is swarming with E. coli, but what about the ice you're making in your own home? If you aren't cleaning your ice tray, you're just as bad. Even though all you're putting in the tray is water, you're still touching that piece of plastic with your dirty hands every time you make yourself a drink.
We've all heard before just how gross your smartphone can get. Studies show that a smartphone can be 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat. And you're putting this gross surface right next to your mouth every single day. A simple wipe-down with some disinfectant should do the trick.
Who knew you could get sick just from changing the channel? Your TV remote is hiding more germs than almost any other surface in your living room, accumulated from skin contact from all your friends and family, every time someone presses a button. Eating in front of the TV is great and all, but at what risk? Clean your remote control regularly to keep away from unwelcome germs.
Taking reusable bags to the grocery store may be eco-friendly, but experts are saying they can spread deadly bacteria if they're used to carry raw fish and meat. Fatal bacteria — such as E. coli and campylobacter — can transfer from the outside of food packaging to your reusable bag. Once you fill your bag with more food again, the bacteria can infect your purchases. Wash these cloth bags as you would your clothes and towels.
Your bathroom gets hot and humid every time you shower — but do you ever disinfect that bunched-up shower curtain after it gets damp? Probably not, and you're subjecting your bathroom to a whole lot of overgrown mold and bacteria as a result.
According to a study conducted in 2011, your toothbrush holder is the third dirtiest place in your home. When you clean it, make sure you get all the toothpaste, dried saliva, and other gunk out (you can use a pipe cleaner if it's hard to reach).
Think that rotting pile of leftovers disappeared once you threw it in the garbage can? Think again. Tiny food and drink particles can splatter and seep onto the rim and handles of your trashcan, contaminating the trash itself even after you put in a fresh bag. That's why your trash can is actually one of the dirtiest places in your kitchen.


text:
Jason Park Joins Draftkings as New Strategic Advisor to CEO
Maggie Bean
DraftKings Recruits a New Chief Financial Officer, Jason Park Joins the Sports Technology and Entertainment Company from Bain Capital
DraftKings has recruited a new Chief Financial Officer, Jason Park. Park will not only be the new CFO but will also act as the Strategic Advisor to the operator's Chief Executive, Jason Robins. Parks joins the daily fantasy and sportsbook operator with more than a decade of experience under his belt working for Bain Capital Private Equity where he served as the Operating Partner. He was responsible for the company's technology investments.
Park's made the following comment after being appointed the Chief Financial Officer, "I am thrilled to be joining DraftKings at this important inflection point for the company. DraftKings has already established itself as a clear leader in the sports technology and entertainment arena and I look forward to working with this exceptional team to drive and capture the significant growth potential ahead."
DraftKings Chief Executive, Jason Robins also commented on the new role saying "Jason will step in and help accomplish our long-term financial goals. He has a track record of success around investments and acquisitions which will aid in the growth of our business and his world-class background in evolving and executing growth plans will make him invaluable to our organisation."
Jason Parks
Strategic Advisor to CEO
https://www.casinoplayersreport.com
Maggie Bean has been a part of our family since we began 15 years ago when we started the Casino Scam Report (https://www.casinoscamreport.com) site. She is head editor of articles as well as checking and reporting on the latest casino bonuses and promotions.
BGO Entertainment Hefty Fine by UKGC for Misleading Advertisement
Paysafe Named Payments Processor of the Year 2019


Hearing and Balance Clinic at Kim Pershall, M.D.
Noel received his Master's of Audiology degree from the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in 1998. He has been working with Dr. Kim Pershall for over 10 years, providing a full range of audiological care, specializing in the fitting of high quality digital hearing instruments from the leading manufactures. Come in today and let Noel demonstrate the latest in wireless hearing technology and hear what you've been missing.
Click on the orange button above and tell others about your experience at Hearing and Balance Clinic at Kim Pershall, M.D. to help them find the hearing care they need.
Hearing and Balance Clinic offer a full range of hearing care service to patients of all ages. Our highly experienced clinical professionals provide testing, evaluations and offer the most technology advanced hearing devices that are available. We can help you make the best choices with all of your hearing needs and hopefully help you achieve a better quality of life through better hearing.
Thank you for sharing your experience at Hearing and Balance Clinic at Kim Pershall, M.D.


text:
Posted on February 5, 2015 by EPR Retail News Editors
Target Corporation to webcast its meeting with the financial community on March 3
MINNEAPOLIS, 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) will webcast its meeting with the financial community on March 3 from approximately 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. Investors and others are invited to access the presentations and Q&A session online on the Events & Presentations section of Target.com/Investors. The webcast will be archived for at least 90 days following the meeting.
At the meeting, Target will discuss its strategic and financial plans and provide guidance for the company's expected fiscal 2015 financial performance. Speakers will include:
Brian Cornell, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
John Mulligan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Casey Carl, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer
Kathee Tesija, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer
Jeff Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,790 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit to communities, that giving equals more than $4 million a week. For more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit ABullseyeView.com or follow @TargetNews on Twitter
Posted in Business, Financial, Management, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged Brian Cornell, Casey Carl, financial community, Jeff Jones, John Mulligan, Kathee Tesija, Target Corporation	|
Whole Foods Market to open 34,000-square-foot Little Rock store on Feb. 18
New store at Bowman and Chenal Parkway opens Feb. 18
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — The long-awaited relocation of Little Rock's Whole Foods Market is almost here. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the 34,000-square-foot store will open its doors.
In addition to an expanded range of high quality natural and organic products, the store will offer more than 200 local—and more than 300 organic— items, a coffee and fresh juice bar, and a beer and wine bar serving pub style fare and featuring 12 taps.
Store opening celebrations will kick off with a traditional bread-breaking ceremony (Whole Foods Market's version of ribbon cutting) at 7:30 a.m., followed by the grand opening at 8 a.m. The first 500 shoppers will receive a Whole Foods Market reusable shopping bag. Guests can also enjoy tastings, special sales, music and activities for all ages.
As a part of Whole Foods Market's commitment to the community, the store will host a series of 1 percent community giving days during opening week. Guests can support a different Little Rock nonprofit each day, simply by shopping. The following nonprofit organizations will receive 1 percent of sales on the below dates, and will join the store in opening events:
Wednesday, Feb. 18– Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
Thursday, Feb. 19 – Arkansas Local Food Network
Friday, Feb. 20 – The One
Saturday, Feb. 21 – Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals (CARE)
Sunday, Feb. 22– Wildwood Park for the Arts
Full details on opening week events can be found on the store's website.
On Feb. 16, Whole Foods Market will host a preview party for the Little Rock store. The event will offer guests a chance to sneak a peek at the store and enjoy sips and samples of local and exclusive products. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Museum of Discovery. Limited tickets are available for a suggested $5 donation at the door. Guests must RSVP via Eventbrite.
The new Little Rock store will include expanded offerings and unique features such as:
• Enhanced prepared foods grab-and-go breakfast, lunch and dinner options.
• Coffee and fresh-squeezed juice bar featuring Allegro coffee.
• Beer and wine bar with 12 taps and seating indoors and outdoors.
• Hot barbecue bar featuring meats smoked in store.
• Expanded seafood department will offer four times as many options as previous department. We will cut, fillet, season and debone your fish for free – just ask!
• Self-serve pizza–grab a slice or call ahead and pick up a whole pie.
• Signature sandwich menu created just for Little Rock, with build-your-own-sandwich options.
• Indoor and outdoor community seating at the front of the store.
• 16 brightly colored shipping containers featured in the façade of the building. The store was constructed to be environmentally friendly, with several green features:
• Store lighting that automatically dims based on light use from each of our 21 skylights.
• Reclaimed barn wood throughout the store.
• Reclaimed wood gym bleachers repurposed as a bar countertop.
• Electric car charging station and bike racks.
For more information about Whole Foods Market Little Rock, find us online at:
wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/bowman
Facebook – Whole Foods Market Little Rock
Twitter & Instagram – @WholefoodsLTR
#WFMrocktown
Whole Foods Market Little Rock
501 Bowman Road
Store Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Posted in Business, Food & Beverage, Grocery, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged Little Rock store, Whole Foods Market	|
Rite Aid Corporation opens 24 RediClinics inside select Rite Aid pharmacies in the greater Baltimore/Washington D.C and Philadelphia markets
24 RediClinics Now Open in Greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Philadelphia Markets
CAMP HILL, Pa., 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) announced today that 24 RediClinics are now open inside select Rite Aid pharmacies in the greater Baltimore/Washington D.C and Philadelphia markets. These are the first clinics to open inside Rite Aid pharmacies since Rite Aid acquired Houston-based RediClinic, one of the nation's leading operators of retail clinics, last April.
Rite Aid President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Martindale, Rite Aid Executive Vice President of Pharmacy Robert Thompson and RediClinic CEO Web Golinkin will officially mark the clinic openings with a ribbon-cutting today at 10:30 a.m. at the Rite Aid pharmacy located at 3599 West Chester Pike in Newtown Square, Pa.
"Today marks an important milestone not only for Rite Aid and RediClinic but for our customers in greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Philadelphia too," said Martindale. "As a community pharmacy, we are on the front lines of community health every day and it's critical that we provide the types of programs, resources and services needed to help our customers live and stay well. Providing high-quality, convenient and affordable healthcare through an in-store RediClinic is just one example of how we are taking our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our customers to the next level."
Added Golinkin, "As one of the pioneers in convenient care, RediClinic has provided more than 1.5 million consumers with easy access to high-quality, affordable healthcare since 2005. Now as a part of Rite Aid, we are bringing our services and programs to new customers in new markets, helping Rite Aid take even better care of its customers. We are excited to have opened the first wave of clinics inside select Rite Aid pharmacies in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Philadelphia markets, and we look forward to growing with Rite Aid and improving the health and wellbeing of our customers and communities."
RediClinics in these markets are staffed by board certified nurse practitioners, who are trained and licensed to treat common conditions and provide preventive services, in collaboration with local physicians who are affiliated with leading local healthcare systems. Patients can be treated for more than 30 common medical conditions and RediClinic's clinicians are able to write prescriptions for these conditions when appropriate.
RediClinics also provide a broad range of preventive services, including screenings, medical tests, immunizations, and basic physical exams; and the company's innovative and acclaimed Weigh Forward® weight/lifestyle management program is offered at many RediClinics and licensed to other providers.
"RediClinics are a natural extension of the services our customers currently receive from Rite Aid pharmacists and we are pleased to demonstrate this additional layer of healthcare support," said Thompson. "We believe our customers will really appreciate having this service available to them in a setting they already trust."
Rite Aid plans to open additional RediClinics inside select Rite Aid pharmacies across greater Seattle later this spring. The Company will also look to open additional clinic locations in Texas where RediClinic is already a leading provider of convenient care services.
Rite Aid Corporation is one of the nation's leading drugstore chains with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia and fiscal 2014 annual revenues of $25.5 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company's website at www.riteaid.com.
RediClinic has given consumers easy access to high-quality, affordable healthcare since 1989. The company currently operates 31 clinics inside H-E-B grocery stores in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as 24 clinics inside select Rite Aid pharmacies in greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Since opening its first in-store clinic in 2005, RediClinic has successfully treated more than 1.5 million patients. In addition to treating common medical conditions and providing preventive care, the company's acclaimed Weigh Forward® weight/lifestyle management program is offered in the company's clinics and licensed to other providers. RediClinic is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rite Aid Corporation. For more information about clinic locations, hours of operation, services and prices, visit www.rediclinic.com.
Investors: Matt Schroeder 717-214-8867 or investor@riteaid.com
Media: Ashley Flower 717-975-5718
Posted in Business, Healthcare, Management, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged Ken Martindale, RediClinics, Rite Aid Corporation, Rite Aid pharmacies, Robert Thompson, Web Golinkin	|
Gap to debut an innovative "Micro-Series" developed specifically for Instagram
Directed by The Daniels, starring Marcel the Shell creator Jenny Slate and actor Paul Dano
NEW YORK, 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — Gap, the iconic American clothing brand, will debut an innovative "Micro-Series" developed specifically for Instagram. The series consists of 12 short films, each only 15 seconds long, that tell a surprising love story between comedian and "Marcel the Shell" creator Jenny Slate and indie actor Paul Dano, in his commercial debut. One episode will be released each week during the Spring season, beginning this week.
The films build on Gap's recent history of partnering with acclaimed directors to tell stories that will relate to customers' lives. After creating more traditional, broadcast commercials with David Fincher and Sofia Coppola last year, the brand has partnered this season with 'maverick' directors The Daniels to create a purpose-built story for Instagram.
Premiering today on Gap's Instagram account, http://instagram.com/gap, the Micro-Series tracks the burgeoning romance between the love struck duo of Slate and Dano, as they navigate chance encounters, first dates and moody Spring weather in the hope of finding their perfect fit. As they grapple with what is real and what is digital "content," they begin to suspect that their lives may not be theirs alone. Viewers will need to stay tuned as each short film is released over the season to see the story unfold.
The films feature Gap's key trends of the Spring season, which are integral to the events in each episode – form-fitting Resolution Denim, the new Spring-ready Khaki, and the go anywhere Jogger Pants – to showcase weather-proof and heartbreak-proof, outfits.
In addition to Instagram and other digital platforms, the love story will be released on dating websites and apps. A companion promotion called #APerfectFit will offer viewers special rewards for trying on the new form-fitting Resolution Denim featured in the Micro-Series.
Gap's Spring campaign will also include broader print and online components featuring upcoming artists India Menunez, Neelam Gill, Victor Norlander and Andre Feulner, who model Gap's new seasonal classics.
Developed with Gap's global agency, Wieden+Kennedy New York, the Micro-Series series is one of the first campaigns to take advantage of Instagram's new video auto-replay looping capabilities.
"We are excited to further innovate our marketing approach and introduce a series that not only is inspired by social, but reflects its zeitgeist – where the lines between real and created events are increasingly blurring," said Tricia Nichols, Global Consumer Engagement and Partnerships for Gap. "In each episode, we bring to life those first days of Spring that can feel a bit surreal as our couple's real lives and Instagram lives start to merge into one. We think people will relate to the storyline, while also getting some help navigating the tricky territory of the perfect first-date outfit, especially when Spring's weather can be so unpredictable."
Fans can visit youtube.com/gap to watch the episodes in full.
Gap is one of the world's most iconic apparel and accessories brands and the authority on American casual style. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, Gap's collections are designed to build the foundation of modern wardrobes – all things denim, classic white shirts, khakis and must-have trends. Beginning with the first international store in London in 1987, to the brand's planned 2015 debut in India, Gap continues to connect with customers online and across the brand's more than 1,700 company-operated and franchise retail locations around the world. Gap includes Women's and Men's apparel and accessories, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. The brand also serves value-conscious customers with exclusively-designed collections for Gap Outlet and Gap Factory Stores. Gap is the namesake brand for leading global specialty retailer, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) which includes Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime, Athleta and Intermix. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com.
Posted in Apparel, Entertainment, Fashion, Marketing, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged "Micro-Series", Gap, instagram, Jenny Slate, Marcel the Shell, Paul Dano, The Daniels, Tricia Nichols	|
MAXIMA GRUPĖ reports of EUR 2,583 billion Turnover in 2014; 2.5% up compared to 2013
Vilnius, Lithuania, 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — Last year the consolidated turnover of the company "MAXIMA GRUPĖ" was EUR 2,583 billion without VAT, and grew 2.5 percent as compared with 2013. The retail chains belonging to the company in the Baltics, Poland, and Bulgaria focused on increasing the competitiveness and more effective organization of operations. 17 new stores were opened and 31 reconstructed during the year. The company's investment in expansion and chain maintenance in 2014 totaled almost EUR 56 million.
"As in the most countries we further observe rational consumers behavior that predetermines moderate but stable market growth, during the last years we mostly focused on increasing the companies' competitiveness, first of all taking into account the interests of our consumers. Moreover, we paid significant attention to improving the operational processes of the companies' in each country, starting from supply, the logistics chain, and management of the assortment of goods and finishing with improving of the working conditions in our stores. These working directions will remain relevant in the future as well", – says Neringa Janavičiūtė, Director General of "MAXIMA GRUPĖ", UAB.
N. Janavičiūtė notes that in terms of results by country, the company growth was the highest last year in Poland and Estonia. The turnover of "ALDIK" chain in Poland reached EUR 37.7 million without VAT and, compared to 2013, was 21.6 percent higher. Such swift growth is observed in the country for the second consecutive year. Two "ALDIK" stores were opened in Warsaw last year, and further chain expansion is planned this year as well.
Comparing the results in the Baltic States, for the third year in a row the biggest growth took place in Estonia. Total "MAXIMA Eesti" turnover exceeded EUR 401 million without VAT and was 5.2 percent higher than in 2013. These results were influenced by the increase of company's competitiveness by expanding the chain of large stores in the Estonian capital: the started expansion of large format ("XX" format) stores proved fruitful and will be continued, and the first "MAXIMA XXX" store will open in Tallinn at the end of this year. Also last year the company started building a new logistics center, worth almost EUR 30 million. The end of its construction is estimated at the end of 2015.
In Lithuania the results reflected the country's overall economic growth trends. The turnover of "MAXIMA LT" grew 2.5 percent in 2014 and surpassed EUR 1,417 billion without VAT. One of the company's key objectives in 2014 was the proper preparation for the adoption of the Euro, and this went smoothly at the beginning of this year. In 2015 the company will focus mostly on ensuring the competitiveness.
"MAXIMA Latvija" turnover reached EUR 660 million without VAT last year, which is practically the same as the year before, having increased 0.1 percent. The company allocated the biggest attention and resources to implementing the Change Program – it was dedicated for this purpose over EUR 11 million.
The yearly turnover of "MAXIMA Bulgaria" was EUR 65.6 million without VAT and grew 4.2 percent. This year company also has plans to expand its chain by further increasing the number of small format "T-MARKET" stores.
"MAXIMA GRUPĖ" is a holding company, established in 2007, that controls retail stores in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Bulgaria. It has a total of 517 "MAXIMA X", "MAXIMA XX", "MAXIMA XXX", "ALDIK", and "T-MARKET" stores: 228 in Lithuania, 146 in Latvia, 73 in Estonia, 44 in Bulgaria, and 26 in Poland.
Posted in Business, Financial, Management, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged ALDIK, MAXIMA GRUPE, Neringa Janavičiute	|
John Lewis Partnership hosts the inaugural Inspire EO conference
LONDON, 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — John Lewis Partnership today hosts the inaugural Inspire EO conference, aimed at providing an insight into the benefits of giving private and public sector employees a stake in their business.
Employee ownership has been shown to produce fast employment and sales growth; lead to higher productivity and profitability; and give businesses greater resilience through times of economic difficulty. With a series of tax advantages coming into force since October, there has never been a better time to consider employee ownership.
Today's conference, supported and sponsored by the Employee Ownership Association, KPMG, Nationwide and CH2M HILL will be attended by approximately 350 delegates from new and existing businesses of all sizes, as well as public bodies.
Speakers will include Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Chief Executives of leading employee owned businesses, senior politicians, legal & financial advisors.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of John Lewis Partnership said:
'Thanks to new measures introduced by this Government, there has never been a better time for companies to convert to employee ownership. With many more businesses making the change, I believe it is a model whose time has come and I'm delighted that so many businesses are attending the inaugural Inspire EO event.'
Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude said:
'When the Coalition Government came to power our priority was to reduce the deficit so the country could pay its way in the world again. Central to this long-term economic plan was creating a diverse, responsible and sustainable economy for the future. Employee ownership can make a valuable contribution to this aim, because employee-owned firms have the kind of grit and resilience that our economy needs.
'This was our rationale for encouraging public sector workers to form mutuals and take control of services. And it worked. Five years on there are now more than 100 mutuals, up from just nine in 2010. The results have been dramatic. Waste and average costs are down, while staff satisfaction is up. Many have also gone on to win further work, giving rise to growth and to new jobs.'
Iain Hasdell, Chief Executive, Employee Ownership Association said:
'Businesses owned by their employees are playing a magnificent role in the UK's economic recovery. They consistently outperform their competitors as a direct result of being employee owned. In 2014 productivity in employee owned businesses grew by 4.5% when it remained flat in the rest of the economy, and profitability in businesses owned by their employees rose by 25%. Employee owners across the UK are laying the foundation stones for a new economy.'
Neil Spring, Group Senior External Communications Manager
Simon Rigby / Jos Bieneman
Posted in Business, Human Resources, Management, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged CH2M HILL, Employee Ownership Association, Iain Hasdell, Inspire EO conference, John Lewis Partnership, KPMG, Nationwide, Sir Charlie Mayfield	|
Delta extends existing service of Starbucks® coffee onboard every Delta and Delta Connection flight around the globe
SEATTLE and ATLANTA, 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) announced today that Delta will extend existing service of Starbucks® coffee onboard every Delta and Delta Connection flight around the globe. Delta officially began serving Starbucks® Pike Place® Roast and Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew Italian Roast decaf on its fleet of 1,270 aircraft, on Feb. 1. Last year, the airline and its partners operated more than 1.8 million flights, carrying 170 million passengers to 330 destinations in 64 countries worldwide.
"With a high-quality global brand like Starbucks now added to Delta's core in-flight service product, we've taken another step to improve the travel experience," said Mike Henny Delta's Director of Customer Experience. "Our ongoing in-flight enhancements to food, beverages, seats and entertainment affirm Delta's commitment to provide our customers with industry-leading amenities."
"We are delighted to provide Starbucks® coffee wherever Delta's customers are traveling," said Michelle Burns, vice president Branded Solutions, Starbucks. "As two organizations who share a commitment to providing a distinctive and premium experience, Starbucks and Delta are a perfect pair."
Delta initially partnered with Starbucks in 2013 to offer coffee to customers traveling on select cross-country and West Coast Shuttle flights.
Celebrating the Partnership with a #DeltaCupContest Free Ticket Giveaway
From Feb. 4 through Feb. 8, Delta will host a social media-based contest on Instagram and Twitter asking travelers "If you could fly anywhere Delta flies and enjoy Starbucks® coffee along the way, where would you go?" Entrants will be asked to write their desired destination on a coffee cup and upload a photo to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #DeltaCupContest to enter. The winner will be selected at random to receive a ticket to anywhere Delta flies (1).
Additionally, Delta has commissioned artists from around the world to create three larger-than-life art installations made solely out of Starbucks® cups. The pieces feature famous landmarks and sites of global destinations where Delta and Starbucks fly together: Big Ben in London, Tokyo's Sensoji Temple in the historic district of Asakusa, and a Carnaval float in São Paulo, Brazil. The cup sculptures will be on display starting Feb. 4 in Terminal 4 at New York's-JFK International Airport.
Samples of Starbucks coffee will be available at New York-JFK, Los Angeles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Feb. 4 to promote the partnership and provide travelers with a taste of the Starbucks® coffees that will be served onboard at 35,000 feet.
How many cups of Starbucks coffee does Delta expect to serve in 2015? The answer in this Infographic
(1) No purchase required. The Delta Cup Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and DC, 18 or older. Starts 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time February 4, 2015 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET on February 8, 2015. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Delta Air Lines, Inc., 1030 Delta Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30354. For complete rules visit deltacupcontest.com.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 21,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or online at Starbucks.com and news.starbucks.com.
About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year.With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 330 destinations in 64 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights. Additional information is available on Delta.com
For more information on this news release, contact us.
Posted in Business, Food & Beverage, Management, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged Delta, flight, Michelle Burns, Mike Henny, Starbucks® coffee	|
Starbucks introduces Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk beginning February 17 in U.S. stores
SEATTLE, 2015-2-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — Providing a non-dairy alternative to dairy and soy is the second most requested customer idea of all time from MyStarbucksIdea.com, generating more than 84,000 votes. Starbucks will deliver this additional customization with the introduction of Starbucks Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk, a creamy, delicious alternative to dairy and soy for handcrafted beverages, available beginning February 17, in Starbucks US company-operated and licensed locations.
Starbucks coconut milk is certified vegan and made from single-origin coconuts from the tropical Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Through careful research and development including numerous recipes and taste tests, Starbucks product innovators found that the rich, creaminess of Coconut Milk is the best complement to Starbucks hot, iced and Frappuccino® beverages without the same allergen challenges present in almond milk.
"Delivering the options our customers want is always the highlight of my day," said Christine Barone, Starbucks vice president brewed espresso. "We have a high bar for anything we pair with our high quality espresso and this coconut milk is smooth and perfectly complements the coffee. I personally love it in an iced vanilla latte. We are excited to hear back what further customer and partner customization coconut milk inspires."
Starbucks keeps innovation relevant through constant communication with partners (employees) and customers. Partner engagement with coconut milk has been remarkable and was one indicator that coconut milk was a successful test at the end of 2014. Weeks before it is available in stores, social media reflects partner excitement; both for their personal consumption and because they are excited to bring it to their customers.
The idea for an additional dairy offering has been a daily request from customers, according to the My Starbucks Idea Blog post about the limited trial this past October. "Tried a latte with coconut milk today…AMAZING," said zipsgirl, MSI advocate. "I drink coconut milk by choice at home and I am thrilled Starbucks is carrying it. Please keep it!!"
Whether out of curiosity or dietary preference, those excited to try the new coconut milk can find it in stores beginning February 17, and can thank the more than 84,000 MSI advocates who voted for the idea. Starbucks is committed to continued innovation that facilitates further customization of the more than 170,000 beverage options available in stores. Share your ideas here: MyStarbucksIdea.com.
Posted in Food & Beverage, Management, Marketing, Retail, Retailer	| Tagged alternative to dairy and soy, Coconut Milk, Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk, Starbucks, vegan	|


SPIRITUNITY: Not Sure If You're Spiritual?
Not Sure If You're Spiritual?
If you think taking a trip to India or seeking a guru is needed to live a spiritual life, think again.
Spiritual living is accessible to all of us simply because we all are spirit.
Spirituality is our personal relationship with the energy of the Universe. It is not religion; it doesn't mean following a specific set of "rules" to reach "enlightenment." Spirituality arises from deep within. It's when you come to know that there is much more to life than what is; and even though you can't fully articulate it, you have felt it affirmed many times. It just is, and it is not reserved only for those who have had some kind of awakening or who are the most zen.
Call it Source. Call it God. Call it Universal Intelligence. Whatever we choose to call it, when we get in touch with this spiritual side, we find ourselves living more harmoniously with others, our environment, nature, and much more. Life begins to flow in magical ways. Even a trip to the local supermarket can turn into an enlightening experience.
It's not about how to become more spiritual, but knowing that you already are. We naturally call spirituality into our lives. Many of us don't realize that we are doing it.
Ever look up into the expanse of night and feel nothing but awe under a sky peppered with millions of stars, wondering what set all of this into motion?
Ever help someone in need because you were moved to help, without expecting anything in return?
Ever been guided by your intuition, only to find out that it spared you from some kind of danger?
Ever felt the power of forgiveness?
Ever felt compelled to seek the truth in situations?
Ever become so absorbed in a creative endeavor that time didn't matter, and hours passed by in what seemed like minutes?
If so, then you have felt your spiritual energy in action. It's moments like these that demonstrate your connection with a powerful, inexplicable source of energy and life. It's a connection that is always there, whether you are aware of it or not.
Acknowledge it. Explore it. Embrace it. Honor it. Spirituality is our natural state.
The first time I felt what you are saying, I was on a high school trip to see a total eclipse of the sun, in 1970. When the shadow that precedes totality swept over where we were, all the birds stopped singing. It was totally still and you could feel a....power. I don't feel that I'm that spiritual a person, but I still remember that moment, some 44 years later. I've felt some of those other things you describe, too. So...hmmm. Alana visiting from UBC.
What an amazing experience, Alana! And what a way to witness the power of the energy of Universe...it's moments like these that I feel are true communion.
Thank you for sharing this, and may you be blessed with more of these experiences in your life. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting.


Since Hurricane Harvey rocked Texas, the Texas Attorney General has received hundreds of consumer complaints, many concerning price gouging, Grit Post has learned.
"We have received complaints from consumers as well as some of our employees and investigators in the area concerning price gouging happening with hotels, grocers, fuel providers and (most frequently) fresh water. Unfortunately, price gouging like this can be common following natural disasters," she continued.
Under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, price gouging is illegal and the Attorney General has the authority to prosecute any business that price gouges after a disaster has been declared by the governor; however, businesses still engage in the practice.
(UPDATE, Aug. 29, 6:13 PM): Best Buy has issued an official apology on behalf of the store shown in the above photo selling water at an inflated price. Click here for details.
(UPDATE, Aug. 30 6:43 PM): Another photo in this article alleging price gouging featured a label that appeared to show the price of a package of bottled water had doubled. We were informed that the label itself was for a different product. We have removed the photo.
In the second picture, it appears as if the water is in the wrong shelf. That price label says "bottled water, 5 gal, $13.99." That does seem rather high, but it isn't for that water pictured.
One was smart water the other dasani..
Just saw your article about price gouging going on in Texas. As a resident of Houston, I appreciate it. The Kroger charging $12.99 for a case of Nestle water was a great example. However, the Best Buy example fell short and was misguided. Best Buy doesn't normally sell cases of water and instead breaks them up into the singles that go into their coolers. Their register can't sell cases of water so they are just selling the "packs" as multiple singles to the customers coming in. The 1 Liter Smartwater probably retails at $2.50 a piece or in this case $29.98 for 12 units. The 20 oz Dasani retails for $1.79 each or in this case $42.96 for 24 units. Those single prices aren't unheard of and pretty consistent with the market rate. Hope that helps.
Irresponsible reporting. "Retail cost for bottled water is shockingly high, but unchanged by Harvey" is not as interesting as headline, I guess.
Pricing gouging is big here in Robstown Texas the restaurants are over charging on their food somebody better check this out. We are a small community in nueces county and shouldn't be happening ..we all work for a living and some of us are just working paycheck to paycheck . Especially right after a hurricane when things are rough right now.
Um… the Kroger picture isn't price gouging the item is just in the wrong place… being a CVS employee I know too well how customers get caught up on price but aren't trained to read labels like employees are. In this case there was hardly any water on the shelves at this location (I stay down the street) so they most likely threw the water on the shelves any kind of way to help restock.
LOL, got caught, another $100M to shed.
I believe instead of selling high price they can just donate water to those who needed. Best Buy is a billion dollar industry and if they willing to help those needed then be it. The owner or CEO should investigate and fired all those involved on this scam. They probably pocket some on the money they scam.


We know you love to text your spouse. So, go ahead and try wooing your husband or wife with one of these 15 EPIC text messages. You know they will love it. It will totally make their day. Nothing says romantic quite like a text...okay, just kidding, but if you are away from your spouse, try one of these texts today and watch it stir those romantic feelings! Epic, right?


Wanted to share this. Parts of it remind me of the team and how we never give up..
What has been going on!!!!
What a busy few weeks it has been here in Designing Dublin.
We have completed our scheduled conversations, these took place in November. We invited stakeholders,businesses and individuals to take part in our themed processes. I worked on the theme of " These Are The People Who Exchange Their Products In The City". We had a great mix of people involved in our process. It helped me to learn more on running a process, being aware, inclusive and listening all at the same time. Hard work I can tell ya. It was really enjoyable to engage with people in this manner.
How challenging do you find it to generate more footfall within the city centre?
What do people love about the city?,What are people proud of in the City?
Where can I find out about events and activities around creative ideas?, If I want to suggest an idea for bringing people in the city together who should I talk to?
Do you find there is much co-operation?
Some of the challenges that came out of the process included: more interaction and communication between businesses and traders, transport, parking, clamping, how can the City bottle the magic and energy that one off events bring to city all year round e.g. "The city was alive on culture night can this be spread out over a year, it was fun not threatening". How can local events link into the City Center to encourage footfall, networking,is there a way of doing this " People embend their roots through the city e.g Culture,Shopping,Walking ,Personal. The reason why people come into the City can be explored by their roots in the City".
There were some positive outcomes also people thought that the City Centre was unique in the sense that it offers diversity and the shopper can do different things in the one space.
Personal knowledge: traders / businesses have knowledge on what is in the City in terms of business and people if a customer is looking for something in particular they do not have they know where to send them to get it and they know the person they are sending them to.It was felt that this is unique to Dublin aswell.
Meetings between traders are taking place in the City.
After the scheduled conversations we then moved onto "Innovation Dublin " where we displayed our 100 Hidden Gems in the City. This took place in Film Base. The 100 Gems were gathered from our street engagement processes.We also put tags on the 100 Hidden Gems all over the city. It was a real success. It was really warming to see people coming into the exhibit and enjoying it. We will be displaying it again in the new year. We also displayed pictures of the people who we spoke to during our street converstations. As a team we went around the city and visited some of the hidden gems, there is so much to see in the City Centre.
We are currently working on Mapping through GIS. We will use this tool to find an area in the City Centre where we will work in the new year for 3 months. I am very excited about this. I am looking forward to working in partnership with people at a local level and bringing about change in their Community working in this way can create powerful results. We will have our area selected by Christmas.The criteria we are using to select the area is based on the challenges that were collected from out street and scheduled conversations in November.
We developed a process that was laid back,spontaneous, personal and friendly and we did this by being our fabulous selves.
We spoke to teenagers on O'Connell Street ,The Spire ,Henry Street,The Central Bank, Stephans Green Shopping Centre, Georges Street Arcade, Stephans Green Park.
The rain held us back on our second day although that did not stop us from walking the streets looking for them. On approach to the teenagers we explained: who we were and what we were doing. We asked them questions like: Where do you like to hang out in Dublin?, Whats not cool about Dublin?, Does Dublin care for teenagers?, Where in Dublin has the X-Factor for you?
What I noticed from chatting to the teenagers is that: It was difficult for them to get their point out. I imagine this is because teenagers are not often asked for their opinion on issues/ topics that effect them and their City. What I would love to do is bring a group of young people into a space where we can talk openly and have time to explore with them.
From the street conversations we had with the teenagers other issues emerged that could be looked at a wider level.They where respect,safety,stereotyping and transport. Another common theme that emerged was that they all wanted a space to be and to chill out with their friends a place where they can have a sense of ownership and control with the support of adults.I felt that the question around Does Dublin care for you? opened the young people up more but we also asked this near the end of the chat with them. A very powerful and open question as Why,Why,Why leads from it.
The hidden gems for teenagers were very public , we did get some that where very specific to teenagers in terms of words, places to shelter and hang out. Iwas inspired from talking to so many friendly and open teenagers in the City, the street engagemnet developed my passion and empathy further for young people.
We will engage with "These are the people who" through scheduled conversation's,we will be inviting in a mix of: People, Businesses,Management and Organisations. The "100 Exciting Things You Did Not Know About Dublin" will be explored through street engagement.
I choose to work on "These are people who". This involved going back to the matrix and picking out who we wanted to talk to based on the mixture of 30 headings that we had under this theme for example Children and Youth in the city. We picked out stakeholders who have experience in the theme but we also want to create a space that would make for an interesting conversation so the mix also needed to be contrasting. I found it enjoyable ,difficult, frustrating,exhausting and a learning experience . We got there and I found it to be worthwhile when we got over the first couple of hurdles.
The next stage is to get these people in a room and run the scheduled conversation's. Meanwhile the street engagement will go ahead. The other half of the team have been working hard on thinking up innovative and creative ways to catch peoples attention. I look forward to being a part of this process. The information gathered from this work will mean that we will have more input,ideas and thoughts from the stakeholders, which is very important for going forward.
In the middle of working on the above we also had to prepare for a visit from the Steering Committee. The purpose of their visit was for us to give them an overview and a taste of what we have been up to for the last five weeks. We also got to pick their brains to get information from them on the above task . It really helped to find out that we are on the right track and that the hard work we have been doing is worthwhile and useful.
During the Development and running of our process. I realise that it has reignited my passion for theatre and how the Art can be used as a form of engagement to talk about and explore issues. This method can be used to work with both young people and adults. So much can come from working in this way: It helps people to let go and express themselves in a way that they may not have done before, it can build up peoples confidence and it can open doors to change the norm of looking at issues that we face in our society.
Had a really busy and interesting week as always. Kristin & Paul worked with us on process work. This really helped us to identify and understand the meaning of a "Process" a simple yet complex word. Having them present for the 3 days really helped with the development and the implmentation of our processes. They are fountain of knowledge.
Here is a piture of part of our creative process.
Wanted to share these links, we had a really interesting Skype call during the week with the Kaos Pilots after which they kindly mailed us to share the following links.Which I found really interesting. Enjoy!!!!
What I like about the above is that they are based on engagement with people from the ground up. They help to create awareness, change the mindset and develop ways of making change through various methods.
In order to get a listing of our stake holders we had to go through a process called The Matrix.We started off lookign at Enterprise,Living and Movement in the city. To link all of these together we then looked at the following Enterprise,Management,Organisation and People. Under these themes we wrote out sub-headings that would match of these .
For Organisations our Sub Headings included Media under this we had e.g. RTE,Independant,Metro: Youth: e.g. CDYSB,Forogie, ARK, Science: e.g. Botanic Gardens,Sustainable Energy Ireland,NSAI. And this process was used across all the themes all team members had input into what they thought would go under each heading.
For People we changed the process slightly we wrote a small scenario's about different people. Every member of the team developed a couple of people to write about. The stories varied from different people including: immigrants, youth,gay People, Divorcd,Single,Successfull . In our stories some people hated the city others loved it and some did not know how to use the city in terms of getting around the city and being aware of what was out there for them.
The people and organsiation matrix were my favourite theme's to work on. With people we got to act out our stories and they became more real and it helped the team members get into the process. At times I found this process to be frustrating ,confusing and fun. Leading on from this we developed groupings from each theme. We went through each theme indivually , each team member picked out a post it from the theme that they realted to or that that they thought woudl be a contrats to another group ,person,company or organisation that was on the borad e.g. Sinn Feinn & Age Action Ireland, Irish Wildlife & Community Gardens. We discussed if these fitted into the group and if they would be intrsting to statrt a dialogue with around the city to find out their opinions and views on the users within the city but also to ask "Why are people not coming into the city" and maybe ask" Why do people not want to leave the City Centre?" .
We worked in groups to devlop question that we would ask each grouping that we identified in each of the themes the number of groups varied from 4-6 during this process we also found common themes that were comign up in the groups. I was in the people group, so the themes we found were Needs, Deflectors,Pride,Respect,passengers, living and movement.
View more presentations from Mooney12.
The 100 Examples were under Spirit,Society, Entrepreneurship,Storytelling. To come up with mu 100 Examples I used the notes I had taken from the talkers that we had in with us. That helped to wake the brain up in order to come up with examples. Then as I went into the headings I began to think more about what they meant to me on a personal level that helped to form my examples evern further. I went on my personal knowledge in terms of Community & Youth Work then I pushed myself to go beyond dublin and think on a national and global level.
Litstening to the other team members present on Stroytelling and Spirit also helped to open up my mind and thought process even more. A learning for me was that we all have a differnt view on spirit .It can be: Attitdues,people,culture,spontaneous,individual,collective,groups,the future,architechture,memorary,carnival,colour,food,physical,moods and variety.
The ideas were also under Spirit, Entrepreneurship,Spirit,Society,Interaction.
For these ideas I started by writing the first idea that came into my head under the above headings to get the brainstorm going. On my home on the 83 bus I found that was when my ideas flowed I could sit and take in the city on my journey home.
My ideas vary from theatre based, collective,information sharing,education.After getting my ideas onto the post its I went over them and took out the ideas that were very similar.


text:
The GoD List: Comics For April 17, 2013
By Henchman21 | @ | April 17th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Each and every week, I, "Run to the hills" Henchman21, and "Run for your life" Empress Eve read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. Naturally, we look forward to some more than others. I mean, who doesn't? So, let's take a look into the depths of our pull lists, grab some comics, and we'll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of April 17, 2013. Single issues and trades, they're all here.
Let's see, what do we have for you this week? We've got robots and teen heroes and vampires and so much more. And I ran out of time, but you had better plan on buying He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from DC Comics, because it's going to be awesome and also because Battle Cat. So don't forget to buy it and all the other great comics on this week's GoD List!
Topics: Comics, Features, The GoD List
Tags: Atomic Robo, Avengers, Danger Club, Danger Girl, Dark Shadows, Dial H For Hero, Ghostbusters, Mars Attacks, Smallville, The GoD List, The Manhattan Projects, Witchblade
The GoD List: Comics For December 12, 2012
By Henchman21 | @ | December 12th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Each and every week "Donner" Henchman21 AND "Blitzen" MK2Fac3 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. Naturally, they looks forward to some more than others. I mean, who doesn't? So, let's take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and they'll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of December 12, 2012. Single issues and trades, they're all here.
This Wednesday is a special day. I mean, 12/12/12 must have some kind of numerological significance or something. More than that, it's a day for new comics, which is good news for everyone. So, here are a few books to check out this week. Remember, comics make a great gift during this joyous time of year, so pick up a few to hand out or just buy a bunch for yourself. This ain't no naughty or nice list, it's the GoD List!
Tags: Avengers Arena, Chew, Dark Horse Comics, Fatale, Fear Agent, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, James Obarr, Marvel Comics, Revival, Saga, The Crow, The Manhattan Projects, The Walking Dead
The GoD List: Comics For May 16, 2012
By Hunter Camp | May 16th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Each and every week "The Vegetarian Veteran" MK2Fac3 and "The Natural Disaster" Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn't? So, let's take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we'll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of May 16, 2012. Single issues and trades, they're all here.
Look, I don't care what anyone else tells you today, there is a great wealth of coming comics that are sure to blow your mind out of your skull. Sure, there may be some faltering alongside a lot of the great, but really, there's good things to be seen and read. It's with consideration to this concept that you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have The GoD List, our weekly look into all of the comics that are coming out. It's like, all killer and no filler without the Sum 41. Books like The Manhattan Projects, Saga, Saucer Country, Locke & Key, Adventure Time, The Shade, and Conan are all coming out this week and those are more than enough to get excited about. Oh, you want to know why you should be excited about these books? Well dear friend, you're just going to have to get your fingers prepared for clicking, and your eyes prepared for reading, because we're about to get into that business right about… now.
Tags: DC Comics, Gabriel Rodriguez, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, James Robinson, Jill Thompson, Joe Hill, Jonathan Hickman, Locke and Key, Nick Pitarra, The GoD List, The Manhattan Projects, The Shade
Comic Review: The Manhattan Projects #1
By The Geeks of Doom | @ | March 14th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
By QuestKid32
The Manhattan Projects #1
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Nick Pitarra
Colors by Cris Peter
Letter by Rus Wooton
"We're protecting the country's greatest secrets… The problem with these secrets is many of them are wrapped in conspiracy, and nothing tickles curiosity like mystery…" – General Groves, The Manhattan Projects #1
The idea of a book about an underground government agency that knows all of the world's darkest secrets really intrigued me. I've always been a big fan of all the different UFO and government conspiracy stories and frankly still keep my eyes peeled for Big Foot anytime I'm anywhere near woods, so The Manhattan Projects #1 was seemingly written for me. Add to all that the fact that the great Jonathan Hickman is writing and it sounds like a recipe for success…
Tags: Cris Peter, Image Comics, Jonathan Hickman, Nick Pitarra, Rus Wooton, The Manhattan Projects
The GoD List: Comics For March 7, 2012
By Hunter Camp | March 7th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Each and every week "That KO Kid" MK2Fac3 and "Your Hero" Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn't? So, let's take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we'll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of March 7, 2012. Single issues and trades, they're all here.
Who's my hero? Is is Chris? Is it Superman? Is it Batman? Is it Kassius? Oh no, it's none of these. My hero is each and every creator that puts their lives on the line each month to provide each and every one of us with an awesome story so that we can escape from our mundane/great/terrible lives to visit a world that has been created by a writer and artist with a vision and desire to tell stories. I will be eternally thankful to each and every creator whether or not I'm their biggest fan. They have my undying respect. These creators are my heroes. Well, them and people that do really important things like protect freedom and save peoples' lives and stuff. And Chris Hero. Anyway… The GoD List!
Tags: Adam Hughes, Age of Apocalypse, Batman, Bill Willingham, Brenda Kirk, Cat Staggs, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Dean Motter, Dennis O'Neill, Fables, Fairest, Gail Simone, Hell Yeah!, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Jill Thompson, Joe Keatinge, Jonathan Hickman, King City, Marvel Comics, Michael Lark, Mike W. Barr, Ming Doyle, Nick Pitarra, Phil Jiminez, Renae De Liz, Terminal City, The Compleat Terminal City, The GoD List, The Manhattan Projects, Vertigo Comics, Womanthology


Learn what ModSecurity is, how it works and just what it does in order to protect your Internet sites and apps.
ModSecurity is an effective firewall for Apache web servers that's employed to prevent attacks against web apps. It keeps track of the HTTP traffic to a certain Internet site in real time and blocks any intrusion attempts the moment it identifies them. The firewall relies on a set of rules to accomplish that - for example, trying to log in to a script admin area without success several times triggers one rule, sending a request to execute a particular file which could result in getting access to the Internet site triggers a different rule, and so on. ModSecurity is amongst the best firewalls available on the market and it'll protect even scripts that aren't updated frequently because it can prevent attackers from using known exploits and security holes. Quite comprehensive data about every single intrusion attempt is recorded and the logs the firewall keeps are far more detailed than the conventional logs created by the Apache server, so you can later examine them and decide if you need to take additional measures in order to increase the security of your script-driven sites.
ModSecurity is available on all cloud hosting web servers, so when you choose to host your websites with our company, they will be protected against a wide range of attacks. The firewall is enabled as standard for all domains and subdomains, so there will be nothing you shall have to do on your end. You'll be able to stop ModSecurity for any Internet site if required, or to activate a detection mode, so that all activity shall be recorded, but the firewall will not take any real action. You'll be able to view comprehensive logs using your Hepsia CP including the IP where the attack came from, what the attacker wished to do and how ModSecurity handled the threat. Since we take the security of our clients' sites seriously, we use a set of commercial rules which we take from one of the best companies which maintain this sort of rules. Our administrators also include custom rules to make certain that your Internet sites shall be shielded from as many threats as possible.
ModSecurity is a part of our semi-dedicated server solutions and if you opt to host your Internet sites with us, there won't be anything special you'll need to do given that the firewall is turned on by default for all domains and subdomains that you add using your hosting CP. If needed, you could disable ModSecurity for a certain site or activate the so-called detection mode in which case the firewall shall still function and record info, but won't do anything to stop potential attacks on your websites. Thorough logs will be accessible within your CP and you shall be able to see which kind of attacks happened, what security rules were triggered and how the firewall addressed the threats, what IP addresses the attacks originated from, and so forth. We use 2 sorts of rules on our servers - commercial ones from a business that operates in the field of web security, and customized ones that our administrators often include to respond to newly discovered threats on time.
All VPS servers which are provided with the Hepsia CP feature ModSecurity. The firewall is installed and switched on by default for all domains which are hosted on the server, so there won't be anything special which you'll have to do to protect your sites. It shall take you only a mouse click to stop ModSecurity if required or to activate its passive mode so that it records what happens without taking any steps to stop intrusions. You will be able to view the logs created in passive or active mode from the corresponding section of Hepsia and find out more about the form of the attack, where it originated from, what rule the firewall employed to handle it, etc. We use a mixture of commercial and custom rules so as to ensure that ModSecurity shall block out as many risks as possible, consequently enhancing the security of your web apps as much as possible.
ModSecurity is available as standard with all dedicated servers that are set up with the Hepsia Control Panel and is set to "Active" automatically for any domain you host or subdomain which you create on the web server. In the event that a web app doesn't function adequately, you may either switch off the firewall or set it to function in passive mode. The second means that ModSecurity will keep a log of any possible attack which could take place, but won't take any action to stop it. The logs produced in active or passive mode will present you with more details about the exact file that was attacked, the form of the attack and the IP address it originated from, and so on. This data shall permit you to choose what measures you can take to increase the protection of your Internet sites, such as blocking IPs or performing script and plugin updates. The ModSecurity rules that we employ are updated frequently with a commercial bundle from a third-party security company we work with, but oftentimes our administrators add their own rules too in case they identify a new potential threat.