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Stories By Somerset Patriots
Patriots Take Rubber Match 2-1 Over Ducks
Central Islip, NY – The Somerset Patriots (6-5, 56-25) defeated the Long Island Ducks (5-5, 51-29) 2-1 Sunday evening at Bethpage...
By Somerset Patriots
Patriots Rally Past Ducks 7-5
Central Islip, NY – The Somerset Patriots (5-5, 55-25) rallied past the Long Island Ducks (5-4, 51-28) to win 7-5 Saturday...
Ducks Take Series Opener Over Patriots
Central Islip, NY – The Long Island Ducks (5-3, 51-27) defeated the Somerset Patriots (4-5, 54-25) 3-2 Friday evening at Bethpage...
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Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have signed left-handed pitcher Evan DeLuca. DeLuca, of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, played high school...
Riversharks Defeat Patriots 3-2
Bridgewater, NJ – The Camden Riversharks (2-6, 30-48) defeated the Somerset Patriots (4-4, 54-24) 3-2 Thursday evening at TD Bank Ballpark....
Patriots Crush Riversharks 12-3
Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots (4-3, 54-23) defeated the Camden Riversharks (1-6, 29-48) 12-3 Wednesday evening at TD Bank Ballpark...
Gamel's Walk Off Homer Wins It For Somerset In 12 Innings
Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots (3-3, 53-23) defeated the Camden Riversharks (1-5, 29-47) 3-2 in 12 innings Wednesday afternoon at...
Riversharks Edge Patriots 4-3
Bridgewater, NJ – The Camden Riversharks (1-4, 29-46) defeated the Somerset Patriots (2-3, 52-23) 4-3 Tuesday evening at TD Bank Ballpark....
Bierman's Complete Game Leads To 2-1 Patriots Win
Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots (2-2, 52-22) defeated the Camden Riversharks (0-4, 28-46) 2-1 Monday evening at TD Bank Ballpark....
Ducks Top Patriots 7-2
Bridgewater, NJ – The Long Island Ducks (2-1, 48-25) defeated the Somerset Patriots (1-2, 51-22) 7-2 Sunday evening at TD Bank...
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Feature: The Baby Auction by Peter Taylor-Gooby @PeterT_G #guestpost #dystopian #amreading
By Anne | October 11, 2016
When Peter Taylor-Gooby approached me about his dystopian novel The Baby Auction, I'll admit my first reaction was that it probably wasn't one for me. But I was quite struck by the strapline – "Romance, revenge, revolution – and a forensic analysis of how market capitalism destroys human kindness" – and, having read a few extracts, I feel I was maybe rather too quick to judge.
Peter told me about the passion for social justice that made him an academic, with a need to understand how modern civilised societies permit injustice, inequality and oppression. His writing and research made him one of the leading academics in the field but it never really answered his questions. So he wrote The Baby Auction to understand how real human characters, striving and struggling and loving in a world driven entirely by market forces might live a humane and generous life.
Do see if the summary might appeal to you too:
Auctioning babies makes sense; the babies go to new parents who've proved by paying more than anyone else that they will give them the best start in life; the parents who've brought them into the world get real compensation for their pain and trouble. At least that's what everyone in Market World thinks.
Ed, a tough, spirited and streetwise young woman, and Matt, innocent and loyal, an outsider, hate this world, where the market decides everything. Anna a successful business woman and Dain one of the Enforcers who police the city, think it offers a brave new civilisation.
The Baby Auction tells the story of Ed and Matt's love and of their struggle against Market World, of their pain and trials and ultimate escape. It also tells how Anna and Dain come to discover that there is more to life that success in the city, and that they must overcome the contempt of all those around them, mistrust and betrayal before they can prove their love for each other through self-sacrifice.
I'm delighted to welcome Peter to Being Anne with an guest post on the fascinating subject of characters, and how readers and writers relate to them.
Why do people do what they do? We know the answers in real life: because they have free will or independent natures or get distracted by tea-cakes or whatever. In writing fiction it's a bit different, especially if you're the writer and you believe you somehow created the characters. It's also something of an issue for readers: one reason for reading Emma is because we want to see what choices she makes, whether she avoids the awful Mr Elton and how she grows as a person, understands (and is mortified by) the way she treated Harriet and Miss Bates, and becomes capable of making more mature choices. The same applies (with minor changes to allow for the passage of time) to Bridget Jones.
But. This is a work of fiction. Someone designed it and wrote it. These characters were set in motion and, if the book is worth reading, they are believable, they feel like real people. So here's the problem: the author describes a real person and traces out what they do. The reader follows that because they want to find out what the character does. Does she do right or wrong? Does she become someone capable of living a worthwhile life or not? But it's all been worked out by someone else in advance. So we are asked to believe in characters as if they were real people, but they aren't, they are made-up, following the tram-lines of the plot.
When you put it like this it all seems a bit of a confidence trick, but it obviously isn't: readers are not stupid, they make all sorts of distinctions between different books, they spend much time discussing them, and (thank goodness!) they go on reading.
As a newbie writer this problem worried me (maybe I should just have gone on writing and not bothered, but I couldn't escape it). I wrote character essays for my novel The Baby Auction. I also wrote different plot lines and tried them out. In some characters went one way, in some they made a different choice and went another. I tried to work out which felt right, which seemed to work best. Engrossing, but it didn't get me nearer an answer because I couldn't really tell the difference.
Then I pursued a different direction. I just wrote about the characters in other settings without worrying too much about the plot line and where I thought things had to get to by the end of the chapter. This suddenly made a huge difference and felt enormously liberating.
The characters started saying and doing things I hadn't expected and certainly hadn't planned. Off they went in new directions, new encounters and relationships, emotional responses I hadn't anticipated and the whole thing felt very different.
I think this is the answer to the dilemma of the character who is made by someone else, but in whom we believe and who is following the plot of a novel but whom we follow because we don't know what they're going to do and we really want to find out what happens and how they develop. It isn't a confidence trick. The author doesn't really know either and is also following what happens (among other reasons) because they want to get to the end and see how it all works out, just as much as the reader does.
Novels are funny things but they can (sometimes) be completely engaging. We feel totally involved in a created world and that applies to the writer as much as the reader. When I came to the end of The Baby Auction I breathed a sigh of relief and hit 'save' on the keyboard before I did anything else. Then I thought 'So that's how it turned out. But what if it had all been different? Maybe I should be writing that instead?' Then I thought 'No. It doesn't matter that it could have been different. This is what they did, and it feels right.' And that's it.
Really enjoyed that Peter – and I wish you every success with the book.
Peter Taylor-Gooby's novel The Baby Auction is published by The Conrad Press and is available as a paperback and an e-book on Amazon, Google Books and at most bookshops. The author's profits are donated to Shelter – the housing and homelessness charity.
My novels deal with how people live their lives and relate to each other in the modern globalised capitalist world. In The Baby Auction, Ed and Matt must find a way to lead a passionate, humane and generous life in a world run entirely on market principles, in which no-one can understand that caring for someone else might be a motive.
In my day job I write academic texts (for example "The Double Crisis of the Welfare State"). My work shows how globalised market capitalism generates inequalities between haves and have-nots and promotes a corrosive individualism that stunts our capacity for empathy, charity and love. People live for themselves and their families and vote for more privatisation and less redistribution and against the welfare state.
I enjoy hill-walking, riding my bike, holidays and looking after my grand-daughter (not in that order). I became interested in social policy issues after working on adventure playgrounds, teaching, claiming benefits and working in a social security office in Newcastle. I've worked in the UK, most European countries, Canada, the US, China, Korea and Japan, Australia and South Africa. You can follow Peter on Twitter, and find him on:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Taylor-Gooby
https://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/staff/academic/t-v/taylor-gooby-peter.html
http://www.britac.ac.uk/users/professor-peter-taylor-gooby
← #Blogtour: Watercolours in the Rain @Jolambertwriter #review @BrookCottageBks #giveaway Author feature: Somebody Else's Boy by Jo Bartlett @J_B_Writer @AccentPress #interview →
One thought on "Feature: The Baby Auction by Peter Taylor-Gooby @PeterT_G #guestpost #dystopian #amreading"
Jessica Norrie October 11, 2016
Chilling how similar to "1984" this sounds,even though (in theory) the politics is the the opppsite philosophy. I guess an excess of anything is dangerous. I was slightly mystified by the paragraph about the reader and following the characters but otherwise sounds interesting – and you could never complain this author hasn't researched his background!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Here you go, you pheasant pluckers!!
Thread: Here you go, you pheasant pluckers!!
In a large non-metalic container combine sugar and salt with water to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the bird and top up the water so that it covers the bird. Leave in the brine for 24 hours. Weigh down with a plate if necessary.
Drain. Leave the bird on kitchen paper towels to dry while you organise the smoker. Smoke for 6 hours. If air is cool it may take longer for bird to be cooked through. When the legs move easily it is done.
We expect some photographic testimony in the fullness of time EeeBees.
Pheasant hunting without a dog?


Rick Heller's fifth season in Iowa City has come and gone. Ten final thoughts on the year that was.
In the bowels of TD Ameritrade Park, moments after Thursday's painful season-ending loss to Ohio State, Robert Neustrom was asked to summarize the 2018 Hawkeye baseball season.
"It was a roller-coaster," the Iowa right-fielder said. "We played really well at times. There were times we felt like a top-five team in the nation. And there were times where we felt like today.
Rick Heller's fifth Iowa City season was like his previous four — full of intrigue. The Hawkeyes (33-20) again had Iowa fans' attention for much of the spring. Heller's squad navigated through treacherous weather conditions and a tough conference slate, but some late-season slip-ups kept the Hawkeyes from their third regional in four years.
If you had told Heller in February that his bunch would be competing for a regional spot all the way into the conference tournament, he would've certainly taken it. The Hawkeyes had numerous holes to fill and needed big years out of several unproven pieces.
But given the way things ultimately unfolded, it was no accident that a haze of disappointment lingered in Thursday's postgame press conference.
That's because the Hawkeyes weren't just loosely in the postseason picture. They were smack-dab in the middle of it for much of the final two months, until a crushing series loss at Northwestern and an uninspiring Omaha showing derailed those chances.
What'll sting the most is Iowa survived the gauntlet. Stuck with the short end of a severely unbalanced Big Ten Conference schedule, the Hawkeyes came out on the other end OK with series wins over Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan — as well as a two-game split with Indiana.
It's fair to question why Iowa's RPI didn't look a little better heading into that fateful Northwestern series, but the bottom line is everyone inside the Hawkeye program knew what would happen if Iowa faltered against the conference bottom-feeders down the stretch. Heller stressed it repeatedly. The players did, too.
So when the Hawkeyes dropped the series in Evanston — and their RPI tumbled a precious 14 spots — it's easy to understand the disappointment. Even more so after this week's two-and-out showing in Omaha, where Iowa mustered just five hits in 19 innings.
A less circuitous route to the bubble's wrong side may have generated less pain, but consider that the biggest sign of program progress. Regional berths were pipedreams before Heller's arrival. Now, they're slowly becoming the expectation.
Now, for the flipside of Iowa's 2018 narrative.
The Hawkeyes' roster turnover heading into this season was quite extensive. The professional ranks gobbled up numerous pivotal pieces from Iowa's 2017 regional run, names like Jake Adams, Mason McCoy, Nick Gallagher and Ryan Erickson. Throw in injured starter C.J. Eldred, as well as closer Josh Martsching.
That list includes the best power hitter in program history, a team captain full of reliability, three trusted weekend starters and Iowa's most dominant reliever.
There's a reason Big Ten coaches slotted the Hawkeyes sixth in the preseason poll. There's a reason neither of the sport's top two publications — Baseball America and D1Baseball.com — projected the Hawkeyes as a preseason regional team.
This year could've easily been of the rebuilding sort. But under Heller's guidance, the Hawkeyes kept the program trending in the right direction. Splattered throughout the Big Ten's recent history are instances where a team puts a regional run together one year, only to completely fall off the next.
Illinois won 50 games and reached the supers in 2015, then combined for 51 wins over the next two seasons. Ohio State was a regional team in 2016, then won 22 games the following year. Maryland and Nebraska — two regional teams in 2017 — both missed the conference tournament this season.
But Iowa didn't drop off. The Hawkeyes made it five straight 30-win campaigns under Heller, and are one of just three programs to qualify for each of the last five Big Ten Tournaments.
The expectation has ascended beyond those benchmarks, but this year proved Iowa can sustain crucial losses and still immediately bounce back.
Heller's Iowa tenure is full of JUCO success stories — see Adams, McCoy, Joel Booker and others.
Add Tyler Cropley to the list.
After a decent junior season hitting fifth in a deep lineup, the former Iowa Western catcher soared in 2018. An ill-timed thumb injury plagued Cropley down the stretch, but he still stood out as Iowa's most consistent hitter from start to finish.
The senior catcher led the team in hits (68), average (.342), slugging (.578), RBIs (50), doubles (20) and on-base percentage (.449), regularly delivering when the Hawkeyes needed him most. Cropley's two walk-off homers — a grand slam to beat Bradley and a two-run shot to top Michigan — are some of the season's most memorable snapshots.
All that offensive production arrived without a day off. Cropley played left field in most midweek games, but was a warrior behind the plate on weekends. He handled a pitching staff full of new pieces and provided consistent leadership throughout.
At some point, Cropley will hear his named call during next month's MLB draft. This productive year is why.
With Gallagher, Erickson and Eldred all departed, Iowa's weekend rotation was a cloudy scene heading into 2018. The Hawkeyes needed a Friday ace.
Nick Allgeyer was the perfect remedy.
Heller and company figured the redshirt junior southpaw would bounce back well from Tommy John surgery, but Allgeyer's season went about as well as expected.
On his best days, Allgeyer was downright filthy. On his worst days, he at least gave the Hawkeyes a chance to win. That's all you can ask for from your weekend horse.
His 2.41 ERA and 95 strikeouts — second most in Iowa single-season history — earned the southpaw first-team all-Big Ten honors. Allgeyer will almost certainly have a choice to make with next month's draft, a decision he's earned after a phenomenal year.
Iowa had high hopes for Brady Schanuel this year. The Hawkeyes considered it a monumental win, when the right-hander chose to pass on the Philadelphia Phillies' 20th-round offer last June and come to Iowa City.
But Schanuel's junior year didn't unfold as planned. His decision on what's next now becomes one of the most interesting aspects of Iowa's offseason.
The right-hander, who boasts an impressive arsenal and can run it up into the mid-90s, likely planned on bouncing to the draft after one Hawkeye year — and Schanuel could still do so despite his 5.94 ERA.
He's listed as Baseball America's No. 413 overall prospect and has already been drafted twice.
On the other hand, Schanuel struggled with control and efficiency for essentially the entire back half of Iowa's schedule. It wasn't just a bad outing here or there, rather a stretch of five straight starts without any success.
A return to Iowa might be the best bet developmental-wise, but Schanuel would obviously lose significant financial leverage if he came back for his senior year. A decision that likely once seemed clear-cut, now has some twists.
If Allgeyer and Schanuel do depart for the professional ranks, Iowa won't have to search far for its most trusted weekend arm.
Atop the list of most improved players in 2018 was Cole McDonald, who shook off a dismal sophomore season and bounced back with authority.
The right-hander started the year as the Hawkeyes' biggest rotation question mark, and ended the year as the staff's solid No. 2 option. McDonald finished with a 3.23 ERA over 55 2/3 innings, holding his own during Iowa's run through the meat of its Big Ten schedule.
An injury scare late in the year knocked him a bit off track, but McDonald should enter 2019 with a wealth of confidence.
Iowa's four freshman arms all had some sort of role in year one, from weekend guy to bullpen arm.
Headlining the quarter was southpaw Jack Dreyer, who took some huge steps late in the season as a Sunday starter. The Johnston product had a 1.69 ERA in starts against Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Penn State, finally delivering on the potential Iowa coaches knew he had.
It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Dreyer in the rotation come opening weekend 2019.
Cam Baumann and Ben Probst saw consistent action in relief, each experiencing success mixed with struggles. Both had chances to throw meaningful innings, and will be counted upon in more of those situations moving forward.
Unfortunate news exists with Trenton Wallace, who was Iowa's midweek starter and seemed to be finding a groove late in the year until injury struck. After exiting his May 1 start versus Missouri with forearm tightness, there's a good chance Wallace will need Tommy John surgery.
He may be able to hit some in 2019 if that's the case, but Wallace's pitching prowess wouldn't return until 2020.
It appeared one of Iowa's strengths preseason, but the Hawkeye bullpen was often an adventure this season. There weren't a whole lot of trusted options behind Nick Nelsen and Zach Daniels — and even Daniels sputtered a bit as the season wound down.
Grant Judkins turned into a nice relief option, but a hamstring problem hampered him until midway through the Big Ten schedule. Guys like Shane Ritter and Kyle Shimp never materialized — Shimp eventually shut down due to injury — and Grant Leonard lost some luster after a nice start.
Nelsen has graduated. Daniels could have a draft decision to make. And Judkins could move to the weekend rotation depending on what Schanuel and Allgeyer do. That means Iowa could need significant reinforcements in its 2019 bullpen.
The MLB draft puts college baseball coaches in a tough spot. On one hand, it can significantly alter your upcoming roster by snatching away a bevy of important guys. But on the other, your program's brand expands when draft picks pile up.
Heller will encounter just that next month, when the draft kicks off (June 4-6). As many as five Hawkeyes could be drafted, as well as Iowa signee and current Kirkwood shortstop Korry Howell.
Spearheading that class is Neustrom, who could become Iowa's highest drafted position player since 1992. The right-fielder is ranked No. 190 on Baseball America's top 500 and is the likeliest to go professional among Iowa's juniors.
Cropley is gone, too, as a senior, and Allgeyer, Schanuel and Daniels could follow as well. Couple those players with the four Hawkeyes drafted last year, and it's clear Iowa's expanding brand is paying off.
The bar has been raised inside the Iowa program. Regional expectations are no longer a sporadic hope, but a yearly occurrence.
No matter the turnover, no matter the changes, players donning black and gold are gunning for the postseason.


Dodgers at impasse for Brian Dozier; Will he be dealt this winter?
Approximately 92 minutes of joyous analysis.
We hoped you liked reading The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 417 – Dealin' Dipoto by Paul Sporer!


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Memorials can be a sensitive topic, especially after a death due to suicide. Students and families may wish to have a memorial of their loved one placed at the school. School districts should have a policy regarding memorials. The school should be respectful of the family and close friends of the deceased, while continuing to create an environment conducive for learning. This website provides a list of some of the information available to schools to help prepare a policy on memorials.
Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the risk of suicide contagion. It is important to remember the student in a way that doesn't inadvertently glamorize or romanticize either the student or the death.
Do include in school board policy a statement about memorials for students who died by suicide that is consistent with research.
Do allow students and staff to express their grief in a tangible way, possibly by making donations or participating in an awareness or fundraising event for a crisis line or for suicide prevention resources.
Don't allow memorials that may upset students or are constant reminders, i.e. planting trees, erecting plaques in the school or community, flying flags at half-staff, etc.
Don't name a scholarship after a youth who has died by suicide. Instead, make contributions to a general scholarship fund if there is one available.
Do encourage help-seeking behavior and promote resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK, and other local resources.
Don't allow assemblies on suicide. This is not an effective approach to suicide prevention and may in fact even be risky, because students who are suffering from depression or other mental health issues may hear the messaging very differently from the way it is intended (After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools, AFSP & SPRC 2011).


Great interior design isn't just for humans anymore - we all love our pets so why not make their sleeping and living space just as beautiful as ours!
Here is some of our favorite pet furniture that will not only serve the purpose of spoiling your favorite companion, but also add to the design of your home.
This contemporary pet house for cats and small dogs is constructed from furniture-grade walnut and offers an "urban chic" look. A cozy retreat for your furry friend (Eddie's Room).
This sculptural Cat Cocoon from One Form Design is the perfect hide-out for kitties. The construction is layered corrugated cardboard held together with non-toxic glue for safe scratching.
Le Corbusier inspired miniature sofa from The Cool Dog of Spain, perfect for the modern dog!
Another Le Corbusier inspired bed is the genuine cowhide Italian-made Dog Sofa (The Dog Bar).
The Ellipse pet bed designed by Glenn Ross is comfortable and stylish, a beautiful contrast of dark-stained wood and crisp white faux fur.
The Dog Pod designed by Glenn Ross has a beautifully curved design which provides privacy and comfort for your pet.
The Loulie Cat Tower (WOWBOW London).
Hand-blown glass bird house by Esque Studios.
The sleek Form and Fold beds are made with dark zebra wood and microsuede fabric, ideal for the stylish pet (Urban Pet Haus).
My dog thinks dog beds are toys. She chews them up like crazy. But I don't mind. I get to change them up all the time.


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A money circulation scheme is essentially a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment scheme where the money being brought in by newer investors is used to pay off older investors. The scheme offers high returns to lure investors in and it keeps running till the money being brought in by the newer investors is greater than the money needed to pay off the older investors whose investment is up for redemption. The moment this breaks, the scheme collapses.
Do you want instant access to the #1 Attraction Marketing System in the world today for all network marketers/home business owners? If you want to start generating 10-20 + leads everyday, sign up more IBO's, build a strong Amway Global team/organization, as you'll learn how to become a 6 figure earner in the direct sales/network marketing industry… You need to Watch Video Below!
With its original product released in 1959, Amway has sought to be seen as the global leader in the health and beauty industries. Amway's fundamentals established by its founders are freedom, family, hope, and reward. The Michigan-based company believes its distributors will achieve happiness through earned success. Its product line includes weight management shakes, eye and lip care, household cleaners, laundry detergent, and more. Amway prides itself in being a family company with a global management team in place to support independent distributors. Amway hopes to help people start their own business with the promise of access to exclusive products, a low startup cost, and a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. People interested in Amway's health and beauty products can choose to become an Amway independent business owner or be an Amway customer.
In 2015, Forbes named the DeVos family twentieth on their list of America's 50 Top Givers, with lifetime charity donations of $1.2 billion. Most of that money has stayed in West Michigan – Amway's headquarters are in Ada, and the DeVos and Van Andel families own or have bequeathed a considerable portion of Grand Rapids, and are often credited for catalyzing the revitalization of downtown. Of the $94 million the DeVos family gave in 2014 alone, $54 million of it stayed in Grand Rapids. Much of it went to public schools and Grand Rapids–based hospitals, arts programs, and faith-based organizations providing services to the homeless.
The work of a business owner is all about personal connections. Consumers have a strong desire to support small, independently owned businesses and they know direct sellers can provide a high level of knowledgeable, personal service. Through the Amway network, consumers can access exclusive, high-quality products, which IBOs can sell on their own terms. As these direct selling teams grow and sell more products, IBOs make more money.
"We were warned never to use the name Amway on the phone; even while showing the business plan, the name would be one of the very last things mentioned. The explanation from our 'sponsors' was that people in the past have misused the name 'Amway,' and people should get a chance to know the 'new Amway' without being prejudiced from things they might have heard."
Though dressed in a blue skirt-suit, the uniform of a first ladyship that was not to be, Betsy DeVos was never a political accessory. Anyone who understood Michigan politics knew she had long been the more political animal of the pair. It was Betsy, not Dick, who had chaired the Michigan Republican Party; Betsy, who had served as a member of the Republican National Committee; Betsy, whose name was once floated to succeed Haley Barbour as head of the RNC; Betsy, who had directed a statewide ballot campaign to legalize public funding of religious schools; Betsy, who, as a college freshman, traveled to Ohio and Indiana to volunteer for Gerald Ford's presidential campaign. She was a skilled and seasoned operator, but as her husband conceded in an overwhelming defeat, she was utterly helpless.
Imagine that you've struck a deal with a company to give you discounts for buying in bulk: If you buy $100 worth of stuff, they'll send you a 3 percent rebate. For $300 or more, it goes up to 6 percent, $600 or more, 9 percent, and so on up to $7,500 and 25 percent. Now, let's say you're unable to spend more than $100 a month, but manage to get seventy-four other people to go in with you. Together, you spend $7,500 and divide up the 25 percent rebate. Everyone saves money, and the rebate is shared equally. That's the idea behind a consumer co-op or wholesale buying club.
According to this article, "The way that you're actually going to make residual income is by sponsoring people into a downline. Yes, this means that you are going to need to get really good at recruiting your friends and family into the business to become an active distributor just like you." This means that if you're looking to make it to the top of the Amway hierarchy, you're going to need to create a large network of IBOs underneath you, and earn a commission off of each sale they make. In other words, creating recurring monthly income occurs not necessarily by selling Amway products, but by recruiting others to sell them for you. And this simply can't be avoided, because in order to begin selling Amway products, you'll have to sign up under an existing IBO, who will make money off each of your sales.
In 2006, Quixtar, in partnership with the IBOAI (IBO Association International) launched the "Quixtar Accreditation" program in order to address concerns about the companies that provide Business Support Materials to Quixtar IBOs. North American Diamonds (high-level IBOs) and their associated training companies may apply to Quixtar to be accredited by the corporation. Among other things, accreditation specifically states that promotion of particular religious or political viewpoints is unacceptable. Additionally, accredited programs must agree to a range of other guidelines, including "full" transparency in any compensation paid for Business Support Materials. The "full" transparency only applies to the IBO's who are participants in the BSM income, for most groups this means Platinums and above, representing a very small percentage of IBO's. Accreditation lasts two years and is enforced through reviews of materials and surveys of IBOs. The full guidelines are listed in the IBO Communications Platform.[21] In April 2006 "eFinity" became the first Quixtar affiliated support organization to receive accredited status.
Amway is the number one direct-selling business in the world, according to the Direct Selling News 2017 Global 100, with more than $8.8 billion in sales revenue. Amway sells a breadth of nutrition, beauty, and home products through a network of millions of independent sales distributors. Despite the company's huge size and global footprint, however, its initiative to develop Internet-connected products—or Internet of Things (IoT)—began as a grassroots effort within the organization when it was in the process of enhancing its top-of-the-line air-treatment system. "During this process, a cross-functional team identified an opportunity to enhance the user experience by adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication," says Everett Binger, chief IoT solutions architect at Amway.
'No,' says Dale. 'I've only been playing seriously for six or seven years, and I don't have much time, working in hospitality. But I love playing at Bayou Club. You join a private club hoping that during season when every other golf course is swamped – I mean, we own a public course nearby, and they're running on six-minute tee times. They're herded through there like cattle. It's tough during season, and it's not enjoyable golf. Because if you're playing golf, especially if you're kind of a quick player, when you run into someone else and then you have to stop and you have to wait for those people to play ahead of you, to get out of the way, it interrupts your rhythm playing the game.'
In the 1979 ruling In re. Amway Corp., the Federal Trade Commission determined that Quixtar predecessor Amway was not an illegal pyramid scheme because no payments were made for recruitment. In addition, Amway (and later Quixtar) rules required distributors to sell to at least 10 retail customers per month, or have $100 in product sales, or a total of 50 PV from customer purchases in order to qualify for bonuses on downline volume. Quixtar IBOs are required to report this customer volume on Quixtar.com or they do not receive bonuses on downline volume. Furthermore, an IBO must also personally sell or use at least 70% of the products personally purchased each month.[10] The FTC established that these rules help prevent inventory loading and other potential abuses of the marketing model.
There have been instances in the past where even auto-rickshaw drivers had sold their belongings (including their auto-rickshaw) and paid upto Rs 35,000 to become members of such scheme (GoldQuest). But as with any pyramid scheme, they had to bear the brunt of the binary tree's exponential function and they became bankrupt. As expected, the organizers went absconding.
By that point, Betsy DeVos was already a major Engler backer—she had served as the GOP chair in powerful Kent County, and in 1992, won one of the state's seats on the RNC, ousting Ronna Romney (sister-in-law of Mitt Romney and mother of Ronna Romney McDaniel, whom Trump has chosen to helm the RNC). But education reform had long been a passion, and now she had an opportunity to help the governor who was enacting the changes she so badly wanted.
According to the Amway website, as of 2011 the company operates in over 100 countries and territories, organized into regional markets: the Americas, Europe, greater China, Japan and Korea, and SE Asia/Australia. Amway's top 10 markets, based on 2017 sales, were China, United States, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Russia, Malaysia and Hong Kong.[1]
Rolling Stone's Bob Moser reported that former Amway CEO and co-founder Richard DeVos is connected with the Dominionist political movement in the United States. Moser states that DeVos was a supporter of the late D. James Kennedy, giving more than $5 million to Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries.[91][92][93] DeVos was also a founding member and two-time president of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing Christian organization.[94]
Though they aren't quite as large or wealthy as the DeVoses, the Prince family—even further west, in Holland, Michigan—shares one big trait in common with their in-laws: the idea that patriotism and politics are inseparable from Christianity. Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, Betsy's mother, donated $75,000 to the successful 2004 ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in Michigan; four years later, she gave $450,000 to an identical initiative in California. Betsy's brother, Erik Prince, founded Blackwater, the military contractor that gained notoriety in 2007, when its employees fired into a crowd of Iraqi civilians, killing 17. (In 2009, two former Blackwater employees alleged in federal court that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader.")
Clockwise, from upper left: Amway cofounders Jay Van Andel (left) and Richard DeVos (center) meet in the Oval Office with President Gerald Ford, who is holding a copy of Richard's book, "Believe!"; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Richard DeVos during a 2009 event at the Scripps Research Institute; an aerial shot of Dick & Betsy DeVos's primary residence in Ada, Michigan; Dick & Betsy enjoy their courtside seats at an Orlando Magic game—an NBA team owned by the DeVos family. | National Archives; AP; Getty Images
But there is one thing that we need to understand here. Like in an MLM scheme which is a Ponzi scheme, the business that an Amway distributor does, depends on finding new distributors and then hoping that these new distributors sell Amway products and at the same time are able to appoint newer distributors. If a distributor is successful at this he makes more and more money. The trouble is that we go along it becomes more difficult to appoint new distributors. Lets try and understand this through an example. Lets say the first distributor that a genuine MLM company appoints, in turn appoints five distributors.
@TonyGonzalez1 Good work, don't trust any multilevel marketing scam (MLM) All of them conceal the 99%+ loss rate that consumers are bound to face due to the impossible math of a pyramid scheme. It's not opinion, all MLM companies carry an investment loss rate greater than 99%. Companies like Amway, Herbalife, Monavie, USANA, NuSkin, Veema, Xango and a few hundred others, all scam you by implying you can earn extra income by buying into the companies products, and then recruiting new participants who sell and recruit for you in something they call a "downline."
The Coaches Poll began selecting the "Top 20" teams on a weekly basis during the 1950-1951 college football and basketball seasons. For the 1990-1991 football and basketball seasons, the poll expanded to a "Top 25," and it has retained this format since. It was initially published by United Press – known from 1958 as United Press International (UPI) – from 1950 thru 1990, followed by USA Today/CNN from 1991 thru 1996, USA Today/ESPN from 1997 to 2004, and USA Today from 2005 to the present.
Figuring out the arcana of Amway took months. The price list, for instance, is denominated in two artificial Amway currencies called "Point Value" (PV) and "Bonus Volume" (BV), which are listed alongside the U.S. dollar-denominated wholesale ("Distributor Cost") and "Suggested Retail" prices. But for all the arcana, the system's core concept was simple.
Throughout his adult life, Betsy's father, Ed, donated handsomely to two religious colleges in Michigan, Hope and Calvin, the latter being his wife's beloved alma mater in Grand Rapids. But his most important contribution—one that has shaped much of the past three decades of conservative politics—came in 1988, when Prince donated millions in seed funding to launch the Family Research Council, the conservative Christian group that became one of the most potent political forces on the religious right. "Ed Prince was not an empire builder," Family Research Council President Gary Bauer wrote to supporters after Prince's sudden death in 1995. "He was a Kingdom builder."
The size of the settlement astonished some observers and the news is spreading fast. It was reported on the front page of the USATodayAmway11.05.10. About $55 million of the total is in actual cash and products as restitution for victims and legal fees. Other elements of the settlement include substantial price reductions to make retail sales feasible, and major changes in the infamous "tools" business that will require Amway to take greater responsibility. These schemes are run by some of Amway's top recruiters and have been allowed to function as arm's length, rogue operations, though highly beneficial to Amway.
"Our investment in AWS Professional Services paid off by significantly reducing our learning curve and increasing speed-to-market," says Binger. "It's hard to believe we went from initial conception to building a production-ready appliance with IoT capability in a little over a year's time. That's extremely fast for Amway—our typical product-development cycle is significantly longer than that."
Let us not underestimate the power of ideas. Cross provides examples of distributors who let nothing stand in their way. Just listen to the story of the Upchurch family, who persisted in Amway, making any sacrifices necessary, even after Hurricane Fran destroyed their home. Or the Janzes, who were desperately poor new parents with another child on the way when they learned that Amway was bigger than making money; it was a way to overhaul your lifestyle and live your dreams. Or Dexter Yager, who didn't let a stroke stop him from achieving success with Amway and continued to operate his business at the same level even as he was learning to walk and speak again.


text:
Zeenat Basrai
Zeenat Basrai has extensive experience with advising clients on a variety of matters including those related to immigration, employment related issues, and contract negotiations. She is a trusted advisor to businesses and individuals, and her legal acumen combined with her ability to understand the needs and goals of her clients make her an effective attorney.
She firmly believes that legal services do not have to be exorbitant and that everyone should have access to high quality legal services. She takes the time to really understand what the client is seeking and then comes up with creative solutions to produce the best possible outcomes for her client.
Zeenat's breadth of experience includes having successfully helped clients obtain work authorizations, advance parole (travel/stay outside of the U.S. permission), green cards, U.S. citizenship and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) relief.
She also has experience counseling clients, including Management and Human Resource professionals, on a variety of employment issues including recruiting, hiring, terminations, reductions in force, severance issues, drafting policies and agreements, internal investigations, EEO compliance, wage and hour issues, independent contractor issues, family and medical leaves of absence and disability issues.
She has been the lead associate in employment litigation on behalf of employers, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower, wrongful discharge, wage and hour, class action, tort and contract matters in federal and state courts, civil rights agencies, and alternative dispute resolution settings.
• J.D., Stanford Law School (2005)
• B.A., Claremont McKenna College (2002) - Government & Literature
Licensures
Licensed to practice law in California and New York.
Federal Courts:
U.S. District Court - N.D.C.A.
U.S. District Court - C.D.C.A.
U.S. District Court - S.D.C.A.
U.S. District Court - D.N.J.
Prior Experience
• Maxim Integrated, San Jose, CA
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Palo Alto, CA
• Gibbons P.C., Newark, NJ
• Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP, Los Angeles, CA
• Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, Los Angeles, CA
• "EEOC Issues Final Rule for the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)," Employment Law Alert (Nov. 2010)
• "How Associates Can Enhance Client Service," ABA's Litigation Section Committee on Corporate Counsel (July 2010) (co-author)
• "Employee Wellness Programs: What Every Employer Should Know," New Jersey Law Journal (March 2010)
• "The New Jersey Supreme Court Clarifies the Relationship Between the Offer-Of-Judgment Rule and Fee-Shifting Statutes," Employment & Labor Law Alert (Feb. 2010)
• "Third Circuit Provides Guidance on Definition of 'Management Level Employee' for Purposes of Determining Employer Liability for Co-Workers Sexual Harassment," Employment & Labor Law Alert (Aug. 2009)
• "The United States Supreme Court Holds That Answering Questions During Employer's Internal Investigation Is Protected Against Retaliation," Employment & Labor Law Alert (Feb. 2009)
• "Better Late Than Never: New Sexual Harassment Awareness Training Regulations Adopted," Bender's California Labor & Employment Bulletin (Sept. 2007); also published as a Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp Labor & Employment Alert (Sept. 2007)
• "Mum Is Not the Word For Employees," Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp Labor & Employment Alert (June 2007)
Successfully obtained immigration relief for clients related to green cards, citizenship, Violence Against Women Act Applications, advance parole and work authorization.
Former in-house counsel at publicly traded semi-conductor company in silicon valley. Provided practical daily legal advice on a full range of employment law decisions relating to recruiting, hiring, terminations, reductions in force, training, performance management, compensation, leaves of absence, return to work and accommodation issues, benefits and other global employment related topics.
Experienced in managing litigation through all phases including discovery, summary judgment, and mediation. Excellent knowledge of various federal and state employment laws and regulations including the ADA, ADEA, FMLA, CFRA, and FLSA.
Successfully represented broker-dealer client in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly NASD) arbitrations. Prepared witnesses for arbitration testimony and drafted work product in connection with the arbitration including a pre-hearing brief and various motions.
Successfully represented clients before various administrative bodies including the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
Pro Bono Work: Successfully obtained green card and citizenship for clients. Successfully represented Essex County inmate before the State Parole Board in his parole revocation proceedings. Assisted with adoption of five children by their grandmother, including securing additional benefits for the children. Volunteered at Los Angeles Superior Court domestic violence project.


text:
CA Democrats Relentlessly Coming For Your Guns
first published on April 20, 2017 by Matt Silvey
So, let me see if I have this straight, last year CA Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D) pushed two separate gun control bills, with his baby AB-450 coming specifically after the concealed carry permit process, and all because he is unhappy with how Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones is issuing permits. McCarty is upset because tax dollars are being used to fund services to tax payers.
Last year, as the bills neared a vote, I made a video discussing it. In that video, I mentioned that Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones is one of the few sheriffs in California who essentially has a "shall issue" permit policy. That is not to say that his department never denies permit applications, but absent extenuating circumstances, they grant them to most applicants.
Well, both of McCarty's anti-gun bills got shot down. Ironically, as the Gun Owners of CA noted, near senile lefty Governor Jerry Brown noted the following when he vetoed AB-450, "This bill was spurred by a local dispute in one county. I am unaware of a larger problem that merits a statewide change at this time…"
Being the ever dutiful gun grabbing leftist politician that McCarty is, despite the fact that there has been no rash of crimes being committed by CCW holders in Sacramento, he vowed to go after Sheriff Jones and his permit process another way, because even though the US Constitution protects our right to keep and bear arms, McCarty sees it otherwise. Since he was unable to get his way in the legislature, he decided to attack our gun rights on another front, and he requested that the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office be audited. He submitted that request to the Democrat controlled state audit committee and in a surprising move (sarcasm), they approved the audit.
On March 30th, McCarty released a public statement (see screen grab at top of this page) on his official website in which he complained about the number of people who have been granted permits in Sacramento (despite no related crimes) and he continued his illogical rant about tax dollars funding services to tax payers.
"Taxpayers should not be subsidizing gun owners who want to roam our streets with loaded weapons," said Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. "The dramatic increase of CCW licenses in Sacramento County alone is alarming and presents a number of important fiscal and public safety questions that I am confident the State Auditor will be able to answer. Today's audit approval by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee sends a clear message to gun owners and the public that responsible private gun ownership should never be subsidized with taxpayer dollars."
In response to the news that the audit was granted, Sheriff Jones released a public statement via his Facebook page in which he expressed his unhappiness about the decision. In his post he stated the estimated cost for this audit, a cost being paid for by those very taxpayers that McCarty claims to be seeking to protect from wasting tax money, will be beyond $350,000.
Assemblyman McCarty claims to be upset that tax dollars from the Sacramento Sheriff's budget might be used to supplement the cost incurred by the department in their issuance of concealed carry permits, a service that they are required to provide according to California law. In his claims about the costs, he throws out completely unrelated information such as the number of permits being issued. Taking it one step further, he includes blatant lies in which he states that tax money is being used to subsidize gun ownership. And, in an effort to save taxpayers money, he is going to make tax payers spend over $350,000 of tax money to ensure that tax money is not being wasted providing required government services.
Are you as confused as I am?
Let me translate all that down to the real truth of the matter. McCarty does not like guns. McCarty dislikes the fact that law abiding citizens in Sacramento County are not being prevented from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights by the publicly elected sheriff. All of his past efforts to change the laws governing the issuance of concealed carry permits have failed. In a last ditch effort to make the concealed weapon permit process harder (more expensive), which ironically will only hurt those who are financially less well-off, McCarty is spending more than a quarter of a million dollars of taxpayer money to block law abiding people from legally carrying a concealed gun.
In other words, Kevin McCarty is throwing a taxpayer funded, $350,000, anti-gun, temper tantrum.
Maura Healey's War On Guns
Trump Obliterates Obama Anti-Cop Dynasty
Mandatory Insurance Being Considered For L.A. County Gun Owners
Deputy Killed After Putting Himself Between AK Toting Felon and Fellow Officers
Supporters of Vehemently Anti-Gun Hillary Caught Stealing Guns
Dear Lt. Gov. Newsom, Please Leave Crime Prevention to the Pros


You can find this section under Application Settings > Product Settings in the IRP Admin left navigation menu.
You use the Product Settings section to define settings for models, offer statuses, brands, categories, model images and product groups.
Models Page Display Style This setting defines the display style of the Models page. In the Flowing layout, the customer buys using a control situated to the right of the model image. Below the model image and the 'Add to Basket' control, other elements such as the Model's Description, Also Bought, Recommendations, Reviews, Q & As and Size Charts (if present) will appear. In the Tabbed layout, the customer can buy, view the Model's Description, see Reviews, see Q & As and Size Charts (if present) by clicking on a series of tabs that appear to the right of the model image.
Other Elements Display Style This setting defines the format of the other elements on the Models page. If you select 'Stacked', the Description, Reviews, Size Charts, Price Match, Q & A and Help sections will appear as separate elements stacked one above each other below the Add to Basket. If you select 'Tabbed', the Description, Reviews, Size Charts, Price Match, Q & A and Help sections will appear as tabbed elements underneath the Model image and Add to Basket control.
Show Size Charts on Models Page Check this box to show a related Size Chart (if present) on the Models page. Note that this is independent of the selected Models Page Display Style.
Enable Also Bought Check this box to show an Also Bought section on the Models page. This section will appear below the Model's Description in the Flowing Layout and below the Model's Image and Tabbed Format on the Tabbed Layout. Note that this is independent of the selected Models Page Display Style.
Show Slide Show Controls Check this box to enable Slide Show controls to appear for Models with more than one Image. These controls allow the customer to scroll automatically through the Model's Images.
Max Number of Reviews to Show This setting defines the maximum number of reviews to show on the Models page without having to click the 'Read all Reviews' button.
Show Postage Message Check this box to enable a Postage Message that indicates the cheapest shipping price for the Model below the 'Add to Basket'.
Show Dispatch Message Check this box to enable a dispatch message to appear below the 'Add to Basket' indicating the estimated time for dispatch of an item. This estimation is based on the Closing Time setting and the style of it is defined by the Dispatch Message Display Style setting.
Show Questions and Answers Check this box to show Questions and Answers on the Models page. Note that this is independent of the Models Page Display style setting.
Question and Answers Min Model Price This setting defines the minimum price that a model must be before a question can be asked about it.
Enable Duplicate Model Names This setting allows the same Model name to be added from IRP Admin multiple times.
Hide Products Restricted From Shipping This setting hides from view Products that are restricted by Shipping Country. This includes hiding Brands from Brand Lists and the Brands drop-down if they are restricted for a particular Shipping Country. It also includes hiding Categories from menus if they are restricted for a particular Shipping Country. If you don't check this box, restricted products will be visible on the website but customers will not be able to purchase them.
Show Part Code on Add to Basket Check this box to show a Part Code column on the 'Add to Basket' on the Models page. Note that this is independent of the selected Models Page Display Style.
Show Stock ID on Add to Basket Check this box to show a Stock ID column containing the IRP's unique Stock ID in the 'Add to Basket' on the Models page. Note that this is independent of the selected Models Page Display Style.
Show Wish List on Add to Basket Check this box to enable the Wish List addition column from the 'Add to Basket'. The Wish List link on the top navigation will also appear when you check this. The inverse applies if you disable the Wish List.
Image Hover Height (px) This setting defines the height, in pixels, of the hover element on the models page that shows whenever a customer hovers their cursor over a model image.
Image Hover Width (px) This setting defines the width, in pixels, of the hover element on the models page that shows whenever a customer hovers their cursor over a model image.
Image Quality - Homepage / Listings (%) This setting defines the percentage quality for home page and listings page images.
Image Quality - Larger / Models Page (%) This setting defines the percentage quality for large images displayed in the large image lightbox.
Image Quality - Thumbnails (%) This setting defines the percentage quality for thumbnail images.
Image Width - Homepage (px) This setting defines the image width, in pixels, for home page images.
Image Width - Large Image (px) This setting defines the image width, in pixels, for large images.
Image Width - Listings Page (px) This setting defines the image width, in pixels, for listings page images.
Image Width - Models Page (px) This setting defines the image width, in pixels, for models page images.
Image Width - Thumbnail (px) This setting defines the image width, in pixels, for thumbnail images.
Large Image Box Height (px) This setting defines the height, in pixels, of the large image lightbox.
Large Image Box Width (px) This setting defines the width, in pixels, of the large image lightbox.
Sale Upload a new icon for the Sale offer status.
Clearance Upload a new icon for the Clearance offer status.
Sale And Clearance Upload a new icon for the Sale and Clearance offer status.
Back In Stock Upload a new icon for the Back in Stock offer status.
New Upload a new icon for the New offer status.
Custom Offer Type 1 Upload a new icon for the Custom Offer Type 1 offer status.
Custom Offer Type 2 Upload a new icon for the Custom Offer Type 2 offer status.
Custom Offer Type 3 Upload a new icon for the Custom Offer Type 3 offer status.
Custom Offer Type 4 Upload a new icon for the Custom Offer Type 4 offer status.
Enable Unbranded Site You can use an unbranded site if there is only one brand in the entire product inventory or for websites that manufacture all their own products. The brands drop-down on the home page will not appear as a result. Note that you should also enable the 'Hide Brand Names' setting so that Brand Names are omitted from all areas of the front-end of the website. Note that it doesn't make sense to have an unbranded site but then to have multiple Brands configured in your system. This might mean, for example, that when customers set the 'Sort By' filter on listings pages to filter alphabetically ('Product – A-Z' or 'Z-A'), the results may not look as if they are in alphabetical order since the IRP sorts by Brand Name - in the case of an unbranded site, only the Model Names would be shown.
Hide Brand Names This setting hides brands from the brands drop-down on the home page if they are restricted in that particular customer's shipping country. Brand names will also not appear in history menus when Hide Brand Names is enabled. In addition, all model page scrollers will hide Brand names in their title when the 'Hide Brand Names' Application Setting is enabled. So for example 'Our Best Selling Brand X Shoe' becomes simply 'Our Best Selling Shoe'.
Default Brand This setting defines the brand that will be selected initially on the brands drop-down on the website home page. You can find the Brand IDs on the Brands.aspx page. Note that if you want the defatult text of Jump to Brand … to be visible instead of the name of the brand, you should set this to 0 (you can also alter the text of this and the translations using Small Translations 2638 and 1205).
Brands Dropdown Depends on Department This setting defines whether the brands drop-down on the website home page depends on the selected department. If set to true, only brands connected to products within that department will appear in the brands drop-down.
Default Department This setting defines the department that is selected initially when someone visits the website for the first time.
Default Category This setting defines the product category that will be selected initially on the product categories drop-down on the website home page. You can find the Category IDs on the Categories.aspx page. Note that if you want the defatult text of Jump to Category … to be visible instead of the name of the category, you should set this to 0 (you can also alter the text of this and the translations using Small Translations 2639 and 1205).
Categories Dropdown Depends on Department This setting defines whether the product categories drop-down on the website home page depends on the selected department. If set to true, only product categories connected to products within that department will appear in the product categories drop-down.
Allow Bottom Level Category Ordering This setting allows the ordering of categories in the left navigation by display order. This level of ordering will take precedence over alphabetical ordering.
Enable Product Groups Check this box to ensure that product groups can be administered through IRP Admin and added to models in the system. A product groups menu will also appear above the left navigation menu on the front end of the website.
Show Review Stars on Data Lists Check this box to show the review stars below the price label on product data lists. Data lists are found on the Brands, Categories, Search Results and Offers pages.
Minimum Review Rating on Data Lists This setting defines the minimum review rating on product data lists for the review stars to show.
If you make any changes here, click the Update Product Settings button.


Does DataJEO REALLY Help You Boost Your ROI & Conversions With Their 1-Click Market Research Tool?
Have you struggled to run a successful ad campaign? Is it because you simply aren't hitting the right targets with your ad. Even if you understand your product intimately and you have figured out who the target audience is, that doesn't mean you can reach them. The key is finding out who is interested in your product, who is buying from your competitors, what those people are searching for, and where they are hanging out on the web.
That is exactly what the DataJEO product can accomplish. It is a one-of-a-kind product that not only gives you the data you need to succeed, but it presents it in a way that is easy to read and understand. On top of that, it does for a fraction of the price of using sites that provide similar forms of data. Here's a little more about its features and modules.
There are websites out there that you can use to retrieve similar data. They have a few problems, though. First, they require huge monthly subscriptions. We're talking nearly $500 a month to have access to them all. Second, the data they provide is chaotic and barely usable. It takes a lot of time and effort to sort through it and find something you can use.
DataJEO provides a full report that you can easily read and utilize. It's like an itemized list of everything that you need to know. What is your audience searching for? What sites are they visiting most? What competing websites are they using? This is the core information that it would take countless hours to extract from other sites. DataJEO extracts it, interprets it, and prepares it for your use. All you have to do is put in parameters and push a button.
DataJEO isn't designed to target a specific niche. Whether you're selling gardening tools, homemade glass fixtures or you're a professional locksmith; you can make use of this tool. This flexibility makes it possible to stretch your legs and dabble in new fields without taking huge risks with large sums of money. You already have the tool, all you have to do is change your target.
The targeting accuracy is extremely high for every single niche. This cuts away hours of research, even more, if you haven't begun your business. For example, if you're exploring and researching a niche to use as your launching point, it could take days, weeks, or months of research with the old fashioned method. Using DataJEO you can quickly research one niche after another.
At the end of the day, DataJEO results in saved time and increased profits. You'll see higher click through rates than you've ever experienced. Sales will increase because you have narrowed down your target audience and you've found where they are hiding on the web. You know how to design your ads and you know exactly where to put them. This makes DataJEO one of the most valuable tools a business owner could possess.


The Next Step – Something awesome is happening with human civilization.
I was raised to believe I was special.
Now I see I'm the same.
Is now scientific and tame.
Ideas long carried through lore.
I will feel no more.
I see what I've learned.
I know what to do next.
Yet like others, I'm unique.
Am I grounded in reality?
I can be the wind.
The problem is, Capitalism sees rich people as better at running our institutions than everyone else. In fact, you can see this blatant promotion of oligarchy over democracy when you take a closer look at the words used.
The state represents a democratic government, which makes decisions based on the popular needs of the community. If the public were in charge of trade and industry, they'd want them both to benefit the good.
Private owners are people as well, but a very small number of people. Rich people. Not everyone.
1. an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by the rich for profit, rather than the public for good.
Defenders of Capitalism will quip; the state does NOT represent the public… it's corrupt.
And they're right too. Corruption is a problem of humanity, not one of politics or poverty.
The problem is that capitalism leads to a dog-eat-dog society where you much fight for your piece of the dream: to enjoy your life in peace.
However, we have good news. The solutions to the problem of capitalism are already known. You probably know them yourself.
Transparency, for example. Any human system that increases transparency also reduces corruption. It works for individuals too; when we are subject to judgement, we behave.
Locality is another solution. As we push against the urge to make everything efficient and cheap, we get in return things that are high quality and purposefully produced. We also get more environmentally responsibly companies that invest in their communities.
Shared Power also works. Not just one leader, but many leaders, all collaborating. By sharing power we cancel out behaviors that cause corruption; greed, hubris, deceit, or aggression.
Imagine what it would be like to live in a community that was entirely transparent, focusing on local economics, and willing to let you have influence. Is that possible?
But I believe it won't be long until we fully integrate the Wisdom of humanity into our organizational structures.
Thrive Capitalism is the transition.
A Thrive Capitalist Business may be owned privately, but real value of that company is shared.
Open power. Policies and procedures are set and enforced by employees. Leadership is rewarded financially, but their salaries are set by their team, not other leaders. A business can only do this if they trust their employees.
Open books. You'd be able to see every purchase, know exactly the cost of every item, how much each person is paid, how much was sold, and what the plans were for the future. A business can only do this if they are being fair in how they operate.
Open Trade. Customers set their own prices. They are shown the cost of production (based on employee-driven sales goals) and the mean price paid. This makes financing dynamic, responsive to relationships between employees and customers. Prices are set because of a need for relationships, not profits. Note: the identity and price paid by customers is not considered private information. A business can only do this if they care more about adding value to their community than making a fat profit.
And that's it. Any business could do this today. But they won't because of one simple reason.
Capitalism. Show weakness, and you will become the prey of something more powerful.
Wouldn't it be nice to evolve beyond survival mode?
Perhaps a Thrive Economy could lead to a Thrive Society, one where there is more peace, and we live more sustainably with our environment.
We are social creatures, and value relationships above all other experiences of life. That's why we need to realize that this world is a LOT less hostile than we were taught.
We're on top of the food chain. We've got plenty of food and shelter. As a species of 7 billion individuals, we have enough resources to ensure each person can live a long, happy life.
We're just stuck in survival mode. All of us, together. Like a comedy of errors, we fear each other and hurt each other while deep down, wishing we had peace.
Things are changing. Humanity is waking up. We're not satisfied with old knowledge. We yearn to move forward, because we look back and realize one startling fact. It's getting better.
We're on the right track. World peace could be a reality. Who knows, maybe we're close.
Let's be open to each other, and find out.
How would you have felt about slavery if you lived 200 years ago?
Defending slavery today is completely immoral, but it's wide practice and enormous benefits made it easy to defend for thousands of years.
Today we can feel good about having made an important social transition in human civilization. We don't enslave humans anymore. It's crazy to think we did.
This leaves me with a burning question: is there a modern equivalent? Is there a practice future generations will find atrocious, yet is widely popular today?
I believe there is; another group being exploited through complete control. I believe that the way we treat animal life is a modern example of slavery.
Every culture has one: the story of why we are here. These stories contain the most important stuff of our collective beliefs, which is why I think it's time for a new story.
I'm most familiar with the story of Jesus, but there are many more with names like Buddha, Mohammad and Zeus. All of these stories are fictional in nature because until recently, our ability to tell stories of this magnitude were limited. Yet there's something in them I find fascinating.
Beliefs are important because they influence the way we think about ourselves.
These may be stories of our ancient past, but they're also powerful narratives intended to guide our behaviors. Beliefs are important because they influence the way we think about ourselves.
All major religions promote peace by holding individuals accountable to being good. While our definition of "good" may be subjective, nearly everyone agrees on the central tenants: be honest, don't cause harm, and help others.
The only problem with the old narratives are that they aren't true. And their insights into the human being are outdated, calling their credibility into question. They are ancient stories crafted when we knew far less than today.
There is a better narrative in which to believe. This narrative is based on the best of human knowledge: just the things we are most confident we understand. It communicates an important concept that we are capable of doing bad things and need encouragement to do good things. And best of all, it rescues the idea of personal growth from the spiritual arena. This narrative tells the "Story of Us" from a scientific perspective.


text:
A Madea Christmas
Madea dispenses her unique form of holiday spirit on rural town when she's coaxed into helping a friend pay her daughter a surprise visit in the country for Christmas.
Fat Character
All TerritoriesDomesticNigeriaSouth AfricaUnited Arab Emirates
International (1.6%)
Release DateDec 13, 2013 - Feb 13, 2014
MPAAPG-13
GenresComedy Drama Romance
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text:
Q: Checking if user has inputted .## cents I am trying to figure out how to check if .00 cents were entered by user with this regular expression:
^\d+(.\d{2})?$
Where am I going wrong?

A: The dot . is an special character that matches any character (except newline), so you have to escape it:
^\d+(\.\d{2})?$
     ^---- Here

Btw, if you want just to match and not grab content into the capturing group you can use:
^\d+(?:\.\d{2})?$

Working demo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
December 8, 2020 by blogwalker | 0 comments
Yesterday, December 7, marked the 79th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Although I was not yet born, I have carried with me stories and memories of the December 7, 1941, attack throughout my childhood and into my teaching career.
In July, I retired from the Elk Grove Unified School District, which is located in the Florin-Elk Grove region, just south of Sacramento, California. I joined this wonderful, diverse district 21 years ago, initially hired as a 5th grade teacher.
Midway through my first year, my teaching partner told me we needed to reserve a school bus and send our students home with field trip permission slips to attend the district's annual Time of Remembrance program. She explained that the purpose of the Time of Remembrance program was (and still is) to provide 5th grade students and their teachers with a window into the incarceration experience of Japanese Americans (most of them U.S. Citizens) during World War II. In the weeks following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the history of this small rural farming community was forever changed when over 120,000 people of Japanese heritage were removed from the West Coast, a gross violation of their constitutional rights.
Exclusion Order posted at First and Front Streets directing removal of Japanese people – Image in Public Domain.
When we arrived at the Time of Remembrance event, my students were quickly drawn in by the stories of former internees, who themselves were only children when they were removed from their homes and "relocated," following President Franklin Roosevelt's issuing of Executive Order 9066. I too was drawn in – and also struck by my students' sense of social justice. As they listened to Marielle Tsukamoto, Reiko Nagumo, and Stan and Christine Umeda, many whispered or voiced their thoughts aloud: "That wasn't right," "That's not fair," "They should have been allowed to bring their pets," and more.
I thought back to a story my father had shared with me when I was probably the same age as my fifth graders. I had asked him about a large terracotta vase I knew was important to my parents. My father reminded me of the house where I was born in Berkeley, California, and then explained that one evening, shortly after Pearl Harbor, a Japanese neighbor knocked on our door. The neighbor told my father that he and his family would be going away and that he did not know when they would return. He asked my father to keep the vase. The neighbor never returned. For the rest of his life, my father kept the vase. Wherever my parents lived, the vase was an integral part of the living room décor. More than 75 years later, I am now the keeper of the vase, a daily reminder of a chapter in history that was never included in my elementary through high school history lessons.
Terracotta vase from Japanese-American neighbor – 75+ years later.
Before leaving the Time of Remembrance exhibit, I introduced myself to Marielle Tsukamoto and invited her to come visit my classroom so my students could delve deeper into this story from their own community. Marielle accepted the invitation. In the hour she spent in our classroom, I witnessed my students come to the understanding that history does not just happen in textbooks; history happens within our own communities and neighborhoods.
War Relocation Authority camp near Jerome, Arkansas (1942 – where Marielle and family were sent. Image in Public Domain.
Four years after meeting Marielle, I transitioned from a classroom teacher to a district technology integration specialist. I also attended an event with Marielle sponsored by the Florin JACL (Japanese American Citizens League). As we were leaving the event, Marielle mentioned a soldier from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (one of the most decorated units in American history) who had recently passed away and how sorry she was that I never had the opportunity to meet him and hear his story.
It was this conversation that sparked the Time of Remembrance Oral Histories Project. Thanks to the support of Elk Grove Unified School District (starting with our superintendent) and the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium – and with much encouragement from Marielle – documenting and preserving the hidden histories and hidden stories from our community soon transitioned from a conversation to a reality.
This 16-minute documentary will provide you with a glimpse into the Time of Remembrance project and its rich collection of primary sources.
Nearly 80 years later, the internment story remains timely and relevant. Whether the topic is Pearl Harbor or 9/11, as Stan Umeda states in the documentary, when we are under attack, how quickly "the thin veneer of tolerance is ripped off."
Stan Umeda and brother – Jerome War Relocation Camp.
#StopRepeatingHistory
Categories: Time of Remembrance | Tags: Elk Grove Unified School District, Japanese internment, Pearl Harbor Day, Time of Remembrance | Permalink


text:
'Warcraft' (2016) Movie Review
My understanding is that Duncan Jones' Warcraft is based not directly on Blizzard's massive online role playing game World of Warcraft, but on the lore from that world that precedes the playable action. The fact that it's a prelude makes a great deal of sense, as this may be the most blatant attempt by Legendary and Universal to launch a franchise that I've ever encountered. I'm all for an epic, ambitious, weird new fantasy saga, but from what we get here, not this one.
If you're steeped in knowledge of this realm, perhaps Warcraft presents a coherent story, but for the rest of us, we may be shit out of luck. (Though one avid player I talked to indicated that's not necessarily the case.) The film throws things at the viewer as if each minute facet of this sprawling, fantastic world is common knowledge. I'm all for not over-explaining every element, for letting context provide a framework. That does, admittedly, happen on occasion, though not often, and frequently we're left to dangle in the wind, wondering what the hell just happened, besieged by a wave of cryptic fantasy names and terms.
This is an immersive approach, a kind of sink or swim strategy, but unfortunately we're not even taught how to dog paddle. Then the overly busy script from Jones and Charles Leavitt undercuts the attempt to drop the viewer into the midst of this realm. It's primarily made up of exposition-heavy dialogue where the characters explain their own histories and how they're connected to one another, along with huge dumps of information that weigh down the pace. But even as so many things are hammered home and expounded on in great depth, there are others tossed out as if we know. It's two narrative methods completely at odds with one another.
Warcraft tells the story of the first encounter between orcs and humans. Draenor, the home world of the orcs, is dying, consumed by a dark magic called the Fel, which demands life as its cost. The evil shaman Gul'dan (Daniel Wu) leads a group of warriors, including Durotan (Toby Kebbell) and his pregnant wife, Draka (Anna Galvin), through a portal to Azeroth. Though this realm is populated by kings and warriors, it has lived in peace for years, which changes right quick when the Horde shows up on the scene. There is infighting and betrayal, shifting alliances and shadowy allegiances on both sides, and factions on either end want peace while others push for annihilation.
Absent is the rich, layered characterization of Jones' earlier movies Moon and Source Code. There's little nuance or subtlety to be found. After witnessing the death of a loved one, a character says things like, "I've never felt such pain," just in case you couldn't tell. Humans can be monstrous, and the monsters may be more human than they look. Characters that shouldn't be trusted damn near tent their fingers and cackle they're so obvious.
Durotan is really the only character with any depth or texture, which isn't saying much. He's a father, a husband, and an honorable chieftain, and he sees the Fel for what it is, a source of death and destruction. Recognizing the reality of the situation, he's torn between duty to his leader, tradition, and defending his own clan.
Along with Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell is one of the greatest motion capture actors working, and that shows. Visually, Warcraft owes a huge debt to Lord of the Rings—the cities, the battles, and especially the dwarves feel like they've been lifted from footage stolen out of Peter Jackson's garage. But the orcs represent a huge step in special effects. The technology used captures deft, miniscule facial movements, their eyes are fully alive, and though they may be massive, hulking creatures, there's never any question if they're real or not.
The same cannot be said in other instances, however, and the quality fluctuates wildly throughout. While the orcs look incredible, other creatures do not, and many scenes are horrific green screen nightmares, to the degree where it's hard to believe they're from the same movie (or that this is ILM's handiwork, unless you account for the Star Wars prequels). It doesn't help matters that the IMAX 3D transfer is atrocious, and if you do see Warcraft, take great pains to avoid this migraine-inducing fiasco that turns the action into a muddy smudge blasted across the screen.
This is further exacerbated in every scene with human actors. Maybe it's just that there's not as much to be dazzled by, but the non-CGI performers are, across the board, not good. Vikings star Travis Fimmel's hero Anduin Lothar always appears on the verge of roid rage tears, like Matthew McConaughey in Reign of Fire, but that's all he does; never has a king been less regal than Cooper's Llane Wyrnn; the young mage, Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer), is a goofy, out-of-his-depth nerd that would be more at home in a high school comedy; and Paula Patton's half-orc Garona is god-awful. Though the other orcs are magnificently rendered, she's painted green, thrown in a skimpy outfit, and given a comical dental prosthetic. It's almost hilarious how little effort went into her character design.
Ben Foster as Medivh, the Guardian, the most powerful magical presence on Azeroth, is the only human performer doing anything remotely noteworthy. He basically plays the wise, all-knowing wizard, but at 35-years-old, he's horribly miscast—they also try to make him hunky early on as he walks around bare-chested. Still, unlike anyone else, he embraces the inherent strangeness and the off-kilter nature of this world, and not only appears to be having a great deal of fun chewing the CGI scenery, but is far more interesting to watch than any of his counterparts. To the point where it feels like he's in a different movie than everyone else, like maybe he's privy to something none of the rest of us are.
Warcraft is full of orcs and warriors, mages and shaman, and magic and wonder and action and bizarre shit at every turn. This could have been spectacular, like a crazy Dungeons & Dragons fever dream come to life. It's weird and ambitious and I can appreciate the deep dive into fantasy, but though there are stunning technical achievements, it crumbles under the unbearable weigh of its flaws and just sucks out any possible joy. [Grade: C-/D+]
Posted by Brent McKnight at 9:04 AM
Labels: Action, Duncan Jones, Fantasy, Movie Review, news, Orcs, Toby Kebbell, Travis Fimmel, Videogame, Warcraft
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text:
One of the most acclaimed artists to emerge from Post-war Asia, Takashi Murakami (b. 1962)—the Warhol of Japan—is renowned for his contemporary combination of fine art and pop culture, particularly the use of a brightly graphic cartoon style. His production encompasses paintings, sculptures, drawings, animations as well as brand collaborations. His colourful paintings and objects feature laughing flowers, mushroom clouds, Buddhist imagery, skulls, and recognizable iconographies -such as Mickey Mouse-, which he successfully merges with the familiar aesthetic of Japanese comics. By means of his stylistic choices, Murakami´s goal is to create seemingly democratic and accessible works, while denouncing the universality and unspecificity of consumer goods and culture. True to form, Murakami has signed a number of collaborations with brands and celebrities, and his works enjoy a remarkable global fan base, as well as real art market success. In 2007 a major Murakami retrospective traveled around the world, from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. In 2010, he became the first Japanese artist displayed at the Palace of Versailles, and his work is now included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York among many other museums.
" Japanese people accept that art and commerce will be blended. It certainly is dangerous to blend the two because people will throw all sorts of stones. But that's okay—I'm ready. "
Takashi Murakami's
Poporoke Forest


text:
Chief Keef's Hologram Is Throwing A Music Festival
With laser tag.
By Jeff Ihaza
Chief Keef is doing shows for the youth everywhere he can which, for now, still doesn't include his hometown in Chicago. Today we learned that the young drill rapper will take his legendary hologram performances to L.A. In a move not unlike Tyler, The Creator's upcoming Camp Flog Naw festival, Keef wants to turn a lot in L.A into a giant playground. Chief Keef's"Bang 3 Hologram Festival" takes place at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Keef will first perform live at the theater, in celebration of the new double-album version of Bang 3, then Sosa plans to throw an afterparty in the theater's parking lot,complete with a hologram performance for fans who couldn't see Keef in person. The event, in true youthful spirit, will also include, laser tag, arcade games, and more. For fans who can't be in L.A, Keef's got you covered. The show will be live streamed by FilmOn.com
chief keef, festival, Hip-Hop, hologram


A spacious three bedroom apartment with a large patio on this popular road in Chelsea. The property spans over 1000 square feet and is situated moments away from all the shops, restaurants and shopping amenities of the Fulham Road.
The property benefits from a large master bedroom with en-suite bathroom at the front of the house, with two further bedrooms and a utility room. The kitchen is modern in design and looks over the duplex patio, which feeds off from the large and bright reception room.
Redcliffe Place is perfectly located moments away from the Fulham Road, with an abundance of shops, restaurants and transport links.
"South Kensington is one of London's finest and most popular areas."