text:
This Strategy Helped the HubSpot Blog Break a Year-Long Traffic Plateau
Karla Hesterberg
Presiding over a 10+ year old blog has a lot of unique challenges. There are some days when it seems like we've covered all there is to cover, and others when it doesn't seem like we can possibly keep up with changing trends and technologies fast enough.
From where you sit, it might seem like we've figured it all out -- we're one of the largest and most visited B2B blogs on the internet, we have a team of extremely talented and motivated staff writers, and we still manage to find new stories you want to read on a daily basis.
But growth doesn't just happen -- you have to work at it, and then keep working at it.
There isn't one magical strategy that will keep your blog growing forever. Your approach needs to constantly evolve to fit your changing needs as a property.
When I joined the HubSpot Blog team in 2016, our editorial strategy looked drastically different than it does now.
About once a month, our entire team would gather in a conference room for a brainstorm session. Armed with coffee and spreadsheets full of topic pitches, we'd spend a few hours going around the room, discussing what we wanted to cover for the month. At the end of the meeting, we'd leave with a solid list of articles to get started on.
For a long time, this process served our interests well. Our team developed a keen sense of what our audience wanted to read, and an extensive knowledge of what we'd already covered. But as our property grew and our audience expanded, it became clear that something was missing.
We could no longer manage our archives and identify topic gaps (areas we haven't yet covered on the blog) by gut feeling alone. Although we had some processes in place to pinpoint gaps and select pieces for historical optimization on an article-by-article basis, none of these methods were scalable or precise enough to keep up with what our readers were searching for -- and those issues starting catching up with us.
Rediscovering our momentum meant completely changing the way we plan, write, and optimize content. In March 2018, we started to see the impact of these changes: a new all-time traffic record across our three blogs -- Marketing, Sales, and Service -- and a renewed sense of purpose for the future. After months of traffic plateaus and uncertainty, we know where we're headed now -- and we're ready to share our new strategy with you.
The Blog Traffic Plateau of 2017
I won't sugarcoat it: 2017 was a tough year to be a blogger. Between 2014 and 2016, we'd become accustomed to seeing month-over-month traffic growth without regularly switching up our strategy. When 2017 hit, that line started to flatten out, and then -- even more alarming -- decline. And it wasn't just us -- Unbounce, Wordstream, and WordPress all saw some form of traffic decrease in 2017.
Traffic to the HubSpot Blog 2014 - 2017
To say we were confused would be an understatement. Up to this point, we thought we'd perfected the formula for sustainable traffic growth: Traffic from existing posts in organic search + new traffic from new posts = steadily increasing traffic, forever … right?
It turns out it wasn't nearly that simple. Our usual protocol for fixing a slump -- changing publishing volume, leaning into more clickable topics, historically optimizing a handful of our heavy-hitting posts -- wasn't having a significant impact. This downward trend wasn't just a temporary dip in our numbers -- it was starting to look like the new normal.
So we did what any good content marketing team would do, and cracked open our reporting dashboards to take a deeper look. Unfortunately, what we discovered after many hours of analysis and many coffees consumed wasn't comforting. Much like the factors behind the mysterious decline of the bee population, there seemed to be multiple culprits converging to create a disaster.
We'd gone looking for a single root cause, and found several macro trends instead:
1. Social algorithms (and users) love native content.
Social media has long been a (relatively) dependable distribution channel for digital publishers, but recent algorithm changes across multiple social networks increasingly favor native content over links that take users off site. The shift makes perfect sense from the social networks' perspectives -- they want users to spend as much time as possible on their network -- but it hurts publishers who depend on social traffic.
2. Conversational search is constantly improving.
Google has gotten a lot better at understanding the intent behind a specific query, and as a result, they're able to serve up extremely relevant pieces of content to meet your exact query. This is great news if you regularly use a home assistant device, but bad news if you're a publisher looking to capture organic traffic from multiple long-tail keywords with a single, comprehensive piece of content.
Back in 2012, a post on "The Best Interview Questions" might have appeared as a top result in searches for "great interview questions," "interview questions to ask an interviewer," and "what questions to ask during an interview." But in 2018, those long-tail search queries are more likely to result in entirely different SERPs with entirely different top results. This means many of our "ultimate guides" started ranking for fewer long-tail keywords, resulting in organic traffic losses on some of our most highly-trafficked pieces.
3. Featured snippets and other on-page search features are taking a toll on CTR from SERPs.
You're probably familiar with Google's featured snippets: those short lists or paragraphs that appear at the top of a SERP and (usually) directly address your query. In addition to featured snippets, there are also a number of other on-page search features that push a piece of content ranking number one even further down your screen.
While these quick answers have certainly made the search experience faster for users, they're eating our organic traffic -- even on SERPs where we hold the number one organic result. People don't have any reason to click through to a blog post (even if it's ranking number one) if the answer they're seeking is already on the top of the SERP. As a result, fewer users are clicking on the number one organic result. Ahrefs found that on SERPs without a featured snippet, the top result received 26% of clicks. When a featured snippet appeared on the SERP, the top result received only 19.6% of clicks.
None of these were things we could fix with a band-aid solution. These shifts called for a massive overhaul of our editorial strategy, and a completely new way of approaching blogging in general.
Our New Editorial Strategy
While these trends were scary for the future of our blog, they weren't entirely surprising. We'd been aware for a while that future-proofing for Google algorithm changes meant restructuring our site architecture. Back in late 2016, Leslie Ye had begun the tedious and challenging work of transitioning the blog's internal linking system into a pillar-cluster model. This move was intended to give us an organized way to understand our content gaps, and a cleaner architecture to help posts rank faster and bring in more organic traffic.
Thanks to a blog redesign project (headed up by Carly Stec) that automated this pillar-clustering process across the entire blog, our 10,000+ posts were neatly sorted into the pillar-cluster model by mid-2017. But our process for planning and writing new content hadn't fully adjusted to work optimally within this new system. We had a much better understanding of where our content gaps were, but we weren't filling these gaps systematically -- we were still largely guessing when it came to the topics we should be writing about on a monthly basis.
We were also suffering from a lack of foresight: we weren't planning for the search terms that would be popular a few years or even a few months into the future. This left room for other blogs and publications to capture organic green space that would be essential to our sustained growth down the line.
With this in mind, we made the decision to focus all our efforts behind stabilizing and growing our organic traffic. If our existing content was slowly but surely losing clicks to featured snippets in search, and our new content wasn't consistently earning as much traffic from promotional channels like social, we needed to offset those losses. And that meant zeroing in on organic green space in a big way.
This led us to create three guidelines we now use to determine what net new content we create:
Does this topic have search volume, or will have search volume in the future?
Does it fit into our pillar-cluster model?
Is it duplicative (is there a piece of content on this topic that already exists)?
If no one is searching for a topic, and we don't anticipate the search demand to grow in the foreseeable future, there's no long-term benefit in covering it. At least for our blog, posts created without a clear keyword in mind tend not to produce sustainable traffic after their first month of publication.
To rank these days, your site usually needs both depth and breadth on a topic -- in other words, you need to cover a concept or subject at a high level, then dive deeper with specific, detailed posts. Using the pillar-cluster model (more on that here) makes our content much likelier to rank than if we published an individual post that targeted one or two keywords. If a blog post doesn't fit into an existing cluster, it's probably not worth our time and energy to write it.
As you can probably imagine, we've covered quite a bit of ground in our 10+ years as a blog. Some overlap is inevitable, but writing on the same exact topic more than once -- even if the takeaways are ultimately different -- can lead to self-competition in the SERPs. And if we're already ranking highly for a topic, our efforts are better spent creating a piece of content for a SERP we're not on at all instead of piling on where we already have valuable real estate.
If a topic doesn't meet these three guidelines, we won't create content around it. There are a few exceptions of course -- The Marketing Blog's news program (headed up by Amanda Zantal-Wiener) and thought leadership on topics we think our readers need to hear about -- but for the most part, this organic-first strategy represents an enormous shift in the way we plan our editorial calendar and create content. Posts created with an organic goal in mind don't always pay off immediately, but organic is the only type of traffic that can consistently pay off month over month.
The Editorial Process in Action
Adopting an aggressive organic-first approach required a serious mindset change for our team -- one that required us to put aside our obsession (some would even say addiction) with quick wins, and instead put our primary focus on sowing seeds for the future. We weren't going to publish a post with no strategic organic potential, even if we knew it would bring in a satisfying spike in traffic.
Ultimately, the temporary traffic from a quick-win post brought us nothing of value in the long run. To truly grow, we need to keep our eyes on the organic gaps in our pillar cluster model.
A big part of seeding for the future also means educating ourselves on emerging topics: subjects our readers aren't too concerned with right now but that will eventually become trending search terms, like the nuts and bolts of artificial intelligence, or practical applications for blockchain. These are the technologies people will likely be searching for in droves in the future, and we want to get out ahead of the competition and position our blog as a resource right now -- and earn the traffic when the search volume spikes.
So how exactly do we select which topics to cover? We've talked about the reasons behind our new strategy, now let's see what this process actually looks like on a quarterly basis.
Stage One: Planning
We've partnered internally with our SEO team to create a blog taskforce of sorts, headed up by our former Sales Blog Editor and current Sr. SEO Strategist Aja Frost. Each quarter, Aja conducts in-depth keyword research across our three onsite blog properties (Marketing, Sales, and Service), taking into account both gaps in our existing topic clusters, and emerging topics we haven't yet thoroughly constructed content clusters around.
The resulting quarterly report includes well over 100 post suggestions broken down by topic clusters for each blog. Here's what our completed "Advertising" cluster looks like on the report:
Stage Two: Execution
Our Multimedia Content Strategy team handles the creation of each cluster's pillar page (the long-form piece of content that serves as a broad, foundational resource on the subject), and the Blog team owns the production of the supporting blog articles that delve deeper into specific subtopics. Most of the articles need to be written from scratch, but in some cases, we already have a blog post in existence that just needs to be updated to include a fresher, more exhaustive take on the subject.
SEO optimization has always been a consideration for our team when writing posts, but under this new strategy, its become a top priority. Before a single word is typed on a first draft, our writers already have information from our SEO team on the keyword(s) to target, section titles (H2s) to include, and featured snippet sections to work into the copy.
Here's an example of a typical article assignment on our editorial calendar:
Targeting featured snippets with consistently formatted sections has removed some (but definitely not all) of the guesswork when it comes to ranking for featured snippets. Matthew Howells-Barby, HubSpot's Director of Acquisition, has stressed that clean and consistent code is a significant factor in winning snippets.
His team created a simple code our writers can use when formatting sections of copy for paragraph or list snippets. Not only has our team started incorporating featured snippet sections into all our new posts, but we've also historically "snippetized" hundreds of posts from our archives to help Google surface them more frequently.
If you're a regular reader of our blog, you've likely encountered these snippet boxes before:
While there's unfortunately not a 100% guaranteed formula to win featured snippets, this method has helped our team capture more than 6,300 featured snippets as of June 2018.
In addition to optimizing our articles more intentionally for featured snippets, we've also adopted a more aggressive historical optimization approach in 2018. Our team has had a historical optimization strategy in place for several years now, but it's been years since we've had a full-time human dedicated to making sure our existing content is performing optimally in search.
Braden Becker, a Senior Staff Writer on the Blog team, has taken on the task of monitoring the organic performance and optimization of our 10+ years worth of archives as a full-time responsibility. Each month, Braden works with our SEO team to develop an update strategy that works with the new content clusters we're producing. He selects posts for updating largely based on their individual monthly organic traffic -- "the better they're performing, the higher the potential benefit once I optimize them," he explains.
Stage Three: Analyze
Once a month, the Content and SEO teams meet to discuss our progress, dig into the numbers, and plan for the next few weeks. We examine organic traffic numbers across our three blog properties, report on featured snippet attainment and loss, and discuss new ways we can adapt to Google's ever-changing algorithm.
The biggest shift in our reporting method under our new organic-first strategy has been a mental (and, I'll say it, emotional) one. Although we still report at a monthly cadence, we've had to largely abandon our fixation with month-over-month growth, and instead focus on broader trends over longer periods of time.
When I first joined the Blog team, month-over-month growth was the ultimate goal. If the end-of-month traffic number beat out the previous month, we considered it a success; if that number was in the red -- a lost month. No matter what, the slate was wiped clean on the first day of the next month, and we started the race all over again. This short-term mentality led us to become so focused on hitting monthly numbers, we ended up neglecting the bigger picture: our blog's health and continued growth over time. Enter the traffic plateau of 2017.
Under our new editorial strategy, we're more focused on seeding for the future -- and that means letting go of our monthly traffic goals. An article we publish this month on "How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy for Virtual Reality" might not have a ton of search volume right now, but we're betting it will sometime in the future. It might be many months before we see the rewards reflected in our traffic numbers, and we have to be okay with waiting, knowing we're setting ourselves up well for the future.
As a result of this strategy, our team's mindset has gone from "We'll do anything to smash our monthly traffic goals" to "Stick to the plan."
Getting out in front of future search terms and filling gaps in our existing topic cluster structure will pay off more than watching the monthly traffic numbers rise over a few well-timed, clickable posts.
What challenges is your blog facing? How are you approaching growth in 2018? Talk to us @HubSpot.
Topics: Blog Optimization
Blog SEO: How to Search Engine Optimize Your Blog Content
Topical Content vs. Evergreen Content: How Both can Boost Traffic
How to Revive an Old Blog Article for SEO
How to Use a Blog to Increase Organic Traffic
How We Octupled Image Search Traffic to the HubSpot Blog in 1 Year
10 Sites You Can Use for Free Blog Promotion
Content Syndication: What It Is & How to Do It Successfully
Why We Removed 3,000 Pieces of Outdated Content From the HubSpot Blog
The Blogging Tactic No One Is Talking About: Optimizing the Past
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The Accountancy and Finance Division of Interaction Recruitment are now in a position to recruit a Senior/Principal Consultant to cover the Essex area. You will be required to work in the field the majority of the time, but travel to Cambridge and surrounding offices will be required. We are looking for someone who has had at least one years experience as a 360 recruiter in a specialist vertical market.
?? We have no red tape in terms of verticals allowing you to move freely within the A&F market truly selling the best candidates you have sourced into the most relevant roles and businesses.
?? Consultants that thrive in a new business development capacity, this consultant will be key in carving out the future of the division and will be remunerated well.


City Guide Shanghai is a full-color guidebook to China's most modern city. Our Best of Shanghai recommendations will help you make the most of your time, selecting the city's must-see sights, such as the elegant Former French Concession, the Shanghai Museum with its collection of prized Chinese artifacts, and peaceful Lu Xun Park. In-depth essays explore the Shanghai's past, its booming economy, vibrant arts scene and unique architecture. Other topics include where to eat hairy crabs, where to see Shanghai rock and where to shop for unique designer goods. A detailed Places section covers all the major sites, such as the Bund with its beautiful buildings recalling the city's colonial past, the upmarket Xintiandi district with its bars and restaurants, and the narrow lanes of the Old City, which offer a glimpse of a vanishing way of life. We give readers comprehensive, opinionated hotel and restaurant recommendations for each area of the city, plus shopping and nightlife listings and a wealth of practical information to guide you around the city. Over 600 specially commissioned color photographs bring the many facets of Shanghai, and its surroundings, to life. Navigation is made easy with 17 detailed color maps linked to the text by numbered dots, plus a 16-page indexed street atlas.


text:
Q: How do I solve: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: "s%"? I'm new to android studio and I've been recently working on an app that allows you to make orders and in order to order something you add things to a cart and then can later check the details from your account page. When the cart is clicked, the app crashed and this shows up:
E/AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
              Process: com.sakaaz.sakaaz, PID: 16627
              java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.sakaaz.sakaaz/edmt.dev.androidsakaaz.Cart}: java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: "s%"
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2665)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2726)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.-wrap12(ActivityThread.java)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1477)
                  at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
                  at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:154)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:6119)
                  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
                  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:886)
                  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:776)
               Caused by: java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: "s%"
                  at java.lang.Integer.parseInt(Integer.java:521)
                  at java.lang.Integer.parseInt(Integer.java:556)
                  at edmt.dev.androidsakaaz.Cart.loadListMakeup(Cart.java:68)
                  at edmt.dev.androidsakaaz.Cart.onCreate(Cart.java:56)
                  at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:6679)
                  at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1118)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2618)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2726)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.-wrap12(ActivityThread.java)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1477)
                  at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
                  at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:154)
                  at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:6119)
                  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
                  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:886)
                  at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:776)

My database looks like:

    public class Database extends SQLiteAssetHelper {

private static final String DATABASE_NAME = "sakaazDB.db";
private static final int DB_VER=1;

public Database(Context context) {
    super( context, DATABASE_NAME, null , DB_VER );
}

public List<Order> getCarts()
{
    SQLiteDatabase db=getReadableDatabase();
    SQLiteQueryBuilder qb= new SQLiteQueryBuilder();

    String[] sqlSelect={"ProductName", "ProductId", "Quantity", "Price", "Discount"};
    String sqlTable="OrderDetail";

    qb.setTables( sqlTable );
    Cursor c = qb.query(db,sqlSelect,null,null,null,null,null);

    final List<Order> result = new ArrayList<>();
    if (c.moveToFirst())
    {
        do{
            result.add( new Order( c.getString(c.getColumnIndex("ProductId")),
                    c.getString(c.getColumnIndex("ProductName")),
                    c.getString(c.getColumnIndex("Quantity")),
                    c.getString(c.getColumnIndex("Price")),
                    c.getString(c.getColumnIndex("Discount"))
                    ));
        }while (c.moveToNext());
    }
    return result;
}

public void addToCart (Order order)
{
    SQLiteDatabase db = getReadableDatabase();
    String query = String.format("INSERT INTO OrderDetail(ProductId, ProductName, Quantity, Price, Discount) VALUES ('%s','%s','%s','%s','%s');",
            order.getProductId(),
            order.getProductName(),
            order.getQuantity(),
            order.getPrice(),
            order.getDiscount());

    db.execSQL(query);
}

public void cleanCart()
{
    SQLiteDatabase db = getReadableDatabase();
    String query = "DELETE FROM OrderDetail";
    db.execSQL(query);
}
}

While the cart looks like:

public class Cart extends AppCompatActivity {

    RecyclerView recyclerView;
    RecyclerView.LayoutManager layoutManager;

    FirebaseDatabase database;
    DatabaseReference request;

    TextView txtTotalPrice;
    FButton btnPlace;

    List<Order> cart = new ArrayList<>();

    CartAdapter adapter;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate( savedInstanceState );
        setContentView( R.layout.activity_cart );

        //Firebase
        database = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance();
        request = database.getReference("Requests");

        //Init
        recyclerView= (RecyclerView)findViewById(R.id.listCart);
        recyclerView.setHasFixedSize (true);
        layoutManager= new LinearLayoutManager( this );
        recyclerView.setLayoutManager( layoutManager );

        txtTotalPrice = (TextView)findViewById( R.id.total);
        btnPlace = (FButton)findViewById( R.id.btnPlaceOrder);

        loadListMakeup();

    }

    private void loadListMakeup() {
        cart = new Database(this).getCarts();
        adapter = new CartAdapter( cart,this );
        recyclerView.setAdapter( adapter );

        //Calculate total price
        int total=0;
        for (Order order:cart)
            total+=(Integer.parseInt( order.getPrice()))*(Integer.parseInt( order.getQuantity()));
        Locale locale = new Locale( "en","US");
        NumberFormat fmt = NumberFormat.getCurrencyInstance(locale);

        txtTotalPrice.setText(fmt.format( total));
    }
}

I'm new to android studio and this is my first time working with it and I'm very lost since I'm doing this for a highschool IT project so please help!

A: in your addToCart method..
SQLiteDatabase database = this.getWritableDatabase();
ContentValues values = new ContentValues();
values.put("ProductId", order.getProductId());
//..your all data
database.insert("OrderDetail", null, values);
database.close();

Hope this helps..

A: According to LogCat, Issue is in your formatting in this line.
total+=(Integer.parseInt( order.getPrice()))*(Integer.parseInt( order.getQuantity()));

First of all remove those spaces after calling Integer.parseInt()
Replace your setText() method with this
txtTotalPrice.setText(String.valueOf(total));

your problem is in database you have called c.getString() for integer value that's why you got FormatException.
Replace it with this:
c.getString(c.getColumnIndex("Price")),

And check any other place where you might have copy pasted trying to save five seconds of your life.

A: There are multiple errors in your code
1.Replace your
 getReadableDatabase();

with
 getWritableDatabase();

and then,
2.Check the values of following methods wether it returns exact int value otherwise NumberformatException will trigger.
 order.getPrice()//may be not an int
 order.getQuantity()//may be not an int

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


How do you calculate the value of 1 pip?
For EURUSD, the quote currency is USD.
For GBPCHF, the quote currency is CHF.
For EURGBP, the quote currency is GBP.
Example: Let's calculate the value of one pip on the GBPCHF pair in USD.
So, in our example, we can say that a pip is worth 12.27 USD.
With spot metals, pip values are fixed. You can check out the pip values of our various spot metal instruments in our Contract specifications. Pip values can be calculated on any currency pair using the formula above.
Don't worry. Calculating the value of a pip is much easier with our "Trader's calculator".
For currency pairs whose rate is shown to the fifth decimal place (0.00001) in the trading terminal, one pip is equal to the minimum change in the fourth decimal place (0.0001). For pairs whose rate is shown to the third decimal place (0.001), one pip is equal to the minimum change in the second decimal place (0.01).


text:
Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley A Professional Corporation
Lawrence Borys
Partner at Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley A Professional Corporation (96 Attorneys)
445 South Figueroa Street, Suite 3000, Los Angeles, CA 90071
View Lawrence Borys's office location
#977 in weekly profile views out of 37,996 Attorneys in Los Angeles, CA
Lawrence Borys is a 1974 graduate of the UCLA School of Law. In his 44 years of practice, he has acquired expertise in a wide variety of litigated matters including professional liability (with particular emphasis on insurance agents and attorneys), insurance coverage and bad faith, product liability, employer liability, employment issues, and construction defect litigation. He has tried numerous cases to verdict and judgment in these and other areas of law. Many of those cases have resulted in significant and important appellate decisions.
Mr. Borys provides counsel to selected clients both on litigated and non-litigated matters, in industries as diverse as the insurance, restaurant, hospitality, and construction businesses. His legal training and years of professional experience in an active practice, have given him the knowledge from which to assist his clients with their smallest issues as well as matters of considerable importance to their respective businesses. At the same time, Mr. Borys understands the need to provide that assistance at a fair and reasonable cost and expense. This practice philosophy has helped him to sustain some client relationships for more than 30 years.
•Admiral Insurance Co.
•Brown & Brown, Inc.
•General Star Indemnity
•Markel Group
•Oltmans Construction Co.
•Premium Financial Specialists
•RSUI/Landmark American Insurance Company
•Swiss Re
•West Bend Mutual
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•Westport Insurance Company
•Ropers, Majeski, Kohn, Bentley, PC Named One of California's Top Ranked Law Firms by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
Martindale-Hubbell - August 1, 2015
Jennifer E. Acheson, Tim M. Agajanian, Lael D. Andara, Stephan A. Barber Scott W. Bermack Lawrence Borys, Michael J. Brady, Kevin P. Cody, Pamela E. Cogan (Retired), Stephen J. Erigero, Susan H. Handelman, Nicole S. Healy, James C. Hyde, Michael J. Ioannou, Gerald G. Knapton, John A. Koeppel, David M. McLaughlin, Frank J. Pagliaro, Dean A. Pappas, Arnold E. Sklar, Kathleen Strickland, Dennis J. Ward, Eric C. Weissman, Richard K. Wilson Matthew D. Zumstein
•How to Protect Your Business in a Global Economy
Smart Business - May 1, 2013
Partner Lawrence Borys discusses how to protect your business in a global economy in the May issue of Smart Business.
•Six Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley Partners Selected as 2010 Southern California Super Lawyers
Law @ Politics - March 17, 2010
Lawrence Borys, Stephen J. Erigero
LOS ANGELES, CA - Super Lawyers named six Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley partners Southern California Super Lawyers for 2010.
•Insurance & Casualty Litigation 2015 - 2016: The Year in Review
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Presenters: Jennifer E. Acheson, Tim M. Agajanian, Lael D. Andara, Jason L. Beckerman, Lawrence Borys, Michael J. Brady, Blaise U. Chow, John G. Dooling, Stephen J. Erigero, Alan J. Hart, Nicole S. Healy, Geoffrey W. Heineman, Amber W. Locklear, Andrew L. Margulis, Enrique Marinez, Frank J. Pagliaro, Dean A. Pappas, Jung H. Park, E. Lacey Rice, Todd A. Roberts, Kathleen Strickland, Robert A. Suarez, Stacy Monahan Tucker, Eric C. Weissman
Catastrophic/Personal Injury
Employment Litigation and Dispute Resolution
www.rmkb.com
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., cum laude, 1971
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1974
USDC: Central District of California; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; 1974, California; USDC: Southern District of California
•Defense Research Institute (DRI)
•Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
•Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


March 07; A delegation of 19 members of the National and Provincial Assemblies of Pakistan, Government Officials and Media Persons from across Pakistan arrive in India to take part in the third India-Pakistan Legislators and Public Officials Dialogue on Sharing of Experiences on Governance and Democracy. The series of Dialogues are facilitated by PILDAT in collaboration with Lokniti (CSDS), India.
The Dialogue in New Delhi, scheduled for March 8, will focus on the themes of Police and Media while the Dialogue in Chandigarh, on March 10, will focus on Agricultural practices and the Dialogue in Jaipur, on March 12, will discuss Tourism and Agricultural Practices.
The Pakistan Delegation includes (in Alphabetical order by first Name in the following sequence Members of Senate, Members of the National Assembly, Members of the Provincial Assemblies and the Experts) Senator Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qayyum, (Punjab; PML-N); Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, (Balochistan; National Party – NP); Senator Nauman Wazir, (KP; PTI); Senator Saud Majeed, (Punjab, PML-N); Mr. Asad Qaisar, MPA, Speaker Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PK-35 Swabi-V, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI); Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khan, MNA, (NA-82 Faisalabad-VIII, Punjab, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz – PML-N); Ms. Munaza Hassan, MNA (NA-306, Women Punjab-XXXIV, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf – PTI); Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, MNA (NA-334 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz – PML-N); Mr. Shehryar Afridi, MNA (NA-14, Kohat, KP, PTI), Ms. Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, MPA (RSW-156, Sindh, Pakistan Muslim League – Functional – PML-F); Mian Mehmood-ur- Rashid, MPA, Leader of the Opposition, Punjab Assembly, (PP-151 (Lahore-XV), Punjab, PTI); Dr. Najma Afzal Khan, MPA (RSW-320, Punjab, PML-N); Ms. Arifa Noor, Resident Editor-Islamabad, Dawn Newspaper; Senator (Retd.) Javed Jabbar, Former Federal Information Minister, Member, Senate Forum for Policy Research, Mr. Kabir Ahmad Khan, Managing Director Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation Government of Pakistan; Mr. Muhammad Ali Nekokara, Former SSP, Pakistan Police; Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Suddle, Former IG Police, Sindh & Balochistan, Pakistan; Mr. Mujeeb-ur- Rahman Shami, Editor-in-Chief Daily Pakistan; President, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE); Mr. Saleem Safi, Television Anchor and Columnist, Geo TV. The PILDAT Team includes Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President-PILDAT; Ms. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director-PILDAT; Mr. Faheem Ahmed Khan, Projects Manager-PILDAT; Mr. Muhammad Saad, Projects Manager-PILDAT; Ms. Shahira Khan, Projects Manager-PILDAT.
While PILDAT has been facilitating structured, theme-oriented India-Pakistan Parliamentarians' Dialogue on bilateral issues since 2011, it envisaged that beyond the countries' capitals and foreign policy issues, conversation must also include experience sharing on good governance on basic public issues affecting citizens' lives in both Pakistan and India.


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The Sarasota Film Festival presents a line-up of independent films that feature significant LGBTQ characters or themes. SarasotaOUT.com has teamed up with the Sarasota Film Festival to spotlight these features in the official "Gay Guide to the Sarasota Film Festival." Below, you will find our curated list of films and special events that will appeal to the LGBTQ community.
What to Watch:
Feature Films
Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor
Dawn returns home to Nova Scotia to mourn the death of her mother and repair the estrangement with her father, John Andrew. An ancient tractor becomes the focus for the mechanically-minded Dawn, but her father's long-simmering resentments heighten tensions. Watching his daughter work to restore the tractor, he realises that reclaiming this relationship depends on his own coming out: supporting Dawn publicly and fighting malicious small-town transphobia.
April 6th, 7:15 PM
Municipal Auditorium
At the height of the Cold War, a troubled soldier forms a forbidden love triangle with a daring fighter pilot and his female comrade amid the dangerous surroundings of a Soviet Air Force Base.
Municipal Auditorium
April 7th, 11:00 am
Mixtape trilogy: Stores of the Power of Music
MIXTAPE TRILOGY explores one of the most intense and unique relationships between people who rarely meet: music artists and their fans. Featuring Indigo Girls, Vijay Iyer, and Talib Kweli. The director unpacks the music and the audience is invited to fall into it. The art of listening unfolds and inspires us to listen to music, and, perhaps, each other, in new ways.
CineBistro Siesta Key
No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics
Documentary Feature
A feature-length documentary film-in-progress chronicling the birth and development of LGBTQ comics through the eyes of several of its pioneers. The film was inspired by the Lambda award-winning book of the same name, and dives deeper into the personal stories at the heart of this unique underground artistic scene. Featuring Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), the recently departed Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby, Gay Comix), and others, this film aims to show how DIY queer cartoonists have represented, poked fun at, and celebrated LGBTQ lives and experiences in challenging, humorous, and profound ways.
Poppy Field follows the struggle of a young Romanian gendarme, Cristi, who tries to find the balance between two apparently opposing parts of his identity: that of a man working in a macho hierarchical environment and that of a closeted gay person who tries to keep his personal life a secret. While his long-distance French boyfriend, Hadi, is visiting him, Cristi is called in for an intervention at a movie theatre, where an ultra-nationalist, homophobic group has interrupted the screening of a queer film. After one of the protesters threatens to out him, Cristi spirals out of control.
April 7th, 9:15 am
Loren & Rose
Spotlight Feature & Closing Night Film
The appetizer is an introduction, the dessert is a farewell in this story of an indelible bond forged between a promising young filmmaker and an iconic actress.
Following the film...
Join us for an in-person Conversation & Q&A With Jacqueline Bisset, Kelly Blatz, & Director Russell Brown To Follow.
In the '70s, Jacqueline Bisset became an international sex icon for swimming underwater in the movie "The Deep" wearing a thin white t-shirt. Not only did she capture the attention of straight men, she also captured another audience, the gays! Rosie O'Donnell stated in her blog that after watching Bisset in the movie she was "positive" she was gay. "Jacqueline Bisset is a total gay icon and has done lots of work in LGBT+ films." - Rodney Piatt, SFF Programmer
Meet the SFF Programmer:
Rodney Piatt
Rodney Piatt has cumulatively lived in the greater Sarasota area for over a quarter of a century. After graduating from Venice High School and then returning from a year of college in Chicago, Rodney has been an involved member of the Sarasota arts community. He evolved from being an avid attendee of the Sarasota Film Festival into being a part of SFF's screening committee into his latest role at the festival as a member of the programming team. Film critic Roger Ebert once said, "...movies are like a machine that generates empathy", a sentiment that echoes in the chambers of Rodney's heart and motivates his work as a programmer for the Sarasota Film Festival.
Virtual LGBTQ Shorts Block
For the 2nd year in a row, The Sarasota Film Festival has dedicated an entire block to LGBTQ+ short films.
Purchase 1 ticket to view these 6 LGBTQ short films.
WATCH LGBTQ SHORT FILM BLOCK
情人 Qíngrén
A 19th century American Railroad Financier and Chinese Emigrant-Worker ensnare one another in a dance of interdependence, love, and guilt.
Masaru
A Major League Baseball player discovers his passion for Japanese traditional dance and is confronted with the choice of embracing his true identity or continuing masking behind the pressures of family, loyalty and honor.
Hear My Voice
Mike's opera career and love life have stalled. During yet another gay hook-up, he sees the apparition of his grandmother: will she make him change?
Kate tries an adult ballet class and becomes infatuated with the teacher, Laura- until she discovers a hidden side to Laura she struggles to accept.
A Summer Place
In a city overtaken by oligarchs and a real estate boom, two women find themselves lost at sea. Each will end up saving the other, in all of life's most unexpected ways.
Five LGBTIQ+ refugees seeking asylum in Spain look into the lens to share their fears, doubts, and certainties, but they can all now say, "It gets better".
LGBTQ+ Shorts
We All Die Alone
A standoff between two rival gangsters and their respective posse's leads to surprising and hilarious consequences. Part noir, part comedy and part romance – the only thing faster than a bullet is the dialogue in this stylish, snappy short.
A comedy set in 1930's England, a butler secretly pulls strings to keep a woman away from his one true love; his young rich male boss.
Where to Go:
The SFF Parties
Opening Night Reception
Friday, April, 1st - 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM
801 N. Tamiami Trail
An evening of local stars full of fun and surprises. Join us for a party that promises to be the talk of the town. The evening features cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
Street Party
Friday, April 8th - 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM
332 Cocoanut Avenue
Sarasota Film Festival's famous Friday Night Street Party featuring a glamours red carpet, live music and an array of food trucks at the location of SFF's brand new offices.
Closing Night
Saturday, April 9th - 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
801 N. Tamiami Trail
Close the festival on a high note with our notorious late night wrap party. Join us for a party that promises to be the talk of the town. The evening features cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.


The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and despite being rocked by the news that the Swiss National Bank would detach its currency exchange rate from the Euro, the prestigious watch fair enjoyed a year to remember. From five exhibitors sharing 4,500 square metres in 1991 to 16 Maisons occupying a surface ten times larger inside Palexpo Geneva, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie has come a long way in 25 years, and the fair showed signs of maturity, with a more subtle show, and a return to smaller watches, a celebration of the 1970s Art Deco movement, and a celebration of iconic designs. The year 2015 is without a doubt a grand cru, one for the ages, with highlights from several brands instead of a clear winner.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept RD#1 got a standing ovation at SIHH 2015 thanks to a winning combination of iconic design and never-before-seen chiming technology. The sum of eight years of acoustic study, this prototype, developed in Audemars Piguet's Le Brassus-based acoustic research lab in conjunction with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), places equal emphasis on both time and sound, reinventing the minute repeater category in the process, and setting new standards for volume, pitch and tone in a wristwatch. The RD#1 joins Audemars Piguet's chart-toppers with a 48-hour power reserve, minute repeater, tourbillon and column-wheel chronograph. A black rubber strap and custom luminescent hands add the finishing touches, ensuring that one of SIHH's most anticipated unveilings was also one of its highlights.
A. Lange & Söhne turns 200 years old this year, and to celebrate the exceptional milestone, the German watch brand unveiled pieces steeped in history. Known for its understated watches, A. Lange & Söhne has made subtle changes to the Saxonia line which has thrilled fans since it was introduced 20 years ago. Changes to the hour indices and the addition of double-baton indices at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock feature in the new-look Saxonia Automatic, manual-winding Saxonia and Saxonia Dual Time, which now come in slightly smaller cases – 35 mm and 38.5 mm respectively. A. Lange & Söhne then unveiled a true stunner: the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater. Does it sound good? Undeniably so! A low-pitched tone sounds for each elapsed hour, a double tone for each elapsed ten-minute period and a high-pitched tone for each elapsed minute. And aesthetically, it's really well thought out.
Every year, since it helped launched SIHH in 1990, Cartier has demonstrated its pull on the fair with the largest new collection of the show, and this year was no exception. At SIHH 2015, Cartier showed its full range once again, covering the spectrum of watch making with one foot in the past and one in the future. Highlights this year include the return of a 70's icon, the divisive Crash, as well as the introduction of a new entry-level model, the Clé de Cartier. The collection had something for everyone, but everyone also had their eyes and hearts firmly set on the Maison's Rotonde de Cartier Grand Complication. The wristwatch, valued in excess of half a million dollars, becomes the brand's most complicated, equipped with a minute repeater, perpetual calendar and tourbillon. Once again, Cartier stole the show!
IWC Schaffhausen may have provoked shockwaves when the brand announced it would be presenting a revamped Portuguese collection under a new name. After five years of research and development, IWC Schaffhausen finally presented an eager crowd of journalists with the Portugieser collection, which includes the brand's first annual calendar. The Portugieser Annual Calendar (Ref. 5035) features three separate windows for the month, date and day at 12 o'clock. Note the "American" order in which the date is shown, for technical reasons, but also as homage to IWC's American founder, Florentine Ariosto Jones. The new watch is presented in a large 44.2 mm case with grooved bezel, classic railway-track-style chapter ring, slim feuille hands and Arabic numerals similar to the original Portugieser of 1939. The small seconds subdial, however, is not positioned at 6 o'clock as in the original, but at 9 o'clock. The new watch is powered by the development of the new IWC-manufactured 52850 caliber, which features two barrels that keep the new function supplied for approximately 168 hours, enough to ensure a 7-day power reserve.
Jaeger-LeCoultre led the race for Space with a new Master Calendar featuring a mesmerizing meteorite dial. The new 2015 model retains the same layout, movement and dimensions as last year's model, but adds a handsome meteorite dial, which endows this classic calendar watch with new personality. The meteorite that Jaeger-LeCoultre uses comes from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and transforms the usually classic dial of the Master Calendar into something avant-garde and unexpected. The day of the week and the month are indicated in twin apertures at 12 o'clock, while the perpetual calendar is displayed by means of a long hand tipped with a red moon crescent that sweeps around a scale around the dial rim starting from 1 to 31. And all of this comes courtesy of the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufactured caliber 866, which beats away inside the watch giving life to this object of technical and artistic beauty. A desire for order and harmony govern the watch's aesthetics, featuring a 39 mm-diameter and a 10.6 mm-thick case designed to adapt to the curve of any wrist. The Master Calendar is offered in both 18-carat pink gold and steel with a polished finish.
Montblanc picked up where it left off in 2014 by adding a new timepiece to the Heritage Spirit line and keeping it clean, simple and affordable. The new Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum (from the Latin word for "Globe" and "Earth") introduces the world time function with a bird's eye view of Earth. It tells the hour in all 24 time zones, and keeps the dial legible, making it the perfect companion for men who travel. Lean in, and you'll find a disc under the sapphire dial that is half transparent and half dark to show where it is currently day and night on the planet, meaning the continents change color as the disc follows the earth's rotation. Local time is shown by the hour and minute hands, while "home" time is indicated by the city positioned at 6 o'clock. The watch is powered by the automatic caliber MB29.20.
Panerai proclaimed its originality this year through the debut of what it called the "Carbotech," a carbon-fiber composite material that used in the brand's latest diver's watch, the Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic 47 mm PAM00616. While the "Carbotech" may have stolen the headlines at the Panerai booth, the watch that left the biggest impression was the 52mm Panerai Mare Nostrum Titanio watch PAM00603. While it conforms to modern trends in terms of size, this monster of a watch is actually a relatively faithful recreation of an original 1943 Mare Nostrum and confirms the general trend at this year's SIHH of vintage-inspired models.
How thin can you go? The dilemma is obvious for watchmakers, but the answer unfortunately is not. It's a little bit like asking a sprinter how a man can run under 9 seconds. But there is one brand that has relentlessly sought an answer: Piaget. The expert of slim watches introduced the world's thinnest watch at SIHH 2014, the Piaget Altiplano 900P, and this year broke two more records with the release of the Piaget Altiplano Chronograph. Why is this record so important? A Chronograph is a watch with stopwatch capabilities, and it is one of the most popular complications today, but it also requires a lot of space to implement under the dial. Piaget found a way to squeeze its – stunning – 4.65 mm movement into an 8.24 mm case, something no one else had managed to do before. The result is the incredibly sharp, and stylish Piaget Altiplano Chronograph, which comes with an elegant alligator leather strap. Available in pink gold or in white gold with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds, it was well worth waiting for.
Roger Dubuis is a manufacture known for its quest to push the boundaries of the tourbillon, and this year's Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon doubles the fun with two operating in a mesmerizing display on the bottom half of the watch, a first in a skeleton watch. Lots of brands produce skeletonized movements and, though many are quite beautiful, the aesthetics for the most part take a traditional path. With its skeleton pieces, Roger Dubuis blows past the historic codes into daring new territory. Driven by the hand wound calibre RD01SQ with a 48-hour power reserve, the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon gets its name from the signature five-point barrel bridge situated just off 12 o'clock that resembles a dynamic spider's web. Other signatures include the Celtic cross tourbillon bridges and notched bezel with etched Arabic numerals. A red aluminum flange, lumed tip hands outlined in red, and a rubber accent on the crown and case band give a fresh pop against the silver metals of the movement and the titanium and black DLC-titanium 45mm case. Though the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon leans to the sporty side, that doesn't mean Roger Dubuis stinted on the details. This is haute horlogerie with exceptional finishing that qualifies for the Geneva Seal, as all Roger Dubuis watches do.
In a week dominated by headlines of the new, SIHH's oldest member showed that vintage was very much au gout du jour, with a brilliant reinterpretation of its Harmony line. The Manufacture Vacheron Constantin turns 260 years old this year, but showed no intention of slowing down with an array of sublime novelties, including an eight-piece strong Harmony collection, featuring four new in-house movements and a reinvented Harmony Chronograph with pulsometer dial, a feature that was used by doctors to measure patients' heart rates, but grew a cult-like following amongst collectors for its unique look. To say that the design is directly inspired from one of the brand's 1920s chronographs is for once an understatement. Vacheron Constantin achieved what most set out to, which is to create an authentic homage to its first ever chronograph, made in 1928. The cushion-shaped case is back and has been beautifully redesigned to house the ultra-thin self-winding Caliber 3500 and set a new slimness record at just 5.20 mm thick.
2014 was the year that women's timepieces were catching up to their male counterparts, this year will go down as the year they took over. During SIHH, several brands made more noise about – and thanks to – their ladies timepieces, and not just because they were pretty to look at. From Richard Mille's tourbillon bouquet to Jaeger-LeCoultre's diamond-studded stargazer, these watches introduced novel complications and intricate mechanics. Historically, it was customary for ladies to pay attention to watches made for men at SIHH. This year, it was very much the other way around.
When it comes to sophistication and beauty, Piaget is at the pinnacle of the game. The brand combines its watchmaking expertise with exquisite jewelry design to create showstoppers, and the Limelight collection nails it by giving the oval shape a twist. In a 32mm 18K rose gold case surrounded with diamonds, the Limelight Gala watch will add glamour to any woman's wrist. The silvered dial is punctuated by Roman numerals and wraps around the wrist with a satin white strap. Definitely a cocktail watch but also a great accessory to add some kick to casual wear.
IWC decided to embrace women and introduced the mid-size Portofino collection in a more feminine 37mm case with a moon phase display that pays homage to the one from 1984. The Portofino Moon Reference 4590 comes in a white gold case refined with diamonds used as hour markers at the end of the baton indicators on the white mother-of-pearl dial. The romantic mother-of-pearl moon sits at 12 o'clock hovering among the stars. Inside ticks an automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve. The blue Santoni alligator strap completes this charming picture.
Richard Mille declared 2014 the "Year Of The Woman," but ever the gentleman, the French watchmaker is back this year with a bouquet of 30 hand-picked magnolia flowers, packaged inside his latest creation. At first glance, the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur seems quite simple, with hours and minutes displayed on an off-centered dial at 1 o'clock. But of course, this is a Richard Mille watch, and so it introduces some stunning mechanics. Usually on full display through skeletonized dials and movements, the technical features of the new RM 19-02 are this time hidden by a magnolia flower at 7 o'clock. And every five minutes, the five delicate hand-decorated petals of the magnolia bloom to reveal a flying tourbillon with its gemstone-set bud. Made of gold, this modern automaton combines beauty and motion for a stunning effect.
In the shape of an oval, the Audemars Piguet Millenary collection strays in an artistic way from the rest of the Audemars Piguet offerings, taking on a neo-classical aesthetic. Only offered for men, the Millenary, in a smaller 28.59 x 32.74mm 18K white gold case, debuts for women this year as seen in the Millenary Hand-Wound. A lot of this watch's charm is the aesthetic choice to leave the dial opened in order to admire the beautiful mechanics. A small, off-center mother-of-pearl dial with Roman numerals and an overlapping mother-of-pearl seconds counter resides at 3 o'clock. Adding pizzazz to the watch is the diamond encrusted bezel and lugs. The crown with pink cabochon provides an intimate tactile experience with the hand wound movement, while the large square scale beige alligator strap highlights the pink gold touches on the hands, dial indicators and escapement bridge.
In celebration of 260 years of existence Vacheron Constantin introduced a brand new collection called the Harmony. The limited edition Harmony pillar comes with several different complications but the Dual Time Small Model is a real looker. Although the cushion shape is historical, Vacheron Constantin makes it feel modern too. It comes in a choice of 18K red or white gold. This 18K white gold case shimmers with diamonds, and frames the white dial with blue Arabic numerals. The second time zone is easily visible yet at the same time unobtrusive at 4 o'clock and balanced by the running seconds at 8 o'clock. The Harmony Dual Time Small Model wraps around the wrist with a sky blue alligator strap. Vacheron Constantin introduces a new calibre to power this watch, the automatic 2460DT that has a lovely engraved rotor as well as "260th Anniversary" inscription engraved on the back.
Jaeger-LeCoultre turned its gaze to the heavens with the Rendez-Vous Moon. A 39mm white gold case allows a substantial canvas to interpret the moon, which takes up about 3/4 of the dial starting at 6 o'clock. The large orb of the mother-of-pearl moon is the satellite of the show, floating against the backdrop of a blue celestial sky. Blued Arabic numbers and a blue satin strap hearken back to the firmament. But most secretly and importantly, a star-shaped hand can be set to remind of your next rendez-vous date. Diamonds encrust the bezel and lugs for extra sparkle. Limited to 265 pieces, the Rendez-Vous Moon runs off an automatic movement.
The popularity of mechanical watches pushed many watchmakers out of the shadows at the turn of the 21st century. Names that had been whispered throughout the industry were suddenly on the lips of watch collectors standing on the outside, as young watchmakers created their own brands to showcase the full range of their skill and creativity. Now well established as independent brands, they are seeking to grow into fully-fledged companies and challenge those they once aligned with. Some of them may have already achieved this goal and are on their way to the next.
While Richard Mille unveiled two new watches at this year's SIHH, the brand also added a pair of new bracelets for men and women to enhance the experience of its collectors. The RM 011 got a surprisingly cool makeover with a simple yet transformative titanium bracelet. The new strap features brushed surfaces, polished beveled edges and the brand's signature spring-loaded deployant buckle for comfort. Meanwhile, the RM 07-01 and the RM 037 receive the option of an open link strap entirely hand-made and hand finished. The new bracelets elevate the brand's collection by creating an exceptional variety of combinations that are rare in the world of independent watch making.
We've come to expect the unexpected from HYT. The independent watch brand, launched in 2012 specializes in being different, with a collection of hydro-mechanical watches that use a liquid component to indicate the time. However, Vincent Perriard and his team managed to raise eyebrows once again with the HYT Skull, which looks like it belongs on Iron Man's wrist. Besides the bold skull at the center of the dial, the new HYT watch surprises for two very important reasons. First off, it is the first watch in the collection that completely hides the movement on the dial side. But more importantly, it also entirely does away with the minute indication. Instead a capillary carries the red (or green) fluid around the dial, in order to indicate the hour and minute markers with a single track.
Black watches and titanium watches are both very popular choices for young collectors. So when you combine both, as Greubel Forsey have just done, you know you've got a winner. The new GMT Black builds on the aesthetic success of the brand's one-off unique black piece made for Marcus Watches. It once again features the GF05 movement with 24 second tourbillon inclined at a 25 degree angle, GMT function, three-dimensional globe for day/night indication, rotating disc with 24 different time zones at the back – with daylight savings indication – and 72 hour power reserve. However, the weight of the materials will mean the new Greubel Forsey GMT feels much lighter on the wrist. The new GMT Black will be made available for US $565,000 in a limited run of 22 pieces, which shows the brand's ability – and willingness – to manufacture in larger numbers.
Last year, F.P. Journe launched his first gold dials through the Octa collection. This year, he has decided to update the Octa Lune – the moon phase model from the Octa collection – with a new golden robe, and a slightly bigger dial than the previous Octa Lune. The result is a striking watch, which manages to look slightly more imposing than its previous iteration, and offers greater legibility for a better reading of the time. The main dial still features a five day retrograde power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock, and a moon phase at 8 o'clock, but the date in the aperture at 11 o'clock is now twice the size of the original. The F.P. Journe logo and motto, Invenit et Fecit, are also moved from the top of the watch to the bottom, this time appearing over two lines at 7 o'clock. Meanwhile, hours and minutes are displayed in a larger off-center dial, with embossed hour numbers surfaced with a diamond tool. The Nouvelle Octa Lune is available in multiple editions: in 40mm or 42mm, in 18K red gold or PT 950 platinum on leather strap or metallic strap. The Nouvelle Octa Lune marks a new milestone in F.P. Journe's pioneering gold rush.
De Bethune is a small independent brand, priding itself on its inventing and developing of new horological techniques. The brand introduced the DB25T Zodiac on the fringes of SIHH 2015, focusing on aesthetics this time by incorporating the signs of the zodiac, hand etched in gold around the dial by artist Michèle Rothen and laid against a blued titanium "sky" dotted with stars. A smaller concentric circle clocks the time with open-worked yellow gold hands reflecting off the gold colored astrological symbols rounding black Roman numeral hour indicators. A blued seconds hand pops out to echo the sky as it rounds the dial. Completing the shimmery theme of the night sky is the silver-toned guilloché decoration radiating from the center of the dial. In a 44mm white gold case and hallowed lugs, another De Bethune trademark, De Bethune's Zodiac watch comes on a navy blue alligator strap with pin buckle. Day or night, this watch is a beautiful way to gaze into the stars.


Nothing easier then an all black outfit. Different textures and fabrics are what make an all black outfit really special. I wasn't kidding when I said I was excited to wear these shoes threw them on ASAP this morning!


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Search results for "Will Patton"
A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home…
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Radioflash
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Inventing the Abbotts
In the 1950s, brothers Jacey and Doug Holt, who come from the poorer side of their sleepy Midwestern town, vie for the affections of the wealthy, lovely Abbott sisters. Lady-killer…
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Pretty sure the Lazy Labrador got sprayed by a skunk last night right before bedtime.
When we let him out, he raced down the deck stairs, there was a big ruckus with lots of barking and then the distinctly pungent "eu de skunk" wafted up at us. We called him inside, I gave him a perfunctory sniff on the head and gave him the all clear.
But, he sleeps in Big Brother's room. And, when I went in there this morning, it kinda smells like Pepe Le Pew took a little nap in BB's beloved robot bed.
Seriously, though. Dealing with buying tomato juice, setting up an outside hose, trapping the only Labrador in the world who hates water, then washing, rinsing, completely soaking myself…?
What smell? I don't smell anything.
We just returned from a week's vacation in the Orlando area which, of course, yielded me a few blog nuggets. But, I'm currently buried under piles (of laundry), miles (of unsorted bills) and vials (of amoxycillin) so will just have to post them individually as I have the time over the next few days.
Ross, a seasoned veteran at dealing with my "aren't I funny" moments, didn't miss a beat in his equally bold reply.
He's such a charmer, my husband.


Everyone buys something at Ikea at one point or another. Their stuff is cheap, looks good, 'relatively' durable, and can be hacked for the most part.
The "Ekby Valter" bracket is one of those Ikea items that gets hacked a lot. Usually into the form of a mount for pendant lighting, or variations on shelving.
For the most part, that shelf is totally fine. Except, the boards they sell you don't span over more than 3 stud widths. Their longest board is just a bit shy of 4 feet. Irritating to say the least, since most studs are 16" center-to-center - and there's no way I'd use these brackets in just plain drywall.
I started out by locating the studs, and mounting the brackets. I mounted them 20" down from the ceiling, which is a decent height for the shelves, and keep things 'up and away' for the most part.
Once I had the brackets mounted, I placed the rough cut 2x12 on top (it was a bit over 8 feet in width - 98" overall or so), and I scribed where the bracket faces meet the shelf board on the bottom.
Next I set up a 'poor mans dado' jig, which is a circular saw and two boards/guides clamped on to the correct dado width. Passing the circular saw over in small bits to remove as much wood as possible, and then cleaning up the dado by hand later.
After some rough chiseling and filing, the dados were looking pretty fair. They don't need to be perfect looking, they just need to be flat.
Another task that is hard to see in this photo below, was notching out 3/8" out of the back of the dados, to get the shelf to fit around the brackets against the wall.
At the back where the shelf almost meets the wall, is a slight gap, to allow extension cables to run behind it. Without the notch, the gap would have been close to 3/4", which was too much for my taste.
And here's the finished result! The shelves hold a number of storage boxes (I could stack them 3 high, but that's a bit too tall) - the shelves can support a good amount of weight, and because I used 2x12 lumber, are plenty thick and shouldn't bow with the weight.
I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I'm leaving them unfinished as I like the color of the raw wood, and they don't get much abuse so durability isn't an issue. AND they cost me less than the Ikea shelf boards would have cost to buy to cover the same span!
In a previous post, I had built a corner shelf for my bathroom - because counter space is kind of limited. Turns out, my mother liked the way it looked and asked if I could build one for her. Since I had material left over from building the first shelf, I got to constructing another one - with some improvements.
First I had to cut some 1" wide strips, for the shelf to attach to. I then cut the shelf with a jigsaw to try to match the angle of the wall. The bathroom wall is not square. In fact, the wall is roughly at a 92 degree angle. I wish I took pictures on how I managed to trace out that angle - because it was kind of creative problem-solving.
I tuned an old hand-plane and took off some excess material from the board, it needed some tweaking, and I didn't feel like bringing out the belt sander, especially since I could get a good finish with the plane.
Assembly is relatively easy. I put down the 1" strips of wood, and placed the corner shelf on top to check if it was level.
It was 'close enough' - so I marked the bits that stuck out with a pencil, and marked underneath with a pencil where the strips should attach to the shelf.
Now for the fun part - the power tools.
I pre-drilled some pilot holes, mostly because I'm certain the wood would split if I just tried to sink screws in without them. My Ryobi countersink bit does okay, I lost the allen key to adjust the depth however.
I used drywall screws because they were the right length and they were what I had on-hand. Plus, it's not like this shelf will bear a lot of weight, so they'll be more than sufficient. I also didn't glue the braces, because I wasn't in the mood to sand off the paint on the underside of the shelf.
With the braces secured, I could trim off the excess. I opted to use my Japanese pull-saw, and I cut the braces off on an angle (a bevel?) - just to make it look a bit nicer than the previous shelf that I built.
The screws that attach the shelf to the wall needed to be pre-drilled, and then sunk in part-way, to make the installation a little bit easier. Since the screws are underneath the shelf, it's not the most accessible - although an extension bit would take care of that.
And voila, she's installed! But... not quite ready yet. The pale wood looks nice, but I know that this shelf will see a bit of unexpected moisture - so I figured some sort of finish would be in order.
I still had some Minwax Wipe-on Poly from a previous project, so I figured that would make a fairly decent finish for the shelf. It didn't take long to apply, and after a few hours of drying, it looked nicer than before, really emphasizing the grain of the wood. It will amber a bit over time, but I'm okay with that.
And with that, the shelf is finally done! The actual construction time took roughly 25 minutes, mostly because of hand-planing, and a healthy amount of time with the hand-sander, the finishing took a few minutes, and the drying time was about 4 hours. All in all, it was a quick little project, and hopefully I don't have to build another one of these any time soon!
I don't know about you, but when I sit at my computer for extended periods of time, I'm always trying to find the most comfortable place for my feet to be.
In the past I've tried a lot of different things, milk crates, stacked books, a plank of wood, garbage can, you name it. None of those things really worked out for resting my feet on. It was about time to build my own foot stool. It's technically a 'foot rest' or 'foot riser' if you want to get real picky about it, but either way - it's a place to put my feet when I'm at my desk.
I started out with a single 24" x 24" x 3/4" piece of plywood from the 'place that sells improvement materials' - did some rudimentary measuring, and got to cutting. I did the cutting with my cordless circular saw, a miter saw, and a jigsaw, which isn't my ideal way to work but I didn't have access to a table saw, and my bandsaw motor is kaput.
Planing plywood is not recommended. Tearout city. I ended up finishing the planing work with a couple files/rasps. And of course, a fair amount of swearing. My workspace was a tiny patio (as you can see in the photo below) which is usually where I do my work, because it's covered from the elements, and I can use the railing as a makeshift clamping surface.
After cutting, measuring, test fitting, I realized I needed to trim a bit more material to clear the baseboards... so a quick visit with "Mr Jigsaw" and that problem was solved. Another thing I learned is that drilling into plywood "end grain" for lack of a better word, is also not ideal. Makes for kind of a poor join, but again, this is just a tiny stool to hold my feet 5" off the ground, so no big deal.
For the cross-brace, I decided to do an angle cut into it, to make it look a little nicer, and just in case I needed to clear the base of my office chair. But mostly because it looked nice. And also to correct some poor cuts from earlier.
After test fitting, adjusting, pre-drilling, and so on, it was time to do the glue-up. This part wasn't totally necessary - but it made the whole project just a little more secure and made it feel a bit sturdier.
The last part of the whole build (if you can call it that) was to apply a finish to the thing. Cheap plywood is prone to splintering, and generally doesn't feel good. So I spent a fair amount of time sanding the whole project down, made sure it was relatively smooth, and then applied two coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly.
Normally you're just supposed to use a rag for wipe-on poly (I think?) but in this case I just used some cheap little brushes which worked out well. In retrospect, I should have poured off some poly into a small cup or container, because pouring it direct out of the rectangular bottle onto the work-piece was really annoying. Lesson learned for next time I suppose.
This is what I consider a 'quickie' project because it was built on a whim, with no real planning or design beforehand, and it was purpose-built to suit a need. It's been under my desk for a few months now, and it's working very well.


text:
Suspicious package closes Fort Bragg road
Rachael Riley Staff writer @RachaelRiley85
Package not a threat, officials say
A portion of Macomb Road on Fort Bragg was closed for about 30 minutes Friday morning as a precaution to a possibly suspicious package, officials said.
Responders checked out the area and said the package was not dangerous, said Elvia Kelly, a spokeswoman for Fort Bragg.
"The explosive ordnance disposal team was called to sweep the suspicious package and sweep the area, and it turns out it was nothing and they opened up a portion of the road," Kelly said. "Everything was good to go, and it's all clear."
Kelly said someone reported an unattended package in the area, which led to military police and the explosive ordnance team being called, along with a robot to sweep the area.
"Whenever stuff like that happens on Fort Bragg, we take that seriously," Kelly said. "Our teams are trained to quickly respond to things when they hear things like that. They reacted quickly. They cleared it quickly."
Kelly said a portion of Macomb Road was closed during the sweep but has since reopened.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.


text:
Romford News
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Hornchurch bred singer and author nominated for Essex entertainment awards
Hayley Anderson And Janine Rasiah
Published: 11:02 AM August 27, 2014 Updated: 9:54 AM December 1, 2020
Singer Leigh Luscious is releasing her debut single this week. - Credit: Archant
An author of a book telling her tales of chasing celebrities has started chasing her own dreams, and has been nominated for two entertainment awards.
Born in Hornchurch, Leigh Phelan, who goes by the stage name Leigh Luscious, is in the running for best original single for debut song The Look, as well as best original artist.
"It's amazing that my first song has been nominated and it means so much to me because writing is such a personal process," she said.
Leigh has enjoyed writing her own music since she was a child, keeping all of her music in a diary.
She said: "I don't really consider myself a singer but more of a writer. I just sing songs so they can add something to the music I create."
The singer-songwriter was obsessed with the world of celeb and made it her mission to meet as many as she could and even wrote a book all about what she found when she travelled across the country to see them.
But it was only after she met Jedward that she spotted X Factor's Rylan Clark at his birthday party - and he then encouraged Leigh to try out the talent show for herself.
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She said: "I always dreamed of going on a show like that singing in front of the judges but when I actually did it, it felt so surreal!"
Leigh was given two yes votes and two no votes, so her journey on the show came to an end.
But she is now up for two awards and has also been asked to perform at the awards ceremony which will be held in Grays Town Hall in November, while The Look is currently number four in the request show top ten on internet radio station Atlantic Radio UK.
"I could not be happier with how it is all going," Leigh admitted. "The song has been placed constantly on different stations since it was released and a lot of people are supporting it."
For more information about her music, visit leighluscious.com
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Letters: Social distancing, vaccination experience and how to stop...
Lindsay Jones, Editor
Environment News | Updated
Sonic boom heard across east London, Essex and Cambridge
Adriana Elgueta


text:
Layer 1s • November 8, 2019, 3:35AM EST
US Customs agency to track oil imports using blockchain tech
Nicole S Glass/ shutterstock.com
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a federal agency of the Department of Homeland Security, is set to track oil and natural gas imports from Canada leveraging blockchain technology.
The department's research and development unit, the Science and Technology Directorate, has awarded $182,700 to Canadian blockchain firm Mavennet Systems for the initiative. Mavennet will build a "blockchain-as-a-service" platform, which will enable the Customs agency to audit oil and natural gas trading markets in Canada in "real-time."
"Mavennet's platform could provide this digital auditability while ensuring broad interoperability by supporting emerging World Wide Web Consortium standards such as decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials," said Anil John, technical director of the department's silicon valley innovation program.
Canada is the fourth-largest producer of oil in the world, and the U.S. imported 3.5 million barrels of crude oil per day from Canada in 2018, 96% of all Canadian crude oil exports, according to Natural Resources Canada, the country's energy agency.
"Accurately tracking the evidence of oil flow through pipelines and refinement between the U.S. and Canada and attributing oil imports with the accurate composition and country of origin are of great interest to U.S. Customs and Border Protection," said John.
The Department of Homeland Security has been exploring blockchain technology since as early as 2015. The department's silicon valley innovation program was also launched around that time and awards tech startups, including blockchain, up to $800,000 to develop solutions for homeland security use cases.


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text:
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 11. Number3 September 2020 Pp.305-317
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no3.19
Is the linguists' View of Prescriptive Grammar Reductionist?
(A Re-examination of the Accusations Made against the Prescriptive Tradition)
Sultan Mohammed Saaiyed Al- Rushaidi
Department of English Language & Literature
Rustaq College of Education
University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Oman
This paper seeks to intellectually stimulate researchers who are interested in the history of grammar and the long-standing debate about prescriptivism. Contrary to popular belief, there are scholars who still put forward arguments about the significant role played by prescriptive grammar in the development of Modern Standard English. Such counter-arguments are usually absent in many introductory textbooks to linguistics, which portray prescriptive grammar in a negative light. Nonetheless, only by listening to both sides of the debate, researchers can make a more objective judgment, avoid reductionist views, and encourage students of linguistics to engage in critical thinking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to re-examine the accusations made against prescriptive grammar by investigating various sources that give a different perspective on the origins and significance of the prescriptive tradition. The study has found that there is a strong connection between the prescriptive school of grammar and the development and preservation of Modern Standard English. Instead of being an impediment, the prescriptive approach that began in the 18th Century was a historical necessity at a time when linguistic variations were out of proportion and accepted standards were absent. The founders of this school did a great service to the English-speaking world by their contributions to the creation of a standard variety that has facilitated communication between speakers of diverse dialects of English. Unfortunately, the merits of this school have been buried by blanket accusations that lack careful analysis of what the works of prescriptive grammarians contained. The study has also shown how the dismissal of the prescriptive grammar can have negative outcomes and why it is important to re-examine the allegations made against it by modern linguists.
Keywords: descriptive grammar, language change, meaning shift, prescriptive grammar, standard language, vernaculars,
Cite as: Al- Rushaidi, S.M.S. (2020). Is the linguists' View of Prescriptive Grammar Reductionist? (A Re-examination of the Accusations Made against the Prescriptive Tradition)). Arab World English Journal, 11 (3) .305-317.
Al-Duri, M. (2014). دقائق الفروق اللغوية في البيان القرآني (The Subtle Differences of Meaning in Quranic Discourse). Beirut : Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah.
Al Ghazali, A. (2015). The Book of Knowledge: Book 1 of The Revival of Religious Sciences (K. Honerkamp, Trans.). USA : Fons Vitae.
Al Ghazali, A. (2010). كتاب آفات اللسان :الكتاب ٢٤ من إحياء علوم الدين (Book of the Vices of the Tongue, book 24 of The Revival of Religious Sciences). Cairo : Dar Al Fajr Liltorath.
Al Masdi, A. (2011). العرب والانتحار اللغوي (Arabs and Linguistic Suicide). Beirut : Dar Al Kitab Al Jadidah Al Motahidah.
Al Tha'labi, A. (2015). فقه اللغة ( [The Science of] Understanding Language). Beirut : Al Maktabah Al Asriyah.
Crystal, D. (2006). The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
Crystal, D. (2008). Think On My Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Language. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Crystal, D. (2010). A Little Book of Language. USA : Yale University Press.
Crystal, D. (2017). Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
Crystal, D. (2019). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press
Denham, K. & Lobeck, A. (2013). Linguistics for Everyone. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Hall, R. A. (1960). Linguistics and your language. United States : Anchor Books.
Heffer, S. (2010). Strictly English. UK : Random House Books.
Hitchings, H. (2011). The Language Wars : A History of Proper English. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Hornsby, D. (2014). Linguistics: a Complete Introduction. London. Teach Yourself.
Mulroy, D. (2003). The War Against Grammar. USA : Heinemann
Pinker, S. (1995). The Language Instinct. New York: Harper Perennial.
Pinker, S. (2014). The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. New York: Penguin Books
Ostade, I.T.V. (Ed.). ( 2008). Grammars, Grammarians and Grammar-Writing in Eighteenth-Century England. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
descriptive grammar, language change, meaning shift, prescriptive grammar, standard language, vernaculars
https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no3.19
Sultan Mohammed Al Rushaidi works as a lecturer of TESOL for the University of Technology and
Applied Sciences in Oman. He has an M.A in TESOL. His teaching and research interests include
linguistics, historical linguistics, applied linguistics, translation and interpreting, and language
teaching methodology. He has taught several courses such as Sociolinguistics, Readings in Applied
Linguistics, Report Writing, and Communicative Language Teaching.