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Five favorite books?
Quick! If you had to name five must-read novels, what would they be? What comes to mind immediately?
One of my Gotham students asked me to name just five. Impossible! But I tried.
Underworld by Don DeLillo
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
Good Grief by Lolly Winston
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
Then I said, Light on Snow by Anita Shreve comes before Good Grief
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Then I think I changed it to Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy)
And now I can think of dozens more that are favorites.
So, name the first five favorite books that come to mind.
Thus spoke Evashevski
Frey's agent goes on record in Publishers Weekly.com.
Astrology's take
I'm sorry--I just had to post this. My resolve wasn't that strong, I guess...
Here's an astrological take on the latest literary fiasco in Beliefnet.com.
Heart? Intuition? Fun?
Okay, so Blogger straightened some things out. My main headline is now black instead of hot pink. This is good. I don't like the brown headings, though, at the start of each post. Do you?
My friend Sara suggests I do my own blog and she says she'll show me how so I can just link it to my Web site and not be so reliant on Blogger. Did I tell you Sara is an angel? (Sara, if you check in here, post your blog URL under comments if you're okay with that so everyone can visit).
So it's Saturday morning and I read an email from an author friend whose book came out last year and has done respectably. He was working on another proposal that his agent thought would sell--sort of a sequel. He says he woke up, shaking in his PJs, afraid that it was the wrong thing to be working on, and told his agent he changed his mind and was going to go in another direction. His heart just wasn't in it, not like the first book which was straight from the heart.
I wrote back to him, said his email raised an important question: How do you know when what your agent has in mind for you is the right thing, or not? In this wooly world of publishing, whose advice do you take? It's hard even listening to your own heart, your own intuition amid the din of what's selling.
Does it come down to having fun? What do you enjoy working on? If you enjoy it, then that's what you should be working on, and if you don't, scrap it?
Let's hear your comments....
These heading colors are driving me nuts...
...and depending what browser you use, formatting is off. Frustrating! No matter which template I choose for this blog, the headings remain hot pink and brown. Ergh. I've written to Blogger. No reply. Anyone know how to fix this?
Regarding other things in the news (I said I wasn't going to write about you-know-who anymore), I liked what Michael Wolff said (I think it was him) on Larry King Live last night, that we'd stay focused on the current debacle until another one takes its place. That's how we are, isn't it? Gotta have drama in our lives, the bigger, the better.
Being one who so easily can see both sides of a situation, and who hates conflict, I say, Publishers: Learn from this. Writers: Learn from this. Readers: Learn from this.
And let's move on.
Something's funky here
Sorry--Blogger.com has made some changes and caused my blog to look tres funky! Don't blame me.....! Hopefully it will change back soon.
Okay, one last post: Frey on Oprah tomorrow
From Publishers Weekly.com:
Frey Live on 'Oprah'
Our earlier report of James Frey's rumored appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show has been confirmed by a release from Harpo Productions. The author of A Million Little Pieces will break his post-Larry King silence to appear on a live hour-long show that will air tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 26). Other guests will include publisher Nan Talese and "some of the country's leading journalists"--to address the headlines and controversy surrounding his memoir. No word on whether the Smoking Gun's William Bastone will be among them.
I am so sick of Frey's name in the news
This is from Publishers Weekly.com:
Frey Headed to Oprah?
With James Frey continuing to be the subject of intense media scrutiny, the author of A Million Little Pieces is reportedly headed to the Oprah Winfrey Show. Two separate sources said that Frey will be in Winfrey's studio tomorrow (Thursday), though it was unclear if the appearance will be live or taped for a future date. No one at Random House/Doubleday was available for comment at press time.
I want to say that after this post right here and now, I will not post anymore about Frey. (Some people are obsessed with Jessica Simpson; I seem to be obsessed with the Frey debacle.) If you want to read about him, you'll have to Google his name, sign up for a news alert, and every time his name hits the paper, you'll be notified. More and more I just see him as a creep, like my friend Amy said. Sorry--I liked him when he was no my show but the worm has turned.
Posted by Anonymous at 10:31 AM 2 comments: Links to this post
What is memoir, anyway?
An ASJA colleague's piece in the Christian Science Monitor.
Posted by Anonymous at 4:05 PM No comments: Links to this post
Now the drug rehab folks are mad: More (still) on Frey
Have you seen this one in The New York Times?
A cat in dog's clothing
Does our cat think she's a dog ... or does she simply like to play fetch?
Rosie, our seven-month-old kitty, has a little white mouse toy she will bring to me or my son, drop, and wait for one of us to throw it. She'll fetch it, bring it back, drop it and do this a number of times before she tires. As we play, I say to Travis, "Does Rosie think she's a dog? Or does she just like fetch?"
Travis says, "I think she thinks she's a dog."
And when I call her in a high sort of voice, trilling, "Rosita!" she comes running.
A cat in dog's clothing?
I was telling this story to my friend Elle and we got into, What makes us what we are? Are we who we are because we believe that's who we are? Are we who've we been told we are? Or do we explode stereotypes, move beyond who we think we are, because something else calls?
Rosie doesn't know that cats don't play fetch or come when called. Our other cat doesn't play fetch, doesn't come when called. He might grace us with a glance in his ever so aloof way, but that's about it.
All of us have roles that take hold, that seem to be more important: how we make a living, our obligations to our partners and children and pets. But what about our obligation to ourselves, to keeping the spark of creativity alive? It may mean writing, drawing, baking, playing music, lo que sea. Whatever it is we are drawn to do, whatever it is we think about daily, shouldn't we be doing it?
We've all seen people in which the spark has gone out. Their eyes look dull, lifeless. The spark has been extinguished. They have forgotten about the need to blow on the spark to stir it into a blaze. Or they have decided to worship the money god or the god of beauty, and forgot about their precious creativity that isn't quantitative, isn't showy.
Rosie does remember she's a cat. She remembers to huddle when she eats her meals on the floor under the old porcelain and wood island that reminds me of my grandmother's kitchen, remembers to laze in the sun on her bed in the front window where she also watches the great outdoors. And she remembers to lie on Travis' chest in the morning to urge him up. But she also knows there are other things she enjoys that are beyond cat-dom.
More on Frey in the Chicago Tribune
If you're not sick of the Frey fiasco yet (and obviously I'm not), read this.
Frey's publisher on Frey
Interesting. Glad Nan Talese put it back on Frey's shoulders.
In it, a quote by Tom Wolfe:
"Let me tell you something—George Orwell, probably back in the 1950's, wrote that autobiography is the most outrageous form of fiction. It always has been, and probably always will be, and usually there's no blogger to catch them," said Mr. Wolfe. "It has nothing to do with the New Journalism.
"I mean, if it's gonna be called 'nonfiction,' I don't think there should be any doubt about it," he added.
Here's the piece in The Observer.
More on typewriters
I think what I like most about this new (old) Hermes 2000 typewriter is that my son Loves It Loves It Loves It. He's never written so much. Because it's a gadget? I don't know--he's never written that much on the computer. Partly it's unusual and odd, I'm sure. And he, like me, loves the sound of the keys tapping away.
I wrote a little last night on it, and it was fun--and a little annoying. The apostrophe is not where it is on the computer; it shares the 8 key. And there's no "1" key; you have to use a lower case "L." Only time will tell if I'll get much writing done on it; it does Slowwwww things way down. But it's gorgeous and again, that sound: so much richer than the sound of tapping plastic iBook keys (much as I adore my laptop...).
Tools are so much a part of the writing experience. Liking--no, loving--our tools makes the experience of writing so much richer. I can move so much faster on my laptop. I type so fast my fingers keep up with my brain (thank you Mr. Ribble and Mrs. Fitzgerald, for those typing classes in high school).
I need to work on my fiction now, but can't decide: the typewriter or the computer? Maybe I'll just go check e-mail and some of my favorite blogs while I'm deciding. Ha!
Labels: Typewriters
My newest find: a Hermes 2000 typewriter
Isn't it lovely? I love it!!!
I did a piece on the Beat Hotel, in Desert Hot Springs (www.dhsbeathotel.com) where there's a manual typewriter in every room and I began salivating for a manual. It's been years.
I love the sound, the look, everything. Of course it's slower, it's rustic, but that could be a good thing.
When Shelby Foote said he used a dip pen because it slowed him down, that resonated with me. I love fountain pens, too.
And last night, on the Golden Globe Awards, thanks to Elle Brooks (I wasn't watching; she was), I learned that Larry McMurtry thanked his Hermes 3000 for 30 years of words. (McMurtry only uses typewriters.)
Travis also loves the typewriter and has been writing up a storm since I got it two days ago.
He says, "I like it more than a computer because ... I don't know... you press the keys harder than a computer. I really don't know why. It's just more fun."
Posted by Anonymous at 4:06 PM 12 comments: Links to this post
Free audio downloads
Check out this site for audio books you can download for free.
A few million dollars or the respect of fellow writers?
Personally, I'd take the respect of fellow writers over the money. Then again, I've never been that driven by acquiring money--obviously--and what's money going to do for you when your writing community thinks you stink?
Okay, so he tried to sell it as fiction but the publisher said, Well, you say this is a memoir with a bit of embellishing? Let's make it a memoir, then--it'll sell better, so he does, he takes their advice, which is not always the best, admittedly, he gets sucked in, and then lookit.
At some point, you just have to stand your ground. Just say no, right?
But he's sold more books as a result of this fiasco, which I find repugnant. It figures. Our culture is currently so very celebrity-driven. Designer cars, designer clothes, designer books.
Scathing piece in the L.A. Times
"...which makes him a dealer in the literary equivalent of laetrile." You're right, Amy .... ouch...!
Click here to read "Desire for fact lies in a million pieces" by Tim Rutten.
Posted by Anonymous at 10:46 AM No comments: Links to this post
Yes, I'm interested. Isn't everyone?
Some anonymous someone wrote and said that he/her (said person didn't want to reveal who they were) found it interesting that I've spent the week writing about people I don't care about.
I found that really interesting--and odd.
Aren't all writers interested in matters of ethics in publishing? Aren't you interested in whether what Frey did was considered unethical by the folks in publishing? By readers and other writers? And aren't you interested and curious at the power that Oprah wields?
And so I write about it. I care about ethics in publishing and I care about how all this will shake down.
The other day I asked a friend--a well-published author, in fact--if she'd been following the Frey fiasco. She said she really hadn't been but from what she ascertained, The Smoking Gun was just trying to start trouble. This was her opinion after reading headlines.
Headlines. We read headlines and we skim.
I suppose I'll hear from that anonymous someone who will tell me again how curious they are that I'm still writing about this topic I care nothing about. I just hope he/her/it says who they are this time, so we can have a dialogue. This is part of the problem, you know--so many of us are afraid to say who we are, express our opinions.
It's easier to remain silent, to not make waves.
Okay, now I must retrieve the L.A. Times from the sidewalk. SFAmylou emailed and said there's an article about Frey. Talk to you later...
Oprah determines what you read?
I have never ever read a book because Oprah recommended it. Of course all authors want to be on Oprah, but do authors read what she recommends? I doubt it. Matter of fact, I was attracted to Franzen's The Corrections when he declined being an Oprah pick. That intrigued me, and I loved the book.
But what is that, reading a book because Oprah picked it for her book club? What happened to wandering the bookstore looking for a book, or reading reviews, or listening to your friends talking about their books? Now, if you have no friends that read, then you're going to need Oprah. Or if you don't read reviews or you don't wander the bookstore.
She says if a book resonates, that makes it true? Oh Dear. Now we have to define the word "true."
Posted by Anonymous at 12:31 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Publishers Weekly on Frey
Here's what Publishers Weekly and others have to say about Frey. (On Maud Newton's blog, scan down a bit. She has lots of links.
And please, somebody, tell me: Why does everyone care so very much what Oprah thinks and why does she have such influence over what people read? I mean, I know why authors love her, but the reading public, why???
And more about the memoir form and Frey
Edward Wyatt, in today's New York Times says, "Memoir is a personal history whose aim is to illuminate, by way of example, events and issues of broader social consequence," said a statement issued by Doubleday and Anchor Books, the divisions of Random House Inc. that published the book in hardcover and paperback, respectively. "By definition, it is highly personal. In the case of Mr. Frey, we decided A Million Little Pieces was his story, told in his own way, and he represented to us that his version of events was true to his recollections. "Recent accusations against him notwithstanding, the power of the overall reading experience is such that the book remains a deeply inspiring and redemptive story for millions of readers." As far as the charges, which were made by the Smoking Gun Web site, "This is not a matter that we deem necessary for us to investigate," said Alison Rich, a spokeswoman for Doubleday and Anchor Books.
Publisher's Lunch reports: "Consumers posting on Oprah Winfrey's Book Club message board indicate that Random House is providing refunds to buyers of A MILLION LITTLE PIECES who call their customer service line to complain in the wake of the unanswered charges made by The Smoking Gun earlier this week. One correspondent posts: 'Tell them you wanted fact not fiction.... They are very nice and will tell you how to return the book for a full refund...'
Frey's publisher has made more money on this book than perhaps any book ever. I wonder what their position would be if the book had been minor, had there been no Oprah involved. Any guesses? Or am I just being a tad cynical? And how will this effect the memoir form, writers are wondering.
Well, that rumor isn't true; Random House says they won't refund your money for the book. You should return it to your bookstore and they'll do it.
Still....
If you liked the book, why wouldn't you just keep it?
Did you see James on Larry King? Maybe he just got caught up. Kind of like a freewriting, when you do all one sentence, how the sentence starts carrying you along with it, picking up speed, and you're letting it rip, letting the words pour out and you don't even know where they came from.
Maybe that's what happened.
As he said to Larry, it's only a few pages--something like 20 out of 400-something--that are in question. Should those 20 pages serve to ream the guy? Would anyone want to ream him if his book were failing instead of wildly succeeding? Was he being whiny, talking out of the side of his mouth? Once a lying addict, always a lying addict??
Larry did seem to go pretty soft on the guy. Barbara Walters would have made him cry. (Does she even still do interviews?)
Here's a transcript of the show. Oprah called in. Scan to almost the end of the transcript.
You're all so quiet out there. What do you think?
More on James Frey
Here's more in the The New York Times on James Frey.
And if you want to listen to my interview with James, click here.
Is memoir different from journalism? Do you get to make things up in memoir? These are the questions, among others, that I hear these days.
In memoir, it's agreed that you can make some things up: dialogue you didn't actually write down but sort of remember, or want to approximate. Summary--instead of listing event after event. In other words, if you've had five marriages you might sum them up instead of reeling out each one. Didn't Mary Karr in The Liar's Club embellish beyond the beyond? When I heard that, I didn't want to read her book even more. I want to know that a memoir is basically true. Embellishments are okay. Lies aren't. Fabrications aren't.
And if someone says, "Is this all true?" and you say yes, it had better be true. Otherwise, you say, "I embellished, for the sake of the writing." If someone says, "Were you in jail for such and such?" you had better have been in jail for such and such. And don't say you expunged records, for whatever reason.
If you have a thought on all this, let it rip.
James Frey
Oh, dear. Right now I'd hate to be in James Frey's shoes. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. The man is bright, though. When he was on my show, he was smart and witty and compassionate. He sounded honest. Wouldn't he figure that any lies would be uncovered at some point? I don't get it. Oy vey.
When the power goes out in Southern California....
....if you have a laptop, or a notebook, you can still write.
We're in the squall here, a few blocks from the beach in Orange County, and when the power went out, the laptop stayed on and I kept working. But then Travis got up and I heard sirens and decided I should shower and get dressed, just in case. In case of what, I don't know. So I did. Made some calls to find out info about the outage. There was none, except for across town Debra's power came back on. Waited some more. No power. So I went outside with a flat pillow on my head to prevent my hair from soaking (of course the umbrellas are in Bry's car and Travis' poncho went bye-bye long ago--no rain, who needs a poncho!). So I'm out there with a flat pillow designed in browns and oranges and blues, and yellow rubber gloves, and I'm moving wood that's still dry from our woodpile that's--where else?--in the rain to a place under the eaves that's not getting rained on, and I'm out there for 15 minutes, doing this, feeling like we'll at least have heat for a while if the power stays off. I come in, wash my hands, and a few minutes later the power comes back on. Of course!
Hope you're staying dry and safe, wherever you are.
Now the drug rehab folks are mad: More (still) on ...
A few million dollars or the respect of fellow wri...
When the power goes out in Southern California.......


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HomeIceland-StartupsIntroducing GreenBytes: The winner of the EU-Startups Summit 2022 Pitch Competition!
Iceland-StartupsOther StuffStartups in general
Introducing GreenBytes: The winner of the EU-Startups Summit 2022 Pitch Competition!
By Patricia Allen
And just like that, the EU-Startups Summit has wrapped up for another year! We really enjoyed sharing two days of networking, inspiration and learning with all of you and can't wait to do it all again next year! About 1,700 attendees came together to connect in Barcelona and the buzz of being back to an in-person event made this year's Summit all the more special. We had some incredibly insightful talks on our workshop stage, inspiring keynotes on the main stage, and of course – our electrifying Pitch Competition! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us in sunny Barcelona!
This year's Pitch Competition saw 15 of Europe's most exciting up-and-coming early-stage startups take to the main stage to battle it out for a prize package worth €125k – and it was one of the most exciting pitch battles we've ever seen. We had narrowed down the 15 finalists from a monumental 1,300 applications.
The Prize Package
This year's prize package was incredible! With a total value of over €125k, it included everything on a young startup's wishlist to kickstart a skyrocketing future. It included:
€50k investment proposal by APX
€36K of Scaleway Cloud Credits as part of their Growth Stage Startup Program
$10k in Freshworks credits
€8.5k in mysimpleshow credits
1 year of Pipedrive CRM
1 year of Outgrow Essentials Plan
3 years of EU-Startups Club Membership
€3k in Vonage credits
1 year SEMrush Guru Plan
Pitching on the main stage
The 15 finalists represented different verticals from across Europe's startup ecosystem – from food tech to fintech to productivity tech and everything in between. We also had representation from across the continent, stretching from Iceland to Estonia and all the way to Greece. The finalists were: Gossik, Beatvest, GreenBytes, LandEx, LEGID App, Autoscriber, Dashero, Omgyno, StreamBee, Erasmus Play, Tryp.com , scudi, VMersive , Megi and Rackle.
During the pitches, it's fair to say we were all on the edge of our seats and with such hot competition our expert jury surely had a hard time judging the competition – it wasn't just the Barcelona sun heating things up at this year's Summit! Our panel of Lina Chong (Target Global), Volker Hirsch (Amadeus Capital Partners), Dr. Aline Vedder (Lakestar) and Henric Hungerhoff (APX) were also able to give lots of valuable advice to all the pitchers.
And the winner is..!
Taking the prestigious title of Pitch Competition Champions: GreenBytes!
Founded in 2020, the Icelandic startup is taking on the food industry, helping retailers simultaneously save money and boost sustainability through a cloud-based solution that is reducing food waste. The female-founded team has developed a web app that breaks down data based on menus, inventory and past experiences, to predict future food consumption. It means that food retailers can get actionable insights into the amount of food they should be ordering and when. Given that there are 240k tonnes of food waste per day in Europe, this team is tapping into a big opportunity to make an impact. According to the founding team, the platform can save a mid-sized restaurant €8,479 per month and 251kg of food waste.
The inspiring team is taking on restaurant food waste by combining cutting edge tech with creativity, communication and out-of-the-box thinking. Founders Renata and Jillian made an incredibly compelling pitch on the day, and given the win-win-win dynamic to their offering, they made for worthy winners of this year's contest, and we are very excited to see how they grow and scale over the next year. The Pitch Competition this year brought amazing energy to the EU-Startups Summit and was certainly one of the highlights of this year's event.
EU-Startups CEO and Founder, Thomas Ohr, commented: "I think it's also interesting to note how many female founders we had pitching this year – it really highlights how the European startup ecosystem is diversifying and becoming more inclusive. Events like the EU-Startups Summit, and our famous pitch competition, give a great stage for these up-and-coming innovators to gain visibility."
The GreenBytes team will now be able to use their generous prize package to scale the vision to conserve the environment and boost sustainability in hospitality, whilst increasing restauranteur's profitability and success.
We want to send a huge well done to all the participants of this year's Pitch Competition – it really was a nail-biting affair. To make it to the final 15 out of over 1,300 applications is itself an incredible achievement.
Think your startup has what it takes? Keep an eye out for our 2023 edition!
Silicon Castles is a Tech Company Builder and Strategic Business Accelerator for technology, intellectual property and licensing businesses, located in Salzburg, Austria. The focus is on European Diamonds: technology startups with a unique business idea, scalable technology and outstanding intellectual property. Silicon Castles also organizes the Startup Executive Academy (SEA), an international Go-to-Market program for founders and executives of early-stage startups, taking place annually since 2017.
Unleashed, by the Purina Accelerator Lab, is the first and only accelerator programme in Europe dedicated exclusively to pet-tech. Their goal is to shape the future of pet care by supporting disruptive pet startups with technologies in advanced nutrition, sustainability, health and digital solutions that enrich the lives of pets and the people who love them. Over the last 2 years, Unleashed had accelerated 12 pet startups, facilitated >350 founders in the Unleashed community and welcomed over 1000 subscribers to the Unleashed pet tech newsletter.
Webex offers industry leading solutions in video conferencing, team collaboration, calling, contact centre and devices, and is trusted by 95% of the Fortune 500. With Webex, businesses can simplify communication, inspire innovation, and empower people to engage with each other anywhere on any device – giving businesses the ultimate edge. Because, when businesses enable employees to bring their best selves to work, everyone wins.
Freshworks is the leader of cloud-based customer and employee software including CRM, livechat, support, marketing automation, ITSM, & HRMS. Products are simple to set up, cost-effective & equipped with powerful automation. Through the Freshworks for Startups program the EU-Startups community can gain access to up to $10k credits on essential tools & products for your Startup. You also get access to Freshworks' community of VCs, Investors, Mentors, & Customers. Claim your benefits here.
MarketerHire is the fast, easy way to get access to the world's best marketers. Its recent launch into Europe means you now have on-demand access to our global network of expert, pre-vetted marketers with zero financial risk and full flexibility. Already, the company has over 3,500 customers ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies, including: Netflix, AngelList, Plaid, Quip, Skillshare, Udacity and others.
Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for human progress. Dassault provides businesses and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. They have worked with hundreds of startups to support their dreams and help them scale up and launch innovative and disruptive products onto the global market. Fundamentally, Dassault Systemes believes that the only progress is human, and startups are pivotal to driving it forward.
SafetyWing is building the first global safety net for remote companies, remote workers and nomads worldwide. Their products are built and designed by a fully remote team of nomads distributed across three continents. Remote Health by SafetyWing is a global health insurance that covers your employees and contractors worldwide under one simple plan.
ACCIÓ – Catalonia Trade & Investment is the Catalan Government's agency that works to attract foreign investment to Catalonia, promoting the region as attractive, innovative and competitive business location for startups. Check out their offerings and the Catalonia Startup Directory.
EU-Startups Summit
greenbytes
Dublin-based Buymie bags €7 million for its big basket same-day grocery delivery platform
The most common checkout errors and how to prevent them (Sponsored)
Patricia Allen
is the Head of Content at EU-Startups. With a background in politics, Patricia has a real passion for how shared ideas across communities and cultures can bring new initiatives and innovations for the future. She spends her time bringing you the latest news and updates of startups across Europe, and curating our social media.
Carey Smith, Founding Contrarian, Unorthodox Ventures will speak at this year's EU-Startups Summit!
Pitch on stage at this year's EU-Startups Summit on April 20-21 in Barcelona – compete for a €160k Prize Package!
Rob Cassedy, CEO of Wallapop, will speak at this year's EU-Startups Summit on April 20-21 in Barcelona!
Lina Chong, Partner at Target Global, will speak at this year's EU-Startups Summit!
Adam Kostyál, Senior VP of Nasdaq / Head of Listings for EMEA will speak at this year's EU-Startups Summit!
Marcos Martín, Founder and CEO of Decelera, will speak at this year's EU-Startups Summit on April 20-21 in Barcelona!
PwC Cybersecurity & Privacy Day 2023: Join the Event and Apply to Pitch today! (Sponsored)
Netherland-Startups
Daniel Gebler, Co-founder and CTO of Picnic, will speak at our EU-Startups Summit in Barcelona on April 20-21!
Apply now for the Pitch Competition at this year's EU-Startups Summit – Finals on April 20-21 in Barcelona!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Hi! It's been a long time… Now, where were we?
Do you remember where we left it in the first post? San Francisco. Four weeks ahead of us and a challenge: how to improve the relations between a water concession company and its clients.
Carolina Uribe. Carol is one of those tireless dreamers who do not stop until they achieve their dreams. 100% Colombian. An industrial designer, who graduated from SCAD.
Daniel Benito. Dani loves nature and horses. He is a Forestry Engineer and Consultant in PwC (Sustainability and Climate Change department).


Hong Kong-listed casino operator and developer NagaCorp Ltd posted a 53.1 percent year-on-year increase in net profit for full calendar 2018, to US$390.6 million. The growth was fuelled by a 54.9-percent jump in gross gaming revenue (GGR) – to nearly US$1.43 billion – at its NagaWorld complex (pictured), the firm said in a filing on Wednesday.
NagaCorp added it had achieved "strong business volume growth across all segments" in 2018, particularly in VIP gaming where it recorded "customer demand for higher table limits and increased rollings". In addition, "the increasing investment related visitation to Phnom Penh" also contributed to an increase in VIP business volume, it stated.
The group declared a final dividend of US$0.0291 per share for the period, to be paid on May 17, upon approvalof the shareholders at the upcoming annual general meeting, to be held on April 26.
"Net profit for the year would have increased by 100 percent, excluding the impact of the US$60.0 million fee earned in 2017 in respect of the assignment of licensing right to certain investors to operate a number of electronic gaming machines," the firm stated. "The company has ready demand but did not opt for similar transaction in 2018," it added.
NagaCorp stated it expected "all top four Macau mega junkets will operate in Naga2 by 2019". NagaCorp did not identify the four junket operators it was referring to, but added that Suncity Group's operation at Naga2 would "be moved to a larger and more desirable location in the first quarter of 2019".
Suncity Group is said by investment analysts to be one of the largest VIP gambling organisers in Macau.
Macau-based junket operator Guangdong Group confirmed to GGRAsia last month that it was expanding its VIP gaming service to Naga 2. In a written reply to GGRAsia, the junket firm noted at the time that it would be in a trial stage starting in "early January" for its freshly launched service – run under a partnership with other investors – at Naga 2.
Earlier this month, Tak Chun Group, another leading Macau investor in gambling junkets, announced it was preparing to open a VIP gaming club at the NagaWorld casino resort complex in "mid-Feburary". The announcement did not clarify if the new club was in the original NagaWorld building or Naga 2 nearby.
NagaCorp "continues to beat expectations as demand remains very robust across all gaming segments and across both properties," said Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd analyst Grant Govertsen in a note released after the result announcement by the casino operator.
Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp has an exclusive licence to operate casinos in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, and its surroundings. It started operations with the NagaWorld property, now referred to as Naga1, which opened in December 2006. That property now links to Naga2, an expansion that opened in November 2017.
"Naga2 significantly increased the appeal, capacity, quality, range and reach of VIP, mass gaming and non-gaming offerings," the casino operator stated in its Wednesday filing.
The casino operator said that only "minimal cannibalisation" had been so far observed between Naga1 and Naga2, "with Naga1 property retaining most of its existing players while Naga2 is attracting customers who are new to NagaWorld".
Naga1 and Naga2 combined are now described as the NagaWorld complex, and are connected via an underground shopping mall known as NagaCity Walk.
NagaCorp reported VIP gambling rolling chip volume of approximately US$35.66 billion for full calendar year 2018, up by 68.8 percent from the prior year. The win rate for the period stood at 3.0 percent, it added. That translated into a 71.0 percent year-on-year increase in VIP revenue to US$1.07 billion in the full year.
NagaWorld also achieved strong growth in the mass market segment: revenue from main floor tables increased 57.4 percent year-on-year to US$235.7 million in full-year 2018.
"This business volume growth is attributable to the increasing visitation at both Naga1 and Naga2 as a result of tourism growth into Cambodia, particularly from China which recorded 69 percent growth in the first 11 months of 2018," NagaCorp said.
Non-gaming revenue at NagaWorld increased by 31.2 percent year-on-year to US$39.9 million in 2018, "primarily contributed by increase in room nights sold with the opening of Naga2, as well as better performance across all the food and beverage outlets in line with the overall increase in visitation to the combined NagaWorld complex," said the casino operator.
NagaCorp is developing a casino resort in the Primorksy Krai region, near the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. The project – with a first phase of development that will include a 279-room hotel, casino and a conference hall – "remains broadly on schedule for completion in 2019," the firm stated in its Wednesday filing.
"The group believes that its strategy to diversify its business geographically and expand into new casino markets will drive revenue growth in the long term," NagaCorp said.


text:
Showdown–September 15, 2013
A snowy egret and a green heron squared off on the bulkhead at the marina. Actually, it wasn't much of a contest. As soon as the egret got close, the green heron flew off. The egret continued working its way down the bulkhead, and one green heron after another yielded its space to the egret. Apparently egrets trump green herons.
I like to visit the marina from time to time. It serves as a great way to calibrate, though unscientifically, what's going on with the bird population. It served as a fair indicator during spring migration when new birds would suddenly begin appearing at the marina. First the yellow-crowned night heron, then the green heron. Now, I'm hoping it will serve as a good indicator for fall migration, as well. For instance, I thought the green heron may have left since I haven't seen one near the peninsula in weeks. But today, at the marina, they were still very much present. I counted eight in all. So it's fair to say, the green heron have not left the building, yet.
In the meantime, the brown pelicans were putting on a show. It's amazing, and entertaining, watching them dive for fish.
Update on Gulf Watch: Tropical Storm Ingrid is now Hurricane Ingrid, but unfortunately we are not expected to get much of anything from it. Higher tides, other than that our drought-like weather continues with an occasional shower.
Green Thought: "I saw that animals were important. I saw that plants were even more important. I was also to learn that compared to many of the other species, we weren't important at all except for the damage we do. We do not rule the natural world, despite our conspicuous position in it. On the contrary, it is our lifeline, and we do well to try to understand its rules." ― Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, The Hidden Life of Deer: Lessons from the Natural World


You can install the app on your Android or iOS phone or tablet. Try Gmail Free Email Service.
Regardless of which email account providers you use, you can manage all of your multiple email accounts with mail. You can get notified when a message sends and even be reminded later if you don't get a reply. Zoho Mail has these features, too: Mail supports email filters, contact importing and exporting, tasks, and hotkeys.
The ProtonMail is committed to developing and broadly deliver important fundamental features to protect your data online. Internet Productivity. Also, address verification which allows you to be sure you are securely communicating with the right person and full support for PGP email encryption is available.
Sometimes you just need to send emails without prior registration. Here, we shall look at 10 solid email services that you should consider if you are planning to switch email service providers. We believe email privacy should be available to all.
Partners and Sponsors. They claim to be the best free email service and available for everyone.
Mail if you prefer to read all your mail here. None of your other personal info is necessary.
What We Like A calendar and to-do list is easily accessible from the email page Has the ability to customize lots of settings Lots of themes to choose from Can check spelling before sending every email. Close Search Search Hongkiat.
Still, it seems a little unfair to complain about a service which is no-strings-attached free, and doesn't even show ads. They also provide mobile support.
One of the first things to stand out with this email service is that you can't proceed with creating your account until you make a really secure password. The compose window when making new emails is a bit similar to Gmail, but one useful difference is that it's easy to switch between inline image attachments and normal file attachments.
In addition to documents, photos, and other data, any emails you receive count against the limit. News Reviews Insights TechRadar.


text:
Q: How can PGPool be used for a HA Postgres Cluster for K3S? In order to run a HA K3S (3-node) cluster I need an HA external database (e.g. PostgreSQL). I have 2 Postgres Servers A and B running in streaming replication mode but I can only point K3S at the master A because only the master allows writes. If A dies or is booted or has a problem or whatever my cluster is down.
Can I install PGPool on both the above servers behind a Load Balancer (F5*) in such a way that if the master server A dies (is rebooted or in some other way disappears) the remaining PGPool automatically promotes the following server B to master? When server A starts it should then somehow know that it is no longer the master and, ideally become a readonly follower. K3S will always be pointed at the F5 load balancer.
[*] F5 will simply round-robin balance all traffic (reads and writes) to both PGPool endpoints and their job is to send writes (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE etc) to the master server. F5 will poll the hosts and stop sending traffic to a host if it dies.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Cheryl was an absolute delight to work with! Since we live out of state, she watched over our property like it was her own. She was always prompt with texts, emails, and phone calls. We highly recommend Cheryl to anyone looking to sell a property! Excellent service!
Cheryl is very personable, knowledgeable, non pressure, works very hard, and listens to what you want. She is always on top of everything. I will always call Cheryl for any of my real estate needs.


Keith Urban and Frankie Ballard trade guitar licks.
Lindsay Ell shares a backstage video of Brett Eldredge's first manicure.
Thomas Rhett and his daughter stop by the Mercy Lounge photo booth in Nashville.
Carly Pearce sings the national anthem at the Brickyard 400.
Kane Brown gets a new Canary Mastiff pup.
Brett Young rides a tiny bicycle.


text:
Q: (LUA) Need help to send commands to a web server I have a robot and a vision system that can be manipulated through port 80 to receive commands. I'm unable to do so.
I've tried to mess around with Lua TCP socket communication but it is still too complex to what I'm able to understand (my brain is small). My robot has a plugin which allows me to manually send the commands on a web interface and that is the only way I know that works. I want to develop it into my main script code to allow it to run automatically.
This is part of the code for the vision system web interface
h1>Select Reference Object

Active reference object: Object 3

<form method="post" action="ReferenceObject">
Available reference objects: <select name="bankList">
<option value="?refBank=1">Object 2</option>
<option value="?refBank=0">Object 1</option>
<option value="?refBank=2">Object 3</option>
<option value="?refBank=3">Object 4</option>
</select>
<input type="submit" name="applyBank" value="Apply"/>
</form>

This is the command from the vision system manual which when entered in the plugin or selected at the web interface works.
http://192.168.1.110/CmdChannel?sINT_1_1
Below is the code that completely does not work which I've tried.
tcp.client.connect("192.168.0.111", 80)
tcp.client.send_str_data("192.168.0.111", 80, "http://192.168.1.110/CmdChannel?sINT_1_1")


The internet's anti-science forces, the Nike Pro Hijab, and shady fertility clinic happenings.
Finally, a sportswear company made gear for Muslim women. It's about time: according to Kameir, Muslim women spent $44 billion on modest clothing in 2015. "The Pro Hijab, which will be available for purchase for $35 next year," she wrote, "reads like a rare corporate acknowledgement of an underserved demographic. Muslim women are people, too and people we want to market to, the company seems to be saying."
Sixto Paz is just one of the many faces of the mass deportation happening in the U.S. Garcia's piece chronicles Paz's experience, after he chose to take longterm sanctuary in an Arizona church.
Girlfriends "creator Mara Brock Akil set about to challenge and affirm the idea of what it meant to be a modern black woman," wrote Starling in this piece on the importance of the seminal '00s show. "Who was she? How did she move through the world? What were her motivations, beliefs, and passions?"
Reported by the Teacher Project at Columbia University School of Journalism with support from ProPublica, this exposé had some hard work put into it. It's about Paramount Academy, an "alternative school for sixth- through 12th-graders with behavioral or academic problems," that's funded by a for-profit company called Camelot Education, which is under a contract with the Reading School District. Turns out Camelot employs "behavioral specialists" and "team leaders," who are usually "large men whose job was partly to enforce the rules."
We live in a world infected by false information that travels rapidly across social media. "Welcome to the vast universe of self-built social media empires devoted to spreading false, misleading, and polarizing science and health news — sometimes further and wider than the real information," wrote Lee, who dove into those crevices. "Here, climate change is a government-sponsored hoax, fluoridated water is poisonous, cannabis can cure cancer, and airplanes are constantly spraying pesticides and biological waste into the air." Oh and by the way, stopping vaccinations could cause infectious diseases to run rampant, just like this nonsense.
Can you imagine being told you were conceived from a sperm donation, then hitting a dead end trying to find your biological father via the fertility clinic, and eventually finding out that your father is actually the clinic doctor?


text:
Lars Gösta Henning Jakobsson, känd som Lars Jakobsson och senare Lars Jacob Jakobsson, född 15 augusti 1947 i Olaus Petri församling i Örebro, är en svensk skådespelare, musiker och scenograf.

Jakobsson var en av dem som i slutet av 1960-talet i Lund startade den teatergrupp som sedermera utvecklade sig till Nationalteatern. Han deltog även i Tältprojektet 1977. Efter att Nationalteatern upphört har han varit verksam på Västanå teater och numera på Österlens musikteater. Han har också arbetat som kostymör, grafisk designer och fotograf. Under tiden i Nationalteatern medverkade han på flera musikalbum.

Källor

Noter

Svenska skådespelare under 1900-talet
Svenska scenografer
Svenska musiker
Skådespelare från Örebro
Födda 1947
Män
Levande personer
musiker från Örebro

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Everything is labeled (titles, axes, important values, data source), so there's no question about what you're looking at. The overall title explains what the visuals are intended to convince you of (so there's no guessing!). The points they want to highlight (2011) are shown clearly and draw attention through use of color-heavy call out boxes.
The use of color is intentional (not what a graphing application randomly chose); note how red means the same thing in both graphs: total. This consistency is important for easy comprehension.
There isn't any extraneous stuff to dilute the audience's attention. Everything that's there is adding informative value.
The visual hierarchy of information is clear. The data draws your attention through color; titles are bold so you can't help but know what you're looking at. Axis labels are less emphasized (but still clearly legible) with non-bold font. Sources and gridlines are there to help interpret the data, but are pushed to the background through size and weight so they don't compete visually with the data.
Perhaps most importantly, the visual fits well with the article it accompanies. The graphs reinforce the main takeaways from the article and vice versa.
WSJ in general tends to have effective data representations, so if you're looking for more good examples, this is a great source. I still encourage you to maintain a critical eye when looking at any data visualization: observe what works well and what doesn't and try to emulate the effective parts in your own visuals.
Do you have any favorite sources for good data viz?


text:
Article Archives: Articles: Handicapped
Shelburne Falls - The 46th anniversary of the Franklin County Baptist Association was held on Wed. and Thurs. of last week. This association is not as large as its name would indicate - only about half of the Baptist churches of the county are in this body. The other churches of the county are connected with the Millers River Association, whose anniversary is to be held in Turners Falls this week.
This division of the Baptist churches of this county into two associations is found to work rather against the interests of the churches. Steps have been taken to unite these two bodies...As it is the Franklin Association is composed of only 11 churches, and of these only 7 churches support a settled ministry...
A feature of special interest was the presence of the venerable and beautiful old man, Father David Pease of Ashfield, now in his 93rd year. Although blind and quite lame, his mind is as clear, and his heart as warm as ever. His life has almost covered the century of our nation's history. The old man was quite elegant in describing the struggles of the Baptist denomination under the old tyranny of the standing order...
Subjects: Ashfield (MA), Clubs, Eye, Handicapped, History, Montague (MA), Names, Old Age, Religion, Rivers / Lakes / Oceans, Shelburne and Shelburne Falls (MA), Turners Falls (MA)
(Coleraine) As was feared, J.M. Townsend, the faithful stage driver, has passed away. He died Sun. morning. He will be missed by all, especially by his invalid wife and daughter. We commend them to the sympathy of the community.
Subjects: Charity, Coleraine [now Colrain] (MA), Diseases, Family, Handicapped, Obituaries, Transportation, Work
"Well, mum, I am near-sighted, and I thought the window was open", explained an Athol gentleman who had deposited several gills of tobacco juice against the car window, to a finely dressed woman, who had received most of the liquid on her lap.
Subjects: Accidents, Athol (MA), Eye, Fashion, Glass / Windows, Handicapped, Jokes, Smoking and Tobacco, Trains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR9k4ISdghs&feature=related
John Bryant, a one armed workman in the furniture manufactory of Joseph Pierce, lost all the fingers but one on his remaining hand Wed. aft., by bringing it in contact with a plaining machine.
Subjects: Accidents, Athol (MA), Business Enterprises, Furniture, Handicapped, Luck, Trees, Work
J.H. Whittlesy, [possibly J.H. Whittlesey] a deaf and dumb man, had a pig stolen Mon. night. There is no trace of the stolen property.
Subjects: Animals / Reptiles, Crime, Deerfield (MA), Handicapped, Noise, Robbers and Outlaws
Fighting Joe Hooker
Fighting Joe Hooker is in good general health, but is quite lame from the paralytic attack he had some time since. [See General Joseph Hooker on Wikipedia].
Subjects: Diseases, Handicapped, Literature / Web Pages, Names, War / Weaponry
The Clarke Institute for the Deaf and Dumb held its first graduating exercises at Northampton Tues, a class of 6 being graduated, 4 of them young ladies.
Subjects: Education, Hampshire / Hampden Counties, Handicapped, Women
Company A bore off its share of honor in the Bunker Hill celebration. Captain William left town Wed. with 50 men, who returned by special train on Fri., a little lame and jaded, after their marching in the grand procession, and in consequence of two nights of broken rest, but they all had a good time and are proud of the many handsome compliments given by the press and individuals for the excellent discipline and fine appearance of the regiment points which were not excelled by any other troops in the State.
Subjects: Amusements, Clubs, Dreams / Sleep, Greenfield (MA), Handicapped, Heritage Activities, History, Literature / Web Pages, Massachusetts, Trains, War / Weaponry
The case of Mrs. Stephen Haywood Senior of Plainfield awakens deep sympathy in a large circle. Six years ago one of her eyes became impaired, resulting, after the lapse of 3 years, in its entire loss. Meanwhile the other eye, double prized, becoming similarly affected, she went to Boston last winter to consult with an eminent eye doctor. After examination, thinking thereby to arrest the trouble, he recommended the removal of the blind eye. Unfortunately this advice, well meant, was adopted, and the next day witnessed the operation. Almost immediately the sight of the only remaining eye ceased, leaving her as she is now, and probably will continue to be totally blind. The means used to secure relief hastened the dreaded result.
Subjects: Boston (MA), Eye, Hampshire / Hampden Counties, Handicapped, Luck, Medical Personnel, Plainfield (MA), Women
A child was born to Mr. and Mrs. John Bryant a few days since, that had no eyes, one socket having no eyeball and the other about as large as a pea and no opening at all. It is really a sad case.
Subjects: Athol (MA), Births, Eye, Handicapped
Mrs. Ann E. Williams and her sister accidentally drove a blind horse off a bridge at Curtis the other day, and each of the ladies had an arm and one a leg broken by a consequent fall upon the rocks.
Subjects: Accidents, Animals / Reptiles, Bridges, Eye, Family, Handicapped, Horses, Massachusetts, Transportation, Women
"A night of delight" by Charles H
"A night of delight" by Charles H. Day [circus press agent].Large article advertising the circus, starting with "Willie was a cripple, and lived on one of the avenues east of the Bowery".
Subjects: Advertising, Circus, Handicapped, Literature / Web Pages, Roads, Sales
We hope our friends will patronize the lame man, Josiah King, who has been unable to do his usual work in selling pictures of various kinds.
Subjects: Charity, Handicapped, Sales, Shelburne and Shelburne Falls (MA)
Crippled water works are now being looked into.
Subjects: Business Enterprises, Handicapped, Rivers / Lakes / Oceans, Shelburne and Shelburne Falls (MA)
Franklin E. Johnson, a farmer who lived near the boundary line of Williamsburg and Conway, committed suicide on Fri. by cutting his throat in his barn with a common pocket knife. He was a sober, industrious man about 35 years of age, He was somewhat lame, and sometimes became quite disheartened, and may have committed the deed in a fit of discouragement. No other reason has been assigned for the act. He leaves a wife and 2 or 3 children.
Subjects: Children, Conway (MA), Diseases, Family, Farmers & Farming / Flowers, Hampshire / Hampden Counties, Handicapped, Obituaries, Suicide
Gazette & Courier - Monday, April 5, 1875
The attention of our farmers and horsemen is called to the advertisement of the fine stock horse "John G. Saxe" [named after the Vermont-born guy who wrote "The blind men and the elephant"]. He has few, if any, superiors in this section.
Subjects: Advertising, Animals / Reptiles, Births, Eye, Farmers & Farming / Flowers, Greenfield (MA), Handicapped, Horses, Literature / Web Pages, Names, Vermont, Work
A young man has been visiting the blind and deaf people in Sterling
A young man has been visiting the blind and deaf people in Sterling, selling them pieces of wire which worn around the head and ears was to effect a cure. He got from $5 to $10 from each, and now other towns are warned against him.
Subjects: Crime, Criminals, Economics, Handicapped, Massachusetts, Quacks and Quackery, Sales
The The deaf, dumb and blind asylum at http://collections.m...detail.jsp?id=138742 Oakland California was burned Mon. eve. and is a total loss.
Subjects: Economics, Eye, Fires, Handicapped, Medical Personnel
A school not 20 miles from Whitehall, N.Y. is presided over by a cross
A school not 20 miles from http://www.canals.st...tory/finch/pg10.html Whitehall, N.Y. is presided over by a cross-eyed teacher. A few days ago he called out "That boy that I am looking at will step out on the floor". Immediately 27 lads walked out in front of the astonished pedagogue.
Subjects: Children, Education, Eye, Handicapped, Work
Miss Maria A. Mar[?] of Appleton received the bite of a dog on one of her hands 12 years ago, and has been a constant sufferer ever since. For the first 4 years she had frequent attacks of sickness o
Miss Maria A. Mar[?] of Appleton received the bite of a dog on one of her hands 12 years ago, and has been a constant sufferer ever since. For the first 4 years she had frequent attacks of sickness of a few weeks duration, and since 1866, when she had a severe attack of her malady, she has not stood up by herself. Her left hand and arm are entirely useless, and for two years and a half she was blind, though she now has a partial use of her eyes. Last July she had an attack of paralysis of the organs of speech, and has since been unable to speak.
Subjects: Animals / Reptiles, Diseases, Eye, Handicapped, Women


Fashion designer Charlotte Ronson and DJ Samantha aren't just sisters — they're fraternal twins. Samantha often provides the playlists for Charlotte's runway shows and spins at her afterparties. They also share another artistic sibling in musician Mark Ronson.


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kitchen design planner er piels.
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free outdoor fireplace construction plans ts.


We'll be having our first Chapter meeting for 2019 on 13th February from 8am - 12.30pm PST hosted by Palo Alto Networks.
Formal invite to follow soon!!
Hope you've all been great since we last got together.
The next Bay Area SES Meeting is this Thursday, 6/21 in San Francisco. We've got a great roster of guest speakers on the topic "Data Driven Enablement".
We'll also have some fun and develop some new ideas by working and collaborating together!!
Please promote this meeting to your fellow Bay Area SES members, colleagues and other Sales Enablement professionals.


For most of us, good friends are the ones who show up, listen, and don't judge. But when Finery's Greg Sato purchased a Los Angeles home that's rumored to be Greta Garbo's former dressing house, his friends took it a step further: They helped customize, well, almost everything.
If, as rumor has it, Garbo indeed had such a pied-a-terre in L.A.'s Silver Lake neighborhood near what was once the original Disney studio, one would think it'd be glamorous. But when Sato first purchased the 1925 cottage in question, there were random built-ins, unseemly tile choices, and a backyard covered in overgrown brush and Astroturf. Fortunately, Sato's a seasoned brand marketer and co-owner of Finery, a company that makes decidedly un-uniform uniforms for staffers at cool spots like The Line hotel in Koreatown and The Parker Palm Springs—which means he has not only a firm grasp on his aesthetic, but a long list of friends who do custom work.
A perfect example of what good friends can accomplish together is Sato's backyard. He wanted the garden to be a central gathering place, so David Godshall of landscape company Terremoto—whom Sato first met when he was overseeing Levi's entertainment marketing—designed the steel-and-rope pergola. Another friend, Zak Hawthorne, of Coupler Mfg Co., built it. Dinner parties now take place at the custom table by yet another friend, Aaron Johnson of Aconcepts. Sato got his hands dirty as well: He did all the landscaping himself, and gave a discarded fire pit from Target new life with the addition of I-beams. "Now it looks legit," he says.
Sato doesn't have a precise name for his décor sensibility—"Polytheistic," he says a few days after he was first asked—but it's always personal. He's filled his home with things he loves, as opposed to following one era or design philosophy— an approach that mirrors his work with Finery. "We always ask ourselves, 'Is this something my friends would wear?'" Sato says. "The worst thing is looking like you tried really hard, or tried to follow a specific trend. I guess, in a loose way, that's how I put my house together."
The photographs throughout the home are of favorite places, including Joshua Tree and the High Sierras. And the books on the shelves are not just for show. Says Sato, "You could point to any book, ask why I have it, and I could say that because it's about dinosaurs, that's about men's style. I have ten volumes from the '30s about how to be a better person in terms of manners and etiquette. That's fascinating to me." He adds, "Some people are like, 'You're a hoarder!' And I'm like, 'No, no. It's called discerning collecting.'"
More custom pieces can be found in Sato's bedroom. The bench is also by Johnson, whom Sato met back when he was doing marketing at Fiji water. The neon light over the bed is Sato's own design. "It says, 'I loved you,' but the 'D' is purposely not lit up, because I never really know if my love is past or present."
Love is a tricky business, but Sato's bonhomie is without question. When it comes to the circle of friends who collaborated with him on the house, the door is always open. "Everybody has a key and the code and they can come and go as they please," Sato says. "If I'm not here, you know how to get in." We'll be right over.
When it comes to the circle of friends who collaborated with him on the house, the door is always open. "Everybody has a key and the code and they can come and go as they please," Sato says.


text:
Q: how do i get gender from facebook public profile Facebook IOS Swift SDK The reason why I need to get the gender of the Facebook user is because my app is only cater for women and by getting the gender of the user could solve a lot of the app problem.
The code
loginManager.logIn(readPermissions: [ .publicProfile, .email ], viewController: self) { loginResult in
            switch loginResult {
            case .failed(let error):
                print(error)
            case .cancelled:
                print("User cancelled login.")
            case .success(_, _, let accessToken):

                if let userId = accessToken.userId {

                }

            }
        }

The result that I get from the facebook server
["picture": {
    data =     {
        height = 200;
        "is_silhouette" = 1;
        url = "https://www.picture.com";
        width = 200;
    };
}, "last_name": Test, "email": test123@gmail.com, "id": 1234556, "first_name": Airsoft]

I didn't get the gender of the user. How do I get the gender of the user?
Regards

A: You can get these details using Graph api. Check this link https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/reference/user
      let request = FBSDKGraphRequest(graphPath: "\(user-id)", parameters: ["fields" : "id,name,email,birthday,gender,hometown" ], httpMethod: "GET")
      request?.start(completionHandler: { (connection, result, error) in
        // Handle the result
      })


text:
Features Indie Lists Metal News Pop Pop Punk Rock
6 Must-Watch Indie Directors
May 20, 2014 May 21, 2014 Rachel Policano	50/50, adrien brody, america, american, andrew wilson, anjelica huston, annie hall, ben affleck, bill murray, blue jasmine, botched crimes, brian o'halloran, bruce willis, burn after reading, canada, chasing amy, christoph waltz, clerks, clerks II, clerks III, comic books, danish, death proof, denmark, diane keaton, directors, django unchained, dogma, drive, dvds, emma watson, ethan coen, europe, ezra miller, fantastic mr. fox, frances mcdormand, francis ford coppola, grindhouse, grindhouse: death proof, harvey keitel, her, hockey, independent, independent directors, independent films, indie, indie directors, indie films, infectious magazine, inglourious basterds, Inside Llewyn Davis, jackie brown, jason lee, jason mewes, jason schwartzman, jay and silent bob strike back, jersey girl, joel coen, john goodman, john hughes, john malkovich, jonathan levine, joseph gordon-levitt, kevin smith, kill bill volume 1, kill bill volume 2, kill bill: vol. 1, kill bill: vol. 2, kirsten dunst, looper, lost in translation, luke wilson, lynne ramsey, mallrats, marie antoinette, mark ruffalo, Marvel, mary corleone, matt damon, matt johnson, mia farrow, michael bowen, michael madsen, midnight in paris, milkfed, milkfed label, minneapolis, minneapolis minnesota, minnesota, moonrise kingdom, movies, music, new york city, nicholas hoult, nicolas cage, nicolas winding refn, nirvana the band the show, no country for old men, north dakota, ntbts, o brother where art thou?, only god forgives, original star wars trilogy, Owen Wilson, paris je t'aime, pulp fiction, quentin tarantino, rachel weisz, raising arizona, repeated phrases, reservoir dogs, rian johnson, robert schwartzman, rushmore, ryan gosling, samuel l jackson, scarlett johansson, scotland, scottish, seth rogan, silent bob, sin city, sofia coppola, spike jonze, star wars, star wars trilogy, stephen dorff, stereotypes, steve buscemi, steven spielberg, street fashion, teresa palmer, the big lebowski, the bling ring, the brothers bloom, the coen brothers, the darjeeling limited, the dirties, the godfather, the godfather trilogy, the grand budapest hotel, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the little mermaid, the royal tenenbaums, the virgin suicides, the wilson brothers, tilda swinton, tim roth, true grit, tuileries, uma thurman, united states, valhalla rising, vicky cristina barcelona, warm bodies, we need to talk about kevin, wes anderson, woody allen, zack and miri make a porno0 comment
Here's a secret about yours truly: I'm obsessed with films… and that's also a huge understatement. While I have nothing against the big blockbusters that seem to have taken over modern cinema (I could watch Marvel's films for days), the film fanatic in me has been known to watch a wide variety of films and has the DVD collection to prove it – ringing it at over 400+ DVDs, excluding my television series collection. I get plenty of gruff about that from my parents. Of the films I've seen and…
Bad Movies With Great Soundtracks
April 30, 2014 April 30, 2014 Rachel Policano	18th century, aaliyah, ac/dc, adam and the ants, alternative rock, anachronistic, anachronistic soundtrack, anne rice, anthony lapaglia, aphex twins, bad movies, batman forever, big empty, bob dylan, bon iver, book series, bow wow wow, brandon lee, breaking dawn, breaking dawn part 1, breaking dawn part 2, bruce lee, bruno mars, Cee Lo Green, chester bennington, Christina Perri, cliche, coldplay, cyber, cyber universe, daft punk, damn the man! save the empire!, daredevil, david bowie, disturbed, eclipse, elizabethtown, elliott smith, Empire Records, Eurythmics, first avenue, first avenue and 7th street entry, first avenue and seventh street entry, france, French, french duo, frou frou, garden state, garrett hedlund, good soundtracks, grammy, green day, gwar, I want candy, iggy and the stooges, infectious magazine, Iron & Wine, james o'barr, jeff bridges, jim morrison, john lennon, jonathan davis, journey, juno, kat dennings, kirsten dunst, korn, lestat, let's go crazy, linkin park, lionel richie, liv tyler, lost in translation, Lykke Li, marie antoinette, marilyn manson, michael cera, minneapolis, minneapolis minnesota, minnesota, modest mouse, muse, music, natalie portman, need in the hay, new jersey, new moon, nick and norah's infinite playlist, nine inch nails, novel, nu-metal, olivia wilde, pantera, papa roach, paramore, passion pit, paul simon, prince, purple rain, purple rain song, queen of france, queen of the damned, quicksand, rage against the machine, record store, records, renee zellweger, rockstar vampire, roger ebert, romeo + juliet, romeo and juliet, scott pilgrim, Seu Jorge, sigur ros, simon and garfunkel, sofia coppola, soundtracks, spice girls, static x, stephenie meyer, stone temple pilots, stuart townsend, sucker punch, the buggles, the Cranberries, the crow, the cure, the gin blossoms, the killers, the life aquatic, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the national, the ramones, the royal tenenbaums, the shins, the strokes, the twilight saga: breaking dawn part 1, the twilight saga: breaking dawn part 2, the twilight saga: eclipse, the twilight saga: new moon, the twilight series, The Velvet Underground, toad the wet sprocket, tron legacy, Twilight, vampire weekend, violent femmes, wannabe, we are scientists, wes anderson, when doves cry, without a trace, zach braff0 comment
Have you ever seen a movie so bad you wanted to hate it, but something was holding you back and you couldn't dislike it entirely? I have a theory on the matter: the redeemable quality that saved those movies from your hatred was the soundtrack. We all know the effect that music can have, especially on us as individuals, and I think you might agree that it includes making not-so-good movies into relatively tolerable ones. Now brace yourself, some of the films on this list may be your favorites or…


It is a deal that has every Serie A fan talking. A blockbuster deal that would see Mattia Caldara and Gonzalo Higuain move from Juventus to AC Milan, with Leonardo Bonucci returning to Juventus.
The deal would see Bonucci exchanged with Caldara, while Higuain joins Milan on loan for €18m, with a €36m option to buy.
In the world of Financial Fair Play, many fans are asking how such a deal is possible and the website Calcio e Finanza has broken down the financial details of the prospective transfer.
Both Caldara and Bonucci are being valued at around €40m, and will be part of a direct swap.
Bonucci earns around €7.5m plus bonuses at Milan, but he willing to take a €2m a year pay cut in order to return to Turin. That will see him earn less than what he made at Milan, but will see make about a €1m more than when he left Juve last summer.
Caldara, meanwhile is to earn €1.5m per season with Juventus, but his agents will push that to €2m when he joins the Diavolo.
Both Juventus and Milan are valuing Higuain at close to €55m, which represents his current value on the Bianconeri's accounts.
When clubs sign a player, they break down the cost of the deal over the lifetime of a contract in a process called amortisation.
Since Higuain signed for €91.3m from Napoli his value depreciates by €18.26m per season, giving a value of €54.78m for the remaining three years on his contract.
That is roughly equal to the total value of the transfer, while the €18m for the loan balances out the depreciation in Higuain's value this year.
He also earns €7.5m per season in Turin, so there will also be a gross saving of around €38m on his wages.
That will of course be partially offset by Bonucci's arrival on lower wages, while if Pipita earns the same salary at Milan it would effectively just replace the defender's salary on the books.
Bonucci's current value on the Rossoneri accounts would be around €33.6m, and with his wages off the books his sale to Juve would have a positive effect of €27.5m.
Caldara's arrival, assuming a €40m fee, a five year contract and a gross salary of €3.4m would cost €11.4m per season.
If the loan deal for Higuain is as reported, €18m will have to be paid outright for the loan, while his gross salary is €12.7m per season, so that transfer would add €30m to the Rossoneri's outgoings.
When the deal is taken as a whole it would have a negative impact of €14.6m, which could be covered with the sales of players like Nikola Kalinic.
Milan have to be mindful of Financial Fair Play, so will need to carefully balance their incoming and outgoing players once the deal is complete.
For Juventus, meanwhile, the operation will create a significant net positive on this season's balance sheet.
The sale of Caldara will bring a €33.4m gain up to June 30 2019, with a profit of €27.24m in total, given he arrived from Atalanta for €18m and has a book value of €12.76m.
Assuming Bonucci arrives on a €5.5m three-year contract, his gross salary this year – based on 11 months as Milan will pay his wages for July – will be €9.33m.
He will therefore add €22.66m to the balance sheet, i.e his gross salary of €28m over the contract plus €40m divided by the three years of the deal.
There will also be a saving in terms of salary though, as Higuain's gross wages will be off the books along with Caldara's creating saving of around €12.72m.
Pipita's loan is equal to the €18m amortisation he would represent on the books, so for this season the Bianconeri would break even in that regard.
The total impact on the balance sheet is positive for €41.5m as long as Milan do buy Higuain outright, otherwise it falls to €23.2m.


Making home improvements can really change your whole home. It also includes outdoor structures and landscaping as well. The following paragraphs are chock full of tips and techniques that you can use to have an amazing home.
Keep an eye out for carpet installation deals, whether at home improvement chain stores or local stores. Often, they will reduce the cost of installation to extremely low levels to help sell the actual carpet. This would be the best time to have that new carpeting put in your home because the labor and installation costs often exceed the actual cost of the product.
You may have occasion to repaint your porch. If you do, take care to use a high-quality exterior paint. The new paint should have the same base, be it oil or latex, that the existing paint does. The unparalleled durability of oil-based paint makes it ideal for trim, but it's inappropriate for decks or porches themselves (precipitation makes it slippery).
Think about adding coordinated metal fixtures to bathrooms to make them look more modern without spending too much. Towel racks, toilet paper holders, shower curtain rods and cabinet knobs are available in a variety of shapes and finishes. These items can be purchased in coordinating sets as well as individually.
Updating your kitchen appliances can be done on a reasonable budget. Is the style of your otherwise amazing refrigerator annoying you because stainless steel is where it is at? You can buy spray paint for your appliances in any color that you like. That makes it easy to renovate your kitchen in just a day.
Utilize wallpaper to make an attractive bookcase. Make sure you pick a wallpaper that is visually striking as well as different. Paste the wallpaper onto the inside of the bookcase to give your favorite books a fashionable backdrop. This will not only give your old bookcase a design boost, but give a focal point to your room.
Now that you know what home improvement is, you will know how to go about it. You'll be able to enjoy the jobs you complete. Whenever you upgrade your home's appearance it makes returning home from work each day a true pleasure.