A "Clean Eating" Definition and a Sweet Treat!
Now, these are the rules the Leakes used during their pledge and though I'd LOVE to live this way 100% of the time, I realize that it's not realistic for me. However, I do try to eat by these rules most of the time. Rather than commit to 100 days of real food like the Leakes did, they offer a different challenge to their readers - A 10 Day Pledge! For as much as I've learned about and talked about Clean Eating over the past 8 months I've yet to take this pledge myself. That's all about to change! I'm excited to announce that I am going to take the 10 Day Pledge beginning August 12, 2014! ( We have this little event coming up known as my daughter's 9th birthday...so I thought I should wait til after that!) I invite YOU to join me and sign up for the pledge yourself so we can do it together!
So, now that we've defined what Clean Eating means to me, I'd like to share a recipe with you. I thought that a great way to start off the blog would be with dessert, of course! Brownies! I first tried these brownies a few months ago when my friend made them for her diabetic daughter. Only after my non-diabetic kids devoured these brownies she told me that they were gluten free AND sugar free! Since my older daughter has a major sweet tooth and has never met a carb she didn't love, I thought these would be a fantastic addition to her lunchbox in a few weeks.
These are made with a high quality almond flour (I find mine at Costco) and honey which my kids love! The original recipe calls for chocolate chunks and orange zest. Though I really enjoyed the orange zest, it got mixed reviews in my house so I omitted it. Also, in an effort to make these completely sugar free I omitted the chocolate chunks as well. If I were making these for a special occasion I would totally use them, but for an everyday lunchbox treat I think they are just fine without them. Also, to add a little extra depth to them, I topped them with a little fleur de sal when they were done baking.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Butter the parchment or spray with extra virgin olive oil.
Place almond flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and any chunks have broken down. Pulse in cocoa powder and fleur de sel until mixture is well blended, about 10 seconds.
Add eggs, one at a time, and process until mixture is smooth. Add honey and coconut oil and continue blending until the mixture is smooth and all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool about 15 minutes before removing from the pan using the parchment to lift it out. When brownies are completely cooled, sprinkle with additional fleur de sel and cut into 16 squares.
How was your St. Patty's Day? Did you celebrate with green beer? Or Irish food? Or a local parade? How about all three?? I didn't indulge in any green beer this year and (sadly) didn't make it to Pittsburgh's awesome St. Patty's Day parade. I DID, however, attend a fun St. Patty's Day party and enjoyed some good Irish food! My contribution to the party was this Guinness and Cheddar Dip. Come to think of it, I may have brought this exact same dip to last year's party….hmmm…no one seemed to mind! I've actually made this dip several times over the past year and it's always quite popular! I've tweaked the original recipe a little so that the Guinness flavor really stands out. I like to serve it with hearty crackers or some veggies. So, even though the celebrations are over for this year, please don't wait until 2014 to give this recipe a try!!
In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mustard and half-and-half. Blend until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour the Guinness through the pour spout and blend until combined. Add the scallions and parsley and pulse a few more times to combine. Adjust flavor by adding salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a bowl and cover. Chill at least one hour before serving. Serve with crackers, pretzels or veggies.
I know, I know. Crazy long title for a little cookie. But I didn't want to leave any one, delicious ingredient out of the name. Brown butter - just like regular butter, but toasty and nutty and filled with awesomeness. Dark chocolate chips - just like regular chocolate chips, but richer and a little bitter and a little better for you, too. Sea salt - my second kitchen love (after butter, of course) that comes in so many unique varieties. They are all important players in the game. What you end up with here is a basic Nestle Toll House cookie that's been dressed up all fancy and treated with extra love. Yeah, that's exactly what you have here.
I've been trying to think of ways to take something simple and well-known and really amp it up and make it mine. I had been thinking about fancifying the basic chocolate chip cookie for a while now since seeing all of those brown butter, Nutella-stuffed, sea salt cookies all over Pinterest. I finally had a chance to give this idea a try since we hosted out of town guests this past weekend. The cookies were made Friday night with the intention of taking pictures Saturday afternoon when we had a rare sun-filled PA day. Let me tell you, by Saturday afternoon they were almost gone! Can you say "Success"? I couldn't stop eating them on Saturday - so much for cutting back on sugar. I ran 7-miles on Saturday morning so I sort of gave myself a free pass! Ha!
Browning butter is a relatively easy thing to do. You just heat the butter over medium-low heat until it starts to turn brown and smell nutty. Watch it very carefully because no one wants cookies made with burnt butter! Check out this tutorial here.
You can use any sea salt you have or kosher salt, but I used this fancy Maldon Sea Salt I bought a while ago. It's so neat looking - almost looks like little pyramids - so cool! I think it really imparts a nice, balance salt flavor to these salty-sweet dishes that are so popular now.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine brown butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until well-combined. Add in the eggs and mix until blended. In two or three batches, add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.
Sprinkle hot cookies with additional sea salt. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
My current food focus these days is healthy, easy and tasty. Portability never hurt, either. I'm also trying to cut back on my consumption of meat, sugar and dairy. I will NEVER cut these things out of my life entirely - I simply love food too much - but I'm doing my best to pick mostly whole foods for most meals and snacks. Last summer I came across these Energy Bites on Pinterest and they were a huge hit! However, they contain chocolate chips and sweetened coconut, which are fine, but in trying to limit my sugar I decided to avoid making them for a little while. So I kept searching. Thank you to all of you bloggers out there who do "Best of" posts at the end of each year! Thanks to Anne at fannetastic food I found these tasty little morsels as well as inspiration for lots more healthy meals in the months to come!
This particular recipe is as easy as they get. You will need a food processor to get the best results. You simply combine almonds and raisins together in the food processor to form a paste, then flavor the paste and form into balls or bars. That's it! Anne's original recipe flavored the balls with ground cinnamon but I used a little imitation rum extract for the rum raisin flavor I was looking for. Anne's recipe is gluten-free and vegan. To the best of my knowledge I believe the addition of the imitation rum extract does not change this fact. If anyone out there knows otherwise, I would love some education on the matter!
As you can imagine, these are highly customizable. You could use vanilla extract in place of the rum extract or you could swap out the nut/fruit combo. I plan to try an cashew/date version soon to simulate my favorite LARABAR!
Put almonds and raisins in a colander and rinse with water. Drain. Place wet almonds and raisins in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until a thick paste has formed, about 30 seconds.
Form into 12 balls or 6 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
After the craziness of the second half of 2012 with the move and the overblown holidays (self-imposed...I know) I vowed to sit back and relax in January. Besides running and playing in the kitchen I succeeded in doing very little last month. By the end of the month I was starting to feel like a shut-in! All that's changed in February. How is it that the 31 days of January drug by so slow and then I blink and it's already February 20? Where did this month go? I have a good idea - it's called back to reality! After-school activities, meetings, doctor appointments, birthday parties, school parties.....like I said, reality. This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend 48 glorious hours with my hubby and our little princesses at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio. This is an indoor waterpark and resort about 3 hours away from us. It was so much fun and such a great feeling to wear flip flops and bathing suits again for a little while! I love weekend getaways but they always leave me feeling flustered and 'behind' on things.
Tonight my 2nd grader had her First Reconciliation and each parent was asked to bring a dozen cookies for a little reception afterwards. Now, you all know me, so there was no way I was running out to the local grocery store for said cookies! In lieu of how much I have on my plate right now I chose to make a simple shortbread cookie and dip them in chocolate for a little something extra. They are so easy and delicious that I wonder why I don't make shortbread cookies more often. Oh wait, I know why - because I would eat them all! They are chewy and crumbly: buttery, salty and sweet. They are simple perfection! And after a quick dip in melted chocolate they are just that much better!
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, salt and sugar together for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix just until combined and a cohesive dough is formed. Roll the dough into a long roll, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and freeze until very firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.
Remove the log of dough from the freezer and slice into cookies, no thinner than 1/4 inch in thickness. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the bottoms are a light sand color. Allow to cool on the baking sheets a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place about 2/3 of the chocolate wafers in a microwave safe bowl, preferably glass. Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 40 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. Place the bowl back in the microwave for 20 seconds, then stir again. Continue heating the chocolate for 20 seconds and stirring until the chocolate is smooth and reads about 110° F. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, add the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate wafers to the melted chocolate and stir gently. Any clumps remaining should melt slowly.
Dip 1/2 of the shortbread cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on a wire rack to cool and harden the chocolate.
Here we are, almost halfway through the school year and I've accomplished a big feat! My 2nd grade daughter has been a fan of school lunches and, for the price, I never minded her buying them. At a little over $2 a day she can get a pretty decent, balanced, kid-friendly lunch. Well, the problem with that is, well....she doesn't! I surprised her during lunch one day last April and I caught her eating an ice cream cone while her otherwise healthy lunch items sat there on her tray untouched! When I questioned her about it she had a perfectly logical answer: "I have to eat the ice cream first Mommy. It would melt if I didn't." Doh! How many times had she done this? I couldn't be too upset, she was only 6 after all. After a doctor's visit over the summer I'd discovered the my petite little girl had gained a whopping TEN pounds in first grade! Whoa! Time to 'Mom Up' and start packing lunches for her. We have a little system in place to keep mommy and daughter happy. Some things have worked, some haven't. A few things that are a constant are 1 fruit, 1 veggie, 1 sandwich and 1 'junk' each day. Thankfully, she DOES eat those fruits and veggies so when she was asking for a jelly sandwich every single day I kind of let it slide. About a month ago I started reading labels more carefully. Yep, as suspected, high fructose corn syrup in her little jelly sandwich (cut out in the shape of a heart these days!). Time to make another change and give DIY jam-making a try. How simple! Just combine some fresh fruit, sugar and lemon juice and let it thicken up a bit and you have jam!
This is only a small batch so you don't have to worry about getting into the canning game - I'm certainly not there yet! This recipe produced a nice, thick, fresh tasting blueberry jam. It tastes like summer on a spoon! Anything that tastes like summer is much needed in Pennsylvania these days. Ugh...don't even get me started on how much I hate winter and how I feel like it's never going to stop snowing or if I'll ever see my toes again.... Anyhow, I digress! This jam takes about a half hour of your time and makes about 2 cups. The only downside to this recipe is that it only lasts in your refrigerator about 3 weeks. But that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just pair it up with some homemade almond butter and reinvent your PB&J for a yummy throwback lunch!
Place a metal spoon in the freezer to chill.
Combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While bringing the mixture to a boil mash the blueberries with a potato masher or a fork to release the pectin of the fruit. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to medium. Simmer vigorously until the mixture thickens and is jamlike, about 8-12 minutes.
To test for consistency, remove the spoon from the freezer and dip into the jam. Allow the jam to run off the spoon. Jam should fall off the spoon slowly, in one thick clump. If it does this, it is done. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. If the jam is too thin, continue simmering another 2-4 minutes until it reaches desired consistency.
Once jam has cooled to room temperature place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.


text:
Silent Hill 2 Remake May Never Come to Xbox
For the last year or so, Microsoft has been trying to hash out the legalities of purchasing Activision|Blizzard, home of some of the largest IP in the industry, and the move has been remarkably revealing of the mindsets and business practices on both sides of the Xbox vs PlayStation debate. If you've been paying attention, it could be argued that the entire affair has been quite funny to play out, as both consoles play equal amounts of "woe is me" cards trying to make themselves look more pathetic than the other (like an instance where Microsoft admitted that PlayStation has better exclusives). Microsoft released its response to the FTC's lawsuit attempting to block their acquisition, where they of course denied all of the FTC's allegations, but the important part (to us Silent Hill fans at least) is a short passage that eagle-eyed fans scoped out yesterday:
"In addition to having outright exclusive content, Sony has also entered into arrangements with third-party publishers which require the "exclusion" of Xbox from the set of platforms these publishers can distribute their games on. Some prominent examples of these agreements include Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix), Bloodborne (From Software), the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix) and the recently announced Silent Hill 2 remastered (Bloober team)."
Ignoring the incorrect verbiage of 'Silent Hill 2 remastered' (it's a remake, not a remaster), Microsoft appears to be stating outright that these titles will never come to Xbox, remaining locked into Sony exclusivity on consoles. This is despite Final Fantasy VII Remake and Silent Hill 2 Remake both being marketed as being part of timed exclusivity. Final Fantasy VII Remake's original 2014 announcement trailer ended with "play it first on PlayStation 4", and Silent Hill 2 Remake's trailer has a big asterisk on "PlayStation Console Exclusive" stating that it won't be available on "other formats for 12 months after release". There are other instances of exclusivity deals "technically" ending, but remaining exclusive to Sony anyway, such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard's exclusive VR mode on PS4, which has never come to PC, and it seems very likely that Resident Evil Village's new VR DLC (and REmake 4's for that matter) will also remain locked to PlayStation. Of course, Xbox would probably rather everyone not pay quite so much attention to the High On Life behind the curtain or the strings on Scorn, but that's different I guess(???).
Regardless, it's sad to know that Xbox fans appear to be getting the short straw on Silent Hill 2 Remake. It remains to be seen what the future of Silent Hill looks like on Xbox in general, as the other titles announced during Konami's Silent Hill Transmission a few months ago (Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: Townfall) haven't revealed their platforms just yet. Hopefully at least one of these things hits Xbox so everyone can enjoy the series again in some way.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import {
  getAllLabels,
  getLabels,
  hasLabel,
  filterIssuesWithLabels,
} from './labels.js';

function makeLabel(labelName) {
  return {
    name: labelName,
  };
}

function makeIssue(labelNames, id = 1) {
  const labels = labelNames.map(makeLabel);
  return {
    id,
    labels,
  };
}

describe('getLabels', () => {
  it('returns the labels of an issue', () => {
    const issue = makeIssue(['bug', 'feature']);
    expect(getLabels(issue)).toEqual(['bug', 'feature']);
  });
  it('returns an empty arry for an issue with no label', () => {
    const issue = makeIssue([]);
    expect(getLabels(issue)).toEqual([]);
  });
});

describe('getAllLabels', () => {
  it('returns the labels of all issues', () => {
    const issues = [
      makeIssue(['feature']),
      makeIssue(['feature', 'bug']),
      makeIssue([]),
    ];
    expect(getAllLabels(issues)).toEqual(['bug', 'feature']);
  });
});

describe('hasLabel', () => {
  it('returns true if the issue has at least one label in the list', () => {
    const issue = makeIssue(['feature']);
    expect(hasLabel(['feature'])(issue)).toBe(true);
    expect(hasLabel(['bug'])(issue)).toBe(false);
    expect(hasLabel([])(issue)).toBe(false);
  });
});

describe('filterIssuesWithLabels', () => {
  it('returns only issues with the specified labels', () => {
    const issues = [
      makeIssue(['feature'], 1),
      makeIssue(['feature', 'bug'], 2),
      makeIssue([], 3),
    ];
    expect(filterIssuesWithLabels(issues, ['bug'])).toEqual([
      makeIssue(['feature', 'bug'], 2),
    ]);
  });
  it('works with no labels', () => {
    const issues = [
      makeIssue(['feature'], 1),
      makeIssue(['feature', 'bug'], 2),
      makeIssue([], 3),
    ];
    expect(filterIssuesWithLabels(issues, [])).toEqual([]);
  });
  it('works with no issues', () => {
    expect(filterIssuesWithLabels([], ['bug'])).toEqual([]);
  });
  it('works with undefined issues', () => {
    expect(filterIssuesWithLabels(undefined, ['bug'])).toEqual([]);
  });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
What Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Courteney Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Shakira Have in Common, and What It's Got to Do with TV
Here's a celebrity A-list: Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Courteney Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Shakira.
What they all have in common is personal trainer Tracy Anderson, who they are all either using or have used.
The CW is developing a reality show focused on Anderson, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The show, from Ryan Seacrest Prods., will follow Anderson as she trains celebrities.
The network also has another reality show in development, this one a scavenger hunt program called "Lost Weekend."
One or both of the shows could end up on The CW's summer schedule, THR says.
–Elizabeth Jensen
'NBC Nightly News' Gets Biggest Audience in More Than Four Years: Guess Why
What Will Tiger Say on Friday? Here's Our Guess
Phil Parady
May 11, 2010 at 07:39 am, Reply
There have been heaps of nasty remarks about Jennifer Aniston doing the rounds on the internet recently. I feel she appears great, especially after losing a couple of pounds.


Audiosy.com - This great name is for sale on Brandroot!
A charming name for the music industry. Ideal for many applications, from audio equipment to a recording studio, from music sales to sound engineering, this title sings out from the crowd!


Check out some basic intraday trading strategies which will help beginners select the right stock, assign a stop loss, book profits, and monitor positions.
Most traders love the word "tips" because they seem like a passport to quick money. Here, we talk about different kinds of intraday trading tips or strategies. Before getting into intraday trading strategies, however, it must be noted the idea here is to make intraday trading safe and methodical for beginners.
Intraday trading often looks like a high-risk game where only the trader who takes the highest risk wins. This is far from the truth. Intraday trading for beginners is a lot more about basic rules such as identifying the right stock, putting stop losses, booking profits, and monitoring positions.
Here are some genuine intraday trading tips for beginners.
Let us take a simple example. If your intraday corpus is Rs2 lakhs, don't commit 50% to the first trade. Always start small, say, you allocate about 10% of your corpus and then try to understand the nuances of intraday trading. Once you start seeing profits, it gives you the requisite confidence. Additionally, the profit corpus allows you to take higher risk. You must increase your positions gradually and only after you feel comfortable and are able to manage the risk.
If you try intraday trading in 50 stocks, it is just not feasible. You need to track charts, levels, supports, resistances, volumes, news flows, announcements, etc. It is humanely impossible to do that for 50 stocks. Ideally, keep your stock universe limited to 10-12 stocks that are liquid and show clear chart patterns and price reaction. You trade momentum in the market so you need to look at technicals, fundamentals, and news flows.
If you are bullish on a stock and its price is consistently falling, what should you do? Should you take a contrarian view and buy the stock? In intraday trading, it is advisable to stay on the right side of momentum. If the market is moving contrary to your view, it is trying to give you a message. A smart intraday trader reads the message and modifies the strategy accordingly. This logically means that averaging positions is best avoided. The trend is your friend as long as you are an intraday trader, so always play along with the momentum. Don't worry about your personal view.
What does this mean? Quite often, traders take a long position and then decide to take delivery saying they are confident on the long-term prospects of the stock. However, this is not your job as an intraday trader. Instead of sticking to the discipline of being a better intraday trader, you are trying to become an investor by default. One of the most important intraday trading tips is that you must keep your investor hat outside when you trade intraday.
The similarity between a small trader and a George Soros is that they both trade with finite capital. Hence, this capital needs to be protected. You need to set capital loss limits at three levels. First, be clear as to how much you are willing to lose in a trade, and at that point, just close your position. Second, set a limit on losses you will incur in a day. If that point is reached, just shut down the trading terminal for the day. Third, keep limits on the overall capital depletion you can handle. At that point, get back to the drawing board and review your intraday trading strategy.
You must only take losses that you can afford to take. If a single trade or a handful of trades are going to make a deep impact on your trading capital, it is not a good strategy. Risk capacity is the key element here.
An intraday trader has to do extensive research. You need to keep a tab on intraday trading levels, shifting volumes, news flows, key announcements, global macros, etc. Intraday trading is not like opening your charts and starting to trade. It is suggested to be your own chartist. Don't rely on others' views for chart levels. Intraday charts are based on some basic principles, and this is a basic intraday trading rule for beginners.
A clear part of your strategy must be to avoid overtrading. When you overtrade, you are adding on to your transaction costs and reducing your net profits, you will be unnecessarily exposing yourself to a handful of trades.


Hotlink is offering 88GB of free data for YouTube in conjunction with Chinese New Year. The free data is available with the purchase of any selected Hotlink MU packs via the Hotlink Red app.
If you're not familiar to Hotlink MU, here's a brief explanation. Hotlink MU offers personalised deals to Hotlink users depending on their usage behaviour. Hotlink MU deals are offered on a daily basis and change according to how much and how fast you consume your allocated data.
Do take note that the free data will follow the validity of the plans that are offered by HotlinkMU. For example, if you're eligible to purchase a 3-day 5GB data add-on for RM7, you'll get the extra 88GB data for YouTube download and streaming for free but it's only valid for three days.
The 88GB YouTube data is available from today (24 January) to 20 February 2019.
For details, terms and conditions, head on over to the Hotlink website.


text:
Q: Rewrite else-if within a single stream Java 8 I am trying to write the following code using streams
 public static void main(String[] args) {
        List<String> l = new ArrayList<String>();
        l.add("pavan");
        l.add("kumar");
        l.add("rajesh");

        for(String s : l){
            if(s.contains("pavan")){
                methodA();
            }else if (s.contains("kumar")){
                methodB();
            }else{
                System.out.println("C");
            }
        }
    }
}

I tried the following using streams
 public static void main(String[] args) {
        List<String> l = new ArrayList<String>();
        l.add("pavan");
        l.add("kumar");
        l.add("rajesh");
        l.stream().
        filter(s->s.contains("pavan")).
        findAny().map(s->methodB()).filter(s->s.contains("kumar")).map(s->methodC()).
        orElse(methodA());
    }

The above code is never executing the methodC().
Can anyone rewrite it within a single Java 8 stream?

A: You could simply use forEach:
l.stream().forEach(s -> {
        if (s.contains("pavan")) {
            methodA();
        } else if (s.contains("kumar")) {
            methodB();
        } else {
            methodC();
        }
    });

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Stripe sleepsuit, originally uploaded by indiaeden.
I've just finished this little stretch sleepsuit using my blue stripe fabric I had printed at Spoonflower.
Anyhow, it suddenly dawned on me this morning that I forgot to draw a winner for my last give away on Friday as promised...oops! Sorry!
Just drop me an email to jeanette dot archer at gmail dot com with your address, and I'll get it in the post to you asap.
right off to do some unpicking!
Crappy binding ripped out, and replaced with good old fold over elastic. Not the best rescue because I had to work around the snaps I'd already attatched,but it's a darn site better than it was.
I made a little knotty hat too.
Cute outfit! I love it a lot more with the FOE, I think the colour goes better.
that looks absolutely fantastic, I keep meaning to try FOE, now I am definitely going to! Btw did you use a pattern? I keep meaning to try and make footed trousers as they are so fab for bwing, but can't fathom out how to draft the foot/ankle bit!
wow, I won! Off to email you now. Thanks so much!


text:
Ole Miss' Willie Hibbler hoping position change pays off
Daniel Paulling
Gannett Mississippi
OXFORD - Redshirt freshman Willie Hibbler approached the start of spring workouts this year as a tight end with a broken right hand that would prevent him from practicing there.
He finished the 15 workouts at what has become his new position after he noticed Ole Miss lacked depth at middle linebacker and moved there. The decision paid off with him being named the second-stringer when the Rebels began preseason camp and may allow him to play this fall.
Hibbler made the switch from offense, which he largely played at North Panola, to defense as a way to benefit himself — it gave him an opportunity to showcase what he could do in an effort to earn snaps — but also because he wanted to help the team.
"If I would've tried to play the season on offense, it would've been kind of selfish," Hibbler said. "Coach (Hugh) Freeze teaches us the right thing, to sacrifice. To win championships, you've got to be willing to sacrifice for the team. I think staying on defense was the right thing."
Former North Panola coach Derek King said he was somewhat surprised the Rebels moved Hibbler to defense — King projected him to play either wide receiver or tight end in college — but added that Hibbler's decision wasn't surprising.
Hibbler mainly played tight end in high school, but King said he filled in at quarterback, running back, defensive end, free safety and a hybrid linebacker/safety position when needed.
"He won the genetic sweepstakes," King said. "He could play anywhere."
But Hibbler, a former three-star recruit, signed with the Rebels to play tight end. He was the No. 26 athlete and No. 376 player overall in 2015, according to 247Sports' Composite Rating.
Hibbler said playing defense in high school helped his transition but added there are a few things he's still working on as he adjusts to one of the most important positions on defense.
"Coming in at tight end, I didn't have to communicate," Hibbler said. "But when you're in the middle, you've got to get the D-line set up and the secondary set up. If somebody has a busted play, it's going to come back on you for lack of communication.
"That's my biggest area (in need of improvement) and just reading with my eyes basically, just seeing the backfield and the right places to read."
Hibbler figures to be further down the depth chart than second-string as the Rebels approach their season opener Sept. 5 against Florida State in Orlando, Florida. The team signed graduate transfer Rommel Mageo, who led Oregon State with 87 tackles last season, and redshirt sophomore Detric Bing-Dukes to their class late.
Still, Hibbler could make an impact this fall.
"I see Willie Hibbler making a lot of progress," defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said. "I think he'll be able to help us in a role this year, too."
Hibbler is just happy to be in the position that he is.
"I'm at linebacker," he said. "In case coach needs me, I'll move again. I would whatever he needs me to do to get the team right. But the work is not done until we get a national championship. Just being recognized individually doesn't mean a lot to me right now."


text:
Freden i Guadalupe Hidalgo, også kendt som Guadalupe Hidalgo-traktaten (the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo på engelsk, la Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo på spansk), var en fredstraktat som afsluttede den mexicansk-amerikanske krig. Den blev underskrevet 2. februar 1848 i Guadalupe Hidalgo, der dengang var en forstad til Mexico City men som i dag er del af byen.

Som del af aftalen måtte Mexico anerkende at USA havde annekteret Texas i 1845 (en), og desuden skulle Mexico afstå et landområde kaldet the Mexican Cession. Disse betingelser betød, at Mexico mistede 1,36 millioner km² (cirka 55% af dets land før Texas erklærede sig uafhængig i 1836), og at den nye grænse mellem USA og Mexico blev ved Rio Grande-floden. Sejrsherren USA skulle til gengæld betale 15 millioner dollars til Mexico for de nye områder.

Klausuler

Anerkendelse af Texas-anneksionen
Texas havde i 1836 erklæret sig uafhængig fra Mexico, som Republikken Texas. Denne erklæring blev ikke anerkendt af Mexico, der stadig anså Texas som værende sit eget. Den 29. december 1845 var Texas blevet annekteret af USA og blevet landets 28. stat, men Mexico blev ved med at kræve Texas tilbage. Denne territorialstridighed var en af krigens casus belli. Som led i fredsaftalen måtte Mexico opgive sit krav på at få Texas tilbage.

Mexican Cession

The Mexican Cession (bogstaveligt "den mexicanske [land]overgivelse") er det område, der før freden i Guadalupe Hidalgo var del af Mexico, men som blev overgivet til USA. Området blev senere til de amerikanske stater Californien, Nevada, og Utah, og dele af Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, og Wyoming.

Dette blev den næstsidste større landerhvervning for USA på det amerikanske fastland. Den sidste var Gadsden-aftalen i 1854, hvor USA købte de sydlige dele af Arizona og New Mexico, der ikke var kommet under amerikansk kontrol ved Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Se også
 Alta California (en), et historisk mexicansk område indenfor the Mexican Cession der blev overgivet til USA i Guadalupe Hidalgo
 Mexicansk-amerikanske krig

Kilder

Mexicansk-amerikanske krig
USA's historie
Traktater

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Tag Archives: China
THE SELL OUT TO CHINA BROCHURE THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE
Dec2017_Bristol-Investment-Brochure_EN
This entry was posted in News and tagged Bristol City Council, Bristol Labour Party, China, Cumberland Basin, Fortune 500 Forum, Guangzhou, Housing, Labour Party, Marvin Rees on December 6, 2017 by thebristolblogger.
INTERNATIONAL CUTS WATCH
Bristol City Council seems to be avoiding cuts in some areas. Please step forward the Reverend Mayor, Marvin Rees, who's decided there should be NO CUTS at all in his personal office; his new chief executive's office or to his senior leadership team. Areas that have all chronically UNDERPERFORMED over the last five years and cost us a lot of money.
Not that the Reverend gives a shit about saving money when it comes to himself, his self-regarding PUBLICLY FUNDED international lifestyle or his personal office team of EGO PAMPERERS on the rates.
Back on November 30 the Reverend SUSPENDED non-essential spending at the council for ordinary staff delivering services. By Tuesday 6 December he was touching down in China, pretending he was on some sort sales mission.
What the fuck was he selling them? CREAKING, underfunded local public services? SUBSIDISED film studio facilities in Hengrove ideal for overblown costume drama? CHEAP tickets for dodgy middle class comedians at the Colston Hall? The USELESS services of the shittest Internal Audit team the world has ever known?
If a pointless 'trade mission' to China by a SMALL and FAILING municipal body led by a pompous, preening figurehead isn't non-essential, what the fuck is?
This entry was posted in News and tagged Bristol City Council, China, Colston Hall, Guangzhou, Internal audit, Marvin Rees, Mayor Wen, Non-essential spend, The Bottle Yard Studios, Trade on April 16, 2017 by thebristolblogger.
REES IN CHINA
This entry was posted in Yewmah and tagged Bristol, China, Guangzhou, Marvin Rees, Mayor Wen, Organ harvesting on January 29, 2017 by thebristolblogger.
THAT REV REES TRIP TO CHINA IN FULL …
This entry was posted in Yewmah and tagged Bristol, China, Guangzhou, Marvin Rees, Mayor, Mayor Wen on December 11, 2016 by thebristolblogger.
COUNCIL HOUSE SELL-OFF SHOCKER
It's been confirmed to The BRISTOLIAN that so-called temporary plans to move staff out of the Council House while it's "refurbished" will be made permanent and the building sold to the PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
We understand that one of China's leading sovereign wealth funds, the CHINA INVESTMENT CORPORATION (CIC), will be paying in the region £30m IN CASH for the landmark building and its College Green lawn. The deal was reputedly first brokered by Mayor Fergo when he traveled to China on a business mission late last year.
We can also confirm that the city's private sector property boss, Robert "Spunkface" Orrett has travelled to Beijing twice this year already and we've seen evidence from a Freedom of Information request that Spunkface has, for the last six months, been receiving MANDARIN LESSONS at least twice weekly at his Council House office.
The future of the Council House, one of the city's landmark buildings is currently unclear. Although a well-placed source has told us that he believes it will be used by the CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY as a cultural and business centre to promote further Chinese investment in the region and the UK as a whole.
"There's absolutely no doubt now, " he says, "the Chinese are coming and they're paying CASH!"
Our source has also spoken to people "close to a number of West Bristol estate agents" who say that what appear to be senior Chinese Communist Party officials have been viewing "HIGH-END PROPERTIES" in Clifton and Leigh Woods.
Our source says, "Initially the Chinese were very interested in Georgian town houses in and around Clifton Village. However, since the Chinese security services have got involved, the interest has switched to SECLUDED LOCATIONS in Leigh Woods. I'm also told interest has been expressed in Ashton Court Mansion."
Our spies in AVONMOUTH also report sightings of Chinese in and around the port. "They look like teams of surveyors in hard hats and h-viz," we're told.
And contacts at the BRISTOL WOOD RECYCLING PROJECT in the Enterprise Zone also report sighting Chinese officials at the arena site.
"They've turned up three times now," we're told. "They arrive in a convoy of about four or five smart, black Range Rovers with tinted windows and wander around the site. It's all a bit cloak and dagger – dark suits, dark glasses, moody demeanours and so on."
"Four of them came in here the other day and they didn't seem much interested in buying any wood. I was just really friendly as they looked like the types who might shoot first and ask questions later. Although I did hear they bought a lot of salad leaves off the SEVERN PROJECT when they visited there."
This entry was posted in News, Privatisers & Carpetbaggers and tagged Bristol City Council, China, Chinese Investment Corporation, Council House, webxclusive on April 1, 2014 by thebristolblogger.


Regular resident 60045 The Permanent Way Institution with 40B Immingham shed plate. The illuminated mechanical shunt signal is now looking rather retro - operated by the ground frame in the yard.
70804 with 158887 in the distance.
It's good to touch the green green grass of home. 66095 with 60045 in East Yard. The LSWR pattern hut is Ground Frame 'C'.


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Important update for anyone renting a property in England as new law set to come in
Anyone who does not comply with the rules could be fined £30,000
Rachel PughFashion, beauty, money and shopping editor
Urgent update for every single person renting a property in England - starting in April (Image: South Wales Echo)
Landlords could face fines of £30,000 when new rules come into force from April.
From April 1, new laws are coming which will mean all existing rented properties in England will need an electrical safety inspection every fire years.
The inspection, known as an EICR - or electrical installation condition report - will highlight any urgent work that must be carried out to ensure the property is safe.
Anyone caught breaking the rules, including failing to undertake necesarry repairs, risks being hit with a £30,000 fines, reports the MEN.
The law has been partly triggered by the death of Thirza Whittall in 2008, a mum who was electrocuted whilst stepping into her bathtub due to an unidentified electrical fault. An inquest heard the property had not been checked since 1981.
Rawtenstall Heritage Arcade site with plans for luxury apartments up for sale for £1.7m
Arnside & Silverdale and Kirkby Lonsdale named as top places to live in the North West
A prevention of future deaths report was later issued by a coroner in 2019 following the death of Professor John Alliston.
He was found face down in a garden at a privately rented home that he shared with his wife. Professor Alliston had been electrocuted by a cable that had become live due to a fault. The coroner later called for mandatory electrical safety checks in rented homes.
Chief executive of Electrical Safety First, Lesley Rud, said: "Renters will be better protected from the dangers posed by electricity under these new laws.
"Whilst many good landlords already carry out checks, some do not. These checks will help prevent tragedies like those involving John Alliston and Thirza Whittall from happening to others."
Local authorities will be responsible for enforcing the new regulations.
What is an EICR?
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is the document that will be issued by an electrician after they have carried out an inspection. This document will formally declare that it is safe for continued use or highlight any repairs that need to be made.
How much does an EICR cost and who should do it?
An EICR will cost approximately £150 to £300, depending on the size and location of the property. The cost must be covered by the landlord.
A satisfactory EICR will mean a repeat inspection won't be necessary for another five years unless otherwise specified on the report.


Inspired by the usual Americana eccentricities Coast to coast is a resplendent three dimensional heaven that presents a fantastic showcase for our London Weathered Yellow brick slips.
Our London weathered yellow has a diverse pallet of tones ranging from warm sandy yellows, salty whites and smokey charcoals.
Using London weathered yellow brick slips on this modern installation has really helped capture the spirit of a rich upmarket American Diner.


The former Ireland international Bernard Jackman has been appointed as the new head coach of the Newport Gwent Dragons.
Jackman is taking over from Kingsley Jones who will be leading the Welsh Rugby Union's exiles programme.
Next month the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) will be taking operational control of the Dragons and their stadium Rodney Parade after Newport RFC shareholders voted through the highly publicised plans last month.
Stuart Davies and Martyn Phillips undertook a review of the coaching set up at the team and consulted people such as Geraint John, the Head of Professional Rugby at the WRU and Warren Gatland, the British & Irish Lions head coach.
He went on to say that Jackman will be a "huge asset" and will create the right environment for the players to develop in at the Dragons. He said that the supporters can trust him and be sure that he will "work tirelessly in his pursuit of success".
Jackman left Grenoble in March 2017 and has been out of work since then. After the appointment was announced, he said that he is hugely looking forward to his new challenge in Wales.


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Former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison dead at 46
One of the band's founding members, Jordison played with Slipknot until 2013.
By Jordan Darville
Joey Jordison. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Joey Jordison, acclaimed metal drummer and one of the founding members of Slipknot, has died at age 46, according to a statement from his family.
Jordison "passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021," the statement reads. No cause of death was revealed. Read it in full below:
Read Next: The 15 projects you should stream right now
We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26, 2021. He was 46.
Joey's death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow.
To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music.
The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.
The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.
Jordison was one of the first members recruited to join Slipknot in 1995 as the group was just beginning in Des Moines, Iowa. After the release of their demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat and several line-up changes, including the addition of current vocalist Corey Taylor, Slipknot signed to Roadrunner Records and released their self-titled debut album to commercial and critical success.
Slipknot's three subsequent studio albums, Iowa, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), and All Hope Is Gone all featured Jordison on drums. In total, Slipknot were nominated for seven Grammys while Jordison was a member of the band, winning one (Best Metal Performance for "Before I Forget" in 2005). Jordison played drums in a number of other bands including Murderdolls, Sinsaenum, and Scar the Martyr, and performed live with Metallica and Korn.
Slipknot and Jordison parted ways in December 2013. At the time, a statement on Slipknot's website cited "personal reasons" for the split, while Jordison said he was "shocked and blindsided" by his dismissal.
Years later, Jordison claimed that he had been diagnosed with transverse myelitis just before he and Slipknot split, causing him to lose function in his legs until physical therapy helped him recover. "I couldn't play anymore," Jordison said, speaking at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2016. "It was a form of multiple sclerosis, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." Jordison praised his former bandmates in Slipknot during the speech: "We accomplished a lot in life, every one of them, and I wish them nothing but luck and the best of praises."
On the 21st anniversary of the release of Slipknot's debut album, Jordison posted his memories on Instagram. "That album was & will always be some of the absolute best memories of my life," he wrote. "To the fans, you guys made this happen for all of us, and I dedicate this anniversary to YOU!!! Metal Forever."
Rock, Slipknot


They churn their own butter - how serious is that?
Sweet peas from Dawn's garden.
2 of the components of Olivia Bolano's red bull sorbet for her new restaurant The Kitchen.
One of this series was published in today's Globe & Mail.


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Q: How to host a WPF UserControl in ElementHost without Window with KeyPresses I have embeded a WPF user control in a windows application using an ElementHost by setting the Child property to the custom user control.
Unfortunately, my text boxes are not receiving any input from key presses so I can't use my add-in at all.
I thought I found a work-around when I found the following line of code.
ElementHost.EnableModelessKeyboardInterop([System.Windows.Window]);

This will not work since I am not using a window. In fact, there is no way to host a System.Windows.Window in the element host or use the window as the host.
This add-in didn't have any text input feature until quite a bit into the development so it things have come to a complete stand-still.
How can I get the input to be accepted by my text boxes?

A: I found a link online that sub-clases TextBox and allows keystrokes original post
I change things slightly but it is pretty much the same. It is not fully tested but keypresses are going into the textboxes.
class TextInput : TextBox
{
    private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTARROWS = 0x0001;
    private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTTAB = 0x0002;
    private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTALLKEYS = 0x0004;
    private const UInt32 DLGC_HASSETSEL = 0x0008;
    private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTCHARS = 0x0080;
    private const UInt32 WM_GETDLGCODE = 0x0087;
    public TextInput()
    {
        Loaded += delegate
        {
            var s = PresentationSource.FromVisual(this) as HwndSource;
            s?.AddHook(ChildHwndSourceHook);
        };
    }
    static IntPtr ChildHwndSourceHook(IntPtr hwnd, int msg,
         IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, ref bool handled)
    {
        if (msg != WM_GETDLGCODE) return IntPtr.Zero;
        handled = true;
        return new IntPtr(DLGC_WANTCHARS | DLGC_WANTARROWS | DLGC_HASSETSEL);
    }
}

Another angle is to create sub-class of the element host and to add the code there. That way if there is any further hook customization you can adjust in one place and it will cascade to all your wpf controls.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Forms.Integration;
using System.Windows.Interop;
using Automated.ToolWindow;

namespace Automated
{

    public class MyElementHost : ElementHost
    {
        protected override void Dispose(bool disposing)
        {
            if (_contentControl != null)
            {
                _contentControl.Loaded -= OnContentControlOnLoaded;
                _contentControl = null;
            }

            base.Dispose(disposing);
        }

        private ContentControl _contentControl;
        // Hide the child element.
        public new UIElement Child
        {
            get { return base.Child; }
            set
            {
                _contentControl = new ContentControl();
                _contentControl.Loaded += OnContentControlOnLoaded;
                _contentControl.Content = value;
                base.Child = _contentControl;
            }
        }

        private void OnContentControlOnLoaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            var s = PresentationSource.FromVisual(_contentControl) as HwndSource;
            s?.AddHook(ChildHwndSourceHook);
        }

        private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTARROWS = 0x0001;
        private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTTAB = 0x0002;
        private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTALLKEYS = 0x0004;
        private const UInt32 DLGC_HASSETSEL = 0x0008;
        private const UInt32 DLGC_WANTCHARS = 0x0080;
        private const UInt32 WM_GETDLGCODE = 0x0087;

        static IntPtr ChildHwndSourceHook(IntPtr hwnd,
          int msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, ref bool handled)
        {
            if (msg != WM_GETDLGCODE) return IntPtr.Zero;
            handled = true;
            return new IntPtr(DLGC_WANTCHARS | DLGC_WANTARROWS | DLGC_HASSETSEL);
        }
    }
}

My code to add the host looks like this after the implementation.
ElementHost = new MyElementHost()
{
    Child =  new RootXamlControl()
};

TaskPanes.Add(_host.TaskPanes.Add((int) ElementHost.Handle, "",
      TaskPaneCaption, "Auto"));

Side note, if you are writing a COM AddIn and don't pay attention to memory management you will receive a whole new appreciation for people who had to care about garbage collection. Spoken from a C#.Net developer!


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MLB Breakdown + Sports Betting Picks!
MLB Stacks & Plays from CheatSheetPros!
QUICK NEWS AND NOTES:
MLB Blitz continues into Red Thursday where my Chiefs open the season against the Houston Texans! Sorry there was not article yesterday I felt awful and have some kind of an ear infection and extremely dizzy. It's like being intoxicated without drinking. Today I think I'm on the up swing as I went to the Dr. and got some steroids to help drain the fluid. Let's jump into this main slate!
PITCHERS I AM LOOKING AT:
GERRIT COLE – Only pitcher on the main slate today over 10k. Cole has been up and down this year but coming off a 27.9 DK point start vs. this same BAL team where he went 6.0 innings, 1 ER and 10 strikeouts. Cole has the highest swinging strike rate on the slate at 16.8% and the next closest person is Paddack at only 12.4%. In 62 team Abs vs. Cole BAL is hitting only 0.177 with a 31% strikeout rate. BAL is "hot" rightnow ranking 4th in our L10 game power rankings but Cole is just too much for them.
SONNY GRAY – He isn't that much cheaper than Cole so I don't see any reason to pivot down if you have the salary to spend. He is coming off a -13.3 DK point start where STL tagged him for 6 ER in 0.2 innings. Prior to that start he had 19 and 17 DK points so I think 9600 is too much for the risk. On a positive note if you are on the Gray train he did face this Cubs team on 7/29 and put up his highest DK point performance of the year with 39.2 DK points going 6.2 innings with 0 ER and 11 strikeouts. Can he do it again? He has also faced this team for 100 Abs and they are only hitting a low .110 off him with a 32% strikeout rate. GPP only for me but his track records vs. Cubbies is impeccable!
ADBERT ALZOLAY – Here is your GPP play today. He wasn't in my write up and I looked over him and my first thought was his price tag is way too high and he walks to many hitters. So that is perfect for a GPP play! After digging in I am intrigued on him as a play today. His last outing (I say outing because I don't know if it was a start or out of the pen) he went 2.2 innings, gave up 2 ER and walked 5 batters. Wow that is ugly! However, prior to that he went 1.0 with 2 Ks, 5.0 with 0 ER and 6 Ks and then 2.0 with 1 ER and 1K. So we have limited innings to look at but some have been really good. He has a 2.08 ERA but his xFIP is 3.96 which is slightly better than average. His K9 rate is insane at 12.5 this year and allowing a .167 batting average. Typically, I would expect his BABIP to be really low for those stats but it is .263 so slightly lower than average but nothing crazy. Plus look at this soft matchup vs. CIN who ranks 28th in our L10 power rankings, 27th in runs per game, 28th in team batting average (.220) and 23rd in wRC+ all over the last 14 days.
KEEGAN AKIN – He has a tough matchup against a NYY team that is starting to heat up but he is priced at a low 6700 on DK so falls into our "punt" category. His last two starts were 23.8 DK points and it was facing this NYY team where he went 5.1 innings, 0 ER and 8 strikeouts. The start before was 19 DK points and he went 4.1 innings, 0 ER and 6 strikeouts. Prior to that it appears he was working out of the pen. So in two starts he has 9.2 innings, 0 ER and 14 strikeouts, yes please! Allowing a 0.174 batting average and facing guys like Gary Sanchez (.122 avg), Brett Gardner (.165), Mike Ford (.139), Aaron Hicks (.209) why not? Our model actually has BAL winning this game, that might be a stretch but BAL is +230 so they only need to win a small percentage of the time.
SANDY ALCANTARA – Alcantara faces PHI today so we want to look and see if he has faced them already this year and the answer is YES! So how did he do? He went 6.2 innings, 1 ER and 7 Ks for 28 DK points. Priced at 6600 today that is pushing 5x value. I use terms of "X" value because Cole won't be close to 5x. That would mean Cole at 10,000 (which he is slightly over 10k today) would need 10,000 x 5 = 50+ DK points. 3 of his last 4 starts have been stellar outings putting up 28, -2, 28 and 18 DK points. His BABIP of .214 is really low and that worries me that we might have a "blow up" spot soon but with 3 of his last 4 starts pushing 5x value on a shorter slate he has to be in the player pool.
STACKS TO CONSIDER:
DODGERS VS. MAD BUM (25TH BULLPEN) – Poor Mad Bum getting shelled this year and that is putting it lightly. His high this year in terms of DK points is 14.4 points and that was on 7/29. His last 3 starts he put up 6.0, -7 and -7.5 DK points. In those 3 starts he has only lasted a combined 10.1 innings and gave up 14 ERs and only managed 6 Ks. LAD comes in ranking 7th in our L10 game power rankings and they have faced Mad Bum for 176 team Abs and hitting a solid .318 off him with 8 HRs. I like anyone in this lineup to plug into your other stacks. AJ Pollock is hitting .290 on the year and holds a .407 wOBA vs. LHP and vs. Mad Bum specifically he is 18 for 63 (.286) with 3 HRs. KiKi Hernandez is 25 for 50 (.500) with 4 HRs, Wow! That is insane! Hitting .500 off a pitcher through 50 Abs. Pollock is only 3900 and KiKi is only 3500. Muncy and Taylor have both struggled vs. Mad Bum hitting .182 and .130 with 10+ Abs. I like Mookie / Seager / Pollock / KiKi and then fitting in a 4th of your choice that is affordable.
MIAMI MARLINS VS. JAKE ARRIETA (30TH BULLPEN) – So I want to get at least one lineup with Cole & Sonny Gray so that means I need to find a cheap stack that has some potential. Marlins are where I'm looking today as Vegas has them projected at 4.6 runs and our model has them a 5.0 and they are DIRT CHEAP! They are a middle of the road team trying to make a move. Now let's start looking at Jake Arrieta who has been up and down. He is coming off a terrific start of 7.0 innings, 2 ER and 7 Ks vs. a tough NYM team and he was even on the road. His start before he was -16.4 points and only lasted 1.1 innings and gave up 7 ERs with NO strikeouts. So which Jake are we going to see? Even if he has a good start the bullpen is awful with an xFIP of 4.88, whip of 1.89 and allowing a .328 batting average. Think about that! The bullpen for PHILLY is allowing a batting average of .328, that is just horrible! The HR/9 is also 2.24 which is one of the highest in the entire MLB. In 83 team Abs they are hitting .337 off Arrieta with a 22% strikeout rate. Corey Dickerson (3000 – crazy cheap!) is 6 for 14 off Arrieta, Matt Joyce (2100 – is that priced correct? My god that is low.) is 7 for 21 with a HR and Miguel Rojas (3400) is 5 for 14 also with a HR. Cooper (3100) is 0 for 5 but he is red hot right now with 14 and 21 DK points in his last two games and 75% of games over the last 12 days he is hitting at least 2x.
SAN DIEGO PADRES VS. TREVOR CAHILL (23RD BULLPEN) – I like stacking this game. Padres are #1 in our L10 game power rankings, 2nd in runs per game (6.7), 1st in team batting average (.305) and 2nd in OBISO and 2nd in wRC+ over the last 14 days. What makes my system so much easier is having my MLB Cheat Sheet where I can quickly see game stats and project how a game will play out. It is helpful for DFS and Sports Betting. Cahill has a 5.98 ERA and allowing a .273 batting average. He had some arm discomfort so his last two starts were only 2.2 and 3.1 innings as they are trying not to put too much strain on him. In his last 3 starts they were all vs. ARI he has 11.1 innings, 4 ERs and 14 strikeouts. Now ARI is hardly a power house team and they rank 23rd in our power ranking and as of today they are 30th in runs per game, team batting average, team OBISO and wRC+ over the last 14 days. Padres are an entirely new animal he will have to face!
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS VS. CHRIS PADDACK (12TH BULLPEN) – Paddack is a great pitcher and ended last year with a 3.33 ERA and allowing a .204 batting average in 140.2 innings. Awesome! However, this year is a different story as he sits with a 4.75 ERA and allowing a .270 batting average. His xFIP indicates his ERA should be closer to 3.71. He is up and down in his starts coming off a 4.2 inning, 4 ER outing @OAK. Prior to that start he hd a solid 29.9 DK point start @ COL of all places and went 6.0 innings, 0 ER and 8 strikeouts. His 3 prior starts to that he allowed 6, 1 and 6 ERs. Our model has the Padres projected at 6.2 runs and Giants at 6.0 runs. Stack the game, stack the Padres, stack the Giants and let's have some fun!
SPORTS BETTING SECTION:
I use my DFS Cheat Sheets to find sports betting picks and plays. I usually won't give you a direct play as I want you to decide if you want to bet the money line, run line or parlay it with something else. I'll give you the games that jump out at me and the reasoning behind it. We have been on fire this year hitting a +600 two team parlay on Saturday with Nationals +250 and over 9.5. We followed that up with a 4-0 day. Last night I didn't have time to write anything up but posted the "over" that I liked and it won. I actually parlayed two overs with Padres RL and Dodgers RL and also hit the parlay. LAD was tied 4-4 and then scored 2 in the 10th for a cover and Padres squeaked by with a 2 run win. It was a good night when I felt like crap. Let's look at what I have on tap for today!
GIANTS / PADRES OVER 9.0 RUNS – Vegas has this game at 9.0 runs and our model has this at 6.2 vs. 6.0 runs for a 12.2 run total. I LIKE IT! If this game is 4-4 then you are getting a "push" at worst. These teams rank #1 and #2 in our L10 game power rankings so we are going to have some offensive firepower tonight. Padres are 2nd in runs per game, 1st in team batting average, 2nd in OBISO and 2nd in wRC+ all over the last 14 days. Giants are 4th in runs per game, 2nd in team batting average, 2nd in OBSIO and also 2nd for wRC+. Both teams how lower than average team K rates at 22% and 19%. Padres faced Trevor Cahill who owns a 5.98 ERA and allowing a .273 batting average to opponent hitters. When he gets shelled then we get to tee off on the 23rd ranked bullpen with an xFIP of 5.45! My god that is horrible. Giants get to face Chris Paddack and the reason this line is 9 and not 9.5 or 10 is because of Paddack. Giants are red hot right now so I don't expect them to suddenly stop hitting and get shut down. Paddack was a rock star last year but this year holds a 4.75 ERA with a 3.71 xFIP and allowing a .270 batting average. In 43 team Abs by the Giants against Paddack they are hitting .279 with 2 HRs. Paddack is coming off a start where he gave up 4 ER in 4.2 innings but prior to that start he had a stellar outing in COL going 6.0 with 0 ER and 8 Ks. Then his prior 3 starts he gave up 6, 1 and 6 ERs. I like the OVER here. I don't mind a small play with Giants money line +180 parlayed with the over. If the Giants win this game WILL GET OVER the total. I don't see value in laying -185 on the Padres vs. a team that is 8-2 in their last 10 games and 15-5 in their last 20 games and running hot. I just hope both teams score a shit ton of runs and I can't stop watching in the 5th inning because the game is 5-5.
DODGERS -200 OVER ARIZONA – This one is the usual play here as the Dodgers are a much better team as they rank 7th in our L10 game power rankings and hold the #1 bullpen. Facing an ARI team that is giving up on the year with a 15-29 record, lost 5 straight and 1-9 in their last 10 games. If you read the DFS portion you'll know that Mad Bum has been getting shelled giving up 2, 6 and 7 ER in his last 2 starts and those only combined for 10.1 innings. Dodgers are 9-2 vs. LHP on the year. Even after Mad Bum is out ARI holds the 25th ranked bullpen with an xFIP over 5.00, do we really need to write anymore on this? Dustin May is decent with an ERA of 2.88 and allowing a .232 batting average but either way LAD can lock the game down with the bullpen. I'll likely lean run line for a straight play as I don't bet game -200 straight up.
BALTIMORE +230 over NYY – First hear me out because people are going flip when they see that I'm making a play against their NYY. With +230 odds you only need this game to win a small percentage of the time. NYY are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 6-14 in their last 20 games. BAL isn't a powerhouse but they just beat COLE last week with a score of 6-1. They loss to the NYM last time out 7-6 in a tight game and their prior 4 games they won beating NYM 11-2, NYY 5-1, NYY again 6-1 and NYY 6-3. They beat Tanaka and Cole in two of those. NYY won against TOR 7-2 but prior to that they have only scored 1, 7, 1 and 1 runs. You don't have to bet this straight up at +230 but I'd mix the +230 into a small parlay and hope to get lucky. I will point out that NYY are 8-14 on the road but they return home where they hold a 14-7 record. BAL ranks 4th in our L10 game power rankings and NYY are 27th. I'm sure not going to lay -260 on NYY right now.
MIAMI +100 OVER PHILLY – Our model has this game as MIA winning 5.0 vs 4.7. So we have this as a close game but with Miami pulling it out. MIA ranks 18th and PHI 15th in our L10 game power rankings. Philly has been a hotter team but the bottom of the lineup is rough. This is going to come down to pitching because the bullpens are garbage ranking 28th for MIA and 30th for PHI. Jake Arrieta is coming off a great start of 7.0 innings with only 2 ER and 7 Ks but his prior start he only lasted 1.1 innings with 7 ERs and 0 strikeouts, so which Arrieta are we going to see? If it's the ladder MIA could blow the doors off this game early! I will point out that Corey Dickerson is 6 for 14 off Arrieta and Matt Joyce 7 for 21 and Miguel Rojas 5 for 14. In 83 team Abs they are hitting .337 off Arrieta. Sandy Alcantara is in a much better spot in my opinion. 2 starts ago he got roughed up a little giving up 5 ER to Tampa Bay in 4.0 innings but his last start and two prior were great. He is coming off 6.0 innings, 1 ER and 8 strikeouts @TB so he got his redemption. His 3rd and 4th recent tarts were a combined 11.2 innings, 2 ER and 11 strikeouts. He also just faced PHI on the road on 7/24 and went 6.2 innings, 1 ER and 7 strikeouts.


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Q: PHP file upload image not loading to server I am attempting to upload a image file via php and it is not working:
<?php
$target_dir = "/home/NAME/uploads/";
$target_file = $target_dir . basename($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"]);

move_uploaded_file($_FILES['fileToUpload']['name'], $target_dir);

$uploadOk = 1;
$imageFileType = pathinfo($target_file,PATHINFO_EXTENSION);

print_r($_FILES);
?>

This is what is returned, but no file actually uploads. Anyone know what is going on? Thanks
Array ( [fileToUpload] => Array ( [name] => followers.png [type] => image/png [tmp_name] => /tmp/phpKsuz1B [error] => 0 [size] => 127008 ) )

A: Change:
  move_uploaded_file($_FILES['fileToUpload']['name'], $target_dir);

To:
  move_uploaded_file($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["tmp_name"], $target_file)

A: Change move_uploaded_file($_FILES['fileToUpload']['name'], $target_dir); to move_uploaded_file($_FILES['fileToUpload']['tmp_name'], $target_dir);
move_uploaded_file needs the temporary file name in order for it to upload, not the original name of the file, since it needs a resource to move.

A: The uploaded file is actually $_FILES['fileToUpload']['tmp_name'], this is the file you need to move.
A good way to go about this is:
$tempFile = $_FILES['fileToUpload']['tmp_name'];
$destFile = '/dest/directory/' . $_FILES['fileToUpload']['name'];

// You'll now have your temp file in destination directory, with the original image's name
move_uploaded_file($tempFile, $destFile);

A good practice is to keep your file names unique, because you never know when different images may be named image01.jpg (more often than one would hope).
$tempFile = $_FILES['fileToUpload']['tmp_name'];

$destDir  = '/dest/directory/';
$destName = uniqid() . '_' . $_FILES['fileToUpload']['name'];
$destFile = $destDir . $destName;

// Temp file is now in destination directory, with a unique filename
move_uploaded_file($tempFile, $destFile);


Christmas meeting info- it's going to be a fun meeting!
It's one month until Christmas Eve, which means our Holiday meeting is fast approaching. This post will have all the information you need if you wished to participate in our make your own ornaments as well as the potluck and gift exchange. (all are totally optional and nothing is required of you, please feel free to attend and socialize if you wish) Guests are welcome, come for the fun, don't worry about bringing anything unless you wish to.
Our meeting is from 12-5 on Saturday December 9th at the Boyle Community Centre.
We will be making Christmas ornaments or a pillow for the program portion. The 3 options are a folded fabric ball, clear ball filled with fabric snippets and a scrappy appliqué block that could be used as a pillow or a small mini quilt. The supplies for each are listed below.
You need to bring- 3 contrasting fabrics that are 2 1/2" squares. 8 squares for the centre and 16 for the other 2 sections. Also bring a strip of fabric to finish the edge maybe 12" x 2" wide and a ribbon for the top.
And bring your basic sewing kit just in case.
Bring your fabric scraps, a 12" square of fabric and some fusible web. We will have fusible webbing to use, but bring your own if you have a specific brand you prefer.  Also bring your basic sewing kit.
Also if you had a small funnel you can bring that too and a pencil to push your fabrics into the ball.
We are also collecting a voluntary offering of money to use for our Lear to Quilt Outreach Program at Limberlost so that we can purchase some needed supplies like rotary cutter blades, pins etc. - you know the notions that seem to need to be replaced often. Please see Veronica for any donations or to answer any questions you might have.
We hope you come with an empty tummy too as we will have pot luck snacks to share. Please bring some dish to share, like cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, meatballs- the typical pot luck items. We have a fridge and stove if needed. And bring your own beverage.
One of our members Michaelanne has opened an online shop called Stache Fabrics and Notions and she will be a vendor at the meeting as well. Lots of beautiful fabrics will be for sale as well as some notions.
And if you would like to participate, we also like to have a gift exchange. You can bring a small item that you purchase or make such as a mug rug, pencil case or wide open pouch (as we are all experts on making the pouches from our January meeting) Here are some ideas for you.
We hope to see you on December 9th, it's such a fun meeting to attend! Any questions please let us know.
I am not a member o your guild but I would like to attend your meeting on December 9. CAN I be put on the list to make folded fabric ball and I would like to bring a dessert and participate in gift exchange.
Hi Oresta, we would love to have you as a guest at our meeting. I have marked your name down for the folded fabric ball and that's great about bringing a dessert and the gift exchange. We meet from 12-5 at the Boyle Community Centre on the 9th, see you there.


Kmart's Holiday Ad: Below the Belt or Missed the Boat?
Thanks to Jordan McNamara for contributing this article to The Side Note.
In a 2012 article, Advertising Age discussed Kmart's shrinking presence in the low-cost retail field (http://bit.ly/1gc3yWF). Annual sales were down, causing Ad Age to suggest the brand had lost relevance with discount shoppers. In the realm of discount stores, Wal-Mart dominates the low-price segment and Target holds the throne for hip, so where does this leave Kmart?
Over the holidays, Kmart and parent company Sears Holdings Corp. (http://www.searsholdings.com) made a big jingle in the viral world with the release of the holiday "Show Your Joe" commercial.
Following last year's "Ship My Pants" spot and "Big Gas Savings," all created by agency DraftFCB, this indicates a major brand shift for the retail chain. Kmart's Facebook page received many complaints from angry viewers, calling the ad "disgusting and not fit for family consumption" and "inappropriate for kids!!!" (https://www.facebook.com/kmart). Many customers also accused Kmart of sacrificing family values and decency in exchange for cheap laughs.
Departure from their traditional 'baby boomer' demographic in pursuit of younger shoppers may be exactly Kmart's intention. According to a Forbes article from last February, Kmart is focusing on improving sales within the 18-34 year old group (http://onforb.es/1gc32bp).
However, Time reported humor is not an effective tactic for converting sales (http://ti.me/1cTMyET). Although funny spots succeed at being memorable for consumers, they do not distinguish why the brand is better or what problem the product solves. "Ship my Pants" and "Big Gas Savings" have more than 30 million views combined views on YouTube, but Forbes reported 3rd quarter sales for Kmart were still down (http://onforb.es/1cTN7hT).
The Joe Boxer commercial may be the perfect example of funny, but ineffective. With more than 17 million views on YouTube, the ad has unquestionably garnered attention. However, the spot highlights only one product line available in Kmart stores rather than the Kmart brand as a whole. Plus, it lacks differentiation—what about these specific boxers make them so great? Why are they better than others? Why should I shop at Kmart for underwear? The ad does not answer any of these questions to make the brand or product relatable to the consumer. Both earlier ads by DraftFCB mentioned above do speak to benefits Kmart offers its customers, but the most effective ads connect with consumers on a deeper, emotional level.
Due to holiday shopping, fourth quarter sales can account for as much as 40 percent of annual sales for retailers (http://bit.ly/1hrxzFG). With that in mind, Kmart needed a stellar season to climb out of the hole after six years of continually declining sales (http://aol.it/19XT3oU). Numbers for 2013's fourth quarter have not been released yet, but if third quarter sales are any indication, this ad will not be enough to sway shoppers away from other discount stores.
Kmart may have some big…er, bells, but that might not have been enough to fulfill this retailer's Christmas wishes.
Do you shop at Kmart? Tell us what you think of the Joe Boxer ad here. Is your brand in need of an overhaul? The Weise team can identify problem areas and create a strategy to give your brand a boost in our Navigator session. Contact us.
When did pop culture become so scary? I don't mean Lady Gaga dressed in steak scary, but literally "BOO!" scary. Marketing campaigns have a relentless need to hold consumers' attention, and "what's hot" is often the magic ingredient. Marketing and pop culture are undeniably intertwined, and as this year's bewitching hour falls upon us, it's impossibly to ignore the fact that monsters are just that- HOT.
Shows such as True Blood, Vampire Diaries and the Twilight saga started this 'scary' trend, pushing vampires and werewolves into the limelight. Since the success of the AMC drama The Walking Dead, however, vampires have given way to zombies as the pop culture monster du jour. Major brands such as BMW, Honda, Skittles, Doritos and FedEx, have all featured the undead in commercials. Primarily playing on the cliche 'escape for your life before they bite you' storyline, these ads are redundant and easily forgettable.
The success of this commercial doesn't come solely from using a popular cultural reference, but rather from the irreverence with which it's used. The zombie, confessing to his decomposing state just as a child would with his hand caught in the cookie jar, accomplishes two feats: first, it captures the viewers' attention and second, makes it funny enough for the viewer to remember. In an age when DVRs and OnDemand make skipping commercials easier than ever, humor is one of the most powerful ways to make people watch, share, and ultimately reinforce brand awareness. Humor integrates Sprint's brand message and leaves viewers with a positive association.
Furthermore, the zombie's purely human need for a phone plan makes him relatable to the audience. The commercial exposes the awkwardness many people feel when approaching a sales clerk; this is exaggerated as his ear falls off, stirring feeling of compassion and sympathy in viewers. Again, these positive feelings become subconsciously linked to Sprint's brand image, creating a powerful emotional connection.
Ultimately, of course, commercials are intended to drive sales and influence customer behaviors. Does this commercial have the 'oomph' to accomplish that goal? Tell us what you think on our Facebook page at Weise Communications. As always, learn more about how we can help your consumer marketing by visiting our website at www.WeiseIdeas.com.
What could your brand do with 40 million followers on Twitter? What about 45 million? Celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber send out tweets daily to this amount of followers, while their fans continuously respond with compliments, love, and devotion. So, what can brands learn from these enormous celebrities about how to create an engaging and interesting social media presence?
Sarcasm is now a language within itself. Sarcasm and humor demonstrate personality, which is crucial to a company's social media presence. You want to offer a human aspect to your accounts so fans and followers know they aren't just engaging with a robot. Lady Gaga is never afraid to poke fun at herself, her songs, her crazy sense of fashion, and the world around her. Showing personality helps followers relate to your brand's voice and feel like they know you.
Shockingly, the people that know your customer base the best are your customers! Lady Gaga took notice that her fans were just as artistically inclined as her, and opened up her own social network, LittleMonsters.com. This site has provided a community for her monsters to share their art, while also creating relationships based on acceptance and their love for Gaga. Opening up an opportunity for customers to use their creativity with your brand can help build loyalty towards your brand.
What are other celebrities that companies should learn lessons from? Or what are other lessons that can be learned from the big names in music, movies, and TV? Share with us in the comment section below, and also on our Facebook and Twitter! Also, check out how we create brand cultures on social media at WeiseIdeas.com.
In recent years, chains have begun to listen to health advisers. They claim to make steps toward healthier options, however, these changes might just be cosmetic, rather than a true interest in a creating healthier community.cs have long despised the marketing tactics of these restaurants, especially their relationship with children. The toy offering with each kid's meal has been called unethical since children beg for the toy, not understanding the unhealthy food that comes along with it.
So far, Taco Bell has become the first national fast food chain to eliminate kid's meals. This decision was made following intense pressure from health advocates to eliminate the meals in order to promote healthier food choices for children. However, CEO Greg Creed says that the pressure from the advocates was not the only force driving the elimination. Creed says kid's meals were not profitable for the company, representing only .5% of total sales, and the meals did not suit their target market of millennials.
Other fast food chains feeling heat from health advocates include Jack In The Box which eliminated the kid's meal option in 2007, however Jack In The Box not a national chain. For their Kids' meals, McDonald's, added apples and downsized the fries. Yet the toys still remain and the kids want them. Trust me, I was specifically asked by my five year old for dinner from McDonald's last week so he could "get a cool toy". Which I interpret to be: a piece of plastic crap surrounded by junk food he barely likes and hardly eats. And yet McDonald's got my money.
According to various reports, the real reason most brands eliminate kid's meals or add healthier options is to increase their brand image. Taco Bell looks good to health advocates and to the public by eliminating possible deceptive marketing to children that comes from offering cool toys in meals. Also, these other options do an excellent job of bringing customers in the doors, where they usually continue to buy the unhealthier menu choices and a profit is still made.
Should brands shift towards healthier food options, even if its not for healthier reasons? Should Taco Bell be praised for eliminating the kid's meal, even though they are doing it for primarily fiscal reasons? Is McDonald's still king because apples are in happy meals and the fries are smaller, or does it really make any difference?
In less than shocking news, Ron Johnson was recently ousted as CEO of J.C. Penney after a continued decline in recent sales. Johnson came into JCP during one of the worst times for the company. He had hoped to rebrand the retail chain in order to have it come back as a successful store, but his tactics failed to cause a turnaround in profits.
Last year, when Johnson rolled out his first series of changes, we recorded our opinions and predictions. Now that Johnson has been let go by JCP, we have noted a few things that are crucial for rebranding initiatives that Johnson seemed to leave out.
The key to a successful branding is complete research. This means analyzing the company, the consumers, the competition, and the market. After collecting all there is to know, a company can decide on the most successful strategies to be implemented. Most of JCP's rebranding woes could have possibly been predicted according to their current consumer trends. JCP severely underestimated the backlash of ditching their coupons for the value pricing system. The company learned almost immediately how important the promotions were to current customers, which is something sales records could have demonstrated. When in a crisis, companies should always evaluate what is working for their company versus what isn't. The backlash on the pricing policy change has lead us to question the validity of the research that was completed.
Customer is king. If the customer does not like the strategies you are using, it will bleed through into your sales. Consumer testing helps a company try out some of their newest tactics and get some feedback before rolling out anything to the wider market. Judging from consumer reactions, Johnson skipped this step. Customers were immediately annoyed by the new television commercials, and posted their negative almost immediately.
According to various reports, Johnson was always very mum on changes to come. Only a few select people would know what was next for the retailer. However, branding, by definition, is about sharing with the public the culture that is alive inside the company. That means that every employee has to be on the same page, providing a united front in what the brand stands for. But, with Johnson keeping everyone in the dark, workers did not know what their next attitude change had to be.
Where else did Johnson fail in his rebranding? Or what were some of his successes? Tell us your takeaway in the comments, and on our Facebook & Twitter!
Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, brand engagement is at an all time high. Some brands have dormant accounts, rarely posting anything, while others have been able to turn their brands into personal, interactive and dynamic engagement tools. The latter has been able to increase revenues and sales, while also building a positive brand image. These lively accounts also provide a unique opportunity for followers, giving them exclusive information on the company, sales promotions and contests, as well as first looks at new products on the horizon.
American Eagle Outfitters, a clothing store for the millennial market, was able to leverage their social media followers into customers when they brilliantly pulled off a hip, funny April Fools practical joke. On April 1st, American Eagle made the announcement that they were producing the next big thing in fashion; spray on skinny jeans. The "skinny skinny" jeans came in a spray can, and were going to be the tightest jeans in the market, following the trend in the millennial fashion world of skinny pant-cuts. American Eagle produced photos of models, male and female, sporting the new jeans, as well as videos of the jeans in action. The lighthearted joke received significant press coverage, increasing their exposure, and was a great success to their established brand image of a hip, young company with a fun side.
Other brands, like Old Spice, have also been able to turn their brands into exciting sources of brand engagement. Old Spice used their famous "Smell Like A Man" campaign model, Isaiah Mustafa, for an interactive Q&A with Twitter followers. Followers would tweet their questions, and within minutes would receive a YouTube video response from Isaiah Mustafa and the Old Spice team. Old Spice's interactive accounts have made them the leader in body wash and deodorant sales.
It is clear that when used for its purpose, social media networks of brands can produce increased revenue and brand perception. Social media is able to bring brands closer to their consumers and reinforce a continued brand experience.
What do you think of American Eagle's April Fool's gag? Was it a positive use of brand engagement like Old Spice's? Let us know in the comments section, as well as on Twitter at @weise_ideas and Facebook!
Here is a preview of my featured article,"2013 Health Care Advertising: Looking for Answers," seen in the February issue of The Review.
With the future of health care evolving, consumer behavior and attitudes must be examined. Weise Communications Co-founder and President Tracy Weise offers her top five suggestions for health care advertising and consumer engagement for 2013.
Hospitals and health care systems can optimize outreach to educate consumers by moving beyond corporate websites and creating a strong social media presence via social media sites, blogs, referrals and webinars.
As more consumers utilize their smart phones and tablets for Web browsing, medical apps will allow consumers to order medication, set appointments, learn about health initiatives and obtain the contact information of health care institutions.
Online and offline advertising communication messages featuring, "well care" not just "sick care" will motivate consumers to take control of their own health in order to decrease hospital readmissions.
In order to prevent patients from traveling far and wide seeking optimal doctors and ideal medical costs, health care advertising can lesson competition for the health care consumer by creating specific and consistent messages to target audiences.
Health care institutions can ease consumer fears of the changing health marketplace by emphasizing positive messages about health care changes, providing dedication to community health, and advocating for the most profitable health care institutional services.


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Yodel Anecdotal
Two months ago, as Sun Microsystems held a buzz-making, but inconsequential presser in Second Life, that company's CEO dropped a post on his blog asking the keeper of all things Reg FD to allow the Java maker to break material news on its weblog(s). He reasoned that news releases are anachronistic, and frankly, not very effective. (Hey! What about those social media releases?)
I haven't followed Jonathan Schwartz's call for action that closely, except for the fact that the MSM finally noticed once the SEC chimed in …weeks after Schwartz first posted. It does appear, however, that a hybrid approach, e.g., a combination of a paid wire-distributed release (and its posting on one's website and other social media outlets), augmented by a first-person elaboration from the company CEO, is the current mode for making material news (by the digitally cognizant enterprise).
Case in point: Nasdaq: YHOO. Just before Thanksgiving, a senior executive at the challenged Sunnyvale company let leak the now infamous peanut butter memo in which he aired the company's dirty laundry, e.g., Yahoo's spread too thin, albeit in a rah rah tone intended to rally the troops. The memo didn't exactly achieve the desired result (especially after the blogospherical pundits got hold of it). At the time, Yahoo's CEO was relatively low key about the whole sticky mess.
Last night, he finally piped in with a blog posting that followed the issuance of a news release announcing a major re-org at the world's # portal. The posting itself falls pretty squarely in the CEO command-and-control variety, albeit with a brief allusion to that unfortunate (but perhaps galvanizing) memo:
"Now, I know what you're thinking — this is all about peanut butter. Actually, we've been orchestrating this plan for a number of months as we envisioned the next phase of growth for the Internet."
Expect some to weigh in that Mr. Semel didn't stray too far from the legally and semantically vetted "script." I am not one of them. As CEO, it is his fiduciary obligation to command-and-control…AND to dialogue. To the last point, his weblog, unlike Google's, allows for public comments. Let's watch today as those comments grow, and monitor whether they precipitate a two-way conversation with Mr. Semel. I hope so. (Now just don't forget about your employees, as noted by paidcontent.)
PR Yahoo YHOO Terry Semel public relations CEO Jonathan Schwartz Sun Microsystems Google Inc.
Published December 6, 2006 By Peter Himler
Bloody Ads
Dach's Facts


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TRAVELING IN CHILE
STUDYING IN CHILE
LIVING IN CHILE
Business, Enviroment NEWS
Chile's solar energy yield enhanced by China
Two large scale solar energy projects will be created in the north of the country after Chinese company agrees to supply solar panels.
Tuesday 20 May, 2014 | Business, Enviroment
The Atacama Desert has the highest solar energy potential in the world. Photo by Codelco / Flickr
Chile's green energy credentials are set to receive a boost after a major Chinese solar manufacturer agreed to supply 100 megawatts of panels for two huge projects in the north of the country.
JinkoSolar Holding Co. (JKS), a global leader in the solar PV industry, will be manufacturing and transporting 197,000 high efficiency PV Solar modules for the first of the two projects — the Lalackama PV 60-megawatt plant located in Chile's Atacama Desert region. The plant is expected to generate approximately 132 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year.
The second project will be situated in the Municipality of Diego De Almagro just north of the city of Copiapó. It will consist of a slightly smaller 40-megawatts power plant. However, the setup will still be able to deliver an impressive 88 million kWh of electricity annually.
"We are very proud to have further solidified our position as one of the largest PV module suppliers in Chile," said Mr. Alberto Cuter, JinkoSolar's Sales Director of Emerging Market, in a press release on the JinkoSolar's website.
"The increase in demand for renewable energy has turned Chile into one of the principal solar markets, and by signing those contracts, we are continuing our strategy to diversify into emerging markets," Cuter further explained. "We now have the largest market share in Chile, marking a new milestone for JinkoSolar. Our expanding presence in Chile's renewable energy market demonstrates our commitment to the development of clean energy in Latin America."
Chile has been looking to form foreign partnerships in recent years in a bid to expand the nation's renewable energy supplies. After President Sebastian Piñera took office in 2010, the country has aimed to increase renewable energy use by 20% by the year 2020 by building ties abroad — notably with China and South Korea.
The Atacama region, the world's driest desert, offers ideal conditions to harvest solar energy and on top of JinkoSolar Holding's plant, the area will soon host a further 300-megawatt solar park. The US$900 million project is the result of a partnership between Chilean industrial group Sigdo Koppers and Chinese entities Sky Solar and China Development Bank, that will help up Chile's installed energy capacity from a power matrix of 17,000 to 25,000 megawatts.
Enviroment (305)
World Reviews on Chile (200)
Chile's renewable energy future
Large-scale solar power plant headed for North of Chile
Chinese energy company launches solar project in Chile
Solar energy irrigates vineyards in Chile's Atacama desert


Undefeated IPA:The beer that started it all. We wanted to personify the feeling of victory, perseverance, and fulfillment into a beer. The same feeling our entire team felt when Pigskin went from an idea to a reality. A crisp, clean American IPA with no malt backbone and pounds of back-loaded tropical and citrus hops give it big flavor with a pleasant bitterness. Whether it's a game or life, Undefeated IPA will help you celebrate.


Recommended peers is a list of 10 trusts that are similar to yours according to a number of factors that affect productivity. These are factors the trust cannot change in the short to medium term, and that have an impact on cost per weighted activity unit (WAU).
The recommended peer set has been used to calculate many of the productivity opportunities featured in the Model Hospital.
Following feedback we've updated the recommended peers list in December 2018: we've improved the algorithm, now including factors such as casemix, PFI and Major Trauma status, and validated the results by cross-checking the peers with those selected by trusts themselves. Future developments will include recommended peers for individual specialties and compartments.
The Model Hospital's analytics team developed this list building on work with NHS Digital.
In doing this work we spoke to a lot of trusts about what peers they like to compare themselves against. We found they used a range of different criteria and there was no single right way to do this. The method we used applies the same criteria objectively to each trust and prioritises similarity on specific factors that the data tell us are most important in affecting productivity.
The Recommended peers list uses a range of mathematical techniques to approximate the best possible set of peers. It considers as many useful variables as possible and weights these variables on their relevance to a trust's cost per weighted activity unit (WAU).
First we built a supervised model (a sophisticated algorithm) to try to capture the relationship between all the available variables and each trust's productivity, as measured by their overall cost per WAU. This provided a set of coefficients (multipliers) that show the 'importance' of each variable.
Linear regression, looking for relatively simple relationships between variables and productivity, yields a straightforward set of coefficients, but this method poorly predicts cost per WAU. So instead we used a more sophisticated method called gradient boosting, which uses a decision tree approach to take into account relationships between variables. Gradient boosting gives a much better approximation of cost per WAU, and it is easy to extract the importance of each metric from the resulting rule tree.
We then used the resulting multipliers in a weighted Euclidian distance ranking tool, inputting data for every variable for every trust, to see which trusts are closest to one another in terms of the factors that predict productivity.
For the latest iteration of the recommended peers in December 2018, we have added a third step, which validates the generated peers against the trust's selected peers. Where trusts match, we weight them more highly.
Using this approach we are able to rank every trust with regard to its suitability as a peer for every other trust. We can then choose the top 10 ranked peers as a suggested set of peers.


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Veteran Support
Veterans Organisations
0131 550 1561 office@veteransscotland.org.uk
Armed Forces Covenant Report shows support for military community
The report outlines how the Government has been fulfilling its responsibility to ensure the military community are not disadvantaged as a result of their service.
Key accomplishments for 2018/19 include:
The creation of the Office for Veterans' Affairs to co-ordinate and drive government activity to support veterans
Introduction of flexible service allowing regular personnel to temporarily work part time
The launch of the Future Accommodation Model pilot, looking at how the accommodation offer for service personnel can be improved
Extension of the Forces Help to Buy scheme to December 2022, helping armed forces personnel to get on the property ladder
1,000 new signings of the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019, taking the total of signatories to over 4,000
Approximately £5 million of funding for the Department of Work and Pensions to bolster the role of its Armed Forces Champions across the country
As set out in the Queen's Speech this week, the Armed Forces Covenant will be further incorporated into law over the course of this Parliament. The legislation will seek to strengthen current arrangements to remove disadvantage and improve the consistency of Covenant outcomes for the Armed Forces community.
Minister for Defence People and Veterans Johnny Mercer said:
"Our armed forces make many sacrifices in defending our nation, so it's only right we do all we can to ensure personnel are not disadvantaged. This report clearly demonstrates we are taking this responsibility seriously, with schools better able to cater for service children, improved access for veterans to healthcare, and the Covenant reaching its 4000th signing.
"Of course, there is still work to be done and I look forward to the role that the Office for Veterans' Affairs will play in providing our people with the support they deserve."
Further support delivered this year includes:
£23.1 million of Service Pupil Premium funding is being distributed to over 10,000 schools across England in 2019-20, benefiting over 77,000 current and former service children
The Forces Families Jobs website has been launched, providing free access to employment and training opportunities to families in the armed forces
£116 million has been invested in the improvement and modernisation of Service Family Accommodation in 2018/19
The NHS launched the armed forces personnel in transition, Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans Framework offering personalised care for armed forces personnel who have complex and enduring medical conditions that are attributable to injury whilst in service
The Veterans Trauma Network, providing specialist care to veterans with service-specific traumatic injuries, expanded into Wales in October 2019
The Scottish Government in partnership with NHS Scotland and Combat Stress will continue to provide funding of £1.4 million per year until 2021 for the Specialist Mental Health Services and Veterans First Point Network
285 additional GP practices in England were accredited as 'veteran friendly'
Download the Covenant Report here.
Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2019
RAF Benevolent Fund appoints new Controller
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