This week was quite tiring. Between tuning up my decks for GP Pittsburgh, learning rules for my new judge-trainingness, and editing the show, AND trying to get a special guest on for an episode down the line, I've been pretty dog gone tired. But everything's okay!
Even if we spontaneously lose an arm, we'll still working hard to bring you your weekly community, strategy, and technology!
This week sees the return of Calvin aka Captain Redzone, whom I love very much (no homo). We also get to hear from Robert, Elder Mastery writer, and fellow Power Rangers fan (I always approve of fellow ranger fans).
Thanks for all of the support, guys! It seems like everyone took the first episode pretty well, and that's super encouraging! I'll admit that the next two episodes are locked in, so I won't be able to get any of your feedback worked into my presentation until episode four, but until then I think you'll like what we've got to share.
This week, I decided to recruit some vets in the podcasting business from our affiliate at Off Color Cast in the form of Calvin, Cassidy, and Christian, Luis, NO ONE ELSE. The junk will fly and babies will cry when these mad men get together to talk about a children's card game, so ask yourself one thing: Is your body ready for this?
This week, we do a sort of throwback episode–a retrospective and whatnot. I am joined by Byron for this episode as the two of us went back to the origin of this whole audioscape adventure. I looked over the notes of S1E1 and transformed them into the show you see today, where we take a look back on many of the same topics as we discussed two years ago with the benefit of hindsight, talk about the future, and shout out some of our brothers in content production too.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for a very special edition of CommanderCast, the biggest episode ever to kick off 2013!
Real CommanderCast thugs will know all of these people on this episode. If you don't then you've got some catching up to do with the back catalogue. It's a special episode where I've collected three CommanderCast alumni from the program's past (some more recent than others) to help me keep that hot fire burning in the worldwide EDH cipher. It was interesting and fun to get them together for a sort of cross-section of my stupid show's history and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it. Jeremiah, Fred and Mike were all on the staff at different times but came together for this episode like they'd been podcasting together for years, and I feel this is one of the better shows I've ever produced. And trust me, it wasn't on account of my oft-embarassing contributions of prepubescent squealing.
What's on the ticket for this week? Well, as usual, the CommanderCast goons on the information superhighway hold me down with some solid topics to cover and my team in the real also helped out. The random nature of games, upcoming cards, a prepackaged segment, and the importance of revenge are all on the table for us to dissect until you get tired of listening (or the show ends, I guess).
It started out innocently enough but at some point, this beast took on a mind of it's own.
I'm referring, of course, to our final segment this week. Spoiler alert: Karona, False God Entourage goes big. Big enough that it becomes the first-ever MEGA-ENTOURAGE [explosion]. For more, just listen to the podcast.
Oh yeah, and the rest of it is pretty good too. I tagged in my man Chad from Commander Shenanigans and then also summoned up two of CommanderCast's mightiest warriors, Sean and Brionne, to throw dirty fire into this cipher. The four of us go over the now-standard wide range of largely audience-suggested topics. We discuss ban-ability of cards and their availability, Sharuum the Hegemon, and also give Chad a little time to pimp his jam before we take it into the Karona joint.
Be sure to tune in next week for our first and only episode entirely devoted to the 1v1 Duel Commander, as well as a special extra podcast dropping on Tuesday.
It's a three-man squad this week leaping from our imaginary-but-awesome orbital gunship to HALO jump directly into the consciousness of Commander players everywhere. My main man Mike aka Mightily_Oats is backing me up with the slickest radio voice not on radio, and joining me as special guest we have the World Twitter Champion Jonathan aka Norbert88. Together the three of us engage in discourse on various topics sent in my the fourth secret member of the team… our listener Neil, who sent in so many topic ideas in one email that I did a whole show based on them. Thanks Neil!
What did he want us to talk about, though? Well, it's a variety of stimulating stuff including premium products like the From the Vault series, winning through combat, and more. I also want to give props to my man Devin, the reigning Home Version Heavyweight Champion, for providing some great insight as usual into this week's Home Version question. But overall this week's Home Version got tons of excellent, intelligent replies on Facebook, so if you're interested in strong red zone play peep game over at FB.


WHOIS is a query and response protocol that is widely used for querying databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block, or an autonomous system, but is also used for a wider range of other information. Below is the entire whois information for Growfinancial.org. Many domains these days use a WHOIS privacy service to hide the actual email addresses and owner of a domain.
Growfinancial.org is hosted by Grow Financial Federal Credit Union in Florida, Palm River-clair Mel, United States, 33619.
Growfinancial.org has an IP Address of 198.49.46.55 and a hostname of www.growbuggclub.org.
Need to find out who hosts Growfinancial.org?
What are the nameservers for growfinancial.org?
Need to find out if Growfinancial.org is a scam?
Have you used growfinancial.org before?
Please write a short review to share your views and opinions about growfinancial.org.


text:
$750 Million Alexandria Real Estate Equities Common Stock/Forward At-the-Market Program
Cleary Gottlieb acted as product counsel to Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., BB&T Capital Markets, a division of BB&T Securities LLC, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., BTIG LLC, Capital One Securities Inc., Evercore Group LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, RBC Capital Markets LLC, Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., SMBC Nikko Securities America Inc., and TD Securities (USA) LLC, as sales agents, in establishing an at-the-market program for Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., permitting Alexandria to issue or sell, through the sales agents or the forward sellers, shares of its common stock having an aggregate sales price of up to $750 million.
Cleary additionally acted as counsel to Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Barclays Bank PLC, BNP Paribas, Royal Bank of Canada, and The Bank of Nova Scotia, as forward purchasers under the related distribution agreement and forward sale agreements. Under the distribution agreement, Alexandria may, in addition to issuing and selling shares of its common stock through any sales agent, enter into a forward sale agreement with a forward purchaser, pursuant to which the forward purchaser would borrow from the third parties and, through its related forward seller, sell a number of shares of Alexandria's common stock equal to the number of shares underlying the particular forward sale agreement. Alexandria would not initially receive any proceeds from the sale of the borrowed shares. Under the forward sale agreements, Alexandria expects to fully physically settle each forward sale agreement (by delivering shares of the common stock) on one or more dates specified by Alexandria on or prior to the maturity date of the forward sale agreement, in which case the company would receive aggregate net cash proceeds at settlement equal to the number of shares underlying the forward sale agreement multiplied by the relevant forward sale price. Alexandria may also elect to cash settle or net share settle a forward sale agreement.
Alexandria is an urban office REIT uniquely focused on world-class collaborative science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations.
CEMEX's $1.75 Billion Global Bond Offering
Chevron's Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations for Noble Energy's Notes
Southern California Edison's Bond Offering
Citi in Successful Consent Solicitation by Andrade Gutierrez

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Situated on the lower bank a few hundred metres from the Moskovsky Station, this hostel is the only in the city to offer double and family rooms. Its dorms are a little smaller than those of the other hostels and it has a larger range of private rooms. A short bus ride will take you to the historical town centre on the opposite bank.


text:
Black L.O.V.E. Pledge
Asset-Framing
Home » Our Voices » Covering Black communities with nuance and purpose
Covering Black communities with nuance and purpose
There's a difference between covering a community from a perspective of highlighting their assets compared with their deficits.
"Deficit framing defines people by the worst possible thing that ever happened to them, and that happens a lot with Black communities," says Deborah Douglas, a distinguished visiting professor at DePauw University, editorial strategist, and author of the upcoming book, U.S. Civil Rights Trail. "You focus on a negative thing as opposed to, these are full people with full lives and aspirations. I try to balance that with asset framing, which is who they are, their aspirations. … There are positive stories. Where you have Black pain, you have Black joy."
In a recent article for Nieman Reports, "Meet the New Black Press," Douglas was invited to contribute a piece in which she looks at how traditional press outlets aren't always able to connect with Black audiences for a number of reasons — not the least of which is a lack of Black and Brown voices and perspectives in newsrooms.
She highlights a few outlets in particular, including The TRiiBE, TheGrio and Coronavirus News for Black Folks as examples of organizations and individuals doing the hard work of going into Black communities, speaking with people there and getting into the heart of their real lives, priorities, victories and struggles.
Coronavirus News for Black Folks, written by Patrice Peck, is the direct result of a journalist wanting to do better by her community and fix a disconnect that was directly jeopardizing public health.
"She got fed up working in traditional media," says Douglas. "Her ideas, when they were pegged to the Black community, were viewed with circumspection. She used the opportunity to use everything at her disposal — her intellect, her education and her computer — to start a newsletter to educate people about the disparate impact coronavirus has on Black communities. She has a very powerful voice that's approachable and has a way of cutting right through whatever the issue of the day is and speaking to you in a way that you feel respected, elevated and deeply understood." Read More at It's All Journalism
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Latest posts from BMe Community
Black History Month: What if we stop denigrating and start loving? - May 20, 2022
BMe Welcomes 45 New 'Vanguards' of the Next Black Narrative - September 16, 2021
Covering Black communities with nuance and purpose - August 28, 2020
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By Edwin Margulies The principles of growth hacking are extensible and can be applied to the realm of customer service. Whether you want to embed applications and APIs on your web site and mobile apps, add sentiment feedback, and viral mechanisms - there's no reason to limit these tricks of the marketing trade to… marketing. Nor should these concepts be limited to small, startup companies with tiny budgets. Savvy customer service executives and other practitioners of customer care can also team up with technical gurus to increase loyalty, solve customer problems, and get great feedback. Here are some ways you can use growth hacking discipline to step up your customer service game. What's Growth Hacking? Growth hacking first represented an alliance between the marketing and technical leadership of your company. It's a teaming arrangement wherein your chief marketing evangelist works with your top technical gurus to game your website, applications and other customer touch points for accelerated growth. A hallmark of growth hacking is the concept of viral mechanics in which customers and prospects are cajoled into propagating your brand using built-in instruments you embed in your customer-facing apps. This is done in addition to traditional word of mouth referrals in order to accelerate uptake of your brand, applications and products. But there's no reason why the disciplines leveraged for brand awareness cannot also be applied to customer service. Let me count the ways… Forging New Alliances First, in order for you to truly leverage the concepts of growth hacking for customer service, your company executives need to embrace the idea of putting together teams of customer service visionaries and technical visionaries. These people must meet to discuss new, cool ways you can trick-out your customer touch points with new, social mechanisms, feedback mechanisms, and even viral ones. This will be a journey that has no end point. Your team will want to constantly create ideas, test them and make improvements all the time. Use Published and Home-Grown APIs As the social networking world has taught us over the past decade, customers love to publish their likes, dislikes and calls to action in the public realm. They do this via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to name just a few of the many outlets. Many of these companies publish APIs that allow your technical team to write extensions so your web site, mobile apps, and custom applications can collaborate with social networks. In its simplest form, you can embed your companies' Twitter feed on your web site and allow prospects and customers to click a link that allows them to follow your brand. Beyond this, you can write an application on your web site that allows people to log in using their Twitter or Facebook credentials. This lets your customers authenticate your application against their FaceBook or Twitter account so comments or suggestions they leave can be re-broadcast onto their social networks. That's better than a simple follow any day. There are endless possibilities here because once your own applications are authenticated against a person's Facebook or Twitter account, you've "embedded" a piece of your company right inside their social network. This means you can add capabilities like feedback buttons, scheduling, opt-ins and a host of other ideas you and your team can create. Leveraging Feedback Instruments There are other vendors besides the social networks who have APIs available for the creation of real time scoring instruments and sentiment feedback instruments (see InAppCare.com for example). You can use these APIs to gather sentiment and verbatim quotes on your web site or smartphone apps and then use that data to trigger customer service reach-out. How cool would it be to have a "social early warning system" so your customer service specialists can automatically reach out to customers who need help - even before their problems go viral? This is not the antithesis of viral mechanics by any stretch. The very idea that once-static survey data can be made "live" to get instant customer feedback is one of the holy grail's customer service execs have been searching for. The notion of embedding "likes" and "shares" in the instrument so customers can brag about how quickly they were served clearly supports the viral element. You don't even have to force them to share as has been tried in some games where you can't go to the next play level unless you tell a friend. Leveraging Contact Channels I also urge customer service executives to huddle with your technical gurus on ideas for using real-time customer experience data (and big data) to trigger customer contact on preferred channels. For example, you can collect sentiment and scoring feedback in your community site and knowledge base articles. Your technical gurus can write programs that collect feedback on relevancy, customer importance, customer sentiment and use that to push offers of help via callback or chat. You can push the data you collect from web site interactions like this to cloud-based services that will automatically grab an agent and make a phone call back to the customer (see holdfree.com). Or automatically push a tweet with a URL to a callback form or coupon offer. In turn, these forms can be used to encourage the sharing of a good coupon with friends. Gamification Strategies You can also spice up customer service interactions on your web site and smartphone applications with a gamification strategy. Here, you can offer loyalty points, virtual dollars or even just plain recognition to the customers that offer the most valued feedback, or who visit your web site the most, or who offer the most help in your community site, etc. This can be based on the idea that some of the best content on web sites (especially those with social community software) is the content that's "self-generated" content. That's the stuff of Facebook and twitter also. The idea that people in the community can crank out a lot of content. You can encourage their producing content by running contests, or providing incentives for them to continue creating that content. It can be a fun project for your technical gurus to track usage, and create a leaderboard on your site or in your smartphone apps. Here, you can offer the ability for customers to share news about their "booty" to their social networks. So customers can brag to their friends about how they were rated by your programs. You can even do weekly highlights (with permission of course) of the top leaderboard participants. Think photos, bios, favorite apps, verbatim quotes. Conclusion Whether it's leveraging community-generated content, soliciting feedback, gaming communication channels, or taking advantage of published or proprietary APIs - you can use growth hacking concepts to step up your customer service game. Take full advantage of your technical and customer service leadership today and ask your team to come up with your "top ten growth hacking" ideas for your company. Growth hacking does not have to be the singular domain of little companies or just the marketing effort either. Customer service is the "new marketing" so use every trick at your disposal to be a world class customer service company.


This post provides an in-depth analysis of Gooligan monetization schemas and recounts how Google took it down with the help of external partners.
This post is the final post of the series dedicated to the hunt and take down of Gooligan that we did at Google in collaboration with Check Point in November 2016. The first post recounts the Gooligan origin story and offers an overview of how it works. The second one provides an in-depth analysis of Gooligan's inner workings and an analysis of its network infrastructure. As this post builds on the previous two, I encourage you to read them if you haven't done so already.
You can also get the slides here, but they are pretty bare.
Gooligan's goal was to monetize the infected devices through two main fraudulent schemas: Ad fraud and Android app boosting.
As shown in the screenshot above, periodically Gooligan will use its root privileges to overlay an ad popup for a legitimate app on top of any activity the user was currently doing. Under the hood, Gooligan knows when the user is looking at the phone, as it monitors various key events, including when the screen is turned on.
We don't have much insight on how effective those ad campaigns were or who was reselling them, as they don't abuse Google's ads network, and they use a gazillion HTTP redirects, which makes attribution close to impossible. However we believe that ad fraud was the main driver of Gooligan revenue, given its volume and the fact that we blocked its fake installs as discussed below.
The second way Gooligan attempted to monetize infected devices was by performing Android app boosting. An app boosting package is a bundle of searches for a specific query on the Play store, followed by an install and a review. The search is used in an attempt to rank the app for a given term. This tactic is commonly peddled in App Store Optimization (ASO) guides.
The reason Gooligan went through the trouble of stealing OAuth tokens and manipulating the Play store is probably that the defenses we put in place are very effective at detecting and discounting fake synthetic installs. Using real devices with real accounts was the Gooligan authors' attempt to evade our detection systems. Overall, it was a total failure on their side: We caught all the fake installs, and suspended the abusive apps and developers.
Token stealing: The malware extracts the phone's long term token from the phone's accounts.
Taking order: Gooligan reports phone information to the central command and control system, and receives in response a reply telling it which app to boost, including which search term to use and which comment to leave (if any). Phone information is exfiltrated because Gooligan authors also had access to non-compromised phones and were trying to use information obtained from Gooligan to fake requests from those phones.
Token exchange: The long term token is exchanged for a short term token that allows Gooligan to access the Play store. We are positive that no user data was compromised by Gooligan, as no other data was ever requested by Gooligan.
Boosting: The fake search, installation, and potential review is carried out through the manipulated Play store app.
Cleaning up Gooligan was challenging for two reasons: First, as discussed in the infection post, its reset persistence mechanism meant that doing a factory reset was not enough to clean up the old unpatched devices. Second, the Oauth tokens had been exfiltrated to Gooligan servers.
Asking users to reflash their devices would have been unreasonable and issuing an OTA (Over The Air) update would have take too long. Given this difficult context and the need to act quickly to protect our users we went for an alternative solution that we rarely use: orchestrating a takedown with the help of third parties.
With the help of Shadowserver foundation and domain registrars we sinkholed Gooligan domains and got them to point to Shadowserver controlled IPs instead of IPs controlled by Gooligan authors. This sinkholing ensured that infected devices couldn't exfiltrate token or receive fraud commands, as they would connect to sinkhole servers instead of the real command and control servers. As shown in the graph above, our takedown was very successful: It blocked over 50M attempts to connect to Gooligan's control server in 2017.
Reaching users in a timely fashion across a wide range of devices is difficult. We ended up using a combination of SMS, email, and Android messaging, depending on what communication channel was available.
It was important to make the notification understandable and useful to all users. Explaining what was happening clearly and simply took a lot of iteration. We ended up with the notification shown in the screenshot above.
Once crafted, the text of the notification and help page had to be translated into the languages spoken by our users. Performing high quality internationalization for over 20 languages very quickly was quite a feat.
Overall, in order to respond to Gooligan, many people, including myself, ended up working long hours through the Thanksgiving weekend (an important holiday in the U.S.). Our commitment to quickly eradicate this threat paid off: On the evening of Monday, November 29th, the takedown took place, followed the next day by the resecuring of the compromised accounts. All in all, this takedown took a mere few days, which is blazing fast when you compare it to other similar ones. For example, the Avalanche botnet) takedown took four years of intensive efforts.
To conclude, Gooligan was a very challenging malware to tackle, due to its scale and unconventional tactics. We were able to meet this challenge and defeat it, thanks to a cross-industry effort and the involvement of many teams at Google that didn't go home until users were safe.
Thanks for reading this post all the way to the end. I hope it showcases how we approach botnet fighting and sheds some light on some of the lesser known, yet still critical, activities that our research team assists with.


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Q: Ruby on Rails - has one and belongs to many relationship This question is related to ruby on rails ActiveRecord associations and how to generate those migrations.
I'm trying to build a web-app for a documentation/data management system and I have two models - Arg and Descriptor. (The reason for making a descriptor an object rather than an attribute is for multiple Args to share the same description). The relationship between Args and Descriptors is as follows: an Arg has ONLY one descriptor. A Descriptor has MANY Args.
Basically, in the code, I would like to be able to do the following:
a1 = Arg.first
a1.descriptor = Descriptor.first
d1 = Descriptor.last
d1.args << Arg.last
d1.args << Arg.first

Currently I have this set up:
class Descriptor < ActiveRecord::Base
  has_and_belongs_to_many :args
end

class Arg < ActiveRecord::Base
  has_one :descriptor
end

I also ran these migrations:
create_table :args do |t|
  t.string :name
  t.timestamps
end

create_table :descriptors do |t|
  t.string :name
  ...
  t.timestamps
end

add_column :descriptors, :switch_id, :integer

create_table :args_descriptors, :id => false do |t|
  t.column :arg_id, :integer, :null => false
  t.column :descriptor_id, :integer, :null => false
end

When i try all of the above, I can't get two Args to share a Descriptor object for some reason. for example:
>> Arg.first.descriptor
=> nil
>> Arg.first.descriptor = Descriptor.last
=> #<Descriptor id: 9, name: "....
>> Arg.last.descriptor
=> nil
>> Arg.last.descriptor = Descriptor.last
=> #<Descriptor id: 9, name: "....
>> Arg.first.descriptor
=> nil

Why is the first Arg's descriptor nil now?? am i missing a column in my database? am i not specifying the relationship correctly?
I'm not very proficient in rails nor the migrations/databases. If you are explaining a concept, please please please try to provide both ActiveRecord code examples as well as Migrations code examples. Thanks.

A: I believe these are the associations and migrations that you need:
class Descriptor < ActiveRecord::Base
  has_many :args
end

class Arg < ActiveRecord::Base
  belongs_to :descriptor
end

create_table :args do |t|
  t.string  :name
  t.integer :descriptor_id
  t.timestamps
end

create_table :descriptors do |t|
  t.string :name
  ...
  t.timestamps
end

Note that if you want to store extra information against the association between Arg and Descriptor then you'll need a join model which you get using the has_many :through association.

A: You're actually going to want an intermediate table between these two objects.  In the database world this is called a "mapping" table.  In Ruby you want to use the has_many through association.
http://railscasts.com/episodes/47-two-many-to-many
Updated with better article explaining concept.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Tue, 11 Feb 2020
The Yakuza Remastered Collection Day One Edition
$99.95 ($10.00 deposit)
Strong violence and sexual references More information
3 hard boiled crime dramas, all in one package!
Day One Edition contains Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, & Yakuza 5 on two disks in a striking red collectible case, emblazoned with Kiryu's dragon tattoo.
2-Disc Digipack
Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 & Yakuza 5 on 2 Discs
Collectible Yakuza 5 PlayStation 3 Amaray Case
The Yakuza remastered collection is Far from a typical Console generation port. In addition to graphical and performance upgrades (720p > 1080p at 30 > 60FPS), all three games have gone through a rigorous re localization process.
The English scripts for each game have been reviewed, revised, and even rewritten in some Cases, and content previously cut from the Western releases of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 have been re added in the Yakuza remastered collection.
The Yakuza remastered collection brings the final missing chapters in kiryu's story to the PlayStation 4. From Yakuza 0 to Yakuza 6: the song of life, players can now experience the full story of the Dragon of Dojima, all on a single platform.
Missing content from the original Western releases has been re added to the remastered versions, and the full English scripts have been reviewed, revised, and had portions rewritten for accuracy alongside the original Japanese releases.


Howdy, and welcome to my review of the Bushnell Hybrid Laser/GPS Rangefinder. This is a fairly unique device, since it merges GPS functions with those of a laser rangefinder. It's great for golfing, but how useful is it for those hunters out there? Let's take a look and find out.
Apparently, this model used to ship with a handstrap, but not anymore.
What's The Rangefinder's Maximum Range?
According to Bushnell, this device can return an accurate range, to within plus or minus one yard, from five to 1,000 yards. That's assuming a large, highly reflective target, of course. For deer and other smaller targets, I've found it's only truly useful out to about 175 yards. Beyond that, the 5X magnification isn't quite powerful enough to get a good bead on your prey. I wish the accuracy was a bit more dead-on, but getting a range to within a yard is halfway decent.
How Easy is the Hybrid to Use?
Other than the GPS functions, the Hybrid Laser/GPS Rangefinder is fairly simple and easy to use. There's just a single button, and not many features to wade through. Just point at your intended target, push the button, and you get the range to that object.
This unit, like most of the rangefinders I've come across recently, only includes multicoated optics as opposed to fully multicoated optics. The device's 21mm objective lens provides a fair bit of light gathering room, and you'll enjoy a 367 foot field of view from 1,000 yards. For eyeglass wearers, you'll love the 21mm eye relief, along with the diopter adjustment.
Most rangefinders these days use a lithium CR2 or CR123 battery, but the Hybrid is a different beast. It utilizes an internal rechargeable lithium ion battery. Unfortunately, this does mean you have to charge up the battery before you can use it, so don't expect to unbox the rangefinder and get straight to work with it. It takes about six to eight hours to get a full charge, and that will only last you about 14 hours of continuous use — even less if you use the GPS function a lot.
This is a pretty simple rangefinder, overall, without any sort of slope compensation or ballistic modes. It's designed for golfers, after all, not hunters. The GPS functionality is almost entirely useless in the hunting fields, since it's only intended to give you precise distances between different features of golf courses.
One nice external feature, though, is the tripod socket. This is very useful if you're using the rangefinder at a shooting range to confirm distances, since you can just mount it on your tripod and have it at the ready.
What's the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Bushnell Hybrid Laser/GPS Rangefinder?
Transmittance isn't really the name of the game here, since this model is meant for golfers. You'll be able to see your prey even in low-light conditions, but don't count on being able to read the LCD display with the range to your target.
The Bushnell Hybrid Laser/GPS Rangefinder has good optics, and the focus is fast and snappy. Image clarity is quite good, and you'll find yourself using this rangefinder as much as a 5X monocular as you do a rangefinder. What's even nicer is how quickly the Hybrid's Pinseeker mode is able to lock onto just about any target and get you the range to that object.
While this particular rangefinder can probably handle a bit of a rain and some splashes, it's not designed with rough weather in mind. The optics chamber hasn't been nitrogen-purged and the lenses aren't O-ring sealed, so don't expect this model to be fogproof and waterproof. It's not.
The body of the rangefinder is also mostly unprotected plastic, so there isn't much shock absorption. In short, this is a rangefinder that's probably best handled with kid gloves.
Thanks for reading my review of Bushnell's Hybrid Laser/GPS Rangefinder. This is a great little unit for golfing, but it lacks most of the features that hunters look for. If you are hoping to get the best of both worlds, you won't find that here, but you can use this as a barebones hunting rangefinder with plenty of extra usefulness on the golf course.


If you're self-employed, when you begin your business, you spend money on expenses that the IRS calls "start-up" costs. There are only two ways to deduct these costs. One is that you capitalize the costs and get the deduction when you quit or sell your business. In general, this is undesirable because how many crafters will actually sell their business? The other way start-up costs can be deducted is to amortize or spread out the deductions over five years. But you must choose to do this in the start-up year. It is important in the beginning of your business to make the right choice. If you do not make the correct choice, you may lose your deductions. For instance, say you spent $7,000 on equipment, tools, furniture, travel, and rent to start-up your business which as of yet does not exist. You deduct these expenses from your income as normal business expenses. The IRS disallows your deductions because the business did not exist when you put that money out. By this time, you are into the next tax year. You lose the chance to amortize and must now wait until you sell or quit the business. To get your deduction, choose to amortize these costs in the tax year during which the active business starts. Consult an accountant. Start-up costs are any money paid to create an active business and any expenses that would normally be deductible if there were an existing business. Examples include travel, entertainment, hiring consultants, advertising, training, finding suppliers, finding buyers, getting professional accounting advice, tools, and so on.
Use a daily planner or appointment book and record your business activities every day. Keep receipts for all expenses and sales, canceled checks, credit card charge slips, letters, photographs, and any additional evidence to support your claims. The way the tax law reads, it is a requirement to keep a diary of daily tasks to prove business activity. In 1995, it became tax law that you are not required to keep receipts for business travel and entertainment expenses less than $75 while out of town. As for other receipts, keep them all. Canceled checks are not enough alone, as you have to produce documentation to list your expenses. Use a separate credit card for business costs because you get a receipt as proof of payment and you get a monthly statement as proof of payment. If you make a charge for a business expense near the end of the year, it will be deductible in the year charged. A separate charge card for business also allows you to track business interest payments which is deductible. Some of the documentation proofs that may safeguard you from an audit include an appointment book, a business customer list, a daily log of receipts, journal of expenses and income, deposit slips, bank statements, and canceled checks. Another tip, make sure your receipts match your claims. An auditor can check your motel receipts to show how many people occupied the room.
Use it for performing the important functions of your business.
Collect money from customers in it.
Spend more time in the home office than at other work locations.
You can deduct expenses for a separate structure like a studio or garage if the building is used exclusively for the business. In this case, the building does not have to be the principal place of business or a place where you meet customers. You can also expense property or assets used for your business in your home, even if you don't qualify for the home office deduction. For instance, you buy a new work table that costs $500. Your home business does not qualify you for home office deduction because you use the room only 75% for the business (you must use the room 100% for business to qualify). You can expense $375 of the table or 75% of $500. You are allowed to deduct up to $17,500 of the cost of new or used office equipment, tools and other qualifying personal property bought in the same tax year. You must use the property 100% for business or you can only deduct the percentage of business use of the property. Also you can only deduct up to the amount of business income for the same tax year. Any cost chosen to be expensed that is above the limitation of the current year can be carried into the next year. You can deduct indirect expenses like rent, utilities, insurance, security systems, property taxes, deductible mortgage interest, repairs, and depreciation in proportion to your business use of the home. To determine the amount, first find out the total square feet of your home. Then measure the square feet of your home office. Divide the home office footage by the total area of the house. That gives you the percentage to multiply your indirect expenses by. Say you have a 1,600 square foot house and you use one 400 square foot room for business. You use 25% of your home for business and can deduct 25% of the indirect expenses. Remember to keep a journal or diary proving this room is only used for business. Photos with dates stamped by the film developers will be acceptable evidence.
Paid for services actually performed.
Your children's employment must be by the books and you have to prove it with check stubs, receipts, and a diary. You benefit from hiring a child under eighteen, because you can deduct wages, which reduces your income and self-employment taxes, and you and your child are exempt from payroll taxes on wages paid. However, you have to prove that the amount you pay in wages is a normal wage for the particular tasks and not artificially high.
You paid fair market rent for the assets.
You have a written agreement.
Your spouse received payments and deposited them in a separate account.
Your spouse can prove they owned the assets.
You paid state sales tax on the rentals.
The self-employed health deduction allows you to deduct 30% of money spent on health insurance. You would get a much better deal by hiring your spouse and paying medical expenses under an employee health plan. You can then claim 100% of those expenses as a deductible employee expenses on your Schedule C.
A trip from your home to your office or any regular place of business is considered commuting, therefore personal, and not deductible as a business expense. However, you can deduct miles driven between two business locations. So if you have a home office and you drive to a store account, that is legitimate deductible mileage. Recently, standard mileage deductions were around 33 cents per business mile. You can claim the IRS standard mileage or figure all your gas, repairs, tires, oil, insurance, registration fees, and depreciation. You must have adequate records to prove your total miles driven during the tax year.
You can claim travel expenses for your business if you have to spend the night away from home while pursuing business. Even if you spend some time for personal reasons, as long as you spend more days on business than pleasure, deduct 100% of travel expenses. For each day of business travel, deduct lodging costs, and 50% of your meals. If weather or other circumstances prevent you from carrying out your business, you can still deduct the travel expenses. You can deduct travel costs to attend trade shows, training and conventions if business related. If your spouse or children are employed by you, you can deduct their expenses, too. Your travel expense deductions are more credible if you log and record the expenses at the time of purchase. Usually, taxpayers who lose court cases involving travel lacked proper entries in a diary. You should record: Amount you spent on lodging, food, gas, parking, or taxis. Time of day you departed and returned for each trip and number of days away for business. Places you traveled to. Nature of business or purpose of business trip.
For an excellent resource of many more home business deductions, see 422 Tax Deductions by Bernard Kamaroff, C.P.A.
The Basic Guide to Pricing Your Craftwork.
James is a past member of the advisory board to the National Craft Association. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form including electronic.
Phone: 800-235-6570 within North America.


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Novelist Peter Carey To Read at Amherst College April 22
Amherst in the News
Campus Community Events
AMHERST, Mass.—Australian writer Peter Carey, the author of The True History of the Kelly Gang (2001), a novel about his country's most famous folk hero that a reviewer there called "regrettably scintillating," will read at 8 p.m. on Monday, April 22, in Room 115 of Fayerweather Hall at Amherst College. The event, sponsored by the Amherst College Creative Writing Center, department of English, Scott Turow Foundation and the George Lurcy Lecture Series and Fund, is free and open to the public.
Carey wrote The True History of the Kelly Gang in the voice of the 19th-century "bushranger," or highwayman, Ned Kelly, whom some consider an Australian Robin Hood. "In a spectacular feat of literary ventriloquism," Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times, Carey "summons the rollicking, unschooled, hugely colorful voice of Australia's best-known underdog." It is, she wrote, "as if Huck Finn and Shakespeare had joined forces to prettify the legend of Jesse James."
Born in Australia in 1943, Carey received a degree from Monash University in 1961. His first short fiction, collected in The Fat Man in History (1974) and War Crimes (1979), was published in the late '70s; he supported himself writing advertising copy until 1988. His first novel, Bliss (1981), was followed by Illywhacker (1985), Oscar and Lucinda (1988), The Tax Inspector (1991), The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith (1994) and Jack Maggs (1997). Both Oscar and Lucinda and The True History of the Kelly Gang won the Booker Prize, making Carey only the second writer so honored twice.
The Amherst College Creative Writing Center puts on a yearly reading series featuring both emerging and established authors. The Center's Website is at http://www.amherst.edu/~cwc.
Amherst College Creative Writing Center
fayerweather hall
scott turow foundation
the true history of kelly gang
george lurcy lecture series and fund


Respect the LAW! My costume for the Crimpfest!
Heading to more climbing with my partner Calvin. Great guy for putting up with me.
Early morning light with the monkey finger in the background.
I caught him, he was stealing draws.
So many climbs and so much sunshine at Smith Rocks. The crooked River meanders around the base.
Calvin in his costume. What a dirty dirty guy.
← Smith Rock American Alpine Club Crimpfest!


Sweet lace up details adorn these darling boots. A soft brown base pairs with a lace-up front design, stitch detailing, and a rugged sole. A soft inner lining and padded footbed combine for the perfect fit. Side zipper detailing for easy on and off wear. The perfect boots for chilly fall & winter weather.
The Charlie Lace Up Boots has a rating of 4.9 stars based on 7 reviews.


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Marketing, News
Scotland's Only Pop-Up Santa's Post Office
This time last year Crieff was being held up as a shining example of how success can be achieved when businesses and the community come together to promote and attract visitors to their town. Buoyed by a Facebook post, seen by over 150,000 people,…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/8D8C6D08-6E33-4373-ABE3-5B343DDD98F4-scaled.jpeg 2560 2127 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-12-03 16:21:582020-12-03 16:21:58Scotland's Only Pop-Up Santa's Post Office
New shop local campaign launches
As we come to the end of a year like no other, Crieff Succeeds continues to promote local businesses by encouraging Crieff residents to shop locally this Christmas. Posters and leaflets have been printed and a social media campaign started…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/956550E6-C602-4CB3-B756-5D9EC9FD1DD1.jpeg 1604 1134 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-11-30 12:13:562020-11-30 12:13:56New shop local campaign launches
A hardship fund for Bed & Breakfast and other Small Serviced Accommodation businesses has opened from Monday 15th June, for applications. The purpose of this fund is to provide hardship relief to B&B and other Small Serviced Accommodation…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/5842613B-46E9-4BF4-A7C5-4219E9275BFD-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-06-15 11:49:462020-06-15 11:49:46New Bed & Breakfast Hardship Fund
Covid-19 business financial support summary
There are many different financial aid schemes that have been set up to help support businesses through this difficult time. For a summary of them as they currently stand click here.
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/C0137E78-F688-4C94-B722-E54DB493E66D-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-05-26 10:44:502020-05-26 10:44:50Covid-19 business financial support summary
Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund Open for Applications
Here are the latest business support update details from PKC The £34 million Newly Self-employed Hardship Fund, which was announced by the Scottish Government last week, is now open for applications via…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/C0137E78-F688-4C94-B722-E54DB493E66D-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-05-01 14:41:472020-05-01 14:46:02Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund Open for Applications
Summary of Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme All UK employers with a PAYE scheme will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees' salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. • If…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/C0137E78-F688-4C94-B722-E54DB493E66D-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-05-21 11:18:402020-05-21 11:26:15Summary of Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Crieff Succeeds are in discussions with the MDG group to look at ways that businesses in Crieff can benefit from their experience in gaining their clients the best deals in utilities and other services. As we move into the restructuring and…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CA33D2AA-297B-4512-9F9B-81D30CA8A138.jpeg 2448 3264 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-05-01 15:06:472020-05-01 15:06:47Help managing your utilities
Summary of Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund
£34 million fund to support newly self-employed people, providing one-off grant payments of £2,000 • £2,000 grants will be allocated to newly self-employed facing hardship You must sign a declaration confirming that you meet all of the…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/C0137E78-F688-4C94-B722-E54DB493E66D-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-05-21 12:26:092020-05-21 12:26:09Summary of Newly Self Employed Hardship Fund
What does it do? Supports self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. • The scheme will allow self-employed individuals or a member of a partnership to claim a taxable…
Due to Government restrictions, only certain retailers in Crieff are still open for business. They are also adapting the way they work and deliver as everyone needs to socially distance themselves or self isolate. Below are some details that…
https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/streetwalk031.jpg 1200 1200 Ruth Williams https://www.crieffsucceeds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crieffsucceedslogo.jpg Ruth Williams2020-05-07 11:54:212020-06-16 11:51:09Open businesses


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Tag: cycle
Capsule collection of recycled textiles and craft technologies, dyed with natural materials from nature
We present you MUB COLLECTION, created in collaboration by Svetlana Petrova (Bulgaria) for Empty Your Wardrobe, Natural Dyer Marta Sieteiglesias Ávila (Spain) for Warm & Wild and Handcrafted and Tailormade artist Dahlia Rodriguez (Portugal) for DsR Atelier.
With the goal to expand the offer of yarns coming from recycled raw materials for a textile more attentive to the consumption of resources, the MFT division of the Marchi & Fildi Group completes the range of metalloplastic yarns of its Gleaming collection with the insertion of 100% recycled polyester yarns coming from post-consumer material and with the GRS (Global Recycle Standard) certification.
The beauty of African Brazil in Elza Pimenta's jewels from recycled gold
Elza Pimenta is a jewelry designer and has just presented a wonderful collection for Spring/Summer 2021, inspired from the afro-Brazilian culture, their Gods, and belief systems. This collection is made to feel like home, to welcome you. The minimalist jewelry celebrates the organic forms found in nature and borrows inspiration from talismans and amulets.
Unusual prom dress ideas: choose naturalness
Prom is an ideal time to show off your sense of style as you go through yet another rite of passage. As the day draws near, it is quite easy to get lost in the event's dos and don'ts. It gets even more complicated when choosing the dress. You get a list of what to consider, from the shoes to the event's theme to your date's dress code. Here is one thing that you might have glazed over: keeping an open mind.
Fashion for the home
8 Proven Ways to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly
Protect the planet and fight climate change by discovering methods for positively impacting the environment. Every small change you make in your life can leave a large impact on the world. Start small by altering your daily habits within your home to create a better tomorrow.
ROICA unveils the next level of responsible innovation at Premiere Vision
So far, ROICA™ the very first sustainable premium stretch fibre has become a global success in the market reaching in the end consumer's wardrobe. At Première Vision, the company by leading material innovator Asahi Kasei takes place at the Smart Creation Area, the fair's epicentre of sustainability. On show in Paris premium collaborations for the wardrobe of tomorrow starting from G-Star Raw cutting-edge smart jeans and Licia Florio's soft sports apparel as well as the very next level of responsible innovation.
Manteco launches MWool - the next generation of recycled wool
Manteco, the world leading premium wool manufacturer launches a new precious ingredient MWool; it's the 'upgraded' recycled wool born from the company's cutting edge Manteco System combined with sustainable innovation and heritage.
Glossary of Sustainable fashion
We already know that one garment is sustainable, if its manufacturing process protects the environment and respects people. But which are the different aspects of Sustainability in Fashion? Let's see...
What is Sustainable fashion?
Sustainable is product, which is manufactured with environment-friendly raw materials, technologies and chemicals and respect for people - workers, local people, consumers.
Menswear accessories
A Toolkit for DIY Menswear and Fashion Accessories
It turns out that do-it-yourself (DIY) fashion extends well beyond sewing buttons onto old shirts. In fact, DIY is a core component of ethical fashion because it finds new ways to preserve and upcycle old materials into new pieces. Many key items in menswear collections can be repurposed using basic DIY techniques. This method offers a low-cost alternative for sprucing up your wardrobe without buying into fast fashion trends.
REMO motivates people toward sustainable textile productions and conscious choices
The project shown at Munich Fabric Start in the beginning of September started from the vision of Martin Havik, founder of the recycled movement REMO with the support of Michel Walstock. Martin has lived in Prato many years owning a buying office dealing with big brands as G-Star, Hugo Boss and more. He understood many years ago that world resources are finite and soon the textile was in the need to find a more sustainable way to produce if it wants to survive this period of crisis. He pulled together a group of professionals in textile field since many years, starting with a company in Prato Co.mi.stra owned by the Tesi family with a centuries-old culture about recycling wool, the fabric designer Piero Diddi, a specialist in textile innovation - Dalia Benefatto.
The time is now - the ethical fashion at Pitti Uomo 96
The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) together with Detox - CID and Greenpeace Italia will present five eco-friendly collections during Pitti Immagine Uomo 96. Following the launch of The Time is Now! in January 2019, the project has reached the final phase: the collections will be presented on Tuesday 11 June in the Corte-Courtyard areas of the Palazzina Reale in Florence.
Tejidos Royo - a total commitment to the Sustainability and Protection of Human Rights
As part of its DNA, Tejidos Royo has always mantained a total commitment to the Sustainability and Protection of Human Rights throughout the whole Value Chain. Following this philosophy, Tejidos Royo takes the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as its own as the best path to sustainability.
Luxury Jersey Fall/Winter 2019/2020 collection awarded by 303 Tuscans Ethical Fashion
Luxury Jersey has developed for their Fall/Winter 2019/2020 collection a line of fabrics dedicated to the male universe - the "MEN'S ZONE": from raw materials appreciated by men, such as cotton, cotton-cashmere, wool-cotton and melange silk.
Lenzing Group received the 303 Tuscans Ethical Fashion award
At Lenzing believe that there's no greater innovator than life itself: Everything is on the move, constantly changing, always taking new turns, opening new paths into the future, offering unprecedented challenges and opportunities. They are thankful for life's variabilities because they inspire us to discover innovations that truly make a difference. That's why their textiles are as aesthetic and emotional as they are functional. Their beauty care and hygiene products are unmatched in their comfort and performance. Lenzing's fibers are essential ingredients to quality products that improve people's lives. At the same time, they help to preserve our planet's natural resources. Contributing to a better life is what drives us to research, explore and invent. Over the past decades, this spirit shaped their profile as a purposeful pioneer and the fiber industry's leading innovator.
How a completely pure and biodegradable fabric is created by Organic Cotton Colours
The production process of Organic Cotton Colours is totally sustainable, environmentally-friendly and transparent.
Giovanni Lanfranchi S.p.A. with eco-oriented production cycle
Thanks to its modern production system, continuous quality tests and constant research for new technological solutions for a small but essential accessory such as zipper, Giovanni Lanfranchi S.p.A. is a reality on the market since 1887, constantly growing and ready to face the future successfully. A sound-great firm organized in four manufacturing plants, equipped to fulfill the complete production cycle, to join in synergy creativity and quality, precision and punctuality.
Euromaglia received the 303 Tuscans Ethical Fashion award
Euromaglia S.r.l. is an Italian company specialized in refined textiles created thanks to performing processes and to the workmanship of highly-qualified professionals. The quality of Euromaglia products is granted by a strict production control from the raw materials up to finished textiles. Spring/Summer 2016 collections make use of sustainable materials such as wool, organic and recycled cotton, milk fibres, recycled polyester and regenerated wool.
Stone Paper is an environmentally friendly alternative to normal tree paper
Nature matters - every day We Nordic tries to make the world greener. That's why they received the 303 Tuscans Ethical Fashion Award in September in Paris.
Made With Respect Announces Membership with 1% for the Planet
Made With Respect joined 1% for the Planet, pledging to donate 1% of annual sales to support nonprofit organizations focused on the environment.
ROICA™ Joined FILO Speciality Yarn Fair in Milan
ROICA™ experts showcase the world-first ROICA Eco-Smart™ Family that offers 2 responsible made yarns: a GRS (Global Recycled Standard) version 3 certified yarn and the world's first yarn awarded Cradle2Cradle Material Health Gold Level Certificate and Hohenstein Environment compatibility certification.
The ethical brands that you can see at Who is Next
Discover the selection of ethical, and kind to the environment brands. Each of them in their own way contributes to the development of fashion towards sustainable development.
EFWA is accepting submissions from designers to create one unique look using men's shirts
Eco Fashion Week Australia (EFWA) is now accepting submissions from designers around the world to create one unique look using men's shirts for the return of the Upcycling Challenge by Marilyn R. Wilson. Accepted submissions will be featured on the runway at the second annual event in November, in two states: Nov. 4 – 10 in Port Douglas, Queensland; and Nov. 15 – 21 in Perth, Western Australia.
Sustainable clothing and accessories by Cock and Bull
Cock and Bull are a dedicated menswear label based in East London manufacturing small runs and limited edition menswear staples entirely in the United Kingdom.
Industry unites in the fight against microplastic release from the washing of synthetic textiles
A new industry agreement for the prevention of microplastic release from synthetic textiles washing was officially launched today and endorsed by the European Commission.
Sewing industry
ROICA debuts at FILO Speciality Yarn Fair with its latest, Smarter and Unique Premium Stretch Innovations
Come and see the two unique, responsible premium stretch yarns & the new wellbeing stretch from ROICA™ at FILO in Milan, Booth C6, 27th -28th September 2017.
Re.Verso by A. Stelloni Collection by Mapel
The result of advanced technology and the passion for noble raw materials and relentless research have always characterized the renowned textile company within the production of high quality fashion fabrics. Due to its continuous evolution, A. Stelloni Collection by Mapel arrives at Premi?re Vision with an important change in terms of its collections' offers.
Rubbish Removal Hits the Fashion Industry
If you're looking for new ideas on what to do with your rubbish before rubbish removal, consider this recent news story! The ninth annual Festival of Arts Runway Fashion Show, part of the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, was held August 12, 2017. If you're conjuring up mental images of silk gowns and expensive fancy lace, think again! At least eighty percent of materials for each outfit worn at this fashion show must be made from recycled, reclaimed, or reused materials! The fashions are created by artists with a great deal of creativity and the crowds this show draws includes people very passionate about saving Planet Earth.
Bespoke Men's Suits
Italian handmade suits by Mode Coloniali
Mode Coloniali combines few micro-collections of mens clothes, specifically made as travel and leisure wear, in addition to few workwear items, uniquely inspired to Colonial Fashion times spanning from late '800 to 1930s, using Vintage natural fabrics and accessories.
Menswear collections
Men's fashion: Dashing Tweeds ready-to-wear collections
Dashing Tweeds weave design studio in East London is the place where all designs for cloth and ready to wear start. In addition to Dashing Tweeds Cloth Collections woven in Britain, the company offers also a variety of ready-to-wear garments.
Recycled suit program Sharp Dressed Man needs your help to be able to continue helping others!
We are sad to announce that our friends from Sharp Dressed Man - the non profit organization in Baltimore, which helps men experienced homelessness, incarceration, or other life challenges and preparing to get back to work, by providing them recycled suits and accessories - suffered a fire on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
PittiUomo 89 - The fast fashion changes the rules
This year PittiUomo was visited by more than 35 000 visitors from all over the world. All the exhibitors presented fantastic Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 collections of men's suits, jackets, pants, coats, shoes, belts, bags, accessories, etc. The exhibition was also a place where Woolmark, the Australian wool association, presented latest wool trends and their prize award.
English Fashion: Oliver Spencer
Showing two collections a year at London Collections: Men, Oliver Spencer has built an international reputation for what GQ calls a 'uniquely British take on relaxed style'
Donate $25 to Sharp Dressed Man and win a custom-made men's suit by Christopher Schafer Clothier
'We are having a raffle benefitting Sharp Dressed Man. The prize is a custom Christopher Schafer Clothier suit made of Dormeuil fabric with two custom shirts and two handmade silk ties valued at $3 000. Each donation of $25 purchases you a ticket for this great prize. The winning ticket will be drawn at the open house on December 1st'.
World Textile Summit explores business basis of textile sustainability
World Textile Summit gave more than 150 textile industry leaders a range of expert insights into the business issues that feed into decisions on sustainability in the textile supply chain.
Nikki Reed x Freedom of Animals Fall 2015 handbags collection
Nikki Reed x Freedom of Animals is a partnership inspired from the shared love for sustainability, conservation and design. It consist of three new black and white styles, including a circle bag, a bucket bag, and a belt bag (price range $280-$380), made of 100% recycled polyurethane, reprocessed zippers, and organic lining.
Sustainable fashion: Luxury bags by Freedom of Animals
Freedom of Animals is a New York-based sustainable and cruelty-free luxury handbags line, created by stylist Morgan Bogle in 2013. The eco-friendly accessories are made of high quality leather-or-PVC-like fabrics and materials, comprised of post-consumer polyurethane and organic cotton.
RAW for the Oceans - Denim from recycled ocean plastic
RAW for the Oceans is the first in the world denim collection made from recycled ocean plastic. The project is run by the Dutch brand G-Star RAW; garments are co-designed by Pharrell Williams and manufactured in partnership with Bionic Yarn and Parley for the Oceans.
Dutch fashion: Studio JUX
Studio JUX is an Amsterdam-based brand offering sustainable eco fashion for both men and women. Its style can be defined as 'Dutch design - minimalistic and comfortable with a little twist'. 'Jux' is a German word for 'Fun' and according to Studio JUX, fashion should be fun 'not just for the consumer and the designer, but also for the tailors'.
Fall-Winter 2016/2017 Techno fabrics trends: Eco focus
The latest edition of Première Vision Paris, held September 15-17, 2015, presented also the key directions at Techno fabrics. Let's take a look at the Eco focus...
H&M Conscious Foundation gives 1 million grant to pioneering ideas closing the loop for fashion
On August 25, the H&M Conscious Foundation launches the first ever Global Change Award − one of the world's biggest challenges for early stage innovation and the first such initiative in the fashion industry. By catalysing green, truly ground-breaking ideas the aim of the challenge is to protect the earth's natural resources by closing the loop for fashion.
New denim styles at H&M help close the loop for more sustainable fashion
This September, H&M will introduce 16 new denim styles made using recycled cotton from textiles collected in the Garment Collecting initiative in H&M stores. The pieces for men, women and kids, are the latest steps toward H&M's goal towards creating a closed loop for fashion, and will be available in all stores worldwide, as well as online.
Make-to-order vs Make-to-stock in Fashion Industry
The traditional production strategy used by fashion companies to match production with consumer demand forecasts is called make-to-stock.
Curious news
Olivia Wilde is the face of H&M's Conscious Exclusive campaign
H&M is proud to announce that Olivia Wilde, actress and humanitarian, will be the face of H&M's latest Conscious Exclusive campaign. Olivia, well known for her commitment to sustainability and her engagement for environmental causes will appear in the campaign wearing pieces from the collection. Conscious Exclusive will be available in around 200 H&M stores worldwide on April 16, as well as online.
Davide Rotondi: We are very close to all fashion brands, small and big
We asked Davide Rotondi - the Representative of Rotondi Group SRL - to tell us more about their products in order to help young fashion designers and brands to learn more about the garment pressing.
Do you know what is virgin wool
Virgin wool has two definitions. First, it is the wool taken from a lamb's first shearing. This is the softest and finest wool produced. Second, virgin wool can refer to wool that has never been used, processed, or woven before. This type of virgin wool can come from an adult sheep.
Luxury men's fashion for Fall-Winter 2014/2015 by Louis Vuitton
The Fall-Winter 2014/2015 menswear collection of the famous French fashion house Louis Vuitton, presented on January 16, 2014 during the Paris Fashion Week, is typically luxurious.
It's very gentlemanlike - silhouettes are clean and classic, the color palette includes lots of deep blues, some beige and bronze, gray, brown, camel, eggplant purple, burgundy and inevitable black. In contrast with sleek silk in garments are used alpaca and vicuña.
Fast fashion - one successful philosophy
Fast fashion consists of collections based on the most recent fashion trends presented at every year's Spring and Autumn Fashion Weeks. The main idea is garments to be designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply, which allows consumers to take advantage of current clothing styles at a lower price. In Fast fashion production cycles are compressed into 4 to 6 weeks and in some cases even less than that. This creates more buying seasons in the same time and space.
Ovals collection Autumn-Winter 2012/2013 of Evgeni Petkov-Eugenio
On the threshold of autumn, when the summer remains a memory and autumn and winter dictate changes in our wardrobe, the young Bulgarian designer Evgeni Petkov-Eugenio presents us his new collection for Autumn-Winter 2012/2013. Yes, once again it is Eco and represents some of the strongest fashion trends for the autumn-winter season - Eco fur, black leather, baroque lady and knitted sweaters!
Stella McCartney is launching a new eco lingerie line
Stella McCartney is launching her first eco friendly lingerie line called "Stella" next month. It is designed with colorful day-to-day bras and underwear that are going to make women feel more comfortable, sexy and fashionable. "It has to fit, function and do its job", commented the British designer.
The line includes five different bra shapes, including a molded underwire, a plunge version and a strapless and seamless style. The colours are electric blue, python, pink and black. The lingerie will all be made from organic cotton and recycled metals.
Hand-made colorful eco jewelry by Boo and Boo Factory
Christina Anton, student at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, founder of Boo and Boo Factory hand-makes colorful geometric leather jewelry from recycled leather with a bit of a tribal feel.
It's as though the Boo and Boo Factory took three of the most popular fads out there in the accessory industry and meshed them together to create a colorfully unique line that is appealing on so many levels.
H&M Conscious Collection – Lookbook
The new, H&M Conscious Collection, is made from enviromentally – adapted and greener materials such as organic cotton, Tencel® and recycled polyester. The line was inspired by different shades of white, one of the most important colors this Spring. The collection is divided in three lines - women, men and kids clothing.
Womenswear is inspired by an updated romantic style in which blouses, tunics and T-shirts with Broderie Anglaise are a key trend.
Example of eco-sustainable business model
Six hundred fewer tons of plastic in the environment in 2011: this is the green result that Benetton Group will achieve by introducing innovative, lightweight liquid wood clothes hangers – 100% biodegradable and recyclable – in place of the plastic hangers usually used to display garments. The eco-hangers, developed in partnership with the Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie in Pfinztal-Berghausen (Germany), will gradually replace their plastic predecessors throughout the worldwide network of Benetton stores.
Models and photomodels
Keira Knightley Mounted Ducati for Chanel photosession
Keira Knightley slips into a beige bodysuit and mounts a vintage motorcycle for a Chanel commercial on Sunday afternoon at Concorde Place in Paris, France.
The 25-year-old British actress has a new movie, Never Let Me Go, out in limited release on Sept. 15. The flick co-stars Carey Mulligan and Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield.


Your brood is always running around, causing chaos and ruckus all over the house. While you certainly enjoy the idea of having them around as well as the life they breathe into the place, you at times wish that they would just go back to school! Getting your house in order can be a major problem, especially if your kids are around.
To survive all that din and disorganization, you need to come up with pretty solid ideas. These ideas should make items easy to diversify and spot, reducing the time you spend looking around.
The choices are plenty, and you can stash away anything from gifts to shoes.


Fantasy Mosaics 28: Treasure Map Game - Download and Play Free Version!
Penguin Penny discovered a treasure map in the attic of the penguin house. Now the penguin family is off on a new exciting adventure to find the treasure! Join the penguins and help them solve a new collection of colorful mosaic puzzles. Enjoy the new gameplay twist that features secret colors!