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How 1 global brand's measurement strategy maximizes reach and results
Atin Kulkarni September 2020
Atin Kulkarni / September 2020
Atin Kulkarni is the head of PepsiCo's global media and data center of excellence. Here he shares advice for video advertisers who are looking to get more out of their measurement strategy.
After many years as a marketer, I'm no stranger to navigating a crisis. But the current one is uncharted territory. In a matter of weeks, the coronavirus pandemic changed life as we knew it, forcing major behavioral shifts and accelerations in consumer trends.
PepsiCo is a company with 280 different brands under one umbrella. As a marketing team, our mission is to build intimate, direct relationships with billions of people and to bring our brands to life through those interactions. When billions of people's lives change drastically, it's our job to adapt and figure out the best way to show up. So having a flexible, measurable video marketing strategy has never been more critical — for PepsiCo or for any company. But pulling it off isn't easy.
When billions of people's lives change drastically, it's our job to adapt and figure out the best way to show up.
For a few years now, my team and I have worked to gain a more holistic picture of our marketing and its impact by investing in new tools, technology, and organizational change. As immensely challenging as the past several months have been, these investments have helped us quickly pivot to address our consumers' evolving needs, and continue to drive efficient impact across our brands globally.
We know we still have work to do but are confident we're on the right track. Here are three lessons we've learned that I think other global brands can find useful.
1. Transform how you measure
Underpinning everything we do is a new approach to measurement based on an internal system we built called "ROI engine." It has helped us reinvent how we use marketing mix modeling (MMM) and get a clearer picture of how campaigns impact business results across our top markets.
Here's how ROI engine works: We automate everything we can — such as data inputs, processing, and running algorithms — to create standardized outputs. Then we use machine learning to synthesize more inputs and create richer models that give us better results and, naturally, more actionable insights. So now, instead of evaluating performance once a year, we can look at how it's changing as often as our business needs demand. The more we do this, and the better we get at doing it, the more we understand the impact of all our media.
We are also focused on measuring video results, particularly getting a clearer view of how TV reach compares to digital video reach. To do that, we also occasionally rely on Nielsen Total Ads Ratings (TAR) studies in the U.S. and its market equivalent in other countries. The outcomes of these studies help us better identify inefficiencies in our media buys.
2. Adopt global norms that allow for nuance
One size does not fit all during the best of times, let alone during a pandemic that impacts every market differently. Still, we've found it important to establish a few creative and media best practices that are universally applicable across all geographies. This helps us ensure baseline effectiveness for our brands.
The score card has shown us that scaling the learnings is just as important as scaling the approach.
After receiving some honest critiques from the creative community at Cannes a few years ago, for example, we wanted to find a way to systematically make our video creative better. Our team in Europe responded by building a "creative and media score card" based on proven best practices, like YouTube's ABCD framework. We joke about our love-hate relationship with the score card. But the truth is, it keeps us aligned, both internally and externally, with our agency partners.
Since its creation, we have been working to scale the score card far beyond Europe by incorporating it into an internal marketing dashboard that tracks our progress and allows us to share learnings across the teams. The score card has shown us that scaling the learnings is just as important as scaling the approach. Even amid the pandemic, our creative approach continues to anchor in consumer insights with purposeful messaging that tells our brand story and drives results.
3. Apply a test-and-learn mindset to unlock innovation
Innovation is core to everything we do at PepsiCo, whether it's product development or marketing strategy. Prioritizing a robust test-and-learn agenda that has clear goals, budgets, and measurement has empowered us to look forward and think bigger by making our creative more effective and our media more efficient.
One approach that we've been testing recently is personalization: matching custom video creative to specific audience segments to deliver more relevant experiences. Tools like Director Mix help us do this efficiently at scale, and we've seen great impact.
For example, last year we tested personalized video ads in a campaign for our sparkling water brand, Bubly, and managed to boost awareness by 30%. We took what we learned and applied it to another YouTube campaign we ran this summer for Lay's potato chips. For Flavor Icons, we created a series of custom videos around four unique Lay's flavors inspired by iconic foods across the U.S., like New York-style pizza and Philly cheesesteak, to reach audiences with an affinity for the dishes.
This period may prove to be the greatest test-and-learn experience of our careers.
We're also focusing on performance marketing, which requires a hearty appetite for experimentation. Given the nature of our business, performance marketing demands greater speed and forces us to sharpen how we incorporate data from retail partners and measure across systems. To emulate a direct-to-consumer approach, we're leaning on tools like Ads Data Hub, which shows us data across campaigns and helps us gain more insight into how to reach and engage customers in a privacy-focused way.
When we look back years from now, this period may prove to be the greatest test-and-learn experience of our careers. All of its challenges have forced us, as video marketers, to critically assess what is working for our brands — and what isn't. Universal truths may be hard to come by these days, but the importance of having a flexible, measurable video strategy and a willingness to pivot when new, compelling data is presented is likely something we can all agree on. I hope the success factors I've shared can help and inspire your own plans.
For more tips and ideas on how to build your brand, visit our awareness collection in the Advertising Solutions Centre.
Atin Kulkarni
Head of Global Media and Data Center of Excellence, PepsiCo
Marketing mix models are based in science, but also need a touch of art


We recently completed a dedicated wash bay for a BMW franchise in London to increase the efficiency and volume of cars washed each day. The building features two distinct zones with rolling PVC curtain shutters between the two areas. Four Thermal Break Industrial insulated shutters complete the entrance and exits.
The project was a success for BMW who have seen an increase in efficiency as expected.


Taken from Tom Demac and Real Lies debut EP on Kompakt (out Sept 14). Buy here.
North London trio Real Lies today reveal the video to 'Blackmarket Blues', the opening track on the band's forthcoming debut album Real Life (released 16th October on Marathon Artists). Made by acclaimed director Bison, the video features Real Lies lyricist Kev Kharas reciting the cathartic call to arms of the song from a London phone box.
Over the past two years, Real Lies have developed into one of our most talked-about new bands. Navigating intuitively through their early single releases – a sublimely evocative video here, a word-of-mouth warehouse party there, a midweek London club night ('Eternal') that became the stuff of legend and, of course, a collection of defining, youthful pop songs that could simultaneously conjure up feelings of both euphoria and melancholy, Real Lies embody exactly what it is to be young, locked in and yet somewhat adrift in Britain today.
Real Lies can today also confirm that they will be supporting Foals on their November UK tour. The nine dates with Foals will follow a five date UK October headline tour that will feature Real Lies' biggest headline show yet at London's Electrowerkz on 20th October.
London DJ/producer Pariah is back with a brand new remix for fellow London outfit Real Lies. "World Peace (Pariah Remix)" is now available digitally and on limited-edition 12" via Sweet Exile.


Early is a truly immersive in-the-round evening-length performance.
Featuring the vision of composer-choreographer Samuel Hobbs, Early crafts an isolated world of creation and destruction—a true meditation on the human condition.
Sweeping visuals and palpable acoustics ebb and flow, "...its mood like a modern-day Haydn" (Bob Hicks, Oregon ArtsWatch). The athletic and physical movement-partnering of push/FOLD exemplify the sensations of tension and release.
Performed in-the-round, audiences are enveloped in a minimal landscape of pure movement, light, and sound, with original sound score, choreography, lighting, and set design by Samuel Hobbs.
Approx. 60 minutes without intermission.
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Pteromalus matsuyadorii is een vliesvleugelig insect uit de familie Pteromalidae. De wetenschappelijke naam is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1926 door Matsumura.

matsuyadorii

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Agonopterix furvella — вид метеликів родини плоских молей (Depressariidae).

Поширення
Вид поширений в Південній і Східній Європі та Малій Азії. Присутній у фауні України.

Опис
Розмах крил становить 23-28 мм. Передні крила червонувато-коричневі. Основа переднього крила жовта, а на зовнішній стороні середньої третини крила видно світлу пляму.

Спосіб життя
Імаго літають з травня по жовтень. Личинки живляться листям ясенця білого (Dictamnus albus), тому метелики трапляються лише там, де він росте.

Примітки

Посилання
 lepiforum.de

Плоскі молі
Комахи Європи
Метелики України
Тварини, описані 1832


A group of ship pilots in Texas have failed for now in their legal challenge to the "state pilots" system that effectively allows a monopoly of pilot work on large foreign ships in Galveston and Texas City.
The challengers are a group of five ship captains who are federally licensed and similarly qualified to the privileged few who comprise the state pilots.
They maintain that the decades-old state pilots system in Texas is denying employment opportunity based on merit and is inflating piloting costs.
Their lawyer also argued that the system contravenes Texas' constitution, which bans monopolies.
In contrast, state pilots argue that a federal licence does not prepare mariners to the same level as a state licence and that the continuation of the state pilots system means safety in the waterways.
Judge Dustin Howell at the state court in Austin, Texas, ruled against the challengers and in favour of the Galveston-Texas City pilots and the five-member Board of Pilot Commissioners for Galveston County who oversee them.
The challengers' lawyer, Justin Renshaw, said he is filing an appeal and is confident this decision will be overturned.


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Home Reviews Show Reviews Page 30
Meiko performed at the Tractor Tavern on March 23, 2016
Lindi Ortega performed at the Tractor Tavern on April 15, 2016
Robin Meade & Friends Holiday Round Robin at Eddie's Attic
Show Reviews Guest Blogger - December 6, 2015
HLN morning show host, Robin Meade, played to a sold out crowd at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia. World known as the host of "Morning Express" with Robin Meade on HLN, Meade performed a variety of music genres with friends and special guest Sixwire. The night was entertaining and one could tell that she and the band were having a great time performing. The music venue, Eddie's Attic, is legendary in Decatur for having great performances in an intimate setting.
Review: Ricki and the Flash
Show Reviews VK Lynne - August 27, 2015
Movie Review: Ricki and the Flash (PG-13)
Pat Travers and his band kick it at Eddie's Attic
Show Reviews Tara Low - June 10, 2015
While most Atlanta avid rock fans were attending the Rolling Stones Zip Code Tour at the Bobby Dodd Stadium last night, true hard core Pat Travers' fans were at the famed Eddie's Attic venue in Decatur, GA for the opening night of Travers' Southeast Tour. And what a treat for those fans!
The Both (featuring Aimee Mann), Flogging Molly, and Ryan Adams were just a few that rocked the stages at Atlanta's 2015 Shaky Knees Festival
Show Reviews Guest Blogger - May 21, 2015
The Shaky Knees festival held in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this month had a variety of artists and musicians grace their multiple stages. The Irish band Flogging Molly, native North Carolinian Ryan Adams, and Aimee Mann's band The Both, were just a sampling of the talented line-up for 2015. This year's music came from all different genres – rock and roll, blues, country, folk, Americana, and even reggae -- all of whom rocked and had audience members smiling and shaking!
The Whiskey Gentry, ZZ Ward & Nikki Lane Take to the Stages at the 2015 Shaky Knees Music Festival
Show Reviews Guitar Girl Magazine - May 20, 2015
A hot Atlanta weekend in May was the setting to hear wonderful music from a variety of genres. This year's Shaky Knees Festival did it right with a perfect mix of local, hometown artists as well as those from across the US and even some international bands to complete their lineup. Some of these artists included The Whiskey Gentry, ZZ Ward, and Nikki Lane. These truly talented individuals rocked the stages at Shaky Knees and were greeted with great rounds of applause with crowd members singing and dancing in the aisles.
Review of Documentary 'Sharon Isbin: Troubadour'
Show Reviews Tara Low - May 13, 2015
Internationally acclaimed, two-time GRAMMY Award winning classical guitarist, Sharon Isbin, shares her musical journey in the one-hour documentary "Sharon Isbin: Troubadour" produced by Susan Dangel and producer/editor Dick Bartlett.
Emily Hearn Rolls into Atlanta on the Roll With It Tour 2015
Show Reviews Guest Blogger - April 26, 2015
Singer, songwriter Emily Hearn played to a standing room only crowd on a beautiful Thursday night at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia. Playing a venue like the famed Eddie's Attic is like playing a hometown show, so to speak, for Emily. While currently residing in Athens, GA, Emily, originally from Griffin, GA, considers the Atlanta region home, with a solid local fan base that continues to grow nationally with each performance.
The Texas K.G.B. Bands Makes a Tour Stop in Marietta, GA
Show Reviews Guitar Girl Magazine - February 4, 2015
The Texas K.G.B. played in Marietta, Georgia on Friday, January 30, 2015 to a good-sized crowd at Darwin's Burgers and Blues. For those who are not familiar with Texas K.G.B., their sound can be described into a genre known as alternative folk music. Darwin's had a good crowd for the band, many of whom enjoyed the food and drinks just as much as the Texas K.G.B. that night. It was a great night of live music and good burgers, as the performance was enjoyable and the sound was great.
Callaghan's Birthday Show at Eddie Owen Presents
Show Reviews Guitar Girl Magazine - January 11, 2015
On a clear and chilly evening in quaint downtown Duluth, GA, still adorned with holiday lights, Callaghan celebrated her Birthday Bash at the famed Eddie Owen Presents @ Red Clay Music Foundry to a sold out theatre.
Concert Review: Sheryl Crow Rocked Atlanta
Show Reviews Tara Low - September 1, 2013
Families, football fans, and music lovers converged on Atlanta's Centennial Park this past weekend to celebrate the opening of the 2013 SEC football season featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Virginia Tech Hoakies. It was a beautiful day...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Cancer is not just a single disease but a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth and is currently categorized among the leading fatal diseases of the world. The world census be the witness, in the year 2012 14.1 million fresh reports of cancer were recorded on global level excluding skin cancer.
The rate at which cancer is growing among humans has reached a tremendous stage and in U.S alone 1 among 2 men and 1 among 3 women are set to develop cancer at some stage of life. With the onset of year 2050, it is alleged that number of cancer cases will become two time more than that of now. No matter how horrifying and mentally disturbing this news seems to be, if we have a hope there is always a way out, we just have to find it.
As of now, the best way out is to start eating more unprocessed vegetarian foods of plant origin and cutting low on non vegetarian eatables.
A series of experiments were conducted by the scientists in the year 2005 and it was clearly confirmed that as compared to the individuals following Standard American Diet Plan, the blood of individuals relying on unprocessed plant foods was 8 times more effective in combat against cancer cells.
"Experimental group patients were prescribed an intensive lifestyle program that included a vegan diet supplemented with soy (1 daily serving of tofu plus 58 gm of a fortified soy protein powdered beverage), fish oil (3 gm daily), vitamin E (400 IU daily), selenium (200 mcg daily) and vitamin C (2 gm daily), moderate aerobic exercise (walking 30 minutes 6 days weekly), stress management techniques (gentle yoga based stretching, breathing, meditation, imagery and progressive relaxation for a total of 60 minutes daily) and participation in a 1-hour support group once weekly to enhance adherence to the intervention.10 The diet was predominantly fruits, vegetables, whole grains (complex carbohydrates), legumes and soy products, low in simple carbohydrates and with approximately 10% of calories from fat.11 The diet is intensive but palatable and practical. In earlier studies most patients were able to adhere to this diet for at least 5 years".
The participants of this study who adhered to plant based unprocessed fools submitted that besides following a vegan diet plan, they were also taking part in different constructive activities which includes joining a stress management class, taking part in yoga and other such activities. It clearly implies that positive changes in once lifestyle could also be an accelerating push towards healthy and thus cancer free life.
Similar study was carried upon the patients suffering from breast cancer and only after two weeks of sticking to plant based foods and light exercise, the results were miraculous. In this research, the women suffering from breast cancer were put on plant based diet along with light exercise and blood samples were taken before the onset of this program.
After 14 days of anticipation, the results were brilliant as the blood of these women had became tremendously more powerful against cancer cells. In order to determine the ratio of effectiveness involved in the findings solely due to physical activities, separate research was conducted and it concluded that physical activities also have an essential part to play but eating unprocessed plant foods is twice more effective than physical activities alone.
Also in addition to all these miraculous results, changing lifestyle in this way also awards you with freebies like reduction in carbon output and increase in mortality rate of animals.


Carbon-bridged bis(aminoaryl) oligo(para-phenylenevinylene)s have been prepared and their optical, electrochemical, and structural properties analyzed. Their radical cations are class III and class II mixed-valence systems, depending on the molecular size, and they show electronic couplings which are among the largest for the self-exchange reaction of purely organic molecules. In their dication states, the antiferromagnetic coupling is progressively tuned with size from quinoidal closed-shell to open-shell biradicals. The data prove that the electronic coupling in the radical cations and the singlet–triplet gap in the dications show similar small attenuation factors, thus allowing charge/spin transfer over rather large distances.


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Bengals Working With Three Coaches In NFL's Minority Fellowship Program
Aaron M. Sprecher/AP Photos
The Bengals coaching staff is welcoming three coaches to work with the team as interns as part of this year's Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship program. All three will assist the coaching staff during the final stages of the team's virtual offseason program this month.
The coaching interns are:
Kenny-Ray Augustus, defensive line coach and run game coordinator at McKendree University in Illinois
Augustus is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where he played on the defensive line under head coach Rick Minter. Prior to joining McKendree in 2018, he was the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Indianapolis, where he helped lead the Greyhounds to five conference championships and four Division II playoff appearances.
Mike Brown, wide receivers coach at the University of Cincinnati
As a player, Brown was an All-American WR and QB at Liberty University, and then spent three seasons (2012-14) in the NFL with Jacksonville. He played in 18 career games for the Jaguars, and caught 39 passes for 534 yards and two TDs, before turning his attention to coaching. Prior to joining UC's staff in 2019, he spent time with the University of Michigan ('16), University of Delaware ('17) and Liberty ('18).
Mike Daniels, head coach at Princeton High School in Cincinnati
Daniels was a standout quarterback at Princeton, and later went on to star as a WR, RB and return specialist at the University of Cincinnati, where he set numerous school records. As a coach, Daniels spent time as an assistant at Alcorn State (2008), UC ('09), Buffalo ('10), Statesboro (Ga.) High School ('11-13) and Kennesaw State ('13-16), before taking the head coaching position at Princeton in 2017.
Two current Bengals coaches were past interns with the program —defensive assistant Gerald Chatman and defensive line coach Nick Eason. Chatman was an intern for the Bengals during OTAs and minicamp in 2018, while he was serving as special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach at Tennessee State University.
"We're excited to continue the Bill Walsh Fellowship this year, even with the unique circumstances of our offseason," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. "It's an important program that allows rising young coaches to not only gain experience on the technical side of coaching, but also increase their exposure and grow their network of contacts in our field. From the team's end, it allows our players and staff to build lasting relationships with these coaches that can help benefit their careers for years to come."


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Stanley Cup Final Playoff Beard Power Rankings
By Esteban
Writer for Total Pro Sports Since July 11, 2011
The 2015 Stanley Cup Final has been better than anyone could have imagined. And I'm not just talking about the games, all of which have come down to the wire. I'm also talking about the Stanley Cup Final playoff beards, which have been nothing short of tremendous.
Of course, it wouldn't be that way if NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus had his way. Earlier this week Lazarus admitted that he asked the NHL and NHLPA to get rid of playoff beards so they could market hockey players as sexy, clean-shaven boys next door. Which is, of course, a terrible idea.
Thankfully, the NHL and the NHLPA were like, um, no. So the playoff beard is alive and well. And to celebrate, today we bring you our 2015 Stanley Cup Final Playoff Beard Power Rankings.
Density: 3/10 Grooming/Style: 5/10 Intangibles: 6/10 TOTAL: 14/30 Tyler Johnson has been a scoring machine during the postseason, but he's got a few more years until he joins the ranks of elite playoff beard growers.
20. Tyler Johnson
Density: 4/10 Grooming/Style: 7/10 Intangibles: 7/10 TOTAL: 18/30 Patrick Kane's playoff beard still needs some work. But it's come a long way since 2010. In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and create an award for "Most Improved NHL Playoff Beard" right now and award it to him. Congratulations, Patrick.
19. Patrick Kane
Density: 6/10 Grooming/Style: 6/10 Intangibles: 6/10 TOTAL: 18/30 What Ryan Callahan's playoff beard lacks in bushiness it makes up for in scrappiness.
18. Ryan Callahan
Density: 5/10 Grooming/Style: 7/10 Intangibles: 7/10 TOTAL: 19/30 Boyle's beard is a bit scruffy, but the guy has one hell of a mustache.
17. Brian Boyle
Density: 7/10 Grooming/Style: 7/10 Intangibles: 6/10 TOTAL: 20/30 Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has a pretty thick beard, but it lacks that je ne sais quoi that some of the others on this list have.
16. Niklas Hjalmarsson
Density: 6/10 Grooming/Style: 8/10 Intangibles: 6/10 TOTAL: 20/30 Patrick Sharp has one of the more stylish beards in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, which is hardly a surprise. He's one of the most stylish players in the league for years.
15. Patrick Sharp
Density: 5/10 Grooming/Style: 9/10 Intangibles: 7/10 TOTAL: 21/30 Alexander Killorn isn't sporting a traditional playoff beard look, but sometimes you have to take risks.
14. Alexander Killorn
Density: 7/10 Grooming/Style: 6/10 Intangibles: 8/10 TOTAL: 21/30 Duncan Keith's beard gets a little scruffy in the upper cheek area, but the chin and mustache are truly first rate.
13. Duncan Keith
Density: 7/10 Grooming/Style: 7/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 23/30 The intangibles? Yeah, ginger beards always score high in the intangibles.
12. Brayden Coburn
Density: 8/10 Grooming/Style: 7/10 Intangibles: 8/10 TOTAL: 23/30 Brent Seabrook scored the same as Brayden Coburn, but he gets the edge and the no. 11 spot in our power rankings because he looks scarier.
11. Brent Seabrook
Density: 8/10 Grooming/Style: 8/10 Intangibles: 8/10 TOTAL: 24/30 A thick, beautifully manicured red beard? Brad Richards is a playoff beard superstar.
10. Brad Richards
Density: 7/10 Grooming/Style: 8/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 24/30 Oh man, Ben Bishop's beard is just dirty. It's fantastic.
9. Ben Bishop
Density: 7/10 Grooming/Style: 9/10 Intangibles: 8/10 TOTAL: 24/30 If this whole NHL goalie thing doesn't work out, the Blackhawks' Scott Darling could always get a job as a barista at some hipster coffee joint.
8. Scott Darling
Density: 8/10 Grooming/Style: 8/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 25/30 I don't know if Stamkos will wind up hoisting the Cup this year. But with that beard, he definitely looks like a Stanley Cup-winning captain.
7. Steven Stamkos
Density: 8/10 Grooming/Style: 9/10 Intangibles: 8/10 TOTAL: 25/30 No, that's not Thor. It's 24-year-old Swede Victor Hedman.
6. Victor Hedman
Density: 8/10 Grooming/Style: 8/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 25/30 If Game 4 hero Brandon Saad's mustache was just a little thicker, he'd probably be closer to the top of the rankings.
5. Brandon Saad
Density: 9/10 Grooming/Style: 9/10 Intangibles: 8/10 TOTAL: 26/30 Oh man, look at that thing. It's majestic. Well done, Brenden Morrow.
4. Brenden Morrow
Density: 10/10 Grooming/Style: 7/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 26/10 Johnny Oduya—now there's a man who knows his way around a beard.
3. Johnny Oduya
Density: 10/10 Grooming/Style: 8/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 27/30 Hawks goalie Corey Crawford has an absolutely breathtaking playoff beard. It's a shame the thing is always covered up.
2. Corey Crawford
Density: 10/10 Grooming/Style: 9/10 Intangibles: 9/10 TOTAL: 28/30 The greatest beard in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final belongs to Jason Garrison. As you can clearly see, it's just glorious.
1. Jason Garrison


text:
BITCOINCANNABISCRYPTOCURRENCYETFSEARNINGSFIXED INCOME
FUTURESOPTIONS
Here's Why McDonald's Quarter Stunk Despite Big Earnings Beat
McDonald's important U.S. business didn't exactly light it up during the third quarter.
Oct 21, 2016 11:59 AM EDT
Updated from 8:22 a.m. EDT to include CEO comments.
Investors cheering McDonald's (MCD) - Get McDonald's Corporation Report better-than-expected third-quarter results may want to relax a bit.
Shares of the Golden Arches rose as much as 3.5% in premarket trading Friday as adjusted earnings came in at $1.62 a share, beating Wall Street forecasts for $1.49. McDonald's continued to see profits helped by cost cuts and efforts to re-franchise restaurants around the world, which helped lower expenses. Total revenue amounted to $6.42 billion, surpassing analysts' expectations for $6.28 billion.
But sales at McDonald's all-important U.S. business continued to slow amid people choosing to eat at home due to falling grocery store prices and stepped up promotions by other fast-food concepts. McDonald's U.S. sales rose 1.3%, relatively in line with analyst estimates, but a slower pace than the 1.8% increase seen in the second quarter. In the first quarter, McDonald's U.S. same-store sales rose 5.4%.
"We are mindful of the headwinds, most notably in the U.S.," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook told analysts on a call.
The results were even more disappointing considering McDonald's aggressive TV marketing of its new Chicken Nuggets, made without artificial ingredients, during the Olympics and steady stream of ads for its all-day breakfast platform. As a result of the slowdown and tough year-ago comparisons, McDonald's may be on track to show a decline in sales in the U.S. for the fourth quarter.
"Investors are well prepared for a return to negative same-store sales in the fourth quarter," said analysts at Barclays in a recent note.
Meanwhile, McDonald's repurchased an eye-popping 23.3 million shares of stock for $2.7 billion during the quarter, which had the effect of propping up earnings due to a lower number of shares outstanding.
RestaurantsConsumer ProductsInvestingE-CommerceConsumerConsumer StaplesRetailStocks


Wayne Potash Boston Blues Band for all ages.
The Town Hall Blues-Rock Band perform all over New England playing a mix of rock and blues classics. Our all-pro musicians groove together to create an exciting and dynamic musical atmosphere for both dancing and listening. The group features strong vocals, searing guitar solos, sax, flute, keyboards, and a drummer who really lays it down!
Contact wayne@waynepotash.com or text/call 781-975-2620.


text:
Q: objectAnimator shows white background for fragments in Android i am trying to implement slide in slide out animation for fragments.
animation is working fine but it shows some white color layout in between
how can i hide or remove that?
i referred to this post, but don't know exactly what has to be done
Android - Making translations and objectAnimator on the same XML file
my slide-in-left.xml
<set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >

<objectAnimator
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:duration="500"
    android:propertyName="x"
    android:valueFrom="1000"
    android:valueTo="0"
    android:valueType="floatType" />

</set>

calling like this in my fragment
transaction.setCustomAnimations(R.anim.slide_in_left, R.anim.slide_out_right,
                    R.anim.slide_in_right, R.anim.slide_out_left
                    );

any help will be really appreciated

A: After Hours of searching and debugging...i finally found the answer!
you need to create your own custom class which extends framelayout and apply properties:)
hope it helps some one!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home World News
Trump pledges to create 10 million jobs in 10 months, United States News & Top Stories
by Jaleel M.
MINNESOTA/WASHINGTON • US President Donald Trump has vowed to create 10 million jobs in 10 months, in part by setting up tax credits for US companies that relocate manufacturing facilities to the United States from China.
Mr Trump, seeking to build support ahead of the Nov 3 election, told supporters during a visit to Mankato, Minnesota on Monday his administration would also strip federal contracts from companies that outsourced work to China.
"We will create tax credits for companies that bring jobs from China back to America," Mr Trump said during an hour-long speech.
He also predicted the US economy would bounce back strongly from the economic shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic – as long as he was re-elected.
"What we're doing together is nothing short of an economic miracle and now we're doing it again," Mr Trump told cheering supporters. "We built the greatest economy in the history of the world and now I have to do it again."
Mr Trump hailed increased retail sales in recent months.
But data released last week showed US retail sales increased less than expected last month as consumers cut back on purchases of motor vehicles.
They could slow further in the months ahead amid spiralling new Covid-19 infections and a cut in unemployment benefit cheques.
The Trump administration is taking action on multiple fronts to rebalance US economic ties with China, including through restrictions on Chinese firms like technology giant Huawei, bans on popular apps like TikTok, and a spate of executive orders aimed at ensuring domestic production of key products.
At the time, the administration is using "Buy America" requirements and incentives to persuade US firms to bolster domestic supply chains, especially for critical supplies, such as drugs and medical equipment.
The Republican President, who is trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in opinion polls, said his tax cuts and other measures were strengthening the US economy despite the pandemic.
He said the administration planned further tax cuts, and reductions in regulations to encourage more investment at home, but gave no specific details.
"We will end our reliance on China, we will make our critical drugs and supplies right here in the United States," he said, in an apparent reference to an executive order signed last month to boost production of medicines and medical equipment.
A whole host of US products are made overseas for consumers back home in America, a business strategy known as outsourcing.
However, a number of global brands are now reviewing their operations in China amid the pandemic, with temporary factory closures causing major supply chain disruptions.
However, a number of global brands are now reviewing their operations in China amid the pandemic, with temporary factory closures causing major supply chain disruptions.
China is well known as the "world's factory", due to its large manufacturing capabilities.
However, the country's share of global exports has been battered by the trade dispute with the US and the pandemic.
Taipei says China can't mount full assault on island, East Asia News & Top Stories
Malaysia's opposition faces setback with loss of non-Malay vote, SE Asia News & Top Stories
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: Iteratively better
Puerto Rico & Mexico unite on the new corrido "SIGO INÉDITO" by Gustavo Palafox & Brray
Here's What Happened When a Lady Gaga Fan Pranked FedEx
The Big Lonesome Release "Undone"
3rd death in a week as new cases spike, East Asia News & Top Stories
Ellen DeGeneres Steps Out for the First Time Since Her Talk Show Came Under Fire
2018 League Balinese Culture Bali United Budget Travel Champions League Chopper Bike Doctor Terawan Istana Negara Market Stories National Exam Visit Bali
Kris Jenner Spills Details About Her Sex Life With Corey Gamble: Watch
Common Saints Release New Single "Idol Eyes"
KRISTIN LASH & JAKOB GREY Team Up On "Sleeping With The Lights On"
Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish Are Men in Kilts for Travel Show
A Blackhat Hacker Durgesh Singh Kushwah Tells Us All!
© 2020 Scoftware.com


Josh Allen is "week-to-week" with an injured elbow, Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters Monday.
The 22-year-old quarterback originally suffered the injury when he was hit in the arm while throwing a pass in the third quarter of Buffalo's 20-13 Week 6 loss to the Texans. He remained in the game for one play before heading to the sideline.
Allen was replaced by Nathan Peterman, who threw a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions, including one that was returned for Houston's game-winning touchdown.
Peterman began 2018 as Buffalo's starter. But, he completed just 27.8 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions in the season opener and was replaced by Allen, who the Bills selected with the seventh pick in this year's draft.
Allen has completed 54 percent of his passes and thrown two touchdowns along with five interceptions in six games. He has also rushed for three scores.
The Bills will face the Colts in Week 7 action Sunday.


Great Lakes Interagency Task Force chairwoman and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson announced $13 million in federal funding to prevent Asian carp from migrating closer to the Great Lakes.
"The challenge at hand requires the immediate action we're taking today. EPA and its partners are stepping up to prevent the environmental and economic destruction that can come from invasive Asian carp," Jackson said in a statement.
"President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and congressional support have given us what we need to significantly and immediately reduce the risk of Asian carp reaching the Great Lakes and destroying such a valuable ecosystem," she added.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified more than $13 million in funding needs for measures to deter Asian carp from migrating to Lake Michigan. The majority of funding will be used to close conduits and shore up low-lying lands between the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal and adjacent waterways.
Some of the funding will support more genetic testing to pinpoint where carp may be in the Chicago Area Waterway System. The agencies will continue to identify other mechanisms for keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.


text:
" /> themortgagereports.com. "Most of what the Fed is responding to has already been...
Housing Bulletin—Who Benefits from Another Fed Rate Cut
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its rate again later today, but that doesn't mean you should call your mortgage broker this afternoon in search of a lower payment. You should have called yesterday.
There is a widespread misconception that mortgage rates are directly connected to the Fed's funds rate. In fact, the relationship is more along the lines of "Me and My Shadow": the two tend to move approximately in step with one another, but neither one orders the other around.
"Mortgage bond markets meet every day, much more often than the Fed," says Dan Green, a mortgage planner and loan officer at Mobium Mortgage here in Chicago and the author of themortgagereports.com. "Most of what the Fed is responding to has already been…
"Mortgage bond markets meet every day, much more often than the Fed," says Dan Green, a mortgage planner and loan officer at Mobium Mortgage here in Chicago and the author of themortgagereports.com. "Most of what the Fed is responding to has already been priced into mortgage rates."
Green notes that in the six weeks leading up to the emergency rate cut the Fed announced last week, mortgages were cheaper than they had been in three years. "But when the Fed made its surprise cut," notes Green, "everybody suddenly took notice. By the time they called their loan officer, it was almost too late." Bond money that might have backed up new mortgages rushed optimistically into the stock market because of the Fed's announcement. As a result, "rates went up three times on Wednesday, and on Thursday they went up four more times," says Ray Cohen, a mortgage broker at Chicago-based Revere Mortgage.
That's not to say that mortgage rates will automatically go up after today's expected rate cut. "What the Fed says is more important than what it does," Green says. "If they say inflation is still a concern, you can expect mortgage rates will go up."
One type of homeowner debt will change right in step with the Fed's announcement: home equity loans, which "exploded in popularity in the past five years," Cohen notes. Enormous numbers of homeowners have these loans, and many economists say much of the debt was used to fund a buying binge that kept the economy pumping in the last few years. When interest rates went up, the purchases that those loans had made came to look far more expensive after all.
Because the rate on a home equity loan is tied directly to the prime rate, their interest rate has already gone down about 1.75 percent this year. On a $100,000 home equity loan, that translates into a $140 reduction in the monthly payment, Cohen says. A reduction of another half-point by the Fed would cut that payment another $41. "That's nice to have," he says, "but it's not 'Oh my God, my life is saved' money."
Tags: Housing Bulletin


text:
//EXPERIENCE
My career started upon graduation, as I joined Malik's Bookshop in Beirut, multi-purpose bookstore dedicated to University students. That was the start that helped me discover my passion to design and ideation. I was assigned a junior designer position then became a designer where I had the chance to work mostly with design students in 2002.
In December 2005 I joined InterOne BBDO Worldwide as an art director. Here I worked on BMW Group (BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce), Nakheel, and IKEA. In 2007 I joined Liquid Campaign, where I was promoted to a Senior Art Director, still working on BMW Group.
In 2009 my Serviceplan Group journey started, as an Associate Creative Director, then Creative Director and eventually Executive Creative Director - Head of Creatives in the House of Communication, which includes two agencies, Serviceplan and Plan.net. Here I've been working on BMW Group, Rolls Royce, Lufthansa, Nespresso, Danone, Continental Tires, Huawei, Siemens and many more.
Throughout the years, my skills grew stronger and I was able to shape many brands from creative strategy all the way to great executions, all that while working with strong creative teams and with a big pool of directors, producers, photographers and artists from around the world. This led me to win multiple awards in Dubai Lynx, Clio Awards Effie's, ADC, The One Show, SCA, Deutscher Media Preis, Cresta Awards, w3 Awards and Auto Vision.
I speak three languages, English, Arabic and French. Currently, I head two creative departments – Digital and Classical. I've held multiple speeches, and my campaigns, ideas and articles on more than 20 brands have been published in more than 13 countries.
BMW GROUP (BMW, MINI, ROLLS-ROYCE)
CONTINENTAL TYERS
HUWAWEI
RTA (ROAD AND TRANSPORT AUTHOROTY-DUBAI)
NAKHEEL
CBI BANK
SOLIDERE
ARADA DEVELOPMENT
RED VAULT
AL JADA DEVELOPMENT
MAN TRUCKS
TALABAT FOOD DELIVERY
Languages %


Synopsis : More Than One in 10 Family Medicine Practices Consider Closing with Continued Threats to Medicare Payment.
More Than One in 10 Family Medicine Practices Consider Closing with Continued Threats to Medicare Payment.
At a time when 56 million Americans struggle to gain access to primary care doctors, more than one in 10 family physicians face the prospect of closing their offices if Medicare slashes their payment next year, according to a recent survey of American Academy of Family Physicians members who have an ownership stake in their medical practices.
For seniors, that will make seeing a doctor even more difficult.
The AAFP survey asked family physicians about the impact of the 25 percent Medicare pay cut required by law to take effect Jan. 1. The results showed that nearly 13 percent of respondents would consider no longer seeing any patients, more than six out of ten (62 percent) said they may be forced to stop accepting new Medicare patients, and more than seven in 10 (73 percent) said they would have to limit the number of Medicare appointments.
The results paint a bleak picture for elderly and disabled Americans who depend on Medicare for their health care coverage and for military families who depend on TRICARE, according to Roland Goertz, MD, MBA, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
"This survey demonstrates the serious threat to Americans' access to health care that is posed by the current formula for paying physicians to care for the elderly and disabled," Goertz said. "The most vulnerable Medicare patients are people in rural areas who are at risk of completely losing access to care if a practice in their small community closes."
Goertz pointed to an Oct. 13 AARP survey that showed 81 percent of AARP members who receive Medicare and 86 percent of members not yet eligible for Medicare are concerned about the impact of the Medicare physician pay cut on their access to a doctor.
"Americans understand the threat that Medicare pay cuts pose for their own health care and the health care of their loved ones," said Goertz.
Family physicians are the primary source of medical care for 60 percent of people age 65 and older who report having an individual health professional as their usual source of care. Elderly and disabled Americans in rural and underserved areas, where family physicians often are the only health care professionals in town, would be particularly hard-hit.
"Medicare cuts would destroy my practice of geriatric medicine," said one respondent.
"The 21 percent-plus Medicare cut would most likely put us and other small practices out of business and force us to eventually close our doors to our patients, because, soon after the Medicare cut comes, all commercial insurance will follow suit as their fee schedule is based on Medicare's," wrote one survey respondent. "And forget about getting care if you have TRICARE. Which, as a veteran myself, is an outrage."
Others have already thrown in the towel.
"I have made a decision to close my practice," wrote one respondent. "I am losing my shirt. This game with SGR is silly."
The stagnant Medicare payments during 10 years of inflation have taken their toll on family physician practices. Many family physicians have remained open by cutting expenses, including their own salaries.
"Already closed one satellite office," wrote one respondent. "Currently I'm in the red simply trying to stay afloat. Just liquidated my entire retirement IRA to pay office expenses/accountant and do not see any possible way to remain in business."
"My partner and I did not pay ourselves last month due to the delay in Medicare payments," said one respondent.
More than 56 million rural, urban and suburban Americans are classified as "medically disenfranchised" because they have no access to primary health care, according to research by the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care and the National Association of Community Health Centers. The NACHC also reports a significant shortage of primary care doctors, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals. The loss of family physicians would be devastating to Americans in primary care shortage areas, Goertz added.
"We have reached a point where all patients "children, their parents and their grandparents "face the real prospect of losing their doctors," said Goertz. "Medicare "the program designed to ensure that our elderly have access to health care "could force the very doctors who care for them out of business. And if that happens, all patients in that community "regardless of their insurance coverage "would lose access to needed health care."
About the American Academy of Family Physicians -Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 94,700 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Approximately one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 228 million office visits each year "nearly 84 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America's underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.


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Marijuana dispensary hopes to open on Big Island this week
By Associated Press | Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 9:05 a.m.
HILO — A Big Island company is looking to open the first medical marijuana dispensary on the island this week.
Big Island Grown aims to open three locations on the island within the next month, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Monday.
The company is one of only two businesses licensed to sell medical marijuana products on the Big Island.
The opening of a dispensary in Hilo might happen Wednesday, but it depends on when the state Department of Health completes a final inspection of Big Island Grown's facilities, CEO Dylan Shropshire said.
"It's all pending circumstances out of our control," Shropshire said.
Dispensaries must follow strict requirements before the state Department of Health allows them to open, said Janice Okubo, communications officer for the department. All dispensary products must be subjected for testing, and the business must adhere to security requirements at its growing facility and retail locations.
Big Island Grown's locations are equipped with what Shropshire called "military grade" security equipment, including 24-hour surveillance.
The company, previously known as Lau Ola, was among the first eight companies statewide selected in 2016 to open dispensaries. Its opening date has been pushed back multiple times, and it rebranded to become Big Island Grown.
"The idea was to showcase the island in a way that represents what the island can offer," Shropshire said.
The company plans to open locations in Waimea and Kailua-Kona by the end of the month, Shropshire said.
Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/
Dog kills nene, triggers altercation
Audit: Consultants hold key jobs in Honolulu rail agency


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If you're looking for an audiologist, a free hearing screening, or hearing aids in Silver Spring, MD, you're in the right place. We are experienced audiologists who proudly serve the community of Silver Spring, and our 1000+ five-star testimonials from satisfied patients are a testament to our care and commitment to our community. When you visit Ascent Audiology & Hearing, you benefit from our experience, our exceptional service and our dedicated customer care. As professional audiologists in Silver Spring, MD, we provide a full range of audiology services to assist with all your hearing needs.
Your complimentary hearing screening will show whether you have a hearing loss. If you do, our Doctor of Audiology will recommend treatment options that best suit your condition. If you are already a hearing aid wearer, we'll check your hearing aid's programming prescription and see if we can provide better sound. We can also provide repairs and maintenance.
As Doctors of Audiology, our professional concern goes beyond just your hearing – we want to help make your overall health the best it can be.
Research has shown us that hearing loss is associated with several other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and even cancer. Knowing this, we work closely with your primary care physician to make sure that our diagnoses and the the solutions we recommend will serve not only your hearing, but also your overall health and quality of life.
We invite you to schedule a free hearing screening & consultation with one of our professional, caring audiologists in Silver Spring, MD.
As audiologists in Silver Spring, MD, our expertise is in hearing disorders, hearing loss and providing the most appropriate solutions for hearing rehabilitation. We have extensive experience fitting the patients with the right hearing solutions for their specific needs, and fine-tuning those solutions for premium results. We work with patients as they adjust to their new devices and control the settings as needed. And as your hearing changes over time, we're here for you.
Our patients in Silver Spring, Maryland have experienced amazing improvements in their quality of life, and we look forward to helping you too!
Our advanced diagnostic equipment combined with our experience allows us provide the most precise diagnosis of your hearing condition.
Today's modern technology allows us to provide you with the most innovative solutions available – and if you need hearing aids, we will recommend the hearing aids that perfectly suit your unique needs based on your type and degree of hearing loss as well as your most common activities. And as always, your devices come with a risk-free, no-obligation trial period for 30 days.
We serve the Silver Spring, MD community from our office in Rockville, MD.
At Ascent Audiology in Silver Spring we pride ourselves on the personalized care we provide for each and every patient. But don't take it from us. See what our patients say.


Now i know what it feels like to celebrate this love day with a super boyfriend! But Love is love and the most important thing is you have the freedom to express it with a "someone". Thanks baby for making me feel like I'm the most beautiful thing in this planet!


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Natural Healing Natural Health
Mindfulness: Healing From Bipolar Disorder
October 29, 2018 April 28, 2019 Alive+Fit	update
By Sari Huhtala
It is one thing to be alive, to be a living and breathing physical being on this earth, but to the extent one can express life fully, illuminating each day to create magic, relies not on one's life story, but rather in the resiliency of one's spirit and the unwavering desire to live life to its fullest potential.
For Scarborough, ON resident Ian Paul Marshall, the fortitude to see beyond the darkness of his bipolar disorder to create his own light has allowed him to become "an expert at living" his greatest life.
Twenty years ago Marshall was living life just like any other 20-year-old, enjoying social time with friends, with little stress on his shoulders. At age 18 a break-up in his relationship spurred him on to explore the healing arts through tai chi, yoga and meditation.
"I was always poetic and seeking the spiritual side of my life, so I was on a path of self-discovery, tearing down the walls to discover who I thought I was and it led me on a journey within and without."
And then one day at the age of 20, without any forewarning, bipolar disorder surfaced.
"I was out with a bunch of friends and they knew something was up," Marshall remembers. "They thought maybe I was doing drugs, but I wasn't, and they didn't know what to do."
One of the friends lived near the Queen Street Mental Health Centre in Toronto, and so they brought him there and he ended up being checked in, and "voluntarily checked in."
He recalls being heavily sedated and waking up three days later strapped into a bed.
The "great mystery" for doctors was to understand what had triggered the bipolar in him. Doctors, too, thought perhaps drugs had triggered it, but blood work showed no indication of drugs, and there was no history of mental illness in his family.
"In my life, there had been no triggers, no high-stress moments; my life was beautiful."
Doctors diagnosed his condition as bipolar, and indicated he had experienced a manic episode.
"At the time I said "Ok, great, that's great, and now how the hell do I get out of this hospital, to move on to the next step," to understand the illness at a greater level, to be able to manage it?
"How do I become the best bipolar patient they've ever seen in their life? I didn't want to just get by in life; I wanted to do everything I can."
"Radical acceptance" of his mental illness, rather than denial, allowed him to shift immediately into the next steps. Accepting where he was at, at this point in his life, brought clarity to what he needed to do to bring himself to a level of optimum state of mental health in order to move on.
He spent three months in the hospital heavily medicated throughout his stay, and had come to one resolve while in hospital – to attempt to live his life medication free.
"Being on medication wasn't fun," Marshall says. "It saved my life, but it created a different Ian. I felt like I was living under water. The day wasn't as shiny and magical as I remember it. Everything was suppressed and subdued.
"I felt that since I was young, if there was any chance there was a possibility for me to live medication free I want to test it now, while I'm young so I can bounce back. Young people have that advantage. If you're young and you have an accident, you bounce back quicker. If there was ever going to be a time period, I had a window of opportunity to test it while I was young.
"Everything about the health care system is set up for just keeping you alive and not to help you thrive," he explains. "Everything I was given and all the support and help I received was just to keep me alive, and it did, but for me that wasn't good enough."
He was on medication for the first four years after being discharged from hospital, and attending weekly visits with his case worker and psychiatrist, all the while putting into place the systems and support necessary to help him wean off the medication eventually. He took a very structured, methodical approach and prepped everyone in his life before attempting the weaning off process, ensuring that everyone had his full permission to bring him into the hospital should he relapse.
Doctors laid out the reality that statistics show that within the first three months of being off medication individuals are bound for relapse, but he says he was willing to take the risk, despite how traumatic hospitalization was for not just himself, but also for family and friends.
"I spent more time consoling (family and friends) in hospital because they couldn't reconcile (the reality that he was in that state) because it shatters the concept of who you are.
"Bipolar disorder is a dark illness. It's scary for people, not just those diagnosed with it, but also family. People like consistency and with bipolar it's an unknown variable; like a loose canon."
Being open and transparent about how he was feeling, how he was coping, played a role in his healing journey, and as he has come to understand, the healing of others coping with mental illness.
"To manage the illness the best was to be able to see it for what it was and create parameters for managing it.
"I find that through my openness and honesty it also allowed other people to finally have someone to talk to about it. Countless times I'd be out talking to total strangers and by the end of the night there'd be someone crying and opening up to me talking about the pain and the fear they were experiencing. My acceptance of who I am gave other people permission and a safe place to talk about it."
During his nine-month weaning off period he delved deeper into meditation and mindfulness practice, to become more self-aware.
"Mindfulness and meditation practice is the most transformational practice anyone can do, especially for someone with a mental illness, because it's non-judgmental," Marshall says. He stresses though, that those who are experiencing mental illness must first seek medical help, "go see a psychiatrist and sort that stuff out first" before beginning a journey of meditation for self-healing.
"I think the illness spawned my mindfulness and meditation practice and it's helped me become aware of my emotions, habits, patterns and triggers."
Meditation allows one to look for patterns in thought, in a gentle way, while peeling back layers to understand one's true authentic self. Practicing mindfulness, being in present moment time, brings a greater awareness of not only one's emotions, but also the physical aspects of one's life and potential triggers in mental illness, Marshall explains.
"If I haven't slept properly for a week I need to knuckle down on my sleep hygiene," knowing that if that aspect is ignored it creates a risk factor for relapsing.
Mindfulness allows him to recognize if he's experiencing high levels of stress or chronic stress there is a need to pull back and de-stress.
"Fifteen years being medication free, if three days in a row I've had horrible sleep, I know that having bipolar disorder I'm already compromised so I need to be exceptionally aware" of patterns and do what it takes to ensure that poor sleep patterns do not become chronic.
Walking this path medication free requires a kind of tenacity to stay in a space of mindful awareness, to take charge of one's own health and life and do the things that are necessary to thrive.
"Nobody told me to meditate or pay attention to my sleep patterns," Marshall says. "Because of the lack of resources I was given I had to take charge, asking myself questions like 'What's good sleep hygiene? What's a diet that thrives?"
What triggered the bipolar 20 years ago still remains somewhat of a mystery, although there are hints, he says, that quitting smoking at the time may have played a role. This resolve he came to recently when he quit smoking and found a shift in his mental health.
"I had quit smoking and went on a mini spiral into depression," Marshall says. "I'm a pretty resilient person and have always been like, 'I'm awesome, I'll get through this' but this time around I thought 'Am I depressed right now?' I couldn't shift out of it. I always look for patterns and realized the only thing I'd done differently was quit smoking."
Twenty years ago when the biopolar disorder was triggered the only thing change in his life was that he had quit smoking.
"I thought maybe what's happening to me now (with the depression) is similar to what happened back then. I think people susceptible to bipolar probably have lower than average stress responses. They probably do things to self-medicate. For me it was smoking."
Without mindful awareness these types of insights can be difficult to come by.
"I think with bipolar disorder you have it forever; it's always present and waiting to rear its head," Marshall says. "I've been fortunate that I've been able to live my life medication free for nearly 15 years."
But it hasn't been by chance, Marshall emphasizes.
"Radical acceptance and mindfulness, taking charge of my life and not leaving it up to chance were the things that saved me."
This journey has led Marshall on a path of helping others to help themselves. He has authored several books, including The Tao of Abundance, Your Great Awakening and Find Your Soulmate and in 2012 he became a certified Mindfulness trainer. His most recent project is www.buddhafulliving.com.
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Living Life Vibrantly With Chronic Pain
CANCER: A Test Of Self Love
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Palestinian president, Israeli defense minister hold rare talks
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, left, and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz
Israel's defense minister has met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas for a rare high-level meeting, but a source close to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett insisted Monday his government had no plans to reboot peace talks.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Abbas in Ramallah for what were reportedly the first direct talks between an Israeli cabinet member and the 86-year-old Palestinian leader in several years.
The meeting, which Gantz's office said focused on "security policy, civilian and economic issues," came just hours after Bennett returned from Washington where he met US President Joe Biden.
Biden said he would urge Bennett to find ways "to advance peace and security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians."
According to a defense ministry statement, Gantz told Abbas that Israel "seeks to take measures that will strengthen the PA's economy."
"They also discussed shaping the security and economic situations in the West Bank and in Gaza," and agreed to "continue communicating further," it added.
A source close to Bennett said the meeting that he had approved focused on "issues between the defense establishment and the Palestinian Authority."
"There is no peace process with the Palestinians nor will there be," under Bennett's leadership, said the source who requested anonymity.
The Gantz-Abbas meeting included the head of the Israeli military branch responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, Ghasan Alyan, senior PA official Hussein Al Sheikh and Palestinian intelligence chief Majid Faraj.
Gantz's office said he and Abbas had held "a one-on-one meeting" after the broader talks.


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UK's culture of fear when it comes to equity – and how the government is limiting shares
By The City Grump
Do you remember it was just three years ago that the FSA was minded to make VCTS unregulated collective investment schemes? Many of us rode forth to do battle. My contribution was to go and see them in their lair at North Colonnade with a fellow VCT director.
You know you are in unfriendly territory the moment you enter the FCA's reception area for there on the wall in front of you is the most amazing inscription on a large stone plaque. It contains the words to Bob Dylan's classic, "Positively 4th Street". For those of you who are not totally up to speed with the lyrics, here are some of them: "You got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend. When I was down you just stood there grinning. You got a lotta nerve to say you got a helping hand. You just want to be on the side that's winning."
And just in case you still haven't worked out you are in a hostile environment, or possibly our regulator has a dark sense of humour, the wall plaque ends with: "You see me in the street, you always act surprised. You say how are you? Good luck, but you don't mean it. When you know as well as me you rather see me paralysed, why don't you come out once and scream it."
Usually when you request a meeting with a regulator you go in there for a good rant, but this time we decided to play it differently and let them ask the questions. So first question from the FSA "lifer" (he had already been there 11 years) was "Who do you see as your investors?" I said, "Well, we are a fully listed company with a 16 year track record and an independent board of directors, therefore anyone who invests in fully listed companies".
The man from the FSA was dumbfounded. When he had regained the ability to speak his second question was, "Surely you don't want a 70 year old to invest in your VCT?" I said, "I repeat, we are a fully listed company with a 16 year track record. Furthermore, we have been a consistent dividend payer and are committed to paying our dividends which provide a yield of five per cent. In these days of very low interest rates where most 70 year olds are short of income I would have thought it might form a part of any 70 year old portfolio."
The FSA lifer was dumbstruck again. Evidently such thoughts had never occurred to him! This tells you everything you need to know about our regulators attitude to small company equity investing, which is "it is far too dangerous to let the small general public anywhere near it. It is a job for the professionals."
This culture of fear and attitude has now been all pervasive for generations. Everyone out there on the street has been brought up to believe that buying equity in any business outside of the very best known household names is so dangerous that best leave it to the professionals. You can spend what you like on holidays and gambling. You can drink yourself into oblivion. You can max out on credit cards. You can even put sugar in coffee! But heaven forbid you should have unfettered access to shares in small companies!
Successive governments recognise this state of affairs of course, and wisely realise that tax incentives are needed to overcome the ingrained, schooled in, fear of investors. The result is what you see today. A much needed and successful VCT and EIS industry.
I submit we exist because there is a fundamental flaw at the heart of our society. We have been brought up to believe that if you want to get on then the way forward is to get involved with debt, but you must think twice, thrice or even more if you are considering an involvement in equity.
As ever this manifests itself as the FCA. The latest example is when it set investor eligibility rules for crowdfunding. In short, there are no restrictions on British citizens lending money through P2P platforms, but if the same citizens want to go equity crowdfunding he/she has to pass certain eligible tests. This is nuts! As Andrew McNally recently pointed out in his brilliant book "Debtonator", we live in a world where if you expressed total debt in dollar bills those notes, when laid to end to end, would stretch to Mars and back 50 times!
Things have got so absurd that Martin Gilbert, the CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management, felt duty bound at a Financial Times seminar to point out that the ultra-low interest rate policies pursued by central banks had forced the vulnerable part of society to buy bond funds to survive.
There are a few tentative signs that the government realises there is a problem. For example, Xavier Rolet the head of the London Stock Exchange feels safe enough to issue a series of speeches and articles advocating much more equity investment and less use of debt and occasionally a government minister (i'm thinking of Sajid Javid) appears alongside him and agrees. But action speaks louder than words so what would I like to see happen?
I would like to see every member of parliament sent on a course that explains what equity is and what are its advantages? Right now I suspect most of them still think equity is an actors trade union! Actually equity shares shouldn't be a totally foreign concept to MPs as of course once every five years the country's shareholders, in the form of us voters, hold the equivalent of an AGM and decide whether we want to re-elect the directors to carry on running the company, or country if you will.
I would then like to see compulsory courses at all secondary schools that introduce our children to the world of equity and what can be achieved by its judicious use. Right now our children enter adulthood, go to university and so on, with 100 per cent competence in every handheld gizmo known to man but not the faintest idea about how the companies that built these things found the wherewithall to do so. The objective would be to get everyone from our politicians, to our media, and our citizens to be just as comfortable with the use and understanding of equity as they are with the deployment of their credit cards on a daily basis.
Then the regulatory obsession with avoiding even the tiniest possibility that granny may lose her life savings in an equity speculation, whereupon her constituency MP stands up in parliament and asks where was the FCA at the time this happened, would be extinguished. Such a regulatory obsession is a crazy way to run a regulatory system i know but believe me that was the name of the game under Martin Wheatley and probably his yet to be named successor as well.
So will "the powers that be" continue to insist that investing in small companies is more dangerous than the 2.30 at Haydock Park thus preserving the need for tax incentivised VCTs and EIS portfolios? The betting of course has to be "yes". But i believe in a generation this will change. We cannot and should not go on with the current status quo. It is insulting to our citizens and it is unhealthy for the capital formation needed to grow the businesses and the economy of today and tomorrow.
Banks Bonds Equity Crowdfunding FCA Opinion


A cash deal for your house may be the perfect option for you. But before you plunge both feet into the waters, you should research the companies in your area that offer this type of service. There are lots of courses out there that teach people to sell homes for cash, but experience is what you're looking for. With that said, here are some key reasons why you should sell your home for cash.
Perhaps you've owned your home for many years, and now that you're an empty-nester, it's time to downsize. In that case, a We Buy Houses For Cash Austin deal can give you an infusion of cash to do whatever you want with: buy a condo, invest or take a much-needed trip.
A cash deal for your home eliminates the time you devote to cleaning and showcasing it for potential buyers. Instead, you have more time to spend with family and friends, letting the cash-dealing firm do all the legwork.
When you see a We Buy Houses For Cash Austin promotion, it usually means you can get your house sold in a week or so. An attorney is usually present to ensure all the necessary paperwork is completed.
Closing costs can vary from 2 to 5 percent, with your actual percentage closer to the former when you're dealing with an experienced buying firm. This means a cash deal can potentially save you thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
We Buy Houses For Cash Austin transactions don't usually require repairs. Instead, you'll sell you home at a reduced price, which is well worth it considering all the aforementioned benefits.
You can usually find legitimate cash-buying companies online or in the local classified ads section of your paper.


Synopsis A husband and wife set sail across the ocean, leaving their two children to explore the freedom of being home alone. The boat goes under, and so does the family. A dog, stuck on a desert island, is their only hope.
"Olmo Omerzu's second feature is an impressively controlled drama which slowly reveals a bleakly ironic tone as it traces the disintegration of a seemingly happy bourgeois family. (The Prague-based Slovenian director's well-received debut, A Night Too Young, premiered in the Berlinale Forum in 2012.) On the surface, this follow-up is a rather arid, chilly exercise with a touch of Michael Haneke or Ruben Ostlund, but behind the director's detached, anthropological view of the human condition lurks an unwavering commitment to six troubled characters (seven, if you include Otto the dog).
Brilliantly measured, yet for this reason also tense and edgy in its charting of a dissolution, Family Film needs no Funny Games descent into malice to make its point."
"Slovenian writer-director Olmo Omerzu continues his methodical progress towards the European art-cinema big leagues with debut feature Family Film (Rodinny film), which thankfully proves much more stimulating than its blandly generic title. A structurally ambitious study of a well-heeled Czech household's human and canine members which takes surprising geographical and thematic detours, it premiered in San Sebastian's New Directors competition and could plausibly scoop the section´s $55,000 pot. Further festival play is a given for this Czech-German-French-Slovenian-Slovakian co-production, which among other achievements showcases a highly promising young actress in the form of Elisa Krenkova."
"Fun and games for all the family take a mordant turn in "Family Film," a story of parental negligence and youthful irresponsibility that young and old might prefer to watch in separate rooms. Irony-attuned audiences, however, will find plenty to enjoy in this elegant, darkly unpredictable fusion of ashen black comedy and urgent domestic drama, in which a standard home-alone setup degenerates into a tense worst-case scenario from every perspective — even that of the family border collie. The plucky pup's own dramatic arc is the most beguiling of many curiosities in Slovenian director Olmo Omerzu's perverse but poignant second feature, which should turn a number of unrelated heads on the festival circuit — among them, distributors with a taste for straight-faced eccentricity. Don't hold your breath for a Disney remake."
"Family Film is a rich, satisfying experience of a minimalist story line that includes a handful of unforeseen developments, all presented with a firm hand and no desire to shock. The director is in complete control of his material, and while a few characters lack depth or motivation, the last act of the film is a wonderful display of a range of feelings, from passive aggression to love and forgiveness."
"With this sophomore feature, 30-year-old Sloveian director Olmo Omerzulooks poised to joing Michael Haneke and Ruben Ostlund as one of European cinema's premier dissectors of human frailty. The ironically titles 'Family Film' charts the decline of a seemingly perfect middle-class clan after the parents go on holiday, leaving their teenage kids at home. The movie earned some positive reviews at San Sebastian Int'l Film Festival last month, not least for an inspired final act that shifts the focus tothe family's dog, Otto."
Olmo Omerzu (Ljubljana, 1984) studied at the FAMU in Prague, where he directed several short films and a 40-minute feature film, The Second Act (2008), screened and awarded prizes at several European festivals. In 2011, Omerzu graduated from the FAMU with his first fiction feature A Night Too Young. Following its successful premiere in the Forum section of the 2012 Berlinale, the film was invited to numerous international festivals, winning several awards.


Prepare delicious pizza for your family and friends with this Campingaz Pizza Stone. It includes a Stainless Steel plate and the Ceramic stone insert itself. You also get a Pizza Cutter to divide the pizza up when cooked.
This handy accessory is used with the Culinary Modular Iron Grid or Campingaz barbecues already using this grid.
The process of cooking the pizza is a simple one. All you do is roll the dough onto the steel plate and move it to the stone which then gets placed on the grill. Grill away with the lid closed for the perfect end result.
This pizza stone from Campingaz comes with a warranty of two years.
Order online to get the Lowest Price and benefit from our Fast Delivery.


This necklace has all the WOW factor! Beautiful intricate, unique vintage pieces all pulled together to make this show stopper. It measures aprox 20" around the collar and 24" to lowest link. Also has a 2" extension chain at the clasp.
Dress her up or down to go out on the town!


A. M. Homes is the author of the novels,This Book Will Save Your Life, Music for Torching,The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers, Jack, the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction winning, May We Be Forgiven, and two collections of short stories,Things You Should Know and The Safety of Objects and the highly acclaimed memoir, The Mistress's Daughter, as well as the travel memoir, Los Angeles: People, Places and the Castle on the Hill. She is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and writes frequently on arts and culture for numerous magazines and newspapers. She lives in New York City.