text:
Guitar String Classical
How To : Turn a guitar into a ukulele (with a capo)
This is a short video describing where to place a capo on a standard tuned guitar to make it playable in the same positions and notes as a ukulele. Basically, you place a capo on the 5th fret and only play the bottom four strings. It's difficult to avoid the top two strings, ...more
How To : Read Guitar Tab
Guitar Essentials My friends and I would secretly scribble tab in the darkly lit practice rooms in our university even though we were educated musicians. So, being able to read tablature, or tab, is essential for beginning guitarists. Tab is a curious way to write down music ...more
How To : Slur 3 notes per string with C major scale
Check out this instructional acoustic guitar video that shows you slur three notes per string with the C major scale. Scale patterns are a fun way to practice scales and important for improving technique and expanding your improvising vocabulary. Improve your guitar skills by ...more
How To : Understand basic guitar theory
To play a guitar riff is to do more than simply to memorize a short musical phrase. Guitar riffs are like any other musical exercise; practicing them can be a terrific means of building manual dexterity and improving your overall playing technique. We can say of riffs, then, t ...more
How To : Build a G major scale on an open G string
Check out this instructional guitar video that shows you how to play a G major scale and build on an open G string. Building a G major scale on the open G string is a good exercise to play to help improve your guitar skills. This short lesson is great for advanced beginners wh ...more
How To : Make your guitar sound sorta like a lightsaber
Marty Schwartz demonstrates a guitar trick--how to make your electric guitar sound like a light saber from Star Wars. First, he turns his volume knob all the way down. Then, he plucks the string, keeping the front side of the guitar facing away from the camera. Then, after he ...more
How To : Do basic fingerstyle exercises to practice fingerpicking
In this video, we learn how to practice fingerpicking with basic fingerstyle exercises. First, position your fingers so the third is picking the thinnest, the second is picking the second, and the third is picking the third. The thumb should be picking the thickest string on t ...more
How To : Figure out guitar tab
This video demonstrates how to properly read guitar tablature. The numbers in the tablature represent the fret number and the line the numbers are on represent the strings. For example, if there is a number 4 on the 3rd line from the top, that represents the note on the fourth ...more
How To : Become A Better Guitar Player
How to be a better guitarist Have you ever just wanted to pick up that old guitar that is just laying around? Or found yourself bursting with creative ideas but don't know how to express them with a guitar? I want to show you my way on becoming the best guitarist you can be, ...more
How To : Play power chords and basic riffs on the guitar
Check out this instructional guitar video and learn how to play power chords in E and A and basic riffs on the electric guitar. Follow along with this video and practice the sixth string riff, fifth and sixth string riff, third fourth fifth and sixth string riff. Watch this vi ...more
How To : Tune your acoustic guitar using a U.S. phone
If you have a natural ear for music and have perfect pitch, then tuning any sort of instrument, including the guitar, is probably not a problem for you. But for the rest of us, a piano or a pitch finder is necessary to make sure our guitars are in tune. But what if you're tra ...more
How To : Play "Lonesome Atlanta Blues" on slide guitar
Bottleneck slide guitar is based on an early one string folk instrument called the Diddley-Bow, and the traditional playing style of Hawaiian Guitar. The early Blues Masters of the 1920s and 30s, would place a bottleneck from a wine bottle, or a short piece of metal pipe on th ...more
How To : Play "Shout It Out Loud" by KISS on electric guitar
Learn how to play Shout it out loud by Kiss on electric guitar. The guitar is tuned down 1/2 step for this song (Eb, Bb, Gb, Db, Ab, Eb). First riff: Two lead guitars are playing together. 2nd string, 16th fret, twice. Bend up and back down. 14th fret. Second guitar is playin ...more
How To : Play the "Super Mario Bros" theme on electric guitar
We've all heard of Mario. He is probably one of the most famous characters in video game history created by Nintendo. Remember the theme song that you would hear and dance to when you were a kid? This video shows how to play that theme song on guitar! This guitar lesson shows ...more
How To : Tune a ukulele by ear
WataAtaCrackah teaches you how to tune a ukelele by ear without an electric tuner. Just like a guitar, you start by getting the first string tuned and gradually work on the others. The first step is to get the right pitch of the G string, which is quite a high note. What the G ...more
How To : Play Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven on acoustic guitar
Led Zeppelin's famous song "Stairway to Heaven" is totally worth learning. Whatever the social function there's bound to be a group of folks who get down on jamming with those familiar chords. This video tutorial demonstrates how to play "Stairway to Heaven" on an acoustic gui ...more
How To : Dive into playing the blues
Most beginners ask how to break away from basic chords and get new ideas. Check out this instructional guitar video that shows you various ways into playing the blues. The first tutorial video uses a mix of simple chord animations and video footage in an attempt to show how si ...more
How To : Play the E phrygian scale
Check out this instructional acoustic guitar video that shows you how to play the E phrygian scale on an open E string. All of the natural notes on the E string gives us the E phrygian scale. This lesson is a great way to learn your fretboard. Improve your guitar skills by wat ...more
How To : Play "Empty Pocket Blues" by Clive Palmer on guitar
This guitar tutorial video demonstrates some useful chord fingering and fingerpicking patterns for Clive Palmer's song "Empty Pocket Blues", recorded on the Incredible String Band's first album in 1966. It finishes with a guitar and vocal performance of the song, which is play ...more
How To : Play practical jokes using your guitar
In this video, we learn how to play practical jokes using your guitar. The first trick is called the jack in the box. First, take your pick and put it in between your strings and slide it down. Then, put your hand over it and play the jack in the box song. The next trick is to ...more
How To : Understand guitar tabs
Essortment teaches you how to understand guitar tabs. There are six lines that represent a string: E, A, D, G, B and E. Numbers are written on the strings representing fret tabs that tell you where to fret on each string. Also learn how to read a cord which is all the numbers ...more
How To : Use open C tuning on guitar
Herbert Midgley,the Internet Legend, teaches how to using Open C Tuning on Guitar. From low to high string tuning is C G C G C E.
How To : Play "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC on electric guitar
This is a great instructional video on how to play thunderstruck by AC/DC on electric guitar. Thunderstruck is played mainly on B string. It is the second string as you may be aware of. First you should start with 12th fret and hit that note. Then move to 10th fret and 9th fre ...more
How To : Play "Whatever" by Oasis in guitar
In this video tutorial viewers learn how to play the song "Whatever" by Oasis on the acoustic guitar. The video reveals all the string movements and the order the notes are needed to be played. This video provides voice narration and a visual demonstration for viewers to easil ...more
How To : Play "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne on the guitar
Learn how to play "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne on the guitar. For the intro: -First finger on 2nd fret on D string and your ring finger on4th fret on G string, then strum in order: D string, G str., B st.,G st., e st. - Dus2, strum strings: D, G, B, G, e - C7/C; ; strum s ...more
How To : Do vibrato on an electric guitar
In this electric guitar video lesson, we work on basic vibrato. Vibrato is essentially bending a string up and down to create drift in the tonal quality of the sound. Vibrato is a necessary component of every electric guitar player's toolbox.
How To : Play classical harmonics
This classical approach to harmonics is very useful. It is used in many other contemporary acoustic styles and sometimes on electric guitar, though not as often. Watch and learn from Justin how to play classical harmonics.
How To : Play the "Star Spangled Banner" on electric guitar
In this video we are about to see how to play the "Star Spangled Banner" on electric guitar. This is a basic lesson to all the beginners in guitar. It starts with the E string. It travels from tabs 10-7-3 to start off with the anthem and returns back. Now to the next string be ...more
How To : Play "Happy Birthday" on the guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "Happy Birthday" on the guitar. You will start out with the G on the E string on the D and the B string. Repeat the D note and then start with the E on the B string. After this, play the B and G strings, then the D major. Now, play the A not ...more
How To : Play a basic version of "Silent Night" on a guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the classic Christmas carol "Silent Night" on the acoustic guitar. This video provides all the string movements and order that the notes are played in in order to execute the song. This video contains voice narration and a visu ...more
How To : Play "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis on guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the song "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis on the acoustic guitar. This video reveals all the string movements and the order that the notes are needed to be played, in order to execute the song. The video is at a slow pace an ...more
How To : Play "Octopus's Garden" by The Beatles on guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the song "Octopus' Garden" by the Beatles on the acoustic guitar. This video reveals all the string movements and the order that the notes are need to be played, in order to execute the song. This video provides voice narration ...more
How To : Play "But I Do Love You" by Leann Rimes on guitar
In this video, viewers learn how to play the song "But I Do Love You" by Leann Rimes on the acoustic guitar. This video reveals the string movements and the order in which the notes must be played to execute the song. The video provides step-by-step narration and a visual demo ...more
How To : Play "Working Class Hero" by John Lennon on guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the song "Working Class" by John Lennon on acoustic guitar. This video shows all the string movements and the order that the notes are needed to be played, in order to play the song. This video goes at a slow pace and has a vis ...more
How To : Play "In This River" by Black Label Society on guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the song "In This River" by Black Label Society on the acoustic guitar. This video reveals all the string movements and the order that the notes are needed to be played, in order to execute the song. The video provides step-by- ...more
How To : Learn "Imagine" by John Lennon on acoustic guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the song "Imagine" by John Lennon on the acoustic guitar. The video reveals the string movements and the order that the notes are needed to be played, in order to execute the song. The video provides step-by-step narration and ...more
How To : Play "Use Somebody" on acoustic guitar
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to play the song "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon on acoustic guitar. The video shows all the requires string movements and the order that the noted are needed to be played, in order to play the song. The video is also at a slow pace fo ...more
How To : Play "The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls on guitar
In this video, viewers learn how to play the song "The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls on acoustic guitar. The video provides all the required string movements and the order of the notes needed to be played, in order to play the song. This video contains voice narration for g ...more
How To : Play "Have You Forgotten" by Mark Kozelek on guitar
Want to learn how to play guitar like Mark Kozelek from the Red House Painters? In this how to video you can learn how to play "Have You Forgetten" by Mark Kozelek from the Red House Painters on the guitar. "Have You Forgotten" uses the capo in the 3rd fret in standard tuning ...more
How To : Play "From the Morning" by Nick Drake on guitar
Want to learn how to play guitar like Nick Drake? In this how to video you can learn how to play "From the Morning" by Nick Drake on the guitar. The tuning for "From the Morning" is BEBEBE starting at the sixth string. This lesson is geared towards intermediate to advanced gui ...more
How To : Restring your guitar for beginners
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to restring their guitar. If the guitar is out of tune or has grit and grime, it needs to be re-stringed. The strings will feel and sound better. The strings should be changed every few months. To tighten a string, turn the peg counter ...more
How To : Play "High and Dry" by Radiohead on guitar
TboneWilson1978 shows how to play "High and Dry" by Radiohead on guitar. The intro of the song plays on the 11th fret on the fifth string and then on the 13th fret on the third string. Mute your fourth string and the second. Slide down to nine fret then back up to the second. ...more
How To : Play the tapping technique on the acoustic guitar
In this video we are going to build upon hammer on and pull off skills. We are going to introduce tapping, which can be used to further enhance your soloing. I'll go over some basic tapping tips to get you started, and walk you through a classical riff. Then I'll introduce our ...more
How To : Play "In Bloom" by Nirvana on electric guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "In Bloom" by Nirvana on electric guitar. The first riff will be played on the top string using E, B, G, D, A, and E. Play these together on different frets with power chords to get the best sound for the song. The second riff will include t ...more
How To : Play "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias on acoustic guitar
Aaron from Free and Easy Guitar shows how to play Enrique Iglesias' "Hero" on the acoustic guitar. The song requires a four-finger G chord with the string picking order 6, 3, 1, 2, 3, and 2. This is repeated four times for the introduction. The chorus is strummed using any cho ...more
How To : Play power chords on the electric guitar
Learn how to play Power Chords in this two part guitar lesson. This how to video Power Chords with a 6th string root note. You will learn about muting the strings and about root notes too. Watch this tutorial and you will be playing power chords in no time. Part 1 of 2 - How t ...more
How To : Tune an eight string ukulele
In this video, a man with an 8 string ukulele teaches you how to tune such a musical instrument, which is similar to tuning 4 strings of a guitar. He starts be reminding you that the 12th fret of the ukulele must be exactly at the middle between the bridge and the nut. If not, ...more
How To : Use two capos on the guitar
Brad Davis explains why he sometimes uses two capos on a guitar. The effect is similar to that of using a drop tuning on the B string. The technique and effect are discussed in detail. He then performs an original tune (demonstrating the use of two capos), "Love You Don't Know".
How To : Improve your dexterity for guitar playing w/ exercises
If you are just starting guitar or are trying to improve your skills then this is the video for you. In this video Andrew from Creative Guitar Studio will teach and show you, stretch and dexterity exercises to improve you guitar skills. You will also see left and right hand co ...more
How To : Make an Electric Cigar Box Guitar for $25
A large number of the greatest musicians to ever shape the history of sound first learned to play on cheap, dirty, and often times even homemade instruments. There is a very unique atmosphere that comes about when creating music with something made by your own hands—out of wha ...more
How To : Restring guitars with a stop-bar tailpiece
In this Music & Instruments video tutorial you will learn how to restring guitars with a stop-bar tailpiece. The video shows how to do this on a solid body electric guitar. First, with the Planet Waves pro winder rotate the tuning key button clockwise to release the tension on ...more
How To : Play the minor pentatonic scale on your guitar
Justin teaches us how to play the minor pentatonic scale in this tutorial. This is a useful scale that you will use as long as you play the guitar. Start with your first finger in the fifth fret of the thickest string. Play A, then reach up with your fourth finger in the eight ...more
How To : Play "Numb" by Linkin Park on acoustic guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "Numb" by Linkin Park on acoustic guitar. Start out with putting your middle finger on the second fret of the A string and play an E minor. Now, move your ring finger to the third fret of the A string and your pointer finger on the E string. ...more
How To : Play "Sparks" by Coldplay on guitar
In this guitar lesson learn how to play the song "Sparks" by groundbreaking recording artist, Coldplay. By tuning the 1st string to a D, and applying the capo on the 6th you'll be on your way to sounding like Chris Martin and the rest of gang in no time! Learn how to play "Spa ...more
How To : Play "She Bangs the Drums" by Stone Roses on guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "She Bangs the Drums" by Stone Roses on guitar. Start the intro with an A, then move to the third string second fret and then play the E. You will play this several times, until you reach the first verse of the song. After this, you will pla ...more
How To : Build a smashable guitar prop
You're not really going to smash that guitar are you? It's a piece of art. Parker put together this tutorial to show how to build a prop guitar you can smash and let out all that rock and roll angst. You will need a glue gun, chess pawns, cardboard, duct tape, a gift box, glue ...more
How To : Play C major scale in 1st position
Getting to know your scales are important to understanding music theory, learning your fretboard, improving your technique and training your ear. Check out this instructional acoustic guitar video that shows how to play C major scale in first position. Playing a scale on one s ...more
How To : Play "...September Ends" by Green Day on guitar
In this video, we learn how to play "...September Ends" by Green Day on guitar. Start off by placing your ring finger on the fifth fret of the D string, using the very tip of the finger. Place the first finger on the third fret of the B string. When you have these placed, you ...more
How To : Turn your guitar into a Tumbi
Learn how you can use your guitar as a tumbi to play Punjabi music with this tutorial. The tumbi is a traditional North Indian, high pitched, single string plucking instrument from the Punjab region. This instrument is associated with folk music of Punjab and presently very po ...more
How To : Play classical music on the ukulele
The ukulele is a beautiful and unique stringed instrument that is perfect for the traveling musician because it is so portable and relatively inexpensive. The ukelele is a version of a small guitar that originated in Hawaii. In this tutorial, ukulele master, Gordon Mark shows ...more


Last Friday morning an IDF soldier was the victim of a terror attack in Beit El and is in critical condition. The terrorist infiltrated an IDF army post and bashed the head of the IDF soldier with a rock and also stabbed him with a knife.
Security forces arrested an additional 40 Palestinians in connection with last weeks string of attacks and for subsequent riots overnight last Friday. According to the IDF, 37 of them are Hamas operatives.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called for the UN Security Council to discuss last week's attacks in Israel, recognize them as terrorism and condemn them immediately.


Government Code - GOV Section 27550.
Government Code - GOV Section 27550.1.
Government Code - GOV Section 27550.2.
Government Code - GOV Section 27551.
Government Code - GOV Section 27552.
Government Code - GOV Section 27553.
Government Code - GOV Section 27554.
Government Code - GOV Section 27555.
Government Code - GOV Section 27556.
Government Code - GOV Section 27557.
Government Code - GOV Section 27558.
Government Code - GOV Section 27559.
Government Code - GOV Section 27560.
Government Code - GOV Section 27561.
Government Code - GOV Section 27562.
Government Code - GOV Section 27563.
Government Code - GOV Section 27564.


text:
Google Discover – How to use it for SEO purposes
If you've ever used the Google search engine on your tablet or smartphone, you know that there's usually a list of reports with big images, often from news sites, directly under the search bar. These Google Discover reports are called "cards". If you tap on one, you'll be taken to a website that contains the corresponding information.
Here, we'll tell you about the differences and similarities between the standard Google Search and Google Discover, which websites Google Discover's search engine optimization is helpful for, what you have to particularly pay attention to when doing SEO in this way, and the special role that pictures play in this regard.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover compared to standard Google Search: Just what is the difference?
SEO for Google Discover – What websites is this useful for?
SEO measures for Google Discover
Developing SEO-friendly images for Google Discover
General SEO measures
Tracking success with Google Search Console
Your very own .ca domain name!
Find your perfect domain name including SSL and a personal consultant!
Google Discover is a Google service that shows tablet or smartphone users up-to-date news. These are displayed underneath the search bar, and each contains a large picture, a headline, and a teaser or description.
Google Discover cards slot in smoothly underneath the search bar.
Google Discover is a new development for the old Google news feed. Now, content from all websites can be taken into account, instead of just news outlets. Originally, Google Discover worked only on Android devices, but it can now also be used on Apple iOS devices.
Google Discover can be turned on and off easily on smartphones and tablets. With Android, simply open the Google app, go to "More" and then "Settings". Under "General", you can find toggles that let you turn Google Discover on or off.
The standard Google Search feature and Google Discover complement each other but are different concepts based on the same techniques. Theoretically, Google Discover can call on content from all websites that are indexed by the Google search engine. For both Google Search and Google Discover, the benefit for the user takes priority; users should always be shown content that is more useful to them.
While a user has to manually enter one or several search terms to launch a Google Search, Google Discover actually works the opposite way round – Google actively suggests content that the user might find interesting. On a basic level, Discover works just the same as other news feeds, such as those in social media. The difference here is that the Google algorithm decides what content is more relevant, meaning that active input from users is no longer necessarily required.
If you go into "Settings" and then "Interests" in your Google app on your Android device, you can choose to add or block personal interests. By doing this, you help Google Discover select content for you that matches your interests more closely. To be able to do this, you must have activated "Web & App Activity" in your Google account. This allows your activities on websites and in apps to be saved to your Google account.
The biggest question when it comes to Google Discover is as to what criteria Google uses to show what content to which users. As Google keeps its algorithms and the number, type, and weighting of its various parameters secret and is also constantly updating them, no general right answer can be given for this question. The fact is that Google, when determining user interest for Discover, uses in particular data from Search, location and voluntary information provided by users.
For a closer look into how Google and Google Search have developed since their humble beginnings, check out our article "The evolution of Google Search results".
Google Discover doesn't take content from any old website. In fact, its selection criteria are actually quite strict: first and foremost, Discover targets very big websites with lots of separate pages that contain sophisticated expectations in terms of specialized knowledge, competency, and reliability. In this regard, Google created its SEO guidelines in 2018 with the acronym E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness), and these guidelines are used for both the Discover feature and standard Google searches. In practice, Google Discover shows content from news sites, magazines, or specialized journals quite frequently, as Google assumes that such organizations are widely trusted by users.
The question that owners of smaller websites have to ask themselves is: is it even worth the effort to try to optimize a website for Google Discover? In many cases, the answer is no. If, for example, you have a small, static website with just a few subpages where new, valuable content is not published every couple of days, you really don't need to worry about Google Discover at the moment, or even actively look into it at all. In this case, it will simply be enough to do your regular SEO homework and stay abreast of the basics of search engine optimization. For basic information on key terms in SEO, have a look through our SEO glossary.
The IONOS ranking coach analyzes your website to show you ways to optimize it, giving you a step-by-step guide to make your website the best it can be.
What owners of Google websites advise in terms of Discover can be divided into several fields with general tips on search engine optimization. However, there is one exception: the importance of images. What this means is that Google Discover, unlike standard Google Search, is an excellent way to monitor the competition and to use this as a basis to develop appropriate SEO measures.
User acceptance of Google Discover is primarily based on helpful images. It can easily be seen that images take up a lot of space on Discover cards. Text without a corresponding image has practically no chance of being considered. However, planning a good picture to go with interesting text alone is not enough: Google specifically recommends large images with a dimension of at least 1,200 pixels. Furthermore, the setting max-image-preview:large must be activated on the relevant site or AMPs must be used.
To activate the max-image-preview:large setting, you need to open up the code of your website and make a small change in the head section of the site. The max-image-preview:large setting, as shown here, must be added as a "robots meta tag" in the relevant head section:
<meta name="robots" content= "max-image-preview:large"/>
<body>(…)</body>
If a max-image-preview tag is already in the head section, simply add the setting "large". You can do this by replacing the original setting, e.g., "standard" or "non", with the tag "large":
<meta name="robots" content= "max-image-preview:standard"/>
is replaced with:
With the max-image-preview:large setting, the Google bots that visit the site know the maximum size that an image can be displayed as a Google preview. This isn't just a requirement for Google Discover, but is actually important for all other types of Google search results, including the regular text search, image search, and Google Assistant.
As well as the technical aspects, you should also take into account high image quality and use interesting and relevant images. For example, Google will not use website logos as pictures in Discover cards. Also in terms of Google Discover, it is important to plan for images with SEO-friendly alt text (alt attributes). It is also helpful to give the images file names that are related to the text. For more information on this, read our article on image SEO.
The website builder from IONOS
MyWebsite is the turnkey solution for your professional web presence, including a personal consultant!
The other SEO measures that Google recommends for Google Discover are generally more or less the same as the general search engine optimization guidelines drawn up by Google. In terms of Discover in particular, Google recommends relevant headlines and representative page titles, provided that this is not clickbait. The text and content should be modern, tell an interesting story, and give unique impressions.
Google also does not appreciate being "tricked" in terms of Discover, and will sometimes particularly heavily punish attempts to show misleading or exaggerated previews for content. Furthermore, it is discouraged to capture user attention via provocation, outrage, or "morbid curiosity".
For Discover, Google specifically states the importance of information on authors and sources. Trust is earned from both users and Google if the name of the person behind the content and their information sources are published in as clear and transparent a way as possible. The inclusion of contact details (email address, phone number, address) also increases user trust and is seen positively. What is also important here is that all the information is correct, as incorrect, contradictory, or missing information can be counterproductive. This also includes third-party websites, such as directories that list your contact details.
Google Discover is particularly good for analyzing the competition. Once you set the corresponding interests in the settings (see above), you can constantly keep an eye on your competitors and analyze what content from similar websites is seen as successful. By doing this, you can get more strategies on how to create your content in such a way that Google will pick it up. In this way, you can successively optimize your website and its content for Google Discover.
For detailed information on SEO for Discover, Google itself has written articles on "Google Discover and your website" as well as Discover content policies.
Google Search Console (GSC) is an important online tool to make your website SEO friendly. Website managers who see the value in SEO are generally already registered with Google Search Console.
Among its services, GSC offers performance reports for standard Google searches, Google news, and, as of recently, also for Google Discover. However, performance reports for Discover will only be shown in the Google Search Console if your website has reached a minimum number of specific "Discover impressions" over the last 16 months. This basically means the number of users who had a specific Discover card shown to them. Only one impression is ever counted per session. As well as the impressions, the Google Discover performance report shows you the metrics "Clicks" and "CTR" (click through rate, click rate, or clicks per impression).
A click is counted as a user clicking on the relevant Discover card and visiting the website from which the corresponding content was displayed. If the user simply shares the card, this is not counted as a click. The metric CTR tells you how often on average users have to see a card until they click on it and open the content. For example, a click rate of two percent means that, out of 100 users who were shown a specific card, two of them actually clicked on it and visited the website.
In its performance report for Discover, Google itself gives more information about how these metrics are presented and evaluated in the Google Search Console. It is important to continuously track SEO measures for their success if your goal is to constantly be improving your content for Google Discover.
If you are interested in Google Discover as a way to get more traffic to your website with more in-depth SEO measures, the Google Knowledge Graph might also interest you.
The most important Google SEO Tools at a glance
If you want to draw lots of visitors to your website, you first have to understand their online behavior. Ask questions such as: who are they? Where are they from? What are they searching for? And will they find the answer on my site? By using different Google SEO tools you can analyze these parameters and adjust your website accordingly.
Google alternatives at a glance
Numerous companies and nonprofit organizations offer web search services beyond the Google algorithm. The competition is usually stuck with an outsider status when it comes to their alternatives to Google but they also present interesting approaches and innovative business models that don't necessarily rely on the advertising industry. The trend toward anonymous web searches is also starting to...
Local SEO: how local search engine optimization works
Small and medium-sized companies are often hesitant about taking their first steps into the world of online business: the competition is too big, they don't have enough online experience, etc. Even if you've decided against selling online and have instead chosen to go for brick and mortar trade, you still can't afford to neglect online marketing. An increasing number of people go online to look...
Google mobile search: the evolution of the Google search
In the modern world you don't just have your smartphone on you at all times – you have Google as your daily companion as well. Through its broad range of services and applications for mobile devices the search engine market leader has taken a firm grip of the mobile phone industry with the help of its many partners. Google offers more than just a mere mobile search, the company provides personal...
Set up Google Alerts: How to get the best results
Google Alerts can help you stay up to date both in a private and a professional context without having to repeat a search to do so. We will explain how to set up Google Alerts and which search operators you can use to further improve your search results. This is the ideal way for you to use alerts to suit your purposes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Self signed certificate in Android application of RAD I have REST service over SSL with self-signed certificate. I can call it from regular delphi application through TRESTClient. But When I use it inside Android application it raises the following exception during call.

Exception class EJNIException with message
  'java.security.cert.CertificateException:
  java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Trust anchor for
  certification path not found.

I found, that network security must be configured via adding android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config" into application section of AndroidManifest.template.xml file.
<application android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config"
    android:persistent="%persistent%"
    android:restoreAnyVersion="%restoreAnyVersion%"
    android:label="%label%"
    android:debuggable="%debuggable%"
    android:largeHeap="%largeHeap%"
    android:icon="%icon%"
    android:theme="%theme%"
    android:hardwareAccelerated="%hardwareAccelerated%"
    android:resizeableActivity="false">

Then I had to create res\xml\network_security_config.xml file with the similar contents:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <network-security-config>
    <domain-config>
        <domain includeSubdomains="true">example.com</domain>
        <trust-anchors>
            <certificates src="@raw/my_ca"/>
        </trust-anchors>
    </domain-config> </network-security-config>

But where to place network_security_config.xml file. When I placed it in res folder inside Debug it was deleted during build. So it can not be found and app raises exception during packaging stage.

Error: E2312
  C:\Users\User\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\Projects\Andr\Android\Debug\TabbedApplication\AndroidManifest.xml:19:
  error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name (at
  'networkSecurityConfig' with value '@xml/network_security_config').

I don't know, where to place it and give RAD Studio know, that it must grab this file on compile time.

A: You cannot directly use Debug and Release folders to specify files you need to deploy with your application as they are temporary folders cleared on each rebuild.
For deployment you should use Project -> Deployment dialog.
There you can specify which local files (placed outside build folders) you want to deploy, in which configuration (Debug, Release or both) and their destination path.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


With debate over health care now proceeding, it's time to vote on actual health care bills. A few moments ago the Senate voted against BCRA, their primary repeal-and-replace bill. This is the one they've been working busily on for the past couple of months. It wasn't close: the bill went down 43-57 or thereabouts.
Next up, I suppose, is a bunch of amendments and then a revote? I'm not sure. Or maybe they'll go straight to voting on the 2015 repeal-only bill.
Eventually they'll get to the placeholder "skinny repeal" bill and just punt the whole thing to a conference committee. They'll probably get 50 votes for that. Senators are always in favor of punting.
UPDATE: This was just a "procedural" vote. Everything in the Senate is a procedural vote. This means that BCRA might get modified and then get another vote. But chances of passage are dim. It lost by a mighty big margin tonight.


Following the massive protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that saw more than 30,000 people take to the streets ion Wednesday, Chief Minister Zoramthanga said on Thursday that the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) would not hesitate to break ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) if the Bill is not scrapped.
The Manipur CM said, while addressing party workers at Aibawk village, that the MNF and his government had been making all-out efforts to ensure that the Bill is revoked.
"The ruling party would withdraw its support to the NDA if situation arises," Zoramthanga said.
"The state cabinet adopted a resolution opposing the proposed legislation and I have met both the prime minister and the Union Home minister to inform them about our opposition to the legislation," the CM said.
The Citizenship Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to grant Indian nationality to non-Muslims who fled religious persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and entered India before December 31, 2014.


I trust that the readers of this outpost will forgive a little moment of self-publicity. The book pictured below has just been published (New Generation Publishing, £6.99) and while it has absolutely nothing to do with Eastern Europe, it could be categorised as 'travel'.
The book details this writer's two-year stint as a volunteer for Voluntary Service Overseas. I was posted in Assab, on Eritrea's Red Sea coast, working as an IT expert at a petroleum refinery. The area is one of the hottest places on the planet, so the challenges were manifold. Sometimes it was fun, sometimes it was hellish. It was, though, inevitably different and the tale is told here.
The book is available from Amazon, as well as many other good book shops. And some bad ones, as well.
This entry was tagged Books, Literature. Bookmark the permalink.


Prior to this event, Movement Research (MR) solicited questions from the greater MR community regarding the imprint that Judson Dance Theater (1962–64) continued to make on contemporary performance. These questions were shared with the audience, debated, discussed, and voted upon. Ultimately, four questions were selected by attendees as focus topics for further investigation by artists nominated by the Movement Research community and attending audience to lead a series of week-long performance, including open rehearsals and audience talkbacks, taking place across the span of several months at the New Museum. These artists shared their findings for further discussion and debate in a final presentation on December 16. An additional series of discussions and performances (including a talk with Yvonne Rainer, Aileen Passloff, and Wendy Perron on October 28) provided context and further research as they reconsidered the legacy, mythology, and influential permutations that continued to echo from the Judson Dance Theater (1962–64).
"Proposals for 'Rethinking the Imprint of Judson Dance Theater Fifty Years Later'" was moderated by Carla Peterson (Artistic Director, New York Live Arts) and was presented as part of " Rethinking the Imprint of Judson Dance Theater Fifty Years Later: Movement Research in Residence at the New Museum," under RE:NEW RE:PLAY Performance Residency Series.


text:
Fringe 2009 - Jailbait Fringe
Kidding. I just needed a catchy headline. But technically, shows by teens and for teens - the Teen Fringe - would qualify.
Teen Fringe, same issue as Kids Fringe, and again, for the first time I can recall. Not enough to teen entries to fill the slots set aside, so they all get in, and a couple of extra slots end up in the general lottery for the rest of the crowd. Win, win.
Only six Teen Fringe entries this year. And they are...
(yes, that person was really on the ball - no pun intended - getting their application in, back in November)
Ruth Glaeser and Company
"Thank You and Have A Nice Day" - The life of employees in a department store picking up people's clothes, making out in the dressing rooom, etc. Done through dance, song and action.
(well, yes, action of all kinds apparently. I guess I worked in the wrong department stores when I was in retail...)
(and the next two aren't slouches either in the early application department...)
Youth Performance Company
(of Goddess Menses, The Talk, and Boy Show fame - I'm a big fan of this group)
"Call It Swing" - Set in real time...
(Call Jack Bauer - or Hardcover Theater)
... it describes the hour before the longest Nazi raid of teen swing clubs in 1941, from inside the club.
(Nazis. Definitely call Jack Bauer)
Free Bird Productions
"Stalled - An Elevator Story" - Eight strangers are forced to get to know each other when their elevator stalls.
(I will resist the obvious "ups and downs," and "going down" jokes. Well, almost.)
Caity Shea Violette
"Paisley Poppies" - A bizarre comedy featuring a teenage girl and her best friend, a stalker and her overly Minnesotan mother. Their reality drastically changes after a sudden turn of events.
(Ah, punctuation. It makes me think that the teenage girl's best friend might indeed be a stalker, as well as also being her overly Minnesotan mother. Or maybe the stalker has an overly Minnesotan mother. By the way, what exactly is an overly Minnesotan mother? Should we be expecting hot dish jokes? Also doesn't everyone's reality always drastically change after a sudden turn of events? Isn't that what sudden turns of events do? It does sound bizarre. Plus, paisley poppies make me think 1960s or 1970s. Lot of material to chew over here...)
"In Another's Size" - Fast forward (or rewind) your life to high school.
(Sweet Jesus, please, no.)
Imagine a boy likes a girl who is really him
(so is there a word missing or is a boy in love with himself as a girl?)
who knows a cheerleader who is really a depressed boy
(well, can't boys be cheerleaders anyway? But a depressed cheerleader would really have to work extra hard, I guess.)
who knows a basketball player who is really another girl
(again, can't girls already be basketball players?)
who is "friends" with a dumb blonde who is really a perfectionist.
(I don't think dumb and perfectionist are mutually exclusive to begin with)
Welcome to John Hughes High.
(Welcome to a lawsuit from John Hughes' handlers)
(So to review, there's a boy who's really a girl, and that boy/girl is friends with a girl cheerleader who's really a depressed boy, and that girl/boy knows a basketball player - who for the sake of argument we'll assume is a boy, but he's really a girl...
So the boy/girl who's in love with himself/herself, knows the girl/boy cheerleader, who in turn knows the boy/girl basketball player who is friends, but not really, with a dumb blond of unspecified gender, who is also a perfectionist.
Makes total sense.
I like gender confusion as much as the next theater person, so I'll give 'em a break and stop teasing them and see how it all turns out)
The Bakery Theatre Company
(who brought us last year's popular Fringe show Audish)
"Thin Mint" - Lies, sexuality and the Pinewood Derby. A troop's misadventure to bury a fellow Boy Scout.
(Oh. My. God. I am so there.)
(Theater about theater, not my thing, but this, embarrassingly enough, totally is)
Labels: Fringe Archives 2009, Ping Pong Ball Awards
Fringe 2009 - It's For The Children
I guess the economy is hitting the Fringe hard, too. This is the first year I can remember that the applicants for the kids Fringe slots didn't need to be drawn. Normally there have been more artists wanting in with shows by and for kids that there were slots, so they had to try their luck in the spinning chickenwire cage like everyone else.
This year, however, more slots set aside than artists.
Upside, they all got in.
Other upside, there's another slot or two to toss into the general pot, more chance for artists of all stripes to get on the Fringe schedule.
And I guess an additional upside is, all these shows will get a little extra attention and won't have to fight quite as hard for an audience. These nine are currently the only game in town for parents to go Fringing with their youngsters (outside of sampling some of the more adult fare out there that might also be family-friendly). They're all local companies, and they are...
Purple Horse Productions
(the proverbial horse of a different color)
"The Greener Garden" - A gardener discovers he has a greener thumb after falling asleep, allowing the magical fruit blossoms to go to work.
Black Storytellers Alliance
"Anansi, Brer Rabbit, and Other Wily Characters" - Storytelling: folk tales, fairy tales, and other stories of trickery and wit.
Hometown Theatre
"Goodnight, Eric!" - A young boy is asked to put himself to bed for the first time, because his parents have company. He ends up playing games with his stuffed animals because we find out, he still wants to be tucked in.
(Well, don't we all?)
Harmony Theatre Company & School
"The Sleuth Sisters" - An original detective story for children, performed as an off-the-air radio show.
(So... a radio show with an audience that's not on the air is essentially... theater. Works out fine.)
Upstage! Musical Theatre Workshop
(So, are they commanding the kids to get upstage, or to upstage their fellow performers, or since Upstage! has the exclamation point, is that the place on stage where all the music happens? I know. I'm overthinking this.)
"The Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood" - This musical tells the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood, but with a twist. When the wolf takes over the show, everyone will hear his side of the story... like it or not.
(Setting a wolf loose on a room full of kids. Excellent!)
"Poppy's Real Mother" - A show for young children about adoption.
Joshua English Scrimshaw & Levi Weinhagen
"The Hardy Boys in, The Tower Treasure" - Young detectives solve a mystery and meet quirky folk along the way. A comic adaptation.
(I have to admit, I was addicted to these books, and the TV show, when I was a kid. And since it's a kids show rather than adult Scrimshaw fare, it won't be The Hardy Boys In Rehab - though that, too, would be fun)
Top Hat Theatre
(They've done the Fringe before and had success. I imagine that trend will continue.)
Magic Lantern Puppet Theatre
"I Won't Grow Up!"
(ok, ok, no need to shout)
Exploration of an adult's memories and fantasies of childhood.
(promising name of the company, in terms of what the production might hold)
Fringe 2009 - The Number 5
Since it was the 5th Annual Fringe Lottery (happy 5th birthday, lottery), let's check out the 5s
Ping Pong Ball #5 was...
Commedia Beauregard, my Bad Art play pals
They ended up at the number 9 spot on the wait list, so things look good for us to get to see their offering...
"I Can Has Da Force" - An LOLcat translation of "Star Wars: A New Hope"
(aka, the first, and arguably best, of the six Star Wars films - I can be persuaded about "Empire Strikes Back," however. Since Mr. Lucas has especially trigger-happy lawyers, I'll be curious to see if this one actually comes to pass or they have to translate something else, by someone less litigious)
The 5th ping pong ball drawn in the general lottery was...
Deaf Blender Theatre (I love them already) - another local company
"That Chair Was My Wife" (I think I really love them)
A deaf furniture salesman shares a torrid tale of obsession, marriage, and adultery - with a chair or two.
(I'm assuming the salesman is deaf, because I think furniture itself is always by definition, deaf)
The 5th ping pong ball drawn for the wait list (and thus something else we're very likely to see) was...
Vessel Performance - another local company
"Profile" - A full-length dance performance investigating identity, image, and the perception of ourselves we put out into the world.
Fringe 2009 - Stuck In The Middle With You
So, 152 ping pong balls were drawn for the schedule.
The first 50 of that was the sublotteries (more on them in a bit) - 9 kids shows, 6 teen shows, 15 artists of color, 5 international artists, and 15 nationals.
So 102 ping pong balls were drawn in the general part of the lottery.
And another 161 ping pong balls were drawn for the wait list.
The middle of the general part of the drawing would fall at 51, which would be...
Walking Boxes Productions
a local theater group which brought us both "The Musicker's Balalaika" and "Wallace & The Dragon" so... it's anybody's guess, but I remain hopeful...
"Horace Greeley the Lesser" - Singer, storyteller Horace Greeley the Lesser visits the Island of Misfit Toys
("Nobody wants a Charlie In The Box!" Oh, I remain even more hopeful now. Tapping into random childhood nostalgia for me can often work wonders)
The middle of the wait list drawing would fall at 80.5, so we'll just grab 80 and 81 to be on the safe side (and those acts still stand a chance of getting in, depending on the drop out rate and the readiness of the acts in line ahead of them) and those would be...
Ping Pong Ball #79
IBEX Puppetry, Inc.
a national artist out of Florida
"Puppetslam" - Live host leads the audience through an evening of five to fifteen minute puppet acts by individual artists, for an hour of puppet entertainment.
(I gotta say, I really hope they get in. I know the nationals may not have the same waiting capability in their plans that the locals do, but this sounds like it could be a lot of fun.)
Ping Pong Ball #306
Rainy Day Cabaret
another local company
"Mixed Bull" - The work of two choreographers drawing from separate archives of material creating an evening of madcap ideas and mixed dance styles.
(Fringe has opened my eyes and mind and heart to dance, so I look forward to whatever ends up landing on the schedule. Some of my favorites last year were dance.)
Fringe 2009 - The Number 16
Someone suggested, since it's the Fringe's 16th birthday, that I take a gander at the 16s in the mix from the lottery. Why not?
Ping Pong Ball #16 was
Chapter 13 Productions, a national entry from Wisconsin
They ended up about 119 spots down on the wait list so I'm not sure we'll get to see this one, but if we did, it'd be...
"Down Devil's Backbone" - The first part in a trilogy examining the virtues of a family in a small town and the pursuit of a happiness they can't ever have.
(Ouch.)
The 16th ping pong ball drawn in the general lottery was
Charlzik Theatre Company, a local Minnesota company
"First Lady" - A woman running for President, campaigns and all activity leads to an audience vote. All about the games played in the political process.
(The names Hilary and Sarah come to mind. I wonder which one we're going to get.)
The 16th ping pong ball drawn for the wait list (and thus, something else we're probably going to get to see) was...
Balance Theatre Project, another Minnesota company
"Rope" - Story of William Williams, the last man executed by the state of Minnesota - his love, his crime, his botched hanging.
(I say again, Ouch. And, Yikes.)
Fringe 2009 - First Out of the Cage, Last Out of the Cage
Another bit of randomness from the Fringe lottery...
The first ping pong ball drawn in the general lottery, after the sublotteries were dealt with (more on them in a bit), was...
Empty S Productions
Local entry
"Reservoir Dougs" - A musical spoof of Reservoir Dogs
If I didn't know Michael Shaeffer (Roofies in the Mochaccino; Tantrums, Testicles, and Trojans), I'd be torn between thinking this was was a fantastic idea and a horrible idea. Since I do know Michael, I'm inclined to think we're looking at fantastic. Gunplay, severed ears, buckets of blood, intense homoerotic male bonding, plus song and dance are possibly in the mix - given the description. Sounds like a Fringe show to me.
The last ping pong ball drawn in the general lottery, before the wait list began was...
Traudtrikt Productions (do not ask me to pronounce that)
"Murder on the Mighty Mississippi" - A murder mystery play with a cast of 8 people, takes place on a boat in September.
Why in September, exactly? Guess we'll have to see the show to unravel that mystery as well.
The first ping pong ball drawn for the wait list (and thus, something you're very likely to be seeing in August) was...
Savage Umbrella (not to be confused with Blue Umbrella, which I already did - confuse the two, that is)
"Pagliacci" - Gender-reversed reinvisioning of a classic tale of deception and the theater. Part homage, part parody, totally rock & roll.
It's Fringe, so gender-reversed is a required, of course. As would be the theater, parody, and rock & roll elements.
The very last ping pong ball of the night, the very last spot on the wait list (and thus, something you will very likely *not* be seeing in August), was...
Timothy Mooney Repertory Theatre
National entry from Illinois
"Dancing Nude" - Our hero examines the sexual crisis points from age 6 to the present through story, comic verse, and dance.
Timothy Mooney (of sci-fi, Moliere, and karaoke one-man show fame - that's three different shows of course, though combining them would certainly be Fringey and interesting as well). Dancing Nude. Hmmm...
Give me Tom Reed (Rampleseed) or Noah Bremer (Live Action Set) dancing nude, then we can talk.
(No offense meant, Timothy. I'm sure you're lovely as well.)
And thus my ongoing objectification of Fringe artists continues into 2009...
Fringe 2009 - Don't Despair, My Wait-Listed Friends
"Well, it's time to start killing people."
So said a person who was not entirely happy with where their friends' show had ended up on the wait list in the Fringe lottery.
But of course, they were kidding.
Honestly, there's no need to resort to violence. Yet.
Here's the thing - everybody on the wait list, sit tight.
I know it's hard to wait, but you don't have to wait idly.
Write that script you haven't written yet. Inquire after friends who were going to help you put the show together. You can do all kinds of things without laying out any money yet. And you've got the time.
The Fringe never - I mean, never - ends up doing the festival that's drawn out of the lottery on the first go.
First, the people who just got in the Fringe via the lottery - a fair number of them will now panic - "Oh crap! I have to put a show together! I can't put a show together!"
For some, the panic will subside - and they'll do a show.
For others, the panic will remain - and they will drop out.
And the first bunch of people come up off the wait list onto the schedule.
Next panic point after the initial shock - the deadline to withdraw and still get your money back - normally the middle of March sometime.
After trying valiantly for a couple of weeks, some folks will realize they just can't get it together, and should pull out and save their money to try again next year.
So the next group of people come up off the wait list onto the schedule.
Then for any number of reasons over the next five months, productions will implode, peter out, just not come together.
Those people will withdraw, learning a lesson that cost them a few hundred bucks.
And still more people will come up off the wait list onto the schedule.
One year a friend and I had a script that was being produced by someone else, and we made the mistake of assuming our producer/director knew to sit tight and wait for a few months. We were somewhere around the 90 point on the wait list.
Following the wait list anyway, like the obsessive-compulsive blogger that I am, I noticed that a few people on the list just above us were getting called up. Too late, I contacted the producer with the good news. They'd figured there was no chance in hell we were going to be called to do a show. So they'd committed themselves as a director to another project, and even enlisted some of the same actors they would have used for our script.
So, the wait list people behind on the wait list us got a break.
The first 30 or so on the wait list stand a very good chance of having a production go up in August - if they're ready when the call comes.
The next 20 or so (up to 50) on the wait list also stand a better than average chance.
I had a friend who ended up at a spot right around 70 on the wait list this year. As requested, I texted him with an update and told him, "Write the script anyway. We'll talk."
Last year, two days before the festival opened, someone dropped out. The company all the way at next to last on the wait list got a call, and because they had an actor who had several one man shows in his pocket ready to go - voila! Instant Fringe show. It was Charlie Bethel's "Beowolf or Gilgamesh" which my Mom loved so much she wanted to give it six stars on a one to five scale.
Not everyone has those resources, I know. Out of towners have to plan much farther ahead. But local artists, if you're ready when the call comes, you could be in. If not, the person behind you on the wait list just got lucky.
Remember - my own script was languishing at around 90 one year, and still the call came. We just weren't ready. We gave up too soon.
There's a lot of time between now and August. Create your art.
Check this link regularly
http://fringefestival.org/lottery.php
And wait.
I know I'll be seeing a lot of you at the Fringe.
To start the 5th Annual Fringe Lottery coverage off on a completely random note...
The day of the Fringe Lottery this year is also my father's 81st birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad! - well, he doesn't read blogs, but it's the thought that counts)
So, I thought, let's check out ping pong ball #81, and the 81st ping pong ball drawn for the schedule, and the 81st place on the current wait list. And so...
Ping Pong Ball #81 was...
National artist applicant David Gaines, from Virginia
The title was TBD, but the concept kicks ass... "One man performs the epic story of the film 'Seven Samurai' complete with peasants, bandits and spectacular final fight scene, using only movement, masks and vocal sounds."
Sadly, this is one of the many things we probably *won't* be seeing in the Minnesota Fringe Festival this year, as ping pong ball #81 was drawn pretty close to dead last - position 147 on a waiting list of 161. Sigh.
Lucky 81 to be drawn for the schedule was...
Ping pong ball 294 - WorkHorse Theatre, from Minnesota
(OK, seriously? We've already got a Workhouse, and a Workhaus, and now there's a WorkHorse? Are the people who name theaters in town just trying to get my head to explode. Oh well...)
WorkHorse's work-ing title - CB and Sheave Take the Bus, described as "CB and Sheave don't take the bus."
The still possible, if tenuous, 81st spot on the the wait list is currently occupied by
Ping pong ball 306 - Rainy Day Cabaret, from Minnesota
Title - Mixed Bull
Description - The work of two choreographers drawing from separate archives of material creating an evening of madcap ideas and mixed dance styles.
Review - Little Rock, 1957 - Youth Performance Company - 5 stars
"We'll understand it all, by and by"
First off, should you see it? - Yes. Most definitely yes.
I almost got through this performance without crying.
Tears of joy.
Very rarely in theater do you get a glimpse of the actor underneath the character when it doesn't draw you out of the play. Most often, such moments are accidents, mistakes. In the civil rights musical "Little Rock, 1957" from Youth Performance Company, there is such a moment, and it's quite deliberate. But it drives the point of the performance home with such a vengeance that it makes you catch your breath. And maybe say a little prayer of thanks.
"Little Rock, 1957" centers on the stories of the Little Rock Nine - nine young African-American high school students who volunteered to be part of the U.S. government's social experiment in school integration. The high school in Little Rock, Arkansas was part of the first phase of integration three years after the landmark Supreme Court decision "Brown vs. Board of Education." The court made it clear that when it came to education, "separate but equal" was no longer good enough. Blacks and whites must be brought together under the same roof to learn, whether they liked it or not.
The audience gets two warnings about the language in "Little Rock, 1957" - one in the program, and one in the pre-show announcement from the director, YPC Artistic Director Jacie Knight.
"Little Rock, 1957 is about race relations in the 1950s," says the program note. "As a chronicle of a particular place and time, the show contains racial epithets. YPC neither condones nor supports their use, but finds them necessary to the accurate telling of this story."
"Contains racial epithets" is putting it mildly. The play is littered with them. Sambo, monkey, jiggaboo, and, of course, n**ger. (No, I don't even want to type it.) Verbal violence, frequent and lacerating, both spoken and sung, is only part of it. At some point during the play, nearly every one of the white cast members pushes, shoves, throws things at, spits on or slaps one or more of the black cast members. The abuse is so convincing that one starts to worry, not just about the characters, but the actors themselves, on both sides of the violence. Not just that someone might get physically hurt, but that the play might be taking a real emotional toll on everyone involved.
Then, there's that moment at the end of the production when the mask slips away.
In the final musical number, the Little Rock Nine are all singing an anthem to "one nation, one people." Once they get it going, the white cast members slowly begin to join them onstage, from all sides of the house. But they don't just stand together. Those who hurled the worst of the abuse enter almost sheepishly, nervous not about the audience, but about their fellow castmates. There is no hugging. Things, wisely, never get that sentimental. But there a sidelong glances. A light hand takes a dark hand. A black arm is thrown over a white shoulder. The audience can see in those moments that the cast is literally, physically relieved to not be required to pretend to hate each other anymore. And the singing grows louder, and stronger - again, not over the top, just a force that will no longer be held back. They smile. Their faces are bright, full of hope and determination. And when I see one of the male cast members fighting with everything he's got not to cry, and succeeding, that's when my face starts to get wet. Those last minutes are enormously powerful.
They wouldn't be if the story that came before weren't such a skillfully executed journey. "Little Rock, 1957" shows, as one of the artistic team puts it, "the fire these young people had to walk through" to make change happen. It took the nine students weeks just to get in the school building, and then still longer to be able to get through an entire day of classes. Even then, they weren't allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, despite their many artistic and athletic gifts, not even a student talent show. The governor of Arkansas himself tried to block the students and integration at every turn, with moves that made him wildly popular with the majority of white voters (so much so that he was re-elected to three terms). He caused things to be so difficult that the U.S. military finally had to be called in, flying jets overhead as they marched into town, to make sure the students got to school every day, until things settled down - on the surface.
The play begins with an extended musical set piece which essentially lays out the state of race relations in 1950s Arkansas from both sides - no small feat. The music is built on the sturdy foundation of old spiritual standards (so familiar to some in the audience they couldn't help singing along quietly in solidarity - which I must admit is the sort of involuntary audience participation I kind of like). The original music and lyrics are by Steven Joseph Hutton and Kahlil Queen (the latter of whom also served as music director, choreographer, and keyboardist in the show band - phew). One of the things I appreciated about the musical aspect of the production was that it didn't feel compelled to give us a lot of musical "numbers." There are show-stopping moments, to be sure, but "Little Rock, 1957" isn't structured like a traditional musical. The music and singing acts more like connective tissue in many places between scenes than being the sole purpose of the scenes themselves. Language, even nasty language, set to music, almost lets the audience off the hook too easily. So "Little Rock, 1957" often has the music stand to the side and let the words have their full impact.
Those words are the product of E.J. McGuire. The script has gone through several evolutions over the years since it was first produced by Youth Performance Company as the result of an improvisational workshop process. This latest incarnation chooses to focus on three of the Little Rock Nine, giving the sprawling story and cast of characters three anchors around which to focus the narrative energy. It's a smart move.
The first of the three is Elizabeth Eckford (Shenece Bass). Because Elizabeth's family didn't have a phone, she didn't get the group message warning against trying to head out to school on her own. Bass' performance turns from one of naive optimism, to one of fear and disillusionment when confronted by the angry crowds of protestors who refuse to let her enter the school. The reality of the battle they all have ahead of them is crystallized in that moment when Bass stands alone against the community and must ultimately back away for her own safety.
The second "act" - once they're through the doors and trying to actually get an education - centers on Minnijean Brown (Iman Fears). Of the nine, she seems to have the hardest time just playing along, taking the abuse and being quiet about it. When the school talent show auditions come along, so does a possible friendship with with a white girl named Bootsie (Asia Thornton). When both sets of hopes are dashed, Minnijean has had enough. That's when one of the show-stoppers comes into play. Fears' act of defiance as Minnijean finally stands up for herself, refusing any longer to play the "good, quiet, clean little negro" anymore, is just as cathartic for the audience as it is for her. But it's not without its consequences.
The last leg of the journey highlights Ernest Green (Kinaundrae Lee). As one of the older members of the group, he steps up as a leader of the nine, and will have the distinction of being the first black student to graduate from their new school - if he's allowed to live that long. Concern on this last count mounts when his innocent friendship with progressive white student Jane (Rebecca Hurd) is misinterpreted and subjected to intense scrutiny and debate. This results in an amusing but unsettling kangaroo court musical number putting both young people on trial, where the truth is frequently turned inside out.
Humor is a key weapon here, both of the script and the Little Rock Nine themselves. Even well-meaning gestures by fellow students like class president Craig (Tyler Hanlon) can lead to hilariously awkward moments - like the first scene in the cafeteria where, after some of the Nine are invited by Craig to join them at their table to eat, no one can seem to think of anything to say, and no one seems to have much of an appetite. The silences and attempts to fill them become progressively more funny - and it's humor that is all the funnier because it springs from character.
Special mention must also be made of Shelbi Montgomery as Thelma Mothershed, who often acts as the musical leader of the Little Rock Nine, providing much of the soulful spiritual singing that ties the episodic nature of the script together. Her voice regularly becomes a beacon, inspiring the story and those in it to keep moving forward.
A final key moment which sticks with me puts the spotlight squarely on Kaitlyn Andrews as Melba Patillo. A quieter member of the Nine, she takes one of the more shocking hits. When young redheaded bigot Darlene (Devon Solorow) takes offense at Melba's presence, Darlene slaps Melba across the face. It didn't look like a stage slap to me, or anyone else in the audience. It looked like the actress took a direct hit, and a stinging one. In the collective gasp of reaction, Melba's retort was nearly lost. At first, I thought to myself, "She couldn't have said 'f**k you' - I'd like her to. She deserves to. But I don't think she would."
Darlene advances on Melba again - "What did you say?"
Melba quietly stands her ground. Not defiant, just resolved - "Thank you."
And in that moment, thanks to Andrews, Melba became one of my favorite characters. I don't think I'd have been able to turn the other cheek and defuse the situation so forcefully. It's a nice piece of work, and milestone in their journey, ever so incrementally, toward acceptance - by some. Solorow's Darlene is unrelenting right to the end, in a fearlessly unsympathetic performance. Jaw-dropping would be a fitting adjective for the response prompted by her good work at being so bad.
It's not a perfect production, but then what production is? Since the actors aren't mic'd, some are better at projecting and enunciating than others, but it's early days in the run, and that sort of thing will most likely get smoothed out as the cast gets used to working the crowd. The large ensemble fills the stage well, but there were times when I wondered if the time spent moving lockers and cafeteria tables on and off the stage (however swiftly) might have been eliminated by allowing more room for one or more of those elements to live on the set permanently, since they get such regular use. The episodic nature of the text requires a number of scene changes, most of which are covered by the sound design (by Tyrus A. Thompson) and the singers and the band (Matt Belz on Bass and Eric Domke on Drums, joining composer/lyricist Queen). But time and momentum savings wherever one can find them in use of the space are always good things.
The rest of the ensemble deserves mention by name because without them, the more central characters would have no context - no friends, no allies, no adversaries. The challenges the Little Rock Nine encountered are very real because they live and breathe in Nick Clark, Anna Esposito, Koby Felman, Jessica Ilaug, Mollay Margaret Johnson, Steven Lewer, Morgan Motzel, Ethan Nienaber, Katey Singer, Brigitta Smith, and Bryan Thornton, as well as all those previously mentioned above. And the Little Rock Nine would be most incomplete without the contributions of Brandon Cobb, Pelita Murumba, Cydni Shepard, and Isaac Sundberg.
I've said this time and again to other people about Youth Performance Company - the reason I admire their work so much is that they require so much of their performers. Or rather, they treat them like professional adults. Some theater for young audiences that I've seen over the years seems content merely to get young people up on stage - "Oh, isn't that cute? They're acting." YPC asks for something more than that. They desire a professional production, and they get more well-rounded performances out of their young actors because of it. I have never cringed, or looked at my watch during a Youth Performance Company production. I've just seen really good theater. Every time. "Little Rock, 1957" is no exception. The alumni of YPC get a great schooling in the ways of theater, and take that into their professional lives. Some even circle back around and return the favor - McGuire, Hutton and Queen are all former YPC company members themselves. And they've created quite a moving document of a time that's past, but of a problem we still face in the present.
The opening of the play has one of the Little Rock Nine opening a book and looking through it, as slides of past atrocities of the slave trade are projected on the back wall of the set. Come the ending, there are pictures of the Little Rock Nine, then and now. I've been told some people on the "Little Rock" team had to work very hard to resist the urge to include a photo of President Obama. The instinct was correct. The production didn't need to show his picture. Our current president was surely on everyone's mind already. The latest turn along our country's oftentimes rocky path of race relations was part of the subtext running through this entire evening. Gender, religion, color, sexual orientation - there's still a lot of healing to be done, inequities to correct. But it's good to reflect on the occasional hard-fought but meaningful victories along the way. "Little Rock, 1957" allows us to do that.
At the emotional high point of graduation for one character, an audience member shouted out, "Tell them about it!" It was like being in the best kind of church.
Tell them about it, indeed. "Little Rock, 1957" does just that.
Like the director's note in the program says, "History is made by ordinary people who do extraordinary things. What will you do?"
You might start by seeing and being inspired by this musical.
I'm glad I did. Judging by the standing ovation, the rest of the audience was, too.
Very Highly Recommended.
Youth Performance Company's production of "Little Rock, 1957" runs through Sunday, March 1, 2009. Performances are at Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, 1900 Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. There are a lot of school week matinees (Tuesdays thru Fridays at both 10am and 12:30pm), but there are also showtimes for the workaday adults and families among us as well. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for children and seniors. Call 612-623-9180 or visit www.youthperformanceco.com for reservations and more information.
Labels: 5 Stars - Life-Altering Experience, Theater reviews
Fringe 2009 - Lottery Day Is Upon Us...
I have to be honest.
Back in November, upon learning that the applications for the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival were live online for downloading, filling out and submitting, my first thought was...
"Oh crap."
And upon realizing, in the midst of my February Medea rewriting madness, that the Fringe Lottery was coming up - determining the 150 or so acts that would be on the schedule, and the 200 or 300 or so that would be waiting, patiently or otherwise, on the waiting list to be called up as other acts dropped out - my first thought was...
I'm hoping that outlook toward the Fringe changes.
I'll be at the lottery Monday night.
I'm not blogging live on the scene like FringeFamous.
I'm not videotaping for later editing and posting like 3 Minute Egg.
I'll text a couple of friends who can't be there if their ping pong ball makes the cut.
I'll take notes, look the roster over, digest it all, and start posting stuff, just like I always do. No gimmicks, other than Mom, of course, and my typing fingers.
It'll all be here - and there, and around.
I imagine things will immediately start to pique my interest, just like they always do. You can watch my level of involvement start to turn into an obsessive compulsive disorder, just like it always does.
And of course, there'll be Mom's visit and Fringe binge.
So, stay tuned.
And thanks, as always, for readin'
Fringe 2009 - First Out of the Cage, Last Out of t...
Fringe 2009 - Don't Despair, My Wait-Listed Friend...
Review - Little Rock, 1957 - Youth Performance Com...


text:
Muncie ( /mʌnsi/) is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769. The city population, as of the 2010 Census, is 70,085.
The area was first settled in the 1770s by the Delaware Indians, who had been transported from their tribal lands near the east coast to Ohio and eastern Indiana. They founded several towns along the White River including Munsee Town (according to historical map of "The Indians" by Clark Ray), near the site of present-day Muncie. The tribes were forced to cede their land to the federal government and move farther west in 1818, and in 1820 the area was opened to white settlers. Muncie was one of the considerations for state capital when it was moved from Corydon. It was considered by many to be a suitable location due to its location on the White River. The city of Muncie was incorporated in 1865. Contrary to popular legend, the city is not named after a mythological Chief Munsee, rather it was named after Munsee Town, the white settlers' name for the Indian village on the site, "munsee" meaning a member of the Delaware tribe.
Muncie was lightly disguised as "Middletown" by a team of sociologists, led by Robert and Helen Lynd, who were only the first to conduct a series of studies in Muncie—considered a typical Middle-American community—in their case, a study funded by the Rockefeller Institute of Social and Religious Research. In 1929, the Lynds published Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture. They returned to re-observe the community during the Depression and published Middletown in Transition: A Study in Cultural Conflicts (1937). Later in the century, the National Science Foundation funded a third major study that resulted in two books by Theodore Caplow, Middletown Families (1982) and All Faithful People (1983). Caplow returned in 1998 to begin another study, Middletown IV, which became part of a PBS Documentary entitled "The First Measured Century," released in December 2000. The Ball State Center for Middletown Studies continues to survey and analyze social change in Muncie. An enormous database of the Middletown surveys conducted between 1978 and 1997 is available online from ARDA, American Religion Data Archive. Ironically, a Henry County farming community actually called Middletown is only a 20-minute drive from Muncie.


"Living with the Tudors" is premiering at the great BritDoc Festival in Oxford this week.
Karen & I are very excited to see what a 'non-tudor' audience make of the film.
We do have 5 free passes for the screening which is this Friday at 10.00 at the Phoenix cinema ... if there are any Kentwell or Somewhere fans out there near oxford who'd like to come along, drop us an email and we'll put you on the list.


WORCESTER — If the bundled-up pedestrians hustling miserably across City Hall Plaza this week happened to look up, they may have noticed an unfamiliar flag flapping in the icy wind.
On a special pole, the city hoisted a national flag more commonly seen rustling in the sultry sea breezes of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
Thursday was the Caribbean nation's Independence Day.
At other times of the year, you'll find the national flags of Greece or Ghana or Kosovo flying from the pole in front of City Hall. The flag of the United Nations has flown there in honor of World Refugee Day, as has the rainbow banner for the Worcester Pride Parade.
The American and Massachusetts flags always fly high over City Hall Plaza on their own poles, but any cultural group in the city can apply to have their home country's banner hoisted for a few days as well.
Flags from South America, Africa and Asia all have been featured, according to city records.
"We adopt the city as part of our own culture, and the city becomes part of us. By the city allowing us to have the flag there, we feel acknowledged, included," said Nestor Chevalier of Casa Cultural Dominicana de Worcester.
In June, the Liberian flag flew over City Hall Plaza in recognition of the independence of the West African nation, which was founded by former American slaves.
"It made us proud. It meant a lot to have our flag there. It's something we really appreciated as Liberians, and it's a lot of help in people here getting to know us," said Joshua Bing, president of the Liberian Association of Worcester County.
The foreign flags often arouse the curiosity of passersby, but the Liberian flag, especially, was met with head scratching and questions because it looks so much like the American flag, but with only one large star.
"The first time the flag went up, we had a lot of calls. People wanted to know what was this flag because of the similarity. They wondered about it, so we got to talk about the country of Liberia with them," Mr. Bing said.
Worcester's large Vietnamese community also fielded some questions when the city hoisted their yellow flag with three horizontal red stripes, a banner older Americans might recognize as the flag of the former South Vietnam. The official flag of communist Vietnam has been yellow star on a red background since the war ended in the 1970s.
"Worcester has the second largest Vietnamese population in Massachusetts after Boston, but I don't know if people here recognized our flag or not," said Minh Mailloux, who fled to Leominster and then Worcester shortly after the Vietnam War ended.
"To us, we lost a war, but we didn't lose our identity. For our flag to be recognized by the city is significant to us," Ms. Mailloux said. "It represents the country we knew and the freedom and democracy our fathers and brothers fought for."
During World Refugee Day in June, Lutheran Social Services of Worcester asked the city to fly the light blue flag of the United Nations. The U.S. State Department has contracted with Lutheran Social Services for years to help resettle refugees from around the world in the city.
"It's a symbol of international and human cooperation. It's not a national flag, of course, but the United Nations plays a very big role in supporting refugees," said Jozefina Lantz of Lutheran Social Services.
Mr. Chevalier's parents came to the United States in the 1970s. He is a proud American and also proud to be from the Dominican Republic.
The sight of the Dominican flag at City Hall always chokes him up, he said.
"When I'm there, and I see the flag flying, yes, it's emotional. We left looking for a better life, but we still miss that place," Mr. Chevalier said.
He figures that's also what it must feel like for people of Irish heritage when they march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade through the streets of Worcester.
"You can feel their pride to be part of their culture, but at the same time to be part of Worcester. It's an achievement for a community to survive and live well here," Mr. Chevalier said.


Well done on making it to Friday everyone – you're nearly done for the week, but there's just one more thing you need to read before you settle into Saturday's welcoming arms: the tech roundup. In this week's blog we've been sharing the ten cyber security lessons from this year so far, and a Brexit-flavoured email scam that you'll be wanting to avoid. We've got new info on the DEA judges, and are going in-depth on some of the categories. We've also got the lowdown on how to prepare for the GDPR and, finally, we're talking about why our new data centre investment is great news for our customers. Have a great one!
Unfortunately if you're an SME – or one of the participants in the Hunger Games, which is where that quote comes from – then it's unlikely. A new study by the Ponemon Institute found that over 50 per cent of small US businesses were breached in the last year. The threat is real.
The study also found 'low confidence' in business's ability to deal with threats; reasons for this ranged from insufficient personnel, to budget and technologies. For 35% of respondents another reason is that IT security priority determination is spread around different functions in a company, which means no one area is accountable and information isn't being shared as effectively. If you're sure this is an American problem, then in 2014-2015, one survey found that 75 per cent of small organisations had reported a security breach. No matter what size business you are, you must be strategizing to protect yourself.
The centralised NHS database care.data has been nixed over fears about confidentiality. Reviews by the national data guardian Dame Fiona Caldicott and the Care Quality Commission both gave the recommendation that there needs to be more transparency over how the public's data would be used.
Patients need to be shown why would they would want to share their data in the first place – for example, for things like researching disease – and, over on the other side of the fence, how their data will be used, and also how to opt out if they want to.
The NHS isn't giving up on tech completely though, as it's started working with Google's DeepMind 'deep learning' AI research company to fight blindness. DeepMind and Moorfield's Eye Hospital in East London are collaborating to create a machine learning system that will eventually be able to digitally scan the eye in order to spot potentially sight-threatening conditions.
If you've seen the new Pokemon Go game that's just been released you're probably going to be pretty excited, regardless of whether you're a Pokemon fan or not. This is because the new game uses augmented reality to let players capture and interact with Pokemon as they walk around their neighbourhoods. This is done by overlaying graphics onto the world around you, so be prepared for Charizard to appear in your local newsie imminently.
First released in Japan, New Zealand, Australia and North America the game is expected to be out in the UK soon; there are ways to download it here now, but if you use any of these make sure you're downloading a clean version, as you could be inviting malware through dodgy versions.


Classic bedding plants like dahlias, coleus, impatiens, and petunias have long been American garden favorites. Their seemingly timeless appeal stems in part from their consistent beauty and ease of growth—but scientific innovations play a part, too. Each year, plant breeders introduce hundreds of new, interesting varieties that keep these beloved standbys refreshing and contemporary. Adding new twists to old favorites doesn't diminish their classic looks. When placed in a traditional or historic garden, these bedding beauties still offer an old-fashioned feel—they just look nicer for a longer time.
That's because early garden plants are more like their wild-type (or parent) species, which often means they are less robust performers with leggier stems and smaller flowers that come in fewer color variations. With careful selection and hybridization, however, newer, better varieties hit the garden scene each year. Only the best remain in commerce, which is why a number of garden-worthy "heirloom" varieties are still available. A plant breeder's goal in introducing new varieties is to offer more eye-catching plants with bigger show and better overall performance.
Dahlias were first discovered by Spanish conquistadors in 17th-century Mexico, where their flowers had been revered by the Aztecs centuries earlier. The first bedding dahlias were sold to North American gardeners in the beginning of the 1800s. Early forms had single and double flowers with tall, weak stems that stood above more open, less vigorous plants. Since then, thousands of varieties of all colors, shapes, and sizes have become available, many with more compact habits and increased verve.
Some newer dahlia introductions offer old-fashioned single blooms in spectacular color combinations. One of these elegant beauties is Mystic™ Desire (also called 'Scarlet Fern'), a recent addition to the Mystic™ Series. Its sultry single flowers are deep tangerine orange and stand tall on strong, slender stems that hover above a tidy clump of purple-tinged foliage. The effect is stunning. Another innovative beauty is 'Honka Surprise,' which sports huge single reddish pink and yellow flowers with petals that curl inward.
Coleus is arguably the greatest bedding plant for knockout foliage. The colorful leaves of this Southeast Asian native add voluminous color to partially shaded landscapes all summer. Wild coleus tend to have simple leaves in broken shades of purple, green, red, and yellow, with the first garden varieties also bearing these simple colors— though many also had ruffled or lobed edges. Today's offerings are much more diverse and exciting.
The dramatic new 'Henna,' with coarsely edged chartreuse leaves highlighted in copper and burgundy, is a perfect example of exceptional coleus color innovation. The Flume™ is another novel upstart selection, albeit with more subdued color. It's a low-growing, bushy coleus with elongated pink leaves dotted with burgundy blotches and edged in green.
Almost every shade gardener has planted impatiens, also called busy lizzies. These indispensable bedding plants have origins in East Africa. They were first introduced to the American garden market in the late 19th century, but didn't become widely popular until the early 20th century. Wild forms are taller, less bushy, and have smaller flowers in shades of red, pink, or white. Modern introductions tend to be more compact and bloom-filled, and come in many sizes, colors, and forms.
Several spectacularly tiny dwarf impatiens have been pioneered in recent years. Some of the best include the diminutive beauties in the Little Lizzy™ and Firefly™ series. Unlike the popular members of the Elfin Series, a group of compact impatiens first introduced in the 1970s, these recent varieties have both tiny flowers and short stature. The dainty blooms densely cover the plants, so they create a big show despite their size. Pretty new selections, like the soft pink Firefly™ Watermelon, are especially appealing.
Contemporary petunias are hybrids of several species native to Mexico and North America. The best known of these is Petunia integrifolia, a low-growing specimen that bears lots of small, purple-pink flowers in summer. When petunias were first introduced in the early to mid-19th century, they were much like their wiry, small-flowered parents. Larger, double-flowered forms started appearing in popular seed catalogs around the 1870s. Today's plants come in lots of novel shapes and sizes, and are more floriferous and vigorous.
One outstanding new petunia with old-fashioned looks is Supertunia® Mini Bright Pink, a member of the popular Supertunia® Series. Its numerous small pink flowers resemble those of Petunia integrifolia, but the blooms are more abundant and the trailing plants look good with minimal care from spring to fall.
These bedding ornamentals are all wonderfully easy to grow but are also frost tender, so they must be grown when outdoor temperatures are warm and accommodating. Generally speaking, dahlias and petunias prefer full to partial sun, and coleus and impatiens are best suited to sites with partial sun or shade. When watered regularly and provided fertile potting soil or well-drained garden loam, these plants will thrive. Adding slow-release fertilizer, or regular applications of water-soluble fertilizer, will encourage them to perform to their fullest. Dahlias can be dug up in the winter, stored indoors during the cold, and replanted outside in late spring after the threat of frost has passed.
Flower standards like these grow as well in garden containers as they do in colorful old-fashioned borders. Their bright colors are easy to design with and will add charm to any older home. This summer, add a new trick to your garden repertoire with a few of these soon-to-be classics.
Looking for more garden inspiration? See our list of the best hydrangeas for your historic garden.
Jessie Keithis a professional horticulturist, garden writer, and plant photographer who lives in Wilmington, Delaware.