Follow me as I explain a different way to view the mundane of everyday life. Sometimes it's better to take a good look around you and discover the beauty that is right infront of you.<br /> <br /> <span style='display:none' class='DO NOT REMOVE - THIS CATEGORY CODE WILL BE HIDDEN - IT IS NEEDED TO BE FOUND BY CATEGORY AND ONE-CLICK SEARCH'>Category: Motivation - in Blogs</span>

(NewsUSA) - In the age of nonstop news and often limited fact-checking, a new digital news publication, Rantt, is moving in the other direction, focusing on slowing the story down, and getting the facts right, even if it means not being the first to publish a seemingly hot story.<br /> <br /> "We're taking an episodic approach to covering stories, and pride ourselves on slowing down the news," Rantt CEO and co-founder Zak Ali says in a feature in The Huffington Post on March 6, 2017.<br /> <br /> "We want to be the opposite of everything we see wrong with the news media: sensationalism, misleading clickbait, false equivalency, etc.," Ali says. "Also, we feel like we are a voice for the disenfranchised population who feel let down by the mainstream media. Rantt will be the first episodic news source that people turn towards to get the full truth the first time," he emphasizes.<br /> <br /> Rantt launched online in November 2016, in the wake of the controversial presidential election. The Washington, D.C.-based startup reports more than 100,000 unique visitors as of March 2017. Data from the company suggests that visitors to the site encompass a range of demographics, but most of its readers are millennials. Rantt's growing popularity also supports the idea that there is still an audience for unrushed, well-documented news stories.<br /> <br /> The company was initially funded by Tricent Capital, a Silicon Valley investment firm, but their success is prompting them to expand and raise additional funds. The site's popularity reflects the public's desire for and interest in accuracy in the news, according to Ali.<br /> <br /> Public interest in politics and current events surged at the time of the election and remain high, opening the door for alternative media options to serve a news-hungry readership. The founders cite the Drudge Report, Politico, and Talking Points Memo as examples of independent online news organizations that are able to fill a niche and serve as an alternative to the traditional mainstream media sources.<br /> <br /> Rantt.com, includes a news section, an opinion section (known as Rantts), a section devoted to news related to President Donald Trump (known as Unpresidented) and a section called Underreported that provides a weekly summary of top news stories.<br /> <br /> Check out rantt.com to read the latest stories, explore contributors' profiles, and follow stories on the company's Twitter feed.<br /> <br /> Ref: Events - in Blogs

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(NewsUSA) - The global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has accelerated an adoption of online work, video meetings, and virtual conferences that will likely continue.<br /> <br /> Almost every business professional has hosted and participated in multiple online meetings, but how many have taken the time to consider how they present themselves on camera and how to make the most of virtual interactions with colleagues, clients, or customers?<br /> <br /> If you want to optimize how you appear on video and improve and enhance your ability to communicate in a virtual meeting setting, check out the Presence Summit, a day of professional development and interactive exercises scheduled for July 15. The event is sponsored by camera manufacturer HuddleCamHD and the audiovisual distributor company Starin.<br /> <br /> The Presence Summit "is for any individual or business that uses online communications and considers professional development a priority," according to the meeting website.<br /> <br /> Organizers say that "this thought-leader forum is designed specifically for enhancing communications in a video presence era."<br /> <br /> The summit will show the new opportunities that online meetings can provide, and participants will hear from communications experts and industry professionals about how to be more effective in online meetings and how to use video communications to promote products and services, as well as to improve customer experiences.<br /> <br /> Keynote speakers will include Joseph Pine, author of "The Experience Economy," and Fatima Doman, author of "Authentic Resilience." The live stream of the summit is free, and an optional professional development track (registration required) allows access to Zoom breakout sessions led by experts on topics including identifying and optimizing your communication style, applying best practices for online meetings and priming video meeting participants for success.<br /> <br /> In addition, all virtual conference attendees receive a free copy of "The Online Meeting Survival Guide," by Paul Richards, business development manager at HuddleCamHD.<br /> <br /> "The book serves as the pivotal guidebook to help people navigate this new normal of video communication," says Richards. "Readers will learn about best practices for using the latest software to make online meetings more productive."<br /> <br /> Leading up to the Summit, the book can be downloaded for free at huddlecamhd.com/online-meetings.<br /> <br /> Visit PresenceSummit.com for additional details and speaker information. And watch a video about the event on YouTube at <a target='_blank' href="https://bit.ly/2Chpki1.">https://bit.ly/2Chpki1.</a><br /> <br /> Ref: Business - in Blogs

(NewsUSA) - Janie Bryant, the Emmy Award-winning costume designer for AMC TV's "Mad Men," knows what it takes to make clothes look great.<br /> <br /> Not only does she contribute to the visual representation of the entire cast, she brings a 1960s glamour to the period show that makes real people scour vintage shops to look like Joan Holloway and Don Draper.<br /> <br /> Sure, audiences love the characters and their drama, but the beautifully authentic wardrobe stole the spotlight from the start. In her role, Bryant sketches, designs and fits the costumes for each character, which includes custom-made items and rebuilt vintage gems.<br /> <br /> "One thing I've always been passionate about is how important presentation is to having great style. Looking pressed and polished is often just as important as what you're actually wearing," says Bryant, which explains why she released a fabric care guide of useful clothing advice.<br /> <br /> "The best way to pull off that look is to know how to take great care of your clothing. [The Mad Men] era is all about being wrinkle-free and permanently pressed."<br /> <br /> Take a look at some of Bryant's fabric care advice:<br /> <br /> * Some fabrics are vulnerable to water spotting -- like acetate, silk and suede -- so be careful when applying perfume or body spray. Delicate garments like these tend to require dry cleaning, or hand-washing, and low-heat settings.<br /> <br /> * Beware of "pilly" clothing that looks worn out, such as nylon and acrylic. If fabric is susceptible to pills, it's best to launder, dry and iron at low heat. You may consider laying these items out to dry, especially sweaters.<br /> <br /> * Although cotton remains the world's most popular fabric, it is prone to wrinkling. The majority of cotton clothing can be machine-washed, but items with embellishments or accents should be turned inside out or put in a delicates bag.<br /> <br /> * If wrinkles attack, use a fail-safe. Bryant trusts Downy Wrinkle Releaser so much that she advises you to have a bottle at home, in the office and in any overnight bag. Just spritz clothing, shake and gently pull to release stubborn kinks.<br /> <br /> "On or off the set, the clothes that I work with and wear always need to look their best," Bryant says. "Not only does Downy Wrinkle Releaser work well on the vintage fabrics I work with during the day, but all the modern fabrics found in stores today. It's a must-have for people who need to look neat and pressed and those who need to be out the door in a flash."<br /> <br /> For more information, visit www.downywrinklereleaser.com. <br /> <br /> Ref: Fashion Men - in Blogs

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<br /> <br /> How the National Media Messed Up the Mavs Predictions<br /> by Bob McCullough 6/14/24<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Go into the recent archives of any major sports site, and you'll find a lot of names who should be embarrassed about their predictions for the Mavs-Celtics series. And they're not just the names of those who happened to cover the Mavs. <br /> <br /> <br /> The prediction split was close to 50/50. Maybe 60/40 in favor of the C's, which felt reasonable going into the Finals. Now it seems a little ridiculous. <br /> <br /> <br /> So what went wrong? Let's take a closer look at why the national media especially fell for the Dallas storyline, for it embodies a lot of what's wrong with sportswriting today and NBA coverage in particular. <br /> <br /> <br /> **** Mavs Story Lines<br /> <br /> <br /> This one's at the top of the list. Writers love superstars, and the NBA's entire culture is built around them. The old ebony/ivory combination of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic was irresistable as a result, especially given the story lines. <br /> <br /> <br /> Start with Irving, a fascinating wack job who's been shooting his career in the foot for a long time now. After getting in trouble for spewing anti-Semitic nonsense, breaking up teams, getting coaches fired and conveniently missing games due to his anti-vax rhetoric, Irving somehow managed to resurrect his career and transform himself into a supposedly responsible NBA elder in Dallas. It's the ultimate redemption storyline. <br /> <br /> <br /> If you really believe that I have deeds to several bridges I can sell you, but in a basketball context Doncic may be even worse, which hardly seems possible. He's the most offensively gifted player of his generation, and yet, to use the words of Bob Cousy, he "looks like a truck driver." <br /> <br /> <br /> Which is Cooz-speak for Luka being fat and out of shape, especially for a professional athlete, and the Celtics have relentlessly exploited that flaw. Add in the fact that he goes after the refs on EVERY play, and he's pretty sickening to watch, even with his incredibly skill set. That doesn't stop the writers from relentlessly loving the highlight plays; that's what they do. <br /> <br /> <br /> J's Fatigue<br /> <br /> <br /> This one's right up there, too. NBA writers especially are sick of writing the same old rivalry stories about Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, i.e., who's better, who gets paid more, who cares more about winning vs endorsements and brand, and so on. <br /> <br /> <br /> Not surprisingly, the rest of us are just as sick of reading them. Even more so now that' they've become largely irrelevant. Whatever their differences were--and there likely were differences, rest assured--they've worked them out to get to within a game of their first title. <br /> <br /> <br /> ** hum. <br /> <br /> <br /> What Matters About the Mavs Previous Opponents<br /> <br /> <br /> This one hasn't been explored as much, but it's relevant. National writers especially saw three glamour teams in the Clippers, the Thunder and the Wolves, which wasn't exactly the case. <br /> <br /> <br /> Start with the Clippers. They were always a shell of a team with lots of older star power--Kahwi, Paul George, the artist formerly known as Westbrick. Without a healthy Leonard, however, that formula was yesterday's news, as the Mavs quickly proved. Simply put, it was a hidden mismatch. <br /> <br /> <br /> On to the Thunder. This one's slightly more interesting. OKC surprised everyone with a first-round sweep over a New Orleans shell team supposedly "led" by the ever injured and absent Zion Williamson, which led to the assumption that they were ahead of the curve when it came to being playoff ready. <br /> <br /> <br /> Dallas exposed them as a bit of a donut team without enough secondary scoring after SGA, giving Sam Presti a solid blueprint for what he needs to fix going forward. The Thunder are one of the few teams where "watch out for them next year" carries a lot of weight. <br /> <br /> <br /> Lastly, the Timberwolves, who have one of the most oddly mismatched rosters in recent memory. They were perfectly constructed to stop the Nuggets, however, with two seven-footers available to get Nicola Jokic off his game. Against the Mavs, though, young Anthony Edwards was exposed as far from Finals-ready, and KAT came off once again as a seven foot scorer who sometimes plays at 6'6" under pressure. <br /> <br /> <br /> What Now For the Mavs? <br /> <br /> <br /> This one's simple, at least on paper--get Luka in shape, and convince him to play a nominal amount of defense. According to reports, though, Dallas has been trying to get him to do this for years, so that's where the "on paper" part comes in. <br /> <br /> <br /> They also need him to grow up. Luka's referee theater routine grew thin when he was exposed to a team with two All-Defense defenders, and at least two more who should be considered for that roster. Whining about fouls is fine when you have inferior defenders, but it doesn't hold water when athletes like Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday are in your grill taking options away. <br /> <br /> <br /> Finally, the Mavs need a third scorer. Badly. They got by with guys like PJ Washington and Derrick Jones this year, but bargain basement options like that almost always wilt like March daffodils when the playoffs roll around in April, May and June. The future's still bright in Cuban Land, but it's going to take some serious attitude and personnel adjustments to get Luka, Kyrie and company over the top.

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