SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — The Women’s Economic Ventures annual celebration of small business has launched a Virtual Shop Local Market to safely bring shoppers to local small businesses this holiday season.
The marketplace features more than 50 women-owned and minority-owned small businesses who are part of the WEV community.
The 26-day shopping portal will be open online until December 13th.
This year, holiday shopping is expected to start earlier, generate more online purchasing activity, and focus on non-traditional gifts for home, health, and beauty.
“Small business owners in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties need our community’s support this holiday season more than ever,” WEV CEO Kathy Odell said.
“Fourth quarter sales may determine which of our favorite local shops will survive into the new year.”
Local businesswoman Caleigh Hernandez is participating in WEV’s Virtual Shop Local Market.
“Shopping small and locally is so important, this year especially,” she said. “Consumers can buy unique, handmade and intentional gifts that support a community.”
Her passion for social change on the African continent led her to develop RoHo, offering one-of-a-kind Kenyan beaded leather sandals, bags, African beaded jewelry, Binga Baskets, and home goods.
Through her partnership with artisan groups across Kenya, RoHo creates consistent, fair paying work for their artisans, most of whom are women.
“We are grateful for our WEV community who has showed up and continues to support us during this challenging time,” Hernandez added.
Since 1991, WEV has provided business training and consulting to more than 17,500 women and men throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
The certified community development financial institution has made over $6 million in business loans and helped more than 5,000 local businesses start or expand.
WEV-supported businesses generate more than $300 million in annual sales revenues and have created nearly 9,400 local jobs.
Watch tonight on KEYT NewsChannel 3, KCOY News Channel 12 and KKFX Fox 11 news.
(More information, video and pictures will be added here later today.)
California / Community / Coronavirus / Economy / Events / Health / Holidays / House & Home / Lifestyle / Money and Business / Outdoors / Santa Barbara - South County
Broad powers won’t make it easy for Biden to shift trade policy
The president-elect's allies benefit from protectionism
President-elect Biden may find any effort to modify or cut tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump will encounter resistance from his party and union supporters. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call)
Posted November 30, 2020 at 10:49am
President Donald Trump dug deep into executive powers to drive his populist trade policy, strike a mini deal with China and keep Congress largely on the sidelines.
As Trump's successor on Jan. 20, President-elect Joe Biden will have the same powers to launch investigations, and impose or remove tariffs. But Biden may find it hard to change course because some Trump tariffs are popular with unions and members of his own party, backed by politically influential industries like steel, or, in the case of China, part of a geopolitical rivalry that goes far beyond trade.
“I think the difficult political game he has to play domestically is how far can he push back against the sort of populism that led to the trade wars in the first place. Maybe more importantly, how does he keep the more liberal wing of the Democratic caucus on his side,” said Ian Sheldon, Ohio State University's Andersons chair of agricultural marketing, trade and policy. “I think many of them are less keen on free trade than maybe he is, or at least has been historically.”
Like its predecessor, the Biden administration will have executive authority to use Section 301 of 1974 trade law to enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements; Section 232 of a 1962 law to restrict trade because of national security; and Section 201 of the 1974 law to give temporary relief to industries trying to adjust to foreign competition. Biden could use also use his authority to remove or modify tariffs that Trump levied. And the new president will have a chance to help reshape the World Trade Organization.
Biden has offered few specifics, but he says he would focus on fence-mending with allies and trading partners to address mutual problems and concerns such as Beijing’s overproduction of steel and aluminum that flood international markets and undermine metal industries in other countries.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says the Trump imprint on trade will last for a long time.
“I think that Republicans and Democrats . . . both think about trade differently than they did before and I think that will continue,” Lighthizer told the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics during a Nov. 19 virtual talk. “Whoever sits in my chair under any president going down the road, I’m feeling confident that the fundamental things that we’ve talked about, this reorientation of policy toward working people, worrying about the challenge of China, that those things are going to endure and that people will continue to make progress on them."
Section 301 and China
Trump used Section 301 to levy tariffs on $350 billion in imports from China starting in 2018. China retaliated with its own tariffs, targeting a key part of Trump’s political base, U.S. agriculture. Without removing the tariffs, the administration sought to soften the blow with a phase one deal in January 2020 under which Beijing agreed to buy $200 billion of agriculture, energy, manufactured goods and services through 2021.
Most trade economists are skeptical that China will meet the 2020 target. The Agriculture Department forecasts that China will buy $27 billion of U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal 2021, part of $152 billion in total farm exports, the second largest on record.
For Biden, who has said he will be tough on China, the problem may be not only whether Beijing hits the phase one target and who gets credit for it, but also whether China has any interest in a phase two agreement addressing government subsidies to state-owned enterprises. Some experts are skeptical.
“Politically it seems to me this would be a no-win situation for a Biden administration. If China somehow reaches the targets, the Trump administration would get credit for it politically,” Chad P. Bown, a senior fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said during a Nov. 11 Trade Talks podcast he co-hosted. “But if China didn’t, the Biden administration would likely get blamed somehow for not using these really nontransparent enforcement mechanisms that are in the agreement to somehow get China to that $200 billion.”
The Trump administration has other Section 301 investigations in digital services taxes adopted or proposed by 10 countries that could affect U.S. tech giants. A Section 301 investigation found that a French digital services tax was discriminatory, but the administration delayed imposing 25 percent tariffs on French cosmetics and handbags valued at $1.3 billion until Jan. 6, 2021.
Another Section 301 investigation is underway into whether Vietnam’s central bank’s actions in exchange markets led to the undervaluation of the country’s currency against the U.S. dollar, giving Vietnamese exports an edge against U.S. products.
Section 232
Trump used national security concerns to justify a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. The administration expanded the tariffs in February to apply to steel and aluminum derivative products.
The moves drew widespread criticism for seeing a national security threat in goods from allied countries. The tariffs triggered retaliatory duties on selected U.S. export goods from the European Union and trade partners, making some agricultural, furniture and clothing goods collateral damage.
But Biden is likely to face opposition from the steel industry if he tries to remove them. The industry said it needs the tariffs to fend off foreign competitors and keep an overflow of cheaper, Chinese-produced steel out of the U.S. market. Steel users, by contrast, want those tariffs gone, or at least focused on China.
Paul Nathanson, executive director of the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, said his member companies have paid billions in additional tariffs to import steel and aluminum products affected by the tariffs. China is the real target and it makes little sense to hit other countries with tariffs, he said. The coalition plans to continue its campaign for tariff relief.
Nathanson said his member companies expect Biden to end the steel and aluminum tariffs sooner or later.
“We are confident under the next administration that Section 232 tariffs will be terminated. They have actually hurt U.S. manufacturing. It shouldn’t be a political issue, but everything is a political issue and we believe that the politics favor lifting the tariffs,” Nathanson said.
He said U.S. law offers more targeted alternatives through the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission that can apply penalties against specific foreign companies.
Section 201
The Trump administration used Section 201 to impose additional tariffs on large residential washing machines and tariff-rate quotas on certain solar cells and modules.
Steel-makers, their unions, the U.S. Trade Representative's office, or congressional trade committees also could petition the International Trade Commission to determine under Section 201 if increased imports cause substantial injury to an industry. The penalties can be extended several times, with or without modifications, for a total of eight years.
World Trade Organization
Biden will decide how Washington will proceed in trying to revamp the World Trade Organization, an institution the U.S. helped create but that several administrations, including the Obama White House where Biden served as vice president, said needed reforms.
The Trump administration has blocked appointments to the institution’s appellate body on trade disputes — the body has too few members to function —and opposed a recommended candidate for the top post of director general. The administration says the institution is ill-equipped to address trade infractions by China without an overhaul of the way it functions. The U.S. actions pushed other nations to propose institutional changes, but there’s no agreed upon plan.
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – That was quite different from a week ago.
Sure, the Jaguars lost again on Sunday, this time in a close one to the Browns, but the feeling is much different coming out of this game than it was in the last.
Mike Glennon threw a couple touchdown passes and the defense kept Jacksonville in the game all the way until the end. That’s what we need to see.
Look at the performance from a week earlier against the Steelers. The defense kept us in the game. Quarterback Jake Luton threw four interceptions. We lose 27-3. That game wasn’t even close.
The difference in those games is obvious. Glennon didn’t turn the ball over and allowed the Jaguars to be competitive. He missed a few throws, sure, but I think that’s more due to the fact that Glennon hasn’t had a lot of meaningful reps in practice. Those can be corrected with work.
That’s why I feel quite a bit better this Monday morning than I did the last. It’s the perfect example for coach Doug Marrone to make.
Hang on to the football and look how competitive we can be.
I feel like I’ve said this quite a few times throughout this season. Who gives the Jaguars the best chance to win football games? We’ve seen what Luton has to offer. He’s just not ready yet and that’s not a knock on a sixth-round pick who didn’t have a preseason. We know what Gardner Minshew was capable of before his thumb injury. He was up and down this season.
Glennon got the spot start against a 7-3 Browns team and nearly got the team a victory.
He’s just a guy in the overall scheme of things, but Glennon has experience. The moment isn’t going to be too big for him. Glennon had spots where he was inaccurate but I thought his decision-making was actually pretty good. Remember, he hasn’t started an NFL game in more than three and a half years.
Glennon has earned the right to start next week against the Vikings. As I wrote last week, we need to see as much from the quarterbacks on this roster to be able to make decisions on if any of them are keepers beyond this year.
Now is the beginning of December — the best time to add a bit of light and warmth to the house. Nowadays almost all electrical equipment becoming ‘smart’ — let’s make the Christmas lights also smarter. I’ll show an easy way, how to control Christmas lights remotely and how to add voice control.
Before we begin, just a quick note. This article is not sponsored by any of the manufacturers, everything was purchased by me at my own expense. There are also no ads or referral links in this article.
I will describe here using only Google Home service. Amazon Alexa or Apple Siri users can search for another tutorial.
First, let’s assume that there you already have a Christmas tree and lights. I am not going to write here how to choose a Christmas tree, ok? Let’s talk about hardware and software. First, we need some equipment. A smart plug, that will control our lights. There are many manufacturers out there, and choosing the best one is quite difficult. I bought a TP-Link HS100 smart plug.
Source: Amazon Store
Why TP-Link? First, these outlets are relatively inexpensive, around $ 25. It’s not as cheap as the bus ticket, or as some devices from Aliexpress. But the TP-Link device can be bought anywhere with a next day delivery, it has a warranty and a safety certificate — which minimize the risk that you will meet firefighters instead of Santa near your house. Secondly, TP-Link allows controlling a device via the Internet from anywhere in the world, it also allows to make a connection with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Thirdly, the smart plug is using a standard WiFi network and does not require a separate gateway. By the way, there are two smart plug models — TP-Link HS100 and TP-Link HS110 sockets. The second is a little more expensive, it can measure the electrical current and calculate the energy consumption. I don’t think this is hardly relevant for Christmas lights, so the cheapest one is enough for us.
By the way, TP-Link has an unofficial Python SDK, so 100lvl geeks can control the Christmas lights from the Raspberry Pi or other similar device. I use another HS110 smart plug to calculate the energy that is generating by my solar panels, but it’s another story.
Optionally, you can use a smart speaker or a smart display. This will allow you to control the lights with voice commands, saying the phrase “Ok Google, turn on the Christmas lights”, which can amuse children and guests during the holidays. I am using the Google Nest Hub smart display and it is priced at around $ 70.
Source: Google Store
It is good not only for voice commands, it can show a photo album, play Youtube videos, or display the weather forecast. But again, for our task, this is optional and not mandatory. You can also use a smartphone to control Google Home, but a separate device is more convenient — it works always, no need to press a button while speaking.
The rest — a Christmas lights itself, everyone can buy to their liking. The hardware part is done, let’s configure the software.
Smart Plug
First, you need to install TP-Link Kasa software and add a new smart plug into it. Select Add Device from the menu and choose Smart Plug. Then just follow the instructions.
The device is added. You can now control the smart plug from a smartphone, but a little automation can be added. Open the device properties and select the Schedule menu. For example, I created a rule to turn off the lights every day at 23.00.
You can set various rules, for example, turn on the lights only after sunset, and so on.
The last but not least, the smart plug icon can be changed. There is even the preconfigured Christmas icon in the app:
It can be worth reminding that TP-Link is providing its own cloud service, and all devices can be controlled via the Internet, not only in the local network.
Voice Control
Run the Google Home application, select “+” (Add), choose Set up a device and Works with Google from the menu.
Select TP-Link Kasa in the menu and follow the instructions. If you do it the first time, the Google Home application will ask for the credentials to access TP-Link API.
The last step is to rename the outlet, I obviously chose “Christmas Lights”.
That’s it, our setup is complete. Google will remember the smart plug name so you can use voice commands like “Turn on the Christmas light”. If there are several outlets, their location can also be specified, so you can use a phrase like “Turn on the Christmas light in the yard”.
As we can see, everything is pretty simple. The engineers have done a great job to combine all the services from different manufacturers into a single working solution, and to make it easy and convenient to use. By spending about $ 60 we can add remote and voice control to the Christmas lights.
When Julie Parson and her husband, Army Veteran Woodrow “Woody” Young, go to his medical appointments, she always brings a folder full of his medical records – just in case.
“If they need to reference something, I can pull out the records and they are always appreciative that I have it,” she said.
Young said he’s in “pretty good shape” for a 60-year-old. But keeping track of his medical records – from VA and from other care facilities – can still be challenging.
“It’s like a part time job on its own,” he added. But being prepared is an important part of being her husband’s care advocate, Parsons says. It’s a labor of love.
Julie Parson and her husband, Army Veteran Woodrow “Woody” Young
Young, who has granted his wife power of attorney to help him manage his care, is grateful for the effort. “She loves me, and I love her. She’s always helped with my care and makes it so easy for me. I admire her for it. Who knows if I would still be living if I didn’t have her?”
My HealtheVet one of her favorite tools
In her role as a caregiver, Parson says that one of her favorite tools is My HealtheVet, VA’s online patient records platform. Parson helps Young use My HealtheVet to access and print the VA records that she brings to his appointments, among many other things.
“We refill prescriptions, access the portals to print his lab work, keep track of his cholesterol and contact providers on Secure Messaging,” she said.
Young, who served in Germany from 1982 to 1986, started using VA for his care about 15 years ago. “VA was right down the street from our home in Des Moines and their service was great,” he said. “VA care has been great for me.”
After one of his first appointments at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System, Young got a brochure about My HealtheVet. Young acknowledged that he is not very tech savvy so Parson helped him set up his account.
“It just makes things very easy.”
“Now, we use all aspects of it, and it just makes things very easy,” she added. “My HealtheVet has been awesome.”
In addition to the health tools on My HealtheVet, Parson said she gets valuable information from reading the My HealtheVet newsletter. And Parson said she appreciates the measures that VA has in place to keep Young’s health information secure.
“VA is very serious about who they give information to on behalf of the Vet,” she added. “It’s been nice on my end, knowing that his information is being protected.”
After a pair of recent moves – from Iowa to South Carolina and then to Georgia – Parson and Young are settling into a new home. They also have a new facility for Young’s care: the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia.
Helped keep VA care seamless
Parson’s caregiving responsibilities have continued during the moves. Along with keeping track of Young’s medical records, Parson has been in contact with VA travel staff to keep his VA care as seamless as possible.
She also helped Young set up his first video telehealth appointment through VA Video Connect. “It went perfectly. If you’re not going to do a physical exam, virtual is the way to go,” she said.
And when Parson and Young go for their first appointment at the Carl Vinson VAMC, Parson will be sure to bring her folder of records and test results printed from My HealtheVet.
(670 The Score) It was a bad sign early Sunday night that the Bears' performance was already invoking comparisons to their Lambeau Field face-plant of 2014.
If Matt Nagy's team is seen by those who matter to have reached a similarly obvious rock bottom, the thought of Marc Trestman's shambling zombie lurks -- a rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouching toward Lake Forest to be reborn.
The last time Virginia McCaskey was said to be "pissed off" enough to green-light a housecleaning was that season, when the then-91-year-old was sufficiently motivated in part by the Bears' 55-14 embarrassment at the hands of what they still see as their primordial rival. This wasn't quite as explosively alarming, and yet in some ways upon review, it should reignite similar questions about the direction of the franchise. Its matriarch is now almost 98, and she was in attendance in Green Bay on Sunday despite the dangers inherent in traveling to an out-of-control COVID hotspot, a judgment question of a different kind for another time.
A final score of 41-25 told some of the story, but the details were far more damning in how they showed just how easily Bears schemes on both sides of the ball are anticipated, diagnosed and picked apart. It didn't take a trained eye to see an NFL team getting out-coached.
This previously solid Bears defense was pantsed from the outset, and the absence of Akiem Hicks can't explain just how yielding so much was elsewhere. Aaron Rodgers may not have hosted dinner Thursday, but his carving skills were on full display as he lopped off chunks of yards on his own through the air and by checking to productive runs after sniffing out what was coming at him. Early calls from the Bears like the three-man rush and rickety man coverages that allowed Danny Trevathan to be switched onto Davante Adams stood out as self-defeating. Chuck Pagano's defense forced no turnovers and produced no sacks, nor even a single registered quarterback hit, for all the money they make. Giving Rodgers a clean pocket is never good football planning, whether a result of strategic miscalculation, poor execution or a combination thereof.
And reinserting Mitchell Trubisky resulted in ... Mitchell Trubisky quarterbacking the Bears.
It was a familiar amalgam of good throws and bad, plays kept alive a bit longer than otherwise, an interception in the end zone, three fumbles and the kind of questionable situational awareness that sees him run out of bounds for a loss instead of throwing the ball away. That Nick Foles has been such a steaming flop should do nothing to reinvigorate any optimism that Trubisky's demotion shocked him into some other, better settings.
Nagy's in it, now, and deserves to be. This was again off the bye week and again looking less prepared than his opponent. The secretive wraith that Ryan Pace has become will continue to float behind the walls, hoping to not be seen, but Nagy has to answer for a marking-point loss.
There has been no quit in Nagy's Bears to this point in his tenure, but the scent of it may have just been detectable for the first time, with NBC analyst Tony Dungy even observing that tacklers were "giving up" on a Jamal Williams' touchdown run in the third quarter.
After a thorough domination at the hands of the Packers, the Bears are facing a reckoning. It's all teetering right now on multiple organizational levels -- and rightfully so.
Dan Bernstein is the host of the Dan Bernstein Show on middays from 9 a.m. until noon on 670 The Score. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan_Bernstein.
Teachable Machine is an experiment from Google to bring a no-code and low-code approach to training AI models. Anyone with a modern browser and webcam can quickly train a model with no prior knowledge or experience with AI.
Teachable Machine
Google
Teachable Machine is not exactly new. It was initially launched in 2017 and got revamped in 2019 with additional capabilities, including saving the model to Google Drive and exporting it to other applications.
The community behind the project is continuously making it better. It has become so popular that education researcher Blakeley H. Payne and her teammates have been using Teachable Machine as part of an open-source curriculum that teaches middle-schoolers about AI through a hands-on learning experience. Steve Saling of ALS Residence Initiative is using Teachable Machine for improving communication for people with impaired speech.
The magic behind Teachable Machine is based on a popular deep learning technique called transfer learning. Most of the neural network architecture of a fully trained model is retained while replacing a minor part of it based on the data. This approach not only requires less compute power but also requires a smaller dataset for training. Google is leveraging some of the best deep learning and neural network models for Teachable Machine.
MORE FOR YOU
Teachable Machine supports models based on images, sounds, and poses. You can use the webcam to capture images or uploading existing image files from your machine. The browser simply relies on your machine’s inbuilt microphone to capture 10 seconds of audio samples for sound. You can train models that can detect your hand movements and body poses - all from the webcam.
There are three steps involved in training a model with Teachable Machine at a high level - gathering the samples, training the model, testing, and improving the model.
Gathering the sample feeds the algorithm with enough data for the training.
Gathering Data
Google
Training takes place within the browser. The data stays in your machine without being moved to the cloud.
Training the model
Google
Finally, you can tweak the model to improve its accuracy. You can additional samples and retrain to increase prediction accuracy.
Test the model
Google
The best part of Teachable Machine is the ability to export the model to various environments and applications. You can easily export the model as a TensorFlow.js model and host it on Teachable Machine for free so that you can use it with any website or mobile app. It is also possible to convert it to TensorFlow and TensorFlow Lite and download it for local use. The model can even be converted to a format that runs on Google’s Coral Development Kit powered by the Edge TPU.
It would be nice if there is option to export the code to a Google Colab Notebook to tweak the code, enabling power users and developers to extend it further.
Platform vendors with investments in AI are in a race to democratize machine learning and deep learning. Teachable Machine is an alternative to Lobe from Microsoft, which offers a similar approach to training models.
November 29, 2020 at 11:44PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/janakirammsv/2020/11/29/teachable-machine-from-google-makes-it-easy-to-train-and-deploy-ml-models/
Teachable Machine From Google Makes It Easy To Train And Deploy ML Models - Forbes
Looking back on the disaster that was Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s hypocritical Thanksgiving travel decision and the resultant trashing of his credibility …
And then comes the news Saturday night that Gov. Jared Polis and his husband, Marlon Reis, have tested positive for COVID-19. Polis was already in quarantine for having come in contact with someone who had tested positive. If anyone still questions how serious the crisis is we’re facing — as if four ineligible Broncos quarterbacks hadn’t made the point — this should about do it.
On Wednesday morning, I was taking notes, as I sometimes do, for future column ideas. What struck me — and probably you — were the long lines of people in airports across the country, millions of them ignoring all medical advice against visiting relatives on Thanksgiving. You shake your head in disbelief, or maybe disgust, and say to yourself that while you understand COVID fatigue, that’s not really an excuse. We’ve just passed 250,000 COVID deaths. The experts are saying we could hit 400,000 deaths by the end of February. In other words, the people who have chosen to travel are directly risking their lives and the lives of others.
This hit me because, like most people, I stayed home with my live-in family. I mostly do, although I do take the grandkids on masked, socially distanced tours of the neighborhood. I don’t go to the office/coffee shop. I order in from restaurants. I get my groceries delivered. I know I’m fortunate to be able to afford all that. I also know that I’m old, and I have a chronic condition that makes me especially vulnerable.
Mike Littwin
And so, I wear a mask. I distance. I wash the hell out of my hands. I keep up with the scientific recommendations as they change. That’s how science works. The more information we get — like, the vaccines are (we hope) coming! — the easier it is to make better decisions, like the decision most American families, and most Denver families, made. You’re not a hero for staying home unless you think it’s heroic these days simply to do the right thing.
The message coming from all corners was clear enough. By traveling, you risk becoming a super-spreader as if, you know, you worked in the Trump White House and forgot that the pandemic is completely out of control. Those traveling either don’t believe in the science or don’t believe, in any case, that science applies to them.
And so I wrote down the old Strother Martin line from Butch Cassidy, because I’ve quoted the movie maybe a thousand times over the years: “Morons. I’ve got morons on my team.”
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And then a little later in the day, I saw a tweet from 9News that Hancock was among the, uh, morons. And since I know him not to be a moron, I was, well, confused by his selfish decision to travel to Mississippi to see his daughter, who had recently moved there, and his wife who was already there with her. I was also angry, and not only because while Hancock was heading to the airport, his office had put out a tweet advising people to stay home. That has been his message, and Polis’ message, for weeks.
It was good advice from Hancock or his office: “Pass the potatoes, not COVID.” He advised virtual family gatherings and to avoid travel when possible.
And so when Hancock chose to ignore the science and ignore his own advice on potatoes — we had latkes at my house — I was furious for at least two reasons:
One, there is the rank hypocrisy. Once caught, Hancock immediately said the choice was between his wife and daughter coming to Denver or him visiting his daughter’s new digs in Mississippi. Those weren’t the choices, of course. The only right choice was to stay home, not to decide which family member should take the most risks. Hancock would later apologize, but to little effect, because no apology and no spin are going to help, certainly not in the short term.
I had to Google to get this early 19th-century quote right, but this via British essayist William Hazlitt might apply: “The only vice which cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy.”
Two, wtf.
We are finally putting behind us a president who showed a complete lack of leadership on COVID. For those needing advice on how to properly trash your credibility, you ignore the pandemic killing thousands daily and instead hire My Cousin Rudy as your lawyer while lying repeatedly to the nation that the 2020 election was rigged. I mean, it would take thousands of conspirators to rig the election, and maybe not even then. Does that seem plausible to anyone besides Trump and the Trump cultists? And yet, what is happening by the thousands and by the tens of thousands and by the hundreds of thousands is that people are getting sick and many dying from the coronavirus.
With Trump mentioning COVID these days only when taking credit for the scientists’ amazing work on a vaccine, and not, say, for the many White House COVID clusters, the mantle of responsibility has fallen to governors and mayors, with mixed results. The truth is, Hancock has been often ahead of Polis in making the tough decisions to keep us safe. The sad truth is, people actively look for reasons not to trust politicians any more and often get those views validated from the ugly depths of social media. But Hancock was caught out by the mainstream media. This was no hit piece. This was no conspiracy. Every wound Hancock has suffered has been self-inflicted.
He’s not alone in this. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was recently seen at a mostly mask-free birthday party — dinner went for $350 apiece — with what was apparently five other couples, which breaks about a dozen California rules. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had announced that his 89-year-old mother and two daughters would travel to Albany to celebrate Thanksgiving with him. As social media exploded, Cuomo suddenly changed plans. There go two possible future Democratic presidential candidacies down the tubes.
So now, what do we do, and what does Hancock do?
The second part is easier. Hancock did an interview with 9News on Saturday after returning from his trip and offered up his best mea culpa. “It was unwise, it was hypocritical, it was a mistake that I deeply regret and deeply apologize for,” Hancock said. He went on to say that his decision to make the trip was “not a wise one, and I’m man enough to say it, that I should not have made the trip.”
He’s right. It was unwise and hypocritical. But he was not so much manning up as he was doing the only thing he could do.
All leaders who make decisions make the occasional bonehead decision, but this is well beyond the bonehead category and moves into brain-dead territory. One of the big jobs of the mayor is to represent his city. Hancock has plainly misrepresented Denver. He must go into quarantine — the governor is in quarantine now — and hope, once he’s tested, that he’s negative. He has work to do, a lot of work, to have any shot at rebuilding trust.
What do we do? Hancock is not resigning, and the nascent recall movement is, well, a joke. Colorado is recall happy, and for the thrice-elected Hancock, who is now term-limited as mayor, it makes absolutely no sense, especially during a pandemic. What we can do is demand our leaders do everything possible to head off the worst of the pandemic, including the Weld County commissioners who have said they wouldn’t enforce any new level-red rules — as if ignoring COVID will help — and put out a news release advising us that they’re no smarter than they were the last time the governor toughened rules.
And now the commissioners might want to note that the governor himself has tested positive. As Polis put it, no one is immune.
God knows, people aren’t perfect. We’ve been working on that project for however many thousands of years. But is it too much to ask of those we elect as our leaders to at least try to come closer? At this point, Hancock has no choice. Of course, he should have seen he had no choice when it came time for him to board that airplane.
Mike Littwin has been a columnist for too many years to count. He has covered Dr. J, four presidential inaugurations, six national conventions and countless brain-numbing speeches in the New Hampshire and Iowa snow.
SOUTH ORANGE/MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Outdoor shopping events in SOMA are in full swing for the holiday season. Beautiful weather gave Small Business Saturday a boost today, as SOMA hosted outdoor markets in both towns.
Each temporary outdoor marketplace has booths carrying jewelry, apparel, accessories, art and gift items made by many local artisans and craftspeople. To keep people safe, there is one designated entrance at each location and shoppers are asked to sanitize their hands upon entering. Masks are mandatory.
Photographer and local resident Joy Yagid saw “a steady stream” of customers at her booth in Maplewood today. She will have other dates in Maplewood and will participate in the South Orange market on Dec. 10.
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Verna Jackson of Maplewood had a booth for Pinecones and Purls in South Orange on Thursday, Nov. 19, for her knitted accessories, which she also sells in Maplewood’s General Store Cooperative; although it was cold her first night, she was pleased with the turnout. “I’m sure it will get even busier closer to the holidays,” she said.
Josie Stone of Wildly Floral manned a booth today in South Orange, where her store is located, selling small arrangements, vases, and bouquet subscriptions which she noted make great gifts. She likes both the daytime and the evening events. “The evening is a different vibe, with all the holiday lights up, and it’s really kind of magical to have people out in the evening shopping,” she said. “And today, everyone is so happy to be out and it’s really heartwarming to see other humans milling about [while being] very safe.”
“It’s nice to be among lots of really talented vendors.”
The Open Air Holiday Market will be held in the Sloan Street parking lot on the following dates:
Thursdays: Dec. 3, Dec. 10, and Dec. 17 from 4-8 p.m.
Christmas Eve: Dec. 24 from noon to 3 p.m.
TAPinto SOMA is a free online newspaper serving the Townships of Maplewood and South Orange Village with no paywall. TAPinto SOMA is accredited by the New Jersey Press Association, and is a locally owned news organization serving the community.
November 29, 2020 at 09:57AM
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/soma/sections/business-and-finance/articles/outdoor-events-in-soma-make-holiday-shopping-easy
Outdoor Events in SOMA Make Holiday Shopping Easy - TAPinto.net
Have you ever tried searching Google for the best industrial roofing contractor in Grand Rapids only for it to return a list of websites on pottery trends in New Zealand?
Of course not.
Google and search engines like Bing and Yahoo!earn trillions of dollars by helping your customers find your specific products, services and insights at the snap of their fingers. They would close their doors tomorrow if they didn’t.
So why aren’t more customers banging on your door if search is so great? You might need to become a little better acquainted with how search engines work.
With the coronavirus pandemicquickeningonline media consumption, you need a digital presence for your customers to find you. Digital public relations — technically called off-site search engine optimization — greatly increases that likelihood.
With big data, it’s possible for your company, the reporters who cover your market and the customers who buy your products to all get the information they need when they need it.
Here is how it works.
News outlets pay journalists to write enlightening stories people will read and engage with. More people reading articles, listening to podcasts or subscribing to newsletters on their website equals more money they can charge paid advertisers. Some news media organizations pay reporters perpage clickto align compensation with ad revenue.
Reporters rely on companies, industry leaders and market influencers for news and analysis on trends to earn page clicks. The result is that your customers find the news and information they need to solve their challenges.
It’s swipe right on Tinder when journalists give readers, listeners and viewers information that’s desired and relative. The best part is you can now track and measure each part of the digital process.
Here’s how to make digital PR work for you.
Research and compare relevant keywords for your company and your competitors onGoogle Trends,Moz Keyword ExplorerorAhrefs. Then, research terms people are looking for. Once you capture the right words, find reporters, podcasters and bloggers who use them the most.
Remember that the job of a journalist is to get valuable facts to their readers. They receive tens if not hundreds of mostly irrelevant pitches and press releases every week. They will only make time for you when you offer them something unique, informative and intriguing to write about.
Your audience might not subscribe to or read massive outlets like The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times, but you can often find influential reporters, podcasters and bloggers who effectively deliver your message to niche audiences that are most appropriate to your business.
When you connect with a reporter to place an article, mention their news website, podcast or blog on social media to promote it. Repurpose the content with the same and similar keywords on your company website.
Ensure that you link to the original article to boost the news site’s page rankings and search results. You can offer journalists and their news sites added value with your own built-in online community. They more than likely will return the favor.
Such links generate value and increase website authority long after a story is published or posted, unlike traditional broadcast and print platforms.
Finally, know that the process takes time. Paid online advertising returns quick buys, while organic online PR is a long game to influence future buying. They are not the same and don’t deliver similar results. In fact, there’s a sturdy bridge for sale in the New York area for anyone who believes an effective digital PR campaign can move the needle in less than six months.
Instead of going for the quick hard cash, see how keywords and backlinks are driving customers to your website with effective web tools like Google Analytics,SimilarWebandSEMRush. The data can reveal trends that better position your services, goods and business.
Digital public relations is now ensuring honesty, transparency, accuracy and responsibility from everyone involved.
You are in control of your data. Work with search engines and online social and news media resources to ensure your customers can find you when they need you.
Dave Yonkman is president of the public and digital media relations firmDYS Mediain Holland.
Cade Cunningham scored 20 points and Rondell Walker added 19 to propel Oklahoma State to an 85-65 nonconference victory over Texas Southern on Saturday at Stillwater, Okla.
Cunningham shot 7 of 12 from the floor, three days after collecting 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Cowboys' 75-68 win over Texas Arlington. Walker, who was held without a point in that contest, made 7 of 13 shots on Saturday.
Ferron Flavors Jr. scored 11 points and Avery Anderson III added nine for Oklahoma State (2-0), which made 45.8 percent of its shots (27 of 59) from the floor -- including 41.7 percent (10 of 24) from 3-point range.
Isaac Likekele answered his second straight scoreless first-half performance to finish with eight points for the Cowboys.
Galen Alexander scored 13 of his 22 points in the first half for Texas Southern, while Michael Weathers, an Oklahoma State transfer, finished with 13 for the Tigers (0-2). All-Southwest Athletic Conference first-team pick Yahuza Rasas shot just 2 of 10 from the field and finished with five points.
Weathers began the second half with a layup before the Cowboys erupted on an 18-4 run to secure a 59-36 lead. Likekele and Favors each sank a 3-pointer before Cunningham and Anderson capped the stretch with respective three-point plays.
Walker kept up the pressure by draining a trio of 3-pointers in under a three-minute stretch to lift Oklahoma State to a 70-49 lead with 8:49 remaining. The Cowboys were not seriously threatened the rest of the way.
An Alexander 3-pointer trimmed Oklahoma State's lead to 29-24 with 5:49 remaining in the first half before the Cowboys worked the interior to push their advantage to 41-30 at intermission. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe had a layup and emphatic dunk before Walker's three-point play pushed Oklahoma State's lead to 39-28.
While Oklahoma State shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, it was just 4 of 12 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range. Texas Southern struggled from beyond the arc in the first half, making just 2 of 9 shots (22.2 percent).
Last week, I attended the first Goodland Civic Association meeting since February—since COVID-19—and everyone was so happy to see their neighbors again. It’s a good feeling.Safety was always present and accounted for!Spacing was practiced; there was an air of happiness in the room.About 25 people attended in a very large room.No food was present, but we had a good time in spite of it.You see, they usually have a potluck before every meeting, but at this time they felt it wasn’t a good idea.Greg Bello, our President for 8 years, held a great meeting and it seemed everyone in the room participated.Rick LoCastro, the new commissioner for this area, attended and spoke of his interest in doing all he can to support Goodland in continuing the building of the county road all the way into Goodland.As many know, this road goes underwater regularly in the rainy season, to the point that some people cannot get in or out of Goodland to go to work, and in an emergency, they have to call the Marco Fire Department to get them out of there.
This new road, when built, will be raised about 2 feet above where it is now.It needed approvals from so many agencies such as FDEP, Army Corps, Conservancy, SF Water Management District, and more.It’s taken years and millions of dollars to get to this point, but we are finally here and the construction will begin shortly.Mike Barbush brought us up to date on the road construction plans. They plan on keeping both sides of the road open, but somehow, miraculously, they are going to raise that road, build it, and remove old debris, while still keeping the road open to the residents who need to get to work and home!You’ll want to get over there and take pictures regularly when workmen have left for the day.To keep a two-lane road open to traffic, while elevating and rebuilding that road, can only be imagined!Yes, we need to stay out of the construction zone so they can proceed, but we’ll want to see how they proceed as well.
At the meeting, Jim Ingles called out that they had made me an Honorary Board Member, and I promised I will always work to uphold their confidence in me.The first thing I want to do is attend their Pancake Breakfasts, whenever that happens.Oh… they are so good!Jim also gave his report about committees that are forming and looking for board members, like the Welcoming Committee, the Beautification Committee, the Flag Committee, and Phone Committee, an Arts Committee, and a Goodland Cook Book and Apron committee.He also noted there are about 30 children on Goodland.Jim and Donna Ingles donated a Playground and a Stage for the kids.
There will be a Goodland Tree Lighting and decorating event onDecember 15th, and all are invited.The Goodland Cookbook and Apron will be on sale and you can also pay your membership dues at that same time, which are due by the end of January!That’s a twofer… Let’s all support Goodland and the wonderful people who live, work and play there!
*I don’t know how many people drive down Davis Blvd near Airport Rd, but some have asked what is happening with the construction next to the bank near that intersection.You can see it now has that plastic that surrounds a construction area.This is the newest upscale automobile dealership—a BMW dealer!I know some people don’t like automobile dealerships, but the ones we seem to be attracting here in East Naples are some of the finest we have in the area—from this BMWto Mercedes to Porsche’s and high-end vehicles, to exotic vehicles, and even a gorgeous Man Cave right around the corner!You need to drive over there to see all the area has to offer!Who said it will never happen?Well, you can see it with your own eyes, and it’s only just the beginning!Let’s hope we keep attracting more of the same.
*I can’t believe how quickly the Coastal Breeze newspaper disappears at the Sam Sneads restaurant in Lely Resort!No sooner do they deliver than they’re gone!People just love this little paper with local news—and that’s the key I believe!Another paper in the area hardly has any local news, and the stuff they have doesn’t seem to be the same stuff we are looking at.Maybe that’s why this paper disappears so quickly. Hint, hint… I think you might need to leave more newspapers. People want to know what is happening where THEY live!Not what grocery store is opening in Michigan, or what school opens in Ohio!It appears that lots of people are coming down this year, but this time to stay; even changing their license plates and moving here!Homes are selling quickly, and at a good price.Of course, we don’t want it to get overrun with new people, but a few here and there we can handle.There is a lot of building going on, and many are apartments and condos.Businesses are looking for quality employees, and hopefully, that is who is moving here.I notice a lot of new temporary license plates and a lot of out-of-town license plates parked in neighborhoods, as though those people are moving here.You don’t see many houses on the market.It seems they are snapped up before the “FOR SALE” signs are dry.I can understand why people want to get out of some of the states they live in now, but we don’t want to become overrun with people either.Easy does it.
Gated neighborhood offers attractive, maintenance-free carriage houses and townhomes
Chris Angermann | Correspondent
Bay Street Village, a condo development in Osprey, offers attractive, easy-going, luxury living in a gated, secluded setting. Located on Bay Street, a third of mile east of the Tamiami Trail, it can’t be seen from the busy thoroughfare from Sarasota to Venice.
The gated neighborhood consists of 203 carriage houses and townhomes in 32, two-story buildings, most of them grouped around four lakes with sparkling water fountains,
“It’s a new community in an area where there are visibly older homes,” said Victoria Ranck, a realtor with Keller Williams Classic Group. “I love the location. I love everything about it ever since it got started five years ago.”
Starting in 2006, the 45-acre area was first developed as Bay Street Village & by Crossgate Partners, a Georgia-based real estate investment company. The idea was to create a mixed-use commercial and residential development, but the recession put the project on hold.
When the real estate market recovered, D.R. Horton, the largest home builder in the United States, took over the residential portion and completed Bay Street Village. The pleasing architectural design hints at Mediterranean style, with yellow stucco walls, white trim, screened-in balconies and red tile roofs.
Offering four floor plans in 2- and 3-bedroom condos ranging from 1,244 to 1,655 square feet of living space, the company provided quality construction, including impact resistant glass windows, ceiling fans, granite kitchen countertops and stainless appliances, remote control garage doors and paver driveways. The units come with 1- or 2-car garages.
“It’s a light and bright community – a very nice place to live. D.R. Horton did a good job,” said Cortney Green, an agent with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. “The neighbors who have come to my open houses all love living here.”
Her listing at 184 Explorer Drive, #184, is a furnished 2-bed, 2-bath condo with 1,244 square feet under air, and 1-car garage – D. H. Horton’s popular Heron model.
Ranck has a pending sale at 185 Navigation Circle, #104, also a 2-beds, 2-baths. It was on the market all of 24 days before it sold for $242,500. “It’s small and cozy,’ she said. “Condos sell well because the market is good, but the price point would make it desirable for any market.”
Both realtors like Bay Street Village’s location. “I love that it’s near the Siesta Key and Nokomis beaches, near the Legacy Trial for walking and biking, near Spanish Point and Oscar Scherer Park,” Ranck said. “Its surrounded by places where you can be outdoors.”
Other outdoor activities can be pursued at the Bay Street Park, a 19-acre public facility right across the street, with nature trails, a playground and a picnic area. The Oaks Club just to the north has country club memberships for golf, tennis and other social activities.
Osprey Marina, Casey Key Marina and the Phillippi Harbor Club are close by, providing ample opportunities for boating and fishing devotees.
“Bay Street Village is an active community with a lot of people of different ages, some still working,” Green said. “The residents I’ve met come from everywhere in the United States. Those from up north can work remotely from home now and want to come here to live.”
“It’s a nice mix of year-round and seasonal residents, and some renters,” said Ranck. “There are young children and 70-year-olds.”
Families with children appreciate the proximity to Pineview School, less than a mile away via Old Venice Road. The district schools are Laurel Nokomis Elementary and Middle and Venice High.
Nearby amenities include cafes, restaurants, and shops on U.S. 41. The Walmart Super Center and a U.S. post office next door are within easy walking distance. The recently completed connection of Bay Street to Honore Avenue to the east, provides convenient access to I-75.
Association fees of $323 a month cover the community facilities – a resort-style swimming pool, cabana, meeting room and fitness center – as well as upkeep of the gate, exterior of buildings, roofs and maintenance of the grounds.
Bay Street Village is pet friendly, allowing dogs up to 25 pounds. Homeowners can rent their place for a minimum of a month up to four times a year.
Currently, there is only one condo on the market, Green’s listing, with an asking price of $260,000.
November 28, 2020 at 07:03PM
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/business/real-estate/2020/11/28/market-snapshot-bay-street-village-offers-easy-going-luxury-living/6346694002/
Market snapshot: Bay Street Village in Osprey offers easy-going, luxury living - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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