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20 Brilliant Product Sales Video Examples

In Video Production

Today’s consumers are digitally connected, socially networked and prefer to have gathered all the required information on the product that is to be purchased, before they even speak with your sales team. Video Marketing can equip your sales team to make that personal connection and provide a trustworthy experience for your prospective customer and tip the scale toward a win situation.

In this article we look at 20 product sales Video Marketing examples that are on the spot. Watch these videos to get ideas for marketing your product. Here we go :

Google WiFi Product Sales Video

Google Wifi is a new type of connected Wi-Fi system that replaces your router for seamless coverage throughout your home. Google Wifi lets you stream, download and share without missing a beat. It lets you enjoy a fast Wi-Fi signal in every room, on every device. The product sales video shows how Google Wifi can have provide you fast WiFi signal no matter what the shape or size of your home.

Audemars Piguet Product Sales Video

Audemars Piguet the Royal Oak Offshore collection aims to establish more sporty, masculine and powerful take on the iconic royal oak and its aesthetic codes. With its sizeable 42 mm diameter, its generous size set a new standard for future trends. Pushpiece-guards fitted to the case increase the sturdiness and powerful lines of this supremely technical and high-performance model. The product sales video show how the new design and colours make their collection stand out from the crowd.

Biocorp Product Sales Video

BIOCORP is a French publicly traded company specialized in the development and manufacturing of innovative medical and drug delivery devices. They offer a large range of services from digital & physical design, devices development to products manufacturing. Easylog is a compact add-on module designed to fit pen injectors. Smart sensors collect injection data directly from disposable or reusable pens and send information back to the smartphone via Bluetooth. The product sales video example demonstrates how the innovative solution offers new possibilities for treatment management and monitoring.

Panam Imaging Product Sales Video

Pannam Imaging is a recognized worldwide leader specializing in the manufacture of complex, mid-to-low volume integrated human-machine interfaces with unique functional, graphic, or performance requirements. Their products are sold to markets such as Industrial Controls,Medical Equipment, and Diagnostic, Detection, Test and Measurement equipment. The Product sales video advertises Panam’s membrane switches in a very playful and humourous way.

Haier Duo Product Sales Video

Haier Duo washing machine is a unique dual-drum washing machine that offers users a much-improved washing experience, catering in particular for families who regularly have unexpected extra laundry needs. The washing machine has an excellent energy efficiency rating and can also be easily managed via an award-winning digital user interface, with internet connectivity allowing for remote control on a mobile device. The product sales video demonstrates how Haier Duo can allow users to start two different cycles operating simultaneously or non-simultaneously.

PicoPix Product Sales Video

PicoPix is a pocket projector offered by Panasonic that can be connected to your devices to let you watch all your favorite media in large screen format up to 120″ by connecting the. Enjoy the convenience of cable free connection with Wi-Fi and DLNA functionality. The new pocket projector with Wi-Fi connects to the internet to view YouTube videos and other favourite websites. The product sales video details the features and functionalities that make PicoPix a great pocket projector.

Muzik Product Sales Video

Muzik One Wireless Headphones will make you experience a new level of connectivity with personalized one touch Hot Keys that control the things you love and do everyday. Analog and wireless Bluetooth technology gives you the choice for how you’d like to connect with your smartphone. It resides passive noise-isolation technology that allows you to step away from the noise around you but not affect the sound quality. The product sales video gives substance to these revolutionary headphones from Muzik.

Jaguar Maze Shower Sales Video

Jaquar Maze Showers deliver an unmatched showering experience even in low water pressure conditions and a softer cozier feel in high water pressure conditions. Maze showers contemporary, minimalistic, one-of-its-kind design incorporate the shower nozzles in group of concentric lines, imparting it an aesthetic that completes the look of the modern bathroom. The product sales video shows how their Maze Showers can provide you a showering experience that’s softer and smoother.

ASUS RT-AC88U Product Sales Video

ASUS RT-AC88U instantly takes your wireless network to the next level. The latest NitroQAM technology boosts the Wi-Fi speeds for everyone and everything on your busy network. With wide Wi-Fi coverage, lighting-fast USB and WAN/LAN speed plus AiProtection and 8 Gigabit LAN ports, the RT-AC88U is as well-rounded as it is top-of-the-line. The product sales video details how RT-AC88U can provide lag-free gaming and 4K streaming experience.

Rheem Prestige Product Sales Video

Rheem Prestige RTGH is a series of high efficiency condensing tankless gas water heaters designed for continuous hot water. Its intelligent electronic controls designed to increase energy efficiency and safety. Their industry-leading design provides the comfort and convenience of continuous hot water, while saving energy costs. The product sales video demonstrates the working of their energy efficient water heaters.

Making of a Video : View the Process of Making Google Allo's Video

Digitsole Product Sales Video

Digitsole’s Smart Shoes connect to the wearer’s smartphone or smartwatch to warm cold feet, track footsteps, and lace themselves up like the Nike trainers worn in sci-fi film Back to the Future II. The Smart Shoes includes the same function and wearers can precisely measure and control the trainers temperature using their smartphone. Users can also keep track of how far they’ve walked and how many calories they’ve burnt and input height and weight data to customise the shoes further. The smart product video shows how Digitsole’s Smart Shoes has introduced a smarter way to live healthy.

Powerblink Product Sales Video

Powerblink is a smart power bank with a 5200 mAh battery hidden inside an aluminium-and-soft-touch plastic body. Powerblink is fully customizable. Both aluminium and plastic parts can be pantone-matched and both front and back plates can be branded via silkscreen printing. The LED lights can be customized as well. The product sales video gives a sneak peek into the working and features of the Powerblink.

Meraki Product Sales Video

Meraki cloud managed switches provide performance, true zero-touch cloud provisioning, network visibility and remote troubleshooting to deployments of any size. The access and aggregation layer switches provide the backbone for networks of every size, combining secure, scalable, robust performance with an elegant, intuitive management experience. The product sales video shows how the Meraki management experience accelerates and simplifies the work of the network engineer.

InstaShow Product Sales Video

InstaShow is a wireless solution that ushers opportunities in network collaboration without additional facility investment or training. Any business customer, even those without WiFi infrastructure, can deploy InstaShow for employees and visitors to enjoy simple and quick wireless presentation without awkward moments setting up, enabling instant teamwork for inspirational results. The product sales video highlights InstaShow as an instant solution for collaborative presentations.

Worksight Product Sales Video

Worksight offers payload weighing systems for John Deere Wheel Loaders to help increase profitability and efficiency for quarry and aggregate operations. Their Onboard weighing system creates more efficient loading and allows material movements to be tracked, giving loader operators information on every bucket lifted. The product sales video shows how Worksight can help you increase operational efficiency by allowing you to load accurately.

UniKey Product Sales Video

UniKey Technologies is an alternative access control company that designs and licenses keyless entry technology worldwide. It provides a secure mobile platform to replace keys, codes and passwords by turning a smartphone into a universal electronic key. The product sales video demonstrates how their platform integrated can make life comfortable and convenient.

Anthelios 60 Product Sales Video

Anthelios 60 is an Ultra-Light Sunscreen with sheer and matt finish texture. This fast absorbing and weightless sunscreen features exclusive Cell-Ox Shield XL technology. An optimized combination of UVA and UVB filters chosen for its more synergistic effect to deliver broad-spectrum protection. The product sales video provides a gist of the features that make Anthelios a great product.

NEST Product Sales Video

The Nest Learning Thermostat is the first thermostat to get energy star certified. It learns what temperature you like and builds a schedule around yours. Nest shows you how much energy you use every day in Energy History and every month in your Home Report. The product sales video shows you how Nest is different from programmable thermostats; and how it saves energy and learns your schedule.

BenQ Product Sales Video

Benq offers a slim and reversible USB-C cable and connector that allows your notebook to tap into the dock’s wide range of connectivity options. Their cable allows you to charge your device, transfer data, transmit audio and video and connect to the Internet, all through the convenience of one cable. The animated product sales video portrays Benq as a perfect solution for those who strive for a clutter-free space.

Purefect Skin Product Sales Video

Biotherm creates Purefect Skin with L.Digitata extract, Zinc and anti-shine ingredients. Their product provides visible results such as redefining skin texture, and making skin look clean, pure and crystal clear. The product sales video shows how Purefect Skin can reduce damage caused by modern lifestyle and stress.

A product provider can create the following videos :

  • Product Overview Video
  • Product Brand Video
  • Product Explainer Video
  • Product Marketing Video
  • Product Promotional Video
  • Youtube Teaser Videos
  • Business Use Case Study Videos
  • Product How To Videos

With the above smart product videos it’s evident that companies are fast integrating videos in their marketing campaigns and various other touchpoints. If you are in the similar domain these videos are good start to build a brief of what can be the tone and style for your videos. We advise you to be different and unique while you create your messaging through the videos.

We at Advids understand products are continuously evolving and is an emerging segment, with a lot of transformations happening now and many more to follow in future. Lets use the power of videos to get your word out. We will be scanning the web to find more new and interesting in smart equipment videos , if you have something to share do reach out to us.

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Big Hair challenge

Hello everyone!

big hair time!!! No not my big hair – her’s …

This is the challenge going on at Color me Creative Copic challenge. It’s one of those things you will learn in Suzanne Dean’s Copic workshops (This particular one is in class 5) – I love how I’m using so much more highlights to create contrasts and Suzanne is really generous about her knowledge and it’s more than just a coloring class – it’s an art class as well! Background papers are from My Mind’s Eye and Graphic 45. Sticker sentiment is from SRM stickers – so convenient those vellum stickers.

* Suzanne will also be having classes at CHA this year – the Sunday before it starts in Chicago. These are copic coloring classes not certification classes. For more info at chance to take her awesome classes in person, check out for more details on how to sign up.*

Please go here to enter in the challenge. You can use any image you want as long as they are colored with any alcohol markers AND fit the theme of course. Your card must also be newly created.

This week’s sponsor is Crafts & Me. You will win some really cool stamps to color with and if you join in both challenges in the month, you stand a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Oozak. How awesome is that – 2 prize opportunities. What are you waiting for??

Pay attention to the box please.

Is anyone in a panic yet – it’s Christmas eve and I have my last batch of cookies to bake, forgotten presents to buy and wrap, several Christmas decorations that fell off that needs to be put back up. So much to do and so little time…

Here are the baked goods I’m giving to my friends and neighbors this year – focus on the gift box please. I spent more time on the box than the cookies:

Yup every box is different. I got these white boxes from TPC Studio but I discovered you could get them at Michaels for almost half the price of what I paid for them…Grrrr..too late now but I know better for next time.

Covered all the sides with patterned paper (these are from Webster’s Pages, Graphics 45 and October Afternoon). Cut 2 3” square diagonally into triangles to decorate the top of the box. I used different Stampendous stamps for labels and tags for the boxes. Seen here are From the Kitchen Perfectly Clear Stamp set and Cling Poinsettia Silhouette.

From the Kitchen Stamp set was colored with Copic Markers and Cling Poinsettia Silhouette was embossed with Stampendous Vintage Embossing Tinsel (Vintage Mahogany for the poinsetta & Vintage Olive for the leaves). Here are a few up close look.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

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Archive for April, 2015

We need to talk about IT

It has long been a truism of security practitioners that security is not an IT problem. This is an attempt to lift the gaze of the security team from technology to the wider business. A laudable and useful goal. However, IT is a security problem.

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Saturday, 3 November 2012

Sparring partner to Mickey Walker – June 1927 (aged 14)

Nipper Pat Daly aged about 15
"When Mickey Walker was signed up to defend his world middleweight title against Scotsman Tommy Milligan at the Olympia on the above date the whole world of British boxing fans were agog with interest.

Jack Kearns, Walker’s manager, struck camp at Taggs Island, which was situated in the middle of the Thames river at Hampton Court. Kearns, who was the former manager of Jack Dempsey, former heavyweight champion of the world, was very businesslike and arranged what order we would spar with his present champ.

As he looked at me I could see the disappointment in his eyes, and he said, 'You’re far too light for this job.' I weighed 7st-12lb or 110lb, American method. My manager explained to him that I was engaged for my speed, not my strength. Mickey, who was talking to another of his partners, noticed that we were talking, rather excitedly came to us and on hearing the cause of the argument said, 'Okay I’ll just spar with him last to speed me up, and he better be fast.'

I sat at the ringside and watched Mickey spar two rounds each with a Malcolm Campbell, middleweight champion of Scotland and Tom Fowler, a heavyweight who had served his time as a sparring partner to most of our leading heavies. Walker, not a brilliantly clever boxer but clever just the same, with a K.O. punch in either hand, and I was his sparring partner. One of his punches could kill me. Still, I had a job to do and I intended to do it as well as I could.

While watching Mickey spar I had noticed that he would make his partner miss with their initial punch by swaying backward, and then counter [the hopelessly reaching boxer] with his right. At the first opportunity I had, I feinted with my left lead, Mickey drew back from his hips and was temporarily defenceless as I moved forward and connected with a perfect right hand punch on his jaw. Mickey stopped boxing, shook hands, patted me on the back and said, 'That was a great punch kid.'

After I had finished my training I was told that we had been booked to appear at Jimmy Butler’s boxing booth at the Welsh Harp, Hendon in the evening and that I was to stand on the front of the booth and take on all comers. I did two houses, which means I had two fights, three rounds each. Still, it brought my manager in a few shillings and saved me wasting time. I only fought two fights as there was not time for any more, as it was 10pm and the fair was closing down.

(On another occasion, as I had missed a 15 rd contest at Premierland on Sunday, my opponent Young Siki had not turned up, the Prof sent me the next day, Bank Holiday Monday, to work at a boxing booth at Lea Bridge Road. When I started work I created something of a sensation as it seemed that most of the young men in the crowd wanted to take me on as I was 15 years of age, skinny and did not look like a fighter.)

Still, the time saved me from having several more bouts. I’d had an easy day, only having sparred with the world middleweight champion and fought two opponents at a booth. I was very proud at having sparred with the world’s middleweight champion and also pleased that Mickey had pulled his punches."

- Nipper Pat Daly.

This extract from Nipper Pat Daly’s memoirs is from the critically acclaimed 2011 biography ‘Nipper: The Amazing Story of Boxing’s Wonderboy’. For more information or to buy the book visit

Before the big fight: Walker and Kearns on the cover of Britain's boxing trade paper
From Britain's boxing trade paper (June 1927)
From Britain's boxing trade paper (June 1927)
Daly with his trainer and manager 'Professor' Andrew Newton
In 1929, aged just 16, Nipper Pat Daly appears alongside Walker in 'The Ring' magazine's top-10 world ratings.

Watch a clip of Mickey Walker's world title fight with Tommy Milligan:

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Tag Archives: athletics

Dana S. Espinosa

Associate professor, Department of Kinesiology
Program coordinator, MAEd in Physical Education Pedagogy
College of Health and Human Performance

Telephone:   252-328-2976
e-mail:          espinosad@ecu.edu

Areas of expertise: teacher licensure in physical education and health, grades K-12; teaching elementary (K-5) physical education, upper boy strength in children, state isseus with “no pass, no play” in athletics as related to academic eligibility


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Happy Tenth Birthday to Everything Dinosaur

Today, August 1st, marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of Everything Dinosaur.  Hasn’t the time whizzed by!  We wanted to take this opportunity to say a very big thank you to all our thousands of customers, friends, supporters and followers who have been with us on our amazing journey over the last decade.  We really appreciate your support.

Everything Dinosaur Tenth Anniversary

Happy Tenth Birthday!

Happy Tenth Birthday!

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

First thing to do this morning was to message the winner of our “name the Pterosaur Guidraco” competition.  We will have made somebody’s day and their prize will be sent out shortly.  A super replica of a Guidraco Pterosaur which is in 1:4 scale (CollectA Guidraco venator model).

How do we celebrate our tenth birthday?  We are having a get together this afternoon, hopefully a barbecue and then tomorrow, weather permitting, we are off on a fossil hunt!  Then it’s back to work with preparations for a summer school visit on Monday morning.

As for our tenth anniversary/birthday banner, we believe that tin is the traditional gift for a tenth anniversary so we put things on the banner from our vast product range to do with “tin”.

We have our popular “dinosaurs in a tin” gift set, but what else is there?  Can you spot the connection?

  • There is a model of Argentinosaurus.
  • A Dinosaurs counting set
  • A Tiny Towns Volcano play set

Over the last ten years we have loved every minute (well most of it anyway).  Our mission to be the best supplier of dinosaur toys, models and games remains very much at the heart of our business.

Once again a very big thank you to all our customers from around the world.  Here’s to the next ten years of dinosaur themed adventures.

Visit Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Toys, Models and Games

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July 17, 2008

We're Featured in Stationery Trends Magazine!

As you may remember from my gushing review, I am a big BIG fan of Stationery Trends magazine. So I was thrilled when I was lucky enough to chat with the team after receiving the issue, hang out with them at the National Stationery Show AND be interviewed for a feature about blogging! I was interviewed by the lovely Christienne de Tournay Birkhahn who has worked in the art and design industry for 15 years (including designing for Signia Fine Papers) . It was fun to chat with her about everything from blogging to modern design and, of course, stationery.

[click through any of these to view larger on flickr]
Stationery Trends (cover)

Stationery Trends 2

Stationery Trends 3
Ez of Creature Comforts and Katey of OneGoodBumblebee were profiled as well!

So what can you take away from this article on blogging and how it pertains to a (stationery) businesses? Don't make blogging all about your business - make it about what you truly love, what inspires you and don't censor your personal voice.

Thanks so much to Stationery Trends for inviting me to be a part of this feature and for putting out ANOTHER inspiring issue. I'll be covering some of my favourite features next week.


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September 23, 2015

Designer Spotlight: Fox & Fallow

This week, we are excited to bring you a fresh and modern line of Holiday greeting cards. These trendy cards are straight off the press from this Australian design house. Fox & Fallow’s Holiday Collection is full of hand lettering and whimsical illustrations, for that sentimental touch. We sat down with them to talk about their design process and their favorite Holiday traditions.

What made you get involved in the Stationery industry?
Stationery stores - were like kids in a candy store! The problem is we tend to collect stationery and its too pretty to use and I just never want to give the greeting cards away! Weve always loved stationery and started Fox & Fallow as a wedding stationery and signage business after having such a blast designing our own wedding wares. It just evolved from there and bringing out a retail line was something weve always wanted to do.

What makes your designs stand out from the crowd?
We try to have plenty of variety in our work, from our brush-lettered and calligraphy typography collection to our hand-painted florals and vintage-inspired gentlemanly illustrations, there’s hopefully something for everyone. We love pastels, rich color combos and foil foil foil!

Where do you look to find inspiration for your designs?
Having a background in graphic design, typography and illustration have always been a passion of mine. Calligraphy and hand lettering is so divine and I love getting my brushes, nibs and pens out whenever I can. Pinterest and some graphic design and branding sites are great, but there needs to be a point when you put all the inspiration away and just draw!

Tell us about your favorite Holiday memory.
Holidays were always a time to go home and spend time with our families. Eating too much, drinking too much, chatting into the night - it was always a great time to just chill out and indulge! Christmas in Australia is usually super-hot, so overdosing on those delicious stone fruits like mangos, cherries and lychees in between Christmas feasting has always been a fond memory.

Favorite gift you've ever received?
Darrell has always been pretty good at figuring out the perfect gift for me! I was super bummed when I missed out on Taylor Swift tickets as they were all sold out and managed to score a pair for my last birthday! I’m beyond excited! Yep Im I die hard Tay tay fan and Im not ashamed to admit it!

Favorite cookie you wait all year for?
Ohhh my mums choc chip cookies are kinda amazing!

Below are just some of the Staff Favorites from this festive collection:


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Archive for June, 2009

You are currently browsing the The Firefly Creative Blog blog archives for June, 2009.

Professional Logo Design Offer

Written by sean on June 25th, 2009 | Tags: ,
Posted in Press releases | Comments Off on Professional Logo Design Offer

Key to your customer’s perception of your company is your brand, or corporate identity. It is effectively the face of your business. Your company image must reflect your values and be immediately attractive to your target audience.  Firefly will create a strong, relevant brand for your business, and ensure that it is marketed and communicated effectively and consistently across all marketing and advertising activities they undertake for you.  This can include your stationery, website, printed brochures and literature, newsletters, advertising, online marketing and display materials.

Firefly are currently offering a budget ‘no-frills’ option on professional logo design.  For £350 +vat they will design and supply 3x logo options, from which you can choose one to be made up into final artwork for use on print and web.  This means they can’t do reworks on the supplied designs for this price, but if clients have a good idea of what they want and can provide a clear detailed brief, this might suit smaller businesses or business startups looking for a cost effective but professional image makeover.
(Larger companies requiring advice on a full company rebrand should call Firefly for a free initial consultation, to discuss costings and marketing requirements.)

Firefly designers have been creating professional corporate identities for many years, a few samples of which can be seen below.  Please contact Sean or Franki on 0845 2577 360 for further information.


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Montag, 20. September 2010

Fixie Madness 7

This wasn't planed at, all but I came across this bike on and couldn't resist. Caminada was a bike manufacturer in Zurich from 1965 to 2001 (which was the year he died). I will post better pictures after picking up the bike.

  1. I have been looking for more information on Caminada bikes, but not having much luck using search engines. Is there a good source of information you can recommend? Thank you?

  2. I don't have any additional information on Caminada bikes. What I know is that the guy building this bikes died quite some time ago and the business was discontinued.

  3. Thank you very much. I recently picked up a Caminada track bike and I am on the hunt for information. Thanks for your response.


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The Power of Making

Casting Pewter from Folksy on Vimeo.

The Power of Making

The Crafts Council is offering the opportunity to feature in Power of Making by launching an open submission short film competition called Power of Making On Screen.

This autumn, from 6 September – 2 January 2012, the V&A and Crafts Council exhibition Power of Making, will celebrate the role of making in our everyday lives by presenting an eclectic selection of over 100 exquisitely crafted objects. Curator Daniel Charny has selected a range of objects including items made by amateurs, those crafted out of necessity, and some by leading international makers. The Crafts Council is asking people to submit original short films between 10 and 120 seconds long that focus on any aspect of the making process – from a demonstration of making an object or showing the use of equipment, tools and machinery to a more conceptual film on what making means to people.

At Folksy we were all really excited about this competition and we’ve been watching the films as they appear on the Power of Making Vimeo Group. One of the most fascinating parts of buying a handmade object is to find out about the processes and techniques involved in making it. As a handmade market place we are 100% behind a campaign that champions the power of making – our manager Sarah has even been busy filming her husband Owen Waterhouse casting pewter this week so we can join in the celebration too.

It’s not just the raw materials used but the story of the creation of an object that adds the intrinsic value to it; the time, the skill (often honed with years of hard work) and the man hours. Not easy to capture in a short video but the collection will be a most fascinating archive to view.

Get Involved!

We want you to upload your own Power of Making video – Sarah had a lot of fun making the video above and we’re sure you will too. You don’t need Steven Spielberg, all you need is a phone or camera with the ability to take a video and someone willing to point it at you whilst you work – or even a tripod. Choose the most interesting aspect of the making process – there’s so often a wow moment when you are watching the creation of an object.

You can find all the details here – The Power of Making on Screen over at the Craft Council’s website, which is well worth a visit even if you don’t plan on making a video.

We would love to know what aspect or moment within your own crafting and making is the most interesting part of the process?

1 Comment

  • July 5, 2011

    I love the pewter casting film, fascinating & thanks for heads up on the PoM project.


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Featured Stories

Posted on 28th Jan, 2014by binay

Foodily Loves Fancy Food…West 2014

Foodily Loves Fancy Food

I love to cook. I cook all the time. But when it comes to snacks, I’m all about finding the best healthy snacks I can actually *buy* – not make!! There’s lots out there, but when faced with picky eaters, most sadly end up as snacks for me, or in the compost bin.

Enter Fancy Food Show

Food, food, glorious food. In bundles and packages all over the place. Walking through the isles of Fancy Food was seriously heaven on earth for this Foodily consultant and mom. But, I wasn’t going to let the sweets get the best of me, oh no sur-eee! My mantra walking through the halls was: “Think of the cleanse, think of the cleanse.” So, I set out to find a few fabulous foods to share with our loyal Foodily fans – and my loyal family. With 2 kids, ages 6 & 9, there’s nothing worse than preparing an amazing meal and having them decline it. So, when I set out to go Gluten Free this year (we’re only 2 weeks in – check out my list, Kids Going Paleo (shhh…they don’t know it!), I was psyched to be able to find all sorts of options at the Fancy Food Show.

When I got home, I laid out all of the options at home for the kids. They could pick out whatever they wanted. The biggest surprise was that my daughter (9) took Egg White Chips to school and all the kids ate them up. She said it was surprisingly tasty and that her friends all enjoyed them. They especially liked the crispiness of the chips.

The most delicious and nutrititious award goes to Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Chips (pictured above). Think of it like seaweed sheets meets a Frito, but healthier. The Sea Salt flavor was a big hit and my son devoured them while at the beach. When I’m not at the beach, this amazing Edamame Hummus would be an excellent way to get some more green in (does Edamame count for greens?).

The failure went to a lovely Flax Seed Muffin that *I* thought tasted delicious and loved the ingredients. Kids wouldn’t take ‘em down. I guess I’ll continue to make my own; here’s my favorite recipe at Foodily that all of the family enjoys.

Don’t think I left the show unharmed. At the last minute, I couldn’t resist bringing home some adorable Rice Crispy Treat Bars; they were too beautiful to bypass. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, they were shaped like hearts and had pink sprinkles. Come on, I am human. Hey, they’re Gluten Free too…

Food, we love you.

Featured Stories

Posted on 1st May, 2015by Andrea Cutright

Taking Popcart from 0 to 360

Taking Popcart from 0 to 360
We’re pleased to announce that Popcart will now become our core business. That’s right. From today forward, this company will be focused on helping everybody online get their recipe ingredients purchased in an instant. We believe it’s the right time to put all of our energy into unlocking more user value around shopping for recipe ingredients.

The Origins of Popcart

Back in 2014, Foodily had just started to work with AmazonFresh to automatically match recipes to grocery products. We used our core semantic technology and deep understanding of recipes to create unbeatable ingredient-to-product matching on the fly. In that time, the tool we built – Popcart – has seen substantial interest and growth. And, in a sea of cooking-related companies, Popcart stands out for creating a technology that makes it easy for partners to tap into cooking inspiration and growing online shopping behavior.

“Buy Now” Goes Everywhere

As part of Popcart’s rapid expansion – with ever more new e-commerce grocers coming on board in 2015 – Popcart now works directly with recipe publishers to make their recipes shoppable in an instant.

A “buy now” button has been rolled out across major sites like Chow.com, Weight Watchers, The Greatist, and others to allow purchasing directly from anywhere online. “It’s the first step in building the content to commerce marketplace for food,” said Hillary Mickell co-founder of Foodily and Popcart, “It’s easy to see the value consumers get from the service: a dead simple way to order exactly what you need to get dinner on the table.”

This is how it works:

1. Buy Now button is shown to only those users in an e-commerce delivery zone. You’ll see this button on The Greatist if you’re in New York, for instance.

2. Recipe ingredients are read and measured in less than a second and a cart is shown with the exact products you’ll need for the recipe. You can swap products if you’d like and click “Send” to send the order info to the grocer.

3. With a click, the grocers cart is pre-filled with the products you chose. The only thing left to do is handle the payment and set up your delivery.

Continued Expansion

We know that for more and more shoppers convenience is key and online grocery sales are expected to grow over 20% in the next 3 years. The disadvantages of shopping for groceries – translating a recipe, searching for ingredients, building a basket, are eliminated with Popcart. Popcart can enable all cooks in the US to make recipe ingredient purchases in a couple of taps.

We’re looking forward to continuing the exciting growth of Popcart. See new announcements at getpopcart.com! Thanks for being a part of it.

Food, we love you.

Featured Stories

Posted on 1st May, 2015by Andrea Cutright

Foodily is Moving to a New Home

Foodily is Moving to a New Home

We’re delighted to announce Foodily.com is joining IAC’s Mindspark family. When we founded Foodily, we set out to build a place where everyone can easily socialize around new recipes to cook and we are thrilled this mission will continue with a new global scale and expertise.

We’d like to thank each of our wonderful users who have helped contribute to Foodily – from Webby award votes to each and every app review! At our start 4 years ago, we never imagined the strength of the community, the deep love for Food-I-Love-You, and the amazing recipe engagement that would lead us to this place.

What’s Next?

We will begin transitioning the Foodily.com website and mobile applications to the Mindspark team over the next 30 days.

When you visit Foodily, you’ll be asked to login and confirm your account to keep your faved recipes and lists. Please login before May 30th.

After the transfer, you’ll be able to use Foodily in the same way that you use it today.

Be sure to login by May 30th to hang on to all your amazing recipes. And, if you know others that use Foodily – remind them that they need to login this month too.

Of course, if you have any questions, please reach out to us support@foodily.com.

We also want to recognize the Foodily.com team members who will be bringing their social app expertise to Ask.fm’s 150 million monthly users. We look forward to seeing the impact they’ll be making.

Thanks again for all the support and we look forward to continuing our Foodily relationship.

Food, we love you.

Featured Stories

Posted on 26th Apr, 2015by Andrea Cutright

Getting To Know FOODILY

All About Foodily
Foodily is the world’s largest social recipe collection where you can discover, collect and track your favorite recipes — all for free.

Make some Food Friends

One of the best ways to discover great new recipes is by getting people with similar tastes and interests to share what they discover with you! Start by following some Foodily Tastemakers or savvy members whose tastes, interests, and cooking styles match your own. When you do – every recipe added, discovered, or recommended is immediately delivered straight to your Foodily Feed for you to review and you get a pulse of what recipes are hot on the web by people like you.

Find Anything

We pull recipes from around the web into one place and make it easy for you to decide if a recipe is right for you. You can see ingredients unlike a basic search engine, there’s a useful level of nutrition information, and we use Facebook Connect to show you how popular a recipe is. Easily narrow your search by adding ingredients you have on hand, or want to leave out, search by diet type or dish type, even search your own faves. Ready to cook? Foodily redirects you to the original blog or website where it came from to get started.

Build Your Recipe Collection

Once you’re finding all of the recipes that you want to make (or think about maybe someday possibly making) — keep track of them in one click. Foodily keeps every recipe you like, add and recommend all in your own profile. You can finally stop printing out, sorting through bookmarks, and know there’s one place to turn for those recipes you love. Share your profile URL when you want to give a recipe to a friend who loves that great recipe you’ve just made!

Made It and Easy Recommendations

Next time you make a great dish you want to make again, click on the “Recommend” button. What’s great is that those recipes are automatically shared with the people that follow you in their feed. You’ll see a recommended recipe appear with 3-stars to make it easy to identify great recommendations. Your recommended recipes are also kept in a separate tab on your profile called “Recommends”. Every recipe page also has a comments module where you can write a review or keep your own notes.

Add to Your Profile

You can add more to your profile on Foodily including your own recipes – simply click the Add Recipe button. You can also visit your Settings page to add links to your Twitter, Pinterest, or Blog pages. And don’t forget add or change your profile photo. Want to have a private account? You can make that change here too. Head over to the Settings page for all your controls in one dashboard.

Recipe Suggestions?

We’re constantly growing our recipe index so if you want to see recipes from your favorite site or perhaps your own recipe blog please reach out to us here. We love feedback on how we can continue to make Foodily better. Share your ideas with us on our user forum!

On the Go

Foodily is available on your iPhone, iPad, Android device and on the web.

Food, we love you.


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Tanker Davino D at Pier 9

The tanker Davino D tied up at pier 9 to discharge a cargo of heating oil for the Wilson Fuels Terminal on Barrington Street. There is a spout on the pier to offload tankers at, so Pier 9 sees occasional visits from time to time.

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Sailor Moon Crystal 4th Season Announced!

También puedes leer este artículo en: Español

Sailor Moon Crystal 4th Season

Shoujo, Magical Girl, Romance

Airing Date:

Other Seasons:

Toei Animation

This is breaking news as the announcement has just been made. Stay here with us as we bring you the hottest news once more information is released!

(This is the fourth season of Sailor Moon Crystal)
After battling in the future, Usagi and friends enjoy a fleeting moment of peace as they enter their third year of middle school. But then, Mamoru and Rei share a precognitive dream, and an ominous feeling begins to hang over them.

A new private school, Infinity Academy, has been built on the reclaimed land of Tokyo Bay. Not long after, a reversion phenomenon strikes, and the students are attacked one by one by monsters.

Usagi and the other Sailor Scouts immediately start their reconnaissance mission, but Infinity Academy is already under the control of a new enemy - the Death Busters. Further bewildered by the appearance of two new Sailor Scouts, what will Usagi and her comrades do?

Usagi finds herself flustered at her growing attraction to genius racer Haruka Tenou, who she met at Infinity Academy.

Chibiusa is fast becoming best friends with Hotaru Tomoe, the daughter of Infinity Academy’s founder.

What will happen when Hotaru Tomoe’s hidden secret is eventually brought to light?

Characters & Voice Actors List

Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon

Voice Actor: Kotono Mitsuishi

The main character of the series, in her second year of middle school. Her trademark is her “dumpling head” hairstyle. She’s clumsy and a bit of a crybaby but cheerful and able to make friends with just about anyone. She transforms into Sailor Moon, the guardian of the moon. Her catchphrase is “In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”

Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury

Voice Actor: Hisako Kanemoto

A genius girl with an IQ of 300 who attends the same school as Usagi. Calm and kind, she’s a reliable friend. Her dream is to become a doctor. Her hobbies are reading and chess. She transforms into Sailor Mercury, the brain of the Sailor Scout team.

Rei Hino/Sailor Mars

Voice Actor: Rina Satou

A student at T.A. Girl’s School. A cool beauty with flowing black hair. She has strong spiritual senses and helps out at her grandfather’s shrine. She transforms into Sailor Mars, with a sharp perception for danger and the ability to control fire.

Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter

Voice Actor: Ami Koshimizu

Tall and powerful, she may seem like a somewhat masculine young woman, but in reality she loves raising plants and is an amazing cook. She also tends to fall in love at first sight. She transforms into Sailor Jupiter, making the most of her power to control electricity and protect her friends from danger.

Minako Aino/Sailor Venus

Voice Actor: Shizuka Ito

A beautiful, athletic girl with a bright personality. Like Usagi, she’s secretly a little clumsy and easily influenced. Her dream is to one day become an idol. She transforms into Sailor Venus, taking on a leader-type role within the Sailor Scouts, with her partner Artemis the white cat at her side.

Voice Actor: Ryou Hirohashi

A mysterious black cat that one day appears before Usagi, granting her and the other Sailor Scouts their powers, items, and advice.

Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask

Voice Actor: Kenji Nojima

A student at Moto-Azabu High School who transforms into Tuxedo Mask, the guardian of Earth. He and Usagi's fates are deeply intertwined, and they protect each other through many trials. His nickname is “Mamo-chan”.

Voice Actor: Misato Fukuen

A mysterious young girl that one day suddenly falls from the sky. Her hairstyle and name are the same as Usagi, so she becomes known as “Chibiusa” (little usagi). Her innocent expression is cute.

Sailor Pluto

Voice Actor: Ai Maeda

A solitary Sailor Scout who guards the Door of Time and Space. She channels her power through the large “Garnet Rod” which she carries with her. She is extremely kind, but strict with herself in regards to carrying out her destined duties.

Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus

Voice Actor: Junko Minagawa

A student at Infinity Academy with a love for motorbike racing. Handsome and flirtatious, she has many female fans. She is rarely seen without Michiru at her side. As Sailor Uranus, she has sky-based attacks.

Michiru Kaiou/Sailor Neptune

Voice Actor: Sayaka Ohara

Haruka’s partner. An elegant and sophisticated girl who plays the violin. As Sailor Neptune, she uses her ocean-based powers to overthrow her enemies.

Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn

Voice Actor: Yukiyo Fujii

The daughter of Souichi Tomoe, Infinity Academy’s founder. A girl who has yet to experience the warmth of friendship. She may look frail, but as Sailor Saturn, she has a dangerous amount of destructive power, which manifests in the Silence Glaive.

Main Staff
  • Original Creator: Naoko Takeuchi
  • Director: Chiaki Kon
  • Script: Yuji Kobayashi
  • Series Composition: Yuji Kobayashi
  • Character Design: Akira Takahashi
  • Music: Yasuharu Takanashi

For more information: Official Website

(Credit Honey’s Anime when you use our description.)


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Use rabbitmq DLX to implement delayed retry

In this post, I’m going to describe the experience at $DAYJOB regarding implementing delayed retry using rabbitmq’s DLX combined with a TTL. The technique has been described at a few places but it is new to me personally and our company. I’d like to capture the experience we had both in implementing and in deploying to production.

The problem

At $DAYJOB we have a service that integrates with a 3rd-party API that processes credit card payments and when successful, records a payment object on our customer’s invoices, and change the invoice status. Pretty straight-forward stuff. However, lately we’ve been experiencing an elevated amount of random failures from our service provider.

Calls to our provider to create a checkout using the client’s credit card information would time out randomly, or return an “unknown error”. When it happens, we don’t record a payment object on the invoice since we don’t know the actual status of the checkout, nor do we have the reference_id for the checkout. However, as we discovered, some of these timed-out calls did go through and the clients’ credit cards charged.

We checked with our service provider and were told that they have been experiencing increased volumes and their infrastructure currently can’t keep up. However, they suggest that we use an undocumented feature which allows a unique_id to be passed in along with the checkout call. The unique_id serves as an idempotent key (similar to Stripe’s). Multiple calls with the same unique_id won’t create multiple checkout objects on their end and thus ensuring the checkout is made but won’t double/triple charge the customer’s car.

Architecting the solution

Armed with this new secret API feature, our team goes back to the drawing board. At work, we use rabbitmq extensively for asynchronous processing. If some operation doesn’t have to be carried out synchronously with a web request, we throw a message on the queue and have a queue consumer process that message and update states. We use a library called sparkplug that makes writing queue consumer super-easy. So, everything seems to fall in friendly terrotiries: we make a checkout call with a random id and when we encounter timeout or unknown error, instead of returning an error response to the user, we return 202 Accepted to our user and throw a message on the queue, so a consumer can grab it and retry the checkout with the same original unique_id.

The missing piece

However, we quickly realized it’s not that simple. What if the retry encountered the same error? We can put it back on the queue, but when does it get processed by the consumer again? We want to add a time delay to the subsequent retries, and the orginal retry as well.

Dead-Letter-Exchange and TTL

After some research on the internet, seems like this problem has been solved before.

The idea here is that you have two queues: Qa and Qb. When a checkout request times out, we put a message on a Qa. Qa is declared with x-dead-letter-exchange, x-dead-letter-routing-key and x-message-ttl (in milliseconds). When the message is in Qa for ttl milliseconds, the message will be re-routed to the specified dead-letter-exchange with the routing key. We can bind Qb to the exchange with the routing key, and attach a consumer to only Qb and retry the checkout call.

If the retry call fails for the same reason (timeout or unknown error), we re-publish the message to Qa again and acknowledges the message so it’s no longer in Qb.

Flow diagram

The whole flow looks like this:

Flow diagram

Implementation, Testing Strategy and Deployment saga

Implementation is probably the most straight-forward phase of the project once we have the design on paper. The only obstacle is that the library we use for writing rabbitmq consumers (sparkplug) does not support declaring queues with extra parameters, and the DLX related parameters: x-dead-letter-exchange x-dead-letter-routing-key, and x-message-ttl are all “extra parameters” according to amqplib, which is used by sparkplug. To solve this, I sent this PR to sparkplug, so it recognizes extra parameters and pass them down to amqp library.

Another road block appeared when we ran the system on our dev images for the first time. The underlying amqplib would error out on startup. Upon closer investigation, it appeared the error happened while talking to rabbitmq and the amqplib can’t handle certain rabbitmq frames. So I went searching for the amqp project, only to find out that it was deprecated long ago. Fortunately, there’s a fork of the library amqp that’s maintained by the reputable Celery project. It’s has API compatibility with amqplib and appeared to be a drop-in replacement. We dropped it in and everything seems to work. Reading the online literature, it seems to be the case that the old library does not handle the TTL amqp extension.

Testing Strategy

So, since the 3rd party API timeout is an edge case, they did not provide a way trigger this behaviour the same way we can trigger, say, a declined transaction. We could fake the URL for the 3rd party service in DNS or /etc/hosts or we can change the SDK to change the base url for their API to somewhere else and cause a timeout that way, but neither is ideal. The biggest disadvantage is that we have no way of getting a request out of the retry state.

Eventually, we decided to MITM ourselves :) We can write a simple proxy server, and for the most part, it’s going to be a pass-through, but on certain requests, we intercept it and return an unknown error (500 series with specific response body). To trigger it, we set the checkout amount to $666, and in the proxy, we keep an internal counter based on the checkout’s unique id, and increment the counter every time it’s retried, and then we can set a max retry threshold in the proxy so the proxy becomes a pass through again if the max retry threshold is reached.

We used this small nifty library pymiproxy as a base for our proxy server. It turns out the proxy is pretty straight-forward as well, and a big shout-out to the author of pymiproxy.

Everything until now is like a cake walk. Sure, there are some problems with the underlying libraries but that requires patching but they were quite easy to identify and fix. Deployment, on the other hand, has been like riding on the Behemoth in Canada’s Wonderland.

First of all, while getting the code onto the testing environment, we encountered the first gremlin. The staging is running on the exact same version of rabbitmq and the exact same configuration. However, on staging, when a message is published on the DLQ (Qa) in our example, after TTL, the message would simply disappear and did not get routed to Qb. What’s worse, sometimes even Qa is completely gone after the message is dropped on the floor! This is terribly frustrating. The queue is declared as durable, and so is the exchange. I even did a side-by-side comparison of the sparkplug log output to see if anything is different. Well, there was! The declaration sequence is different between staging and dev. On dev, the dead-letter exchange is declared before Qa which specifies x-dead-letter-exchange. That makes sense! Reading the sparkplug code, it calculates the dependencies between queues, exchanges, bindings and consumers to determine the order of which they should be declared. However, our modification that enabled sparkplug to pass down DLX, but sparkplug has no idea that the queue depends on the DLX! Based on this observation, I cooked up another PR such that if DLX is specified, make sure we make the DLX a dependency of the queue so the exchange gets declared before it. Did a few tests locally, and hey, it appears to be working!

Just as I thought my shrewed observation has solved this major mystery, the second day, people reported that the queue started go AWOL again! Grumbled, I sat down and read carefully the documentation on dead-letter exchange and discovered this:

Note that the exchange does not have to be declared when the queue is declared, but it should exist by the time messages need to be dead-lettered; if it is missing then, the messages will be silently dropped.

This invalidates my previous hypothesis that the out-of order declaration was the root cause of the problem. There we go, I was back to square one.

At this time, I wanted to try a different approach. Instead of forming hypothesis from observation, I searched for evidence. I went on the server, and start to look at the logs to search for any traces that can be salvaged. The rabbitmq log is very noisy with all the connection messages. Once in a while you get something remotely interesting, but they were not relevant. Then I manually published a message on the queue, and waited for the message and queue to disappear. Lo and behold, there’s something in the logs!

There’s our smoking gun! Further gooling revealed this. That’s EXACTLY our issue! And the version of rabbitmq we’re using is EXACTLY 2.8.1! What a relief! We just need to upgrade to 2.8.2 and everything would be fine.

So there I was, preparing an internal repository to host the rpm (since we’re on a hopelessly old version of CentOS), and prepared puppet changes for the new version. Deployed on all the environments and sent it off to QA. QA ok’ed it just before the weekend and life is good again.

Except, not at all! There are a few more surprises waiting for us before the end of tunnel. First of all, our partner whose payment API we’re integrating has received an imminent DDOS threat, and fearing not having a retry mechanism would caused a huge burden for us and our support crew, we need to get this out to production ASAP. After pulling some levers and convincing our ops team that this is a relatively low risk point release upgrade (from rabbitmq 2.8.1 to 2.8.2), we got the green light and ops are on their way upgrading rabbitmq. Everything seemed to be going alone well, until, when we switched all components to point to the hosts that’s on the new rabbitmq, our app stopped working! Phone calls flooded in, alerts set off everywhere and on top of that, even the streets in front of our building had a couple of emergency vehicles passing by! Goodness, what have we done! Ops quickly rolled it back, and we were left dumbfounded by this yet another surprise.

Analyzing the logs from various components during the downtime, it appeared the components talking to rabbitmq have timed out trying to publish messages. We checked that the hosts can indeed reach each other, all the names can be resolved and firewall rules are not in effect. So, we hit a wall again.

On the second day, we regrouped, and experimented on the backup data centre. We upgraded, and tried to put a message on the queue, and guess what, it blocked! It’s great that we reproduced the issue. Since the staging environment worked just fine, I captured strace on the staging environment, and ops did the same on prod, and compared the output. It’s pretty clear that the process was waiting on reading socket (syscall was recvfrom(...)) and it blocked. Then I did tcpdump and compared that with the output on prod, and also proven to be futile.

In that afternoon, our fortune suddenly took a positive turn, when one of the ops discovered this in the logs while starting the new rabbitmq:

=INFO REPORT==== 29-Apr-2015::14:51:09 ===
Disk free space limit now exceeded. Free bytes:19033128960 Limit:50634379264

So, this version of rabbitmq started to check free disk space, and blocks incoming message if the disk space is deemed inadequate! Wow, this is so unexpected that we all laughed when we discovered this to be the root cause. However, for me, I need to be convinced that why it wasn’t an issue for staging environment.

So I cloned rabbitmq git repository, and looked for anything that’s related to disk_free_limit. Finally, I found this:

{disk_free_limit, {mem_relative, 1.0}},

from here. Since we’re using the default config, this is in effect, and it essentially says “stop accepting message if the disk space is not at least as big as the RAM”, and it just so happens on prod, we have 50G of RAM and therefore, require at least 50G of free space for rabbitmq to start accepting messages!

Reading the rabbitmq 2.8.2 release notes, and they did mention this “feature”, but failed to mention that it could block your connection forever and bring your site down…

There you go. That’s our adventure implementing and deploying delayed retry using rabbitmq’s DLX and TTL. It’s frustrating and rewarding at the same time, and there’s definitely something we can all take home with:

  • Software is hard, even for experienced developers and ops
  • Gather all the evidences before forming hypothesis on the root cause
  • Certainly, read the docs thoroughly before hypothesizing
  • Expect problems when switching environments

I haven’t been blogging for a while, partly because life catches up, and partly because I’ve been less than disciplined but I spent some time writing down this experience worth remembering :)

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text: As this concern was raised in several places already, I would like to announce that the RPM Fusion free repository is published since few days for Fedora 22. At this time, only the free section is available, but it's also there for armhfp at the same time as i686 and x86_64. (no aarch64 but that's  […]


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Clinical Research To Implement Long Overdue Changes to the “Common Rule” for the Protection of Human Subjects

December 28, 2015

health-care-lawClinical research trials involving human subjects have changed considerably over the last two to three decades.  However, the “Common Rule” for the Protection of Human Subjects (or Subpart A, Part 46, 45 Code of Federal Regulations), has remained largely unchanged since 1991.

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) first published the regulations for the protection of human subjects in 1974.  Since that time, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has revised them twice (once in the early 1980s and again in 1991).  The process for the adoption of the 1991 revisions began in the late 1980s.  Eventually the proposal was accepted by 15 federal agencies leading to heightened uniformity, understanding and compliance with human subject protections.  This effort also helped to create a uniform body of regulations across federal departments and agencies, promulgating what we now refer to as the “Common Rule.”

Our federal laws and regulations come from international treaties such as the Geneva Conventions and other long-standing agreements on human rights.  The necessity for national laws and regulations was really brought home and received emphasis during the Nuremberg Trials which disclosed human experimentation by the Nazis.

HHS (along with other federal agencies) issued its notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) addressing the long overdue changes proposed to the existing “Common Rule” on September 8, 2015.  Typically, the NPRM allows for public comment for up to 60 days.  However, it was recently announced that the comment period for this particular NPRM has been extended an additional 30 days to January 6, 2016.

To read the full applicable law providing protections for human research subjects at Part 46, 45 Code of Federal Regulations, click here.

Clinical Research Involving Human Subjects is Expanding.

Lawmakers acknowledge that since the implementation of the “Common Rule” in 1991, the volume and landscape of research involving human subjects have changed quite considerably.  Clinical research has been expanding and becoming more diverse overall.  As technology evolves it is only rational that laws must evolve as well to remain modernized and consistent alongside the advances in research and medicine.

Some examples of developments in research involving human subjects include:

(a)        An expansion in the number and type of clinical trials, as well as observational studies and cohort studies;

(b)        a diversification of the types of social and behavioral research being used in human subjects research;

(c)        increased use of sophisticated analytic techniques for use with human biospecimens; and

(d)       the growing use of electronic health data and other digital records to enable very large data sets to be analyzed and combined in novel ways.

Similar State Laws.

Most states have also enacted state laws and rules patterned after the federal ones.  More specifically, Florida tends to model its laws regarding clinical research on human subjects after The Belmont Report, issued on April 18, 1979, by the Office of the Secretary for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.  The report, denoting Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research, sets the stage for necessary considerations, respect, applications and boundaries for human subjects.

To read the full report, click here.

Florida law intersects with federal law governing the protections of human subjects in several areas including legal age of consent, genetic testing, HIV testing, treatment of persons who are developmentally disabled, treatment of persons determined to be incapacitated, researchers working with confidential governmental records and fetal research restrictions.  To see a full listing of Florida laws on human subjects research, click here.

Florida law regarding experimental research can be found at Section 381.026(4)(e), Florida Statutes. This section provides guidance to Florida researchers on patients’ rights and their knowledge of the same.

HHS Invites the Public to Weigh In.

HHS, in coordination with the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), published an advance notice of public rule making (ANPRM) on July 26, 2011.  The purpose of the ANPRM was to request comment on how current regulations for the protection of human subjects who participate in research might be modernized and revised for heightened effectiveness.  The aim is to better protect human subjects while also maintaining the facilitation of valuable research efforts.

HHS invited public comments, expert advice and stakeholder opinions.  The most significant elements of the dialogue put forth regarding the changing nature of research has centered on the appropriate level of transparency in the government and medicine and how patient and participant expectations should be incorporated into corresponding government policies.  This was the crux that assisted HHS in its development of the regulatory actions contained in the current pending NPRM.

Key Components of the NPRM Proposal.

The primary goals of the NPRM include:

(a)        increasing human subjects’ ability and opportunity to make informed decisions;

(b)        reducing potential for harm and increasing justice with the heightened uniformity of human subject protections in areas such as:

(i)         information disclosure risk;

(ii)        coverage of clinical trials; and

(iii)       coverage of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs); and

(c)        facilitating current and evolving types of research that offer promising approaches to treating and preventing medical and societal problems by way of:

(i)         reduced ambiguity in the interpretation of the regulations;

(ii)        increased efficiencies in the performance of the review system; and

(iii)       reduced burdens on researchers that do not appear to provide commensurate protections to human subjects.

It is the final intention of HHS to further promote public trust in the research system by the implementation of such changes.

HHS proposed the following (most significant) changes to the “Common Rule” to effectuate its goals per the NPRM:

(1)        Improve informed consent;

(2)        Generally require informed consent for the use of stored biospecimens in secondary research;

(3)        Exclude from coverage under the “Common Rule” certain categories of activities that are inherently low risk (and should not be considered “research”) and are similarly protected by separate mandate;

(4)        Add additional categories of exempt research to accommodate changes in the scientific landscape (the NPRM lists the various categories to be added);

(5)        Change the conditions and requirements for waiver or alteration of consent (waiver will occur only in very rare circumstances);

(6)        Mandate that U.S. institutions engaged in cooperative research rely on a single IRB for that portion of the research that takes place within the United States (with few exceptions);

(7)        Eliminate the continuing review requirement for studies that undergo expedited review and for studies that have completed study interventions (for studies merely analyzing data); and

(8)        Extend the scope of the policy to cover all clinical trials conducted at a U.S. institution that receives federal funding (regardless of the funding source).

To read the NPRM in its entirety, click here.


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Tag Archives: dj max trilogy

DJ Max Trilogy Pulsar Limited Edition

I suspect all pre-orders for the DJ Max Black Square LE must be filled up by now and those who still want it will have to wait for the “entrepreneurs” to put up their copies on Ebay.

Or maybe this DJ Max Trilogy Pulsar LE will interest you? As Pentavision’s first standalone PC title Trilogy is, as the name suggests, a combination of previous DJ Max titles which are the free DJ Max Online, DJ Max Portable One and Two. So those of you who miss the free online version which ended March this year, will be able to enjoy the keyboard tapping once again.

Of course, there will be a whole bunch of new songs too giving players a whopping 120 tracks to play!

Continue reading


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Salma Hayek was one classic dame at the New York premiere of Grown Ups on Wednesday. I love how she paired this creamy white, Yves Saint Laurent Dress with my favorites: a candy red belt, ladylike pumps and bold, red lipstick! The look was both classic and fun.

Take a hint from Salma and get some roses for yor toeses. This sizzling hot new pump from Mixx just popped up online today!


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Pieces of Me

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Random Musings on Turning 30

I turned 30 on Monday, the 7th. Turning 30 doesn't bother me. If you had asked me what I would be doing when I was 30, I believe I would have answered, living with my family (1 husband, 2 kids, 1 dog, 1 cat <---have it all right but the dog. . we have 2) in our own home.

I originally did not want to be a stay at home mom. I had all these dreams of being a teacher and working out of the house. I wouldn't change it for the world.

My husband is great. I get frustrated with him at times but for the most part, he is an amazing man. At my birthday party on Friday, I was told that by every single woman in attendance. I have to agree. . . amazing. He freaked out when he turned 30. It's all good now!

I have to admit that I am loving life right now. I am blessed. We have an amazing church family. They are so loving, welcoming, and accepting. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about going to church. I am starting to be passionate about it again. I'm excited about taking my kids. And they are learning so much. Life at the Well. . it's amazing!

Keeping Petra has been so much fun for us. It's hard work, don't get me wrong. But I really do love her as one of my own. I love the relationship she has with Cayden. I love that I'm teaching her about the world and all it's blessings. I just love her! And I love her mother. She is raising a precious little girl and doing a wonderful job at it.

Okay, so now on to the fun stuff. I have lots of new scrapbook layouts from the past several months. LOs I haven't shared on this particular blog. I'm posting a slide show as there are tons. The are in most recent order (by date of photos, not layouts).

Trace said...

Happy B-day Rose!! I sent you the link for my new kit. Love all of your lo's!!


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Upcoming Events in March

March is a busy month here at Moody Gardens! On top of our Spring Break and Easter activities, we have a variety of other events and activities going on.

Still - Monarch on flower - FOB - SK FilmsFlight of the Butterflies 3D opens March 9

Follow monarch butterflies on their journey in one of those most incredible migrations on Earth. Not only will you be joining the butterflies, but also scientist Fred Urquhart, who spent forty years trying to discover the mysteries of monarch butterflies and where exactly they go during the winter season. The documentary is a story of perseverance across thousands of miles and many generations.

Why is it important? Each spring, millions of monarchs begin a journey north into Texas and onto a 1,500-mile quest to across North America. As they travel, the butterflies breed and lay eggs on milkweed plants in Texas. Over several generations, the monarchs complete their migration and return to Mexico for the winter, making their trip one of the longest migrations on Earth. However, because of extreme drought conditions, Texas’ milkweed population has declined in recent years, severely impacting the flight. More than 20 percent of the migration has decreased. The loss of milkweed and habitat, coupled with intense heat, contribute to the diminishing migration numbers over the past decade. As part of conservation efforts, Moody Gardens is launching a public awareness campaign in an effort to save the shrinking monarch migration. A portion of the sales from the new film, Flight of the Butterflies 3D, will be donated to the leading conservation organization in Mexico, Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza.

Click here to watch trailer and for showtimes

Birding 101 and 201

Presented by Moody Gardens® and Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, Birding 101 & 201 is a series of classes designed to educate and excite people about the tremendous variety of bird life routinely seen around Galveston Island.

Click here for more information

Golf Junior Spring Break Camps

These camps are designed for boys and girls, ages 6-14, wanting to learn golf basics or brush up on their skills. Cost is $99 per student. Choose from one of these two-day sessions:

March 11 – 12, 2013 (9am-12pm) OR
March 14 – 15, 2013 (9am-12pm)

Registration form here: http://bit.ly/GolfJrCamps

IMG_7800Easter in the Gardens

Annual Easter Egg Hunts are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and children 12 years old and younger are invited to run around the Oleander Bowl filled with colorful eggs. Other activities include a variety of games for prizes. In addition to all of the fun and excitement outdoors, Easter Buffet feasts will be available at both the Garden Restaurant and the Moody Gardens Hotel on Easter Sunday. Beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting till 3 p.m., this event is free to the public.

Join us at Moody Gardens for family-friendly events and attractions such as the Aquarium Pyramid and Rainforest Pyramid. We look forward to spending time with you in March!

Friends of Moody Gardens Annual Fundraiser: Gulf Coast Herb Fair

AA023255You’re invited! The Friends of Moody Gardens want you to join them for their Annual Fundraiser. The Gulf Coast Herb Fair at Moody Gardens benefits 3rd graders at the Aquarium Pyramid and 5th graders at the Rainforest Pyramid. Last year, the Friends of Moody Gardens hosted over 950 Galveston Elementary School Children!

The Gulf Coast Herb Fair includes more than just herb education. Vendors showcasing herbs, books, gifts and food items have been invited for guest’s shopping enjoyment.

Tickets to the fundraiser are $35 per person. Other fundraising options are the raffle and silent auction. There are tons of awesome items to be won! Not only could you be going home with some awesome prizes, but you’ll also be donating to a great cause.

The Gulf Coast Herb Fair will be held on Thursday, February 28, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Come in at ten to start browsing all the vendor booths and get your shopping fix. Lunch will be at 11, and then we have a special guest speaker at noon.

The Gulf Coast Herb Fair is proud to have Lucia Ferrara Bettler of Lucia’s Garden in Houston as the guest speaker this year! “Herbs from the Garden to the Table” will be a presentation on Mediterranean, Italian and Louisiana cooking that you won’t want to miss.

Lucia Bettler founded Lucia’s Garden in 1984 with her husband Michael as a one-room operation. The business has grown into a substantial bookstore featuring music, incense, herbs, crystals, statuary and other exciting items. Lucia’s Garden also hosts classes throughout the year on everything from cooking with Lucia to aromatherapy and gardening. The Friends of Moody Gardens are so excited to have her share her expertise and wisdom at the Gulf Coast Herb Fair this year.

The fundraiser will be held in the Moody Gardens Visitor Center and The Garden Restaurant. Click here for more details!

If you’re looking for one of the best places to stay in Galveston, check out the Moody Gardens Hotel, and don’t miss out on our great offer going on right now at the Spa at Moody Gardens.

Our SAVY Program for Teens

savyIf you’re between the ages of fourteen and seventeen and looking for a way to get involved this summer, while also creating unforgettable memories, then the SAVY program is your answer. What does SAVY stand for, you ask? SAVY is the Society for the Advancement of Volunteer Youths that gives teens the opportunity to give back to their community while also gaining experience in a variety of exciting career fields.

The goals and objectives of Moody Gardens SAVY program include:

  • To teach participants about different career fields, including biology and education.
  • To be a program that challenges teens mentally, physically, and socially regardless of sex, color, or creed.
  • To assist Moody Gardens staff with a variety of duties and responsibilities.
  • To help participants gain experience they can use for future employment.
  • To help support Moody Gardens’ mission as a public, non-profit education destination utilizing nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.
  • To provide an environment to guests that is both educational and entertaining.

Want to Apply?

Applying to SAVY is a three-part process. First, submit a written SAVY Volunteer application to Moody Gardens. Second, submit at least two letters of recommendation along with your application. We know your favorite aunt knows a lot about you, but the letters of recommendation must from non-relatives. The last part of the application process requires attending a SAVY Open House and a personal interview with members of Moody Gardens Volunteer Services and Education Department.

Open House

On Saturday, April 13, 2012, applicants must come to the open house to informally meet members of the Volunteer Services and Education Department and learn more about the program. The open house also gives participants a chance to meet and get to know each other through fun games and icebreakers. If you plan on being a SAVY volunteer, the open house is mandatory and part of the selection process for the program. Applicants may choose between two three-hour sessions, either at 9 a.m. or 1 p.m.

Those accepted into the program for the first time will go to orientation on Saturday June 2 or Monday, June 4, from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. For returning volunteers, orientation will be from 1-5 p.m.

To learn more about the SAVY program, please contact Volunteer Services at 800-582-4673, ext. 4121, or send inquiries via email to savy@moodygardens.com.

When you aren’t volunteering with us, be sure to visit the Aquarium Pyramid, Rainforest Pyramid, Spa at Moody Gardens, and all our other exciting attractions.

Group Volunteer Opportunities

group volunteerVolunteering is a great way to boost morale and promote team building for your company, organization, or student group. Corporate and group volunteers at Moody Gardens have an opportunity to get involved with ground work and special events, such as the Festival of Lights.

At Moody Gardens, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the help of our incredible volunteers. We depend on them for assistance in many areas of operation.

The Corporate and Group Volunteer Program allows participants to provide hands-on assistance in many areas, including but not limited to:

  • Gardens and grounds keeping (mulching, planting, and weeding)
  • Painting
  • Exhibit upkeep
  • Event preparation
  • Cleaning attractions, such as the lazy river and playground structures, and surfaces
  • Paint and change bulbs for the Festival of Lights
  • Special events, such as Ghostly Gardens, Easter in the Gardens, and Festival of Lights

Corporate and Group Volunteer Program details:

  • Weather permitting, groups may volunteer year round
  • Highest need for volunteers is between September and May
  • A maximum of 50 volunteers will be accepted
  • Groups are taken on a first-come, first-served basis
  • There is a 4-hour minimum requirement
  • Must be 16 years or older
  • Children may not accompany adults while volunteering
  • Each participant must sign a liability waiver

Volunteering with a group gives you the opportunity to become part of the conservation and education efforts that are a major aspect of Moody Gardens. You also have the chance to give back to your community and meet new people.

When you aren’t spending your time helping us out, be sure to check out the popular attractions, such as the Rainforest Pyramid and Aquarium Pyramid. For overnight stays, check out one of the best places to stay in Galveston—the Moody Gardens Hotel. We are so appreciative of our volunteers, and look forward to working with you soon!

Moody Gardens Teaching Teachers: Educator Programs Part 2

teachingteachersMoody Gardens offers workshops for local educators multiple times a year. Through our workshops, we demonstrate exciting ways to bring the rainforest, oceans, and nature into your classroom.

Through the exploratory workshops, teachers earn credit toward their Continuing Professional Education as established by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC).  Teachers will also take home curriculum including math, science, and social studies lessons that correlate with TEKS requirements.

Each workshop includes hands-on activities, guided tours through Moody Gardens’ attractions, and take-home curriculum.

Choose between full-day and half-day workshops.

Full Day Workshops: During a full-day workshop, educators will earn six SBEC credit hours. The workshop includes a buffet lunch at the Garden Restaurant, a guided tour of one of the pyramids, and a take home copy of the applicable curriculum and all the related activities. The workshop is from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., with lunch included for $55.

Half-Day Workshops: Half-day workshop participants earn four SBEC credit hours. Participants will also receive a guided tour of one of the pyramids and take home curriculum. However, lunch is not included.  The workshop runs from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and costs $40 per person.

Upcoming workshops include:

  • Flying WILD (Full Day) on February 23, 2013
  • Frogs/Sharks (Full Day) on March 23, 2013
  • Marine Debris (Full Day) on April 27, 2013

Pre-registration is required for all educator workshops. For reservations and more information, please call 1-800-582-4673, ext. 4231, or email pswiftbrooks@moodygardens.com.

You can also access our curriculum online by visiting our website.

While you’re here, we hope you enjoy your tour of the Aquarium Pyramid or Rainforest Pyramid. If you’d like to make a weekend out of the visit, the Moody Gardens Hotel is one of the best places to stay in Galveston. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Moody Gardens Teaching Teachers: Educator Programs Part 1

teachers part 1 On February 2, 2013, Moody Gardens will be hosting our 16th Annual Educator Open House. At the open house, you can learn what Moody Gardens and other Galveston-area attractions have to offer educators and their students.

All educators and school support staff are invited and encouraged to participate in the fun and informational event. You can join us just for the excitement and knowledge, but also have the option to earn up to 4 State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) hours.

This year, you must pre-register for the event, which you can easily do here.

By registering and participating in the 16th Annual Educator Open House, you will:

  • Receive free admission into all Moody Gardens attractions with your school ID
  • Be entered into a drawing for the chance to win a variety of door prizes, field trips, and workshops
  • Receive a tote bag and a free box lunch if you are one of the first 1,000 participants
  • Learn more about the volunteer programs and opportunities at Moody Gardens
  • Gather free educational materials while they last
  • Receive activity ideas to use in your own classroom
  • Learn about other educational programs available from other Galveston-area attractions

If your family members want to join in on they fun, they can purchase a day pass for only $21.00 a person.

Be sure to sign up for our Pyramid Educator Newsletter to receive information and updates on new programs and special educator events. Simply email pswiftbrooks@moodygardens.com to sign up.

When registering, be sure to provide school employment identification. For any more questions, call 409-683-4231 or email at pswiftbrooks@moodygardens.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon and seeing you at the 16th Annual Educator Open House.

Be sure to check out the Aquarium Pyramid and Rainforest Pyramid during your visit. If you need a place to stay, check out the Moody Gardens Hotel, one of the best places to stay in Galveston.

A Look at the Moody Gardens Outreach Program

outreachAre you an educator or parent interested in helping your kids learn more about the rainforest? If you can’t make it out here for a field trip, but still want to bring the knowledge and excitement of Moody Gardens to your students, you may be interested in our Outreach Program.

The Outreach Program presents the Rainforest Roadshow! During the Rainforest Roadshow, a Moody Gardens rainforest expert will bring the wonder and beauty of the tropical rainforests to life for your students in the comfort of your classroom.

The Rainforest Roadshow features multiple interdisciplinary presentations that incorporate rainforest artifacts, plants, and animals.  Certain animals, when available, will actually accompany the rainforest expert during the presentation. Throughout the presentations, your students will learn valuable and interesting information about the Central and South American rainforest.

Presentations are forty-five minutes long and available for up to eighty students at a time. Price is based on location. For presentations within Region IV, the first presentation is $100.00. You can schedule additional presentations for $75.00 and up to four presentations in a single day.

Presentations outside of Region IV include a mileage fee. Reservations are required, and they must be made at least two weeks in advance. We recommend booking your Rainforest Roadshow as early as possibly so you can reserve the time slot you want.

For more information and reservations, please call 1-800-582-4673, ext 4325 or email us at education@moodygardens.com.

Moody Gardens is a public, non-profit and educational destination, which is why we are dedicated to teaching the youth about nature and conservation. To learn more about the educational events and activities we provide, visit us at http://www.moodygardens.com/teaching_learning/.

Moody Gardens is also dedicated to providing our visitors with a fun and memorable time, so be sure to visit our Aquarium Pyramid and Rainforest Pyramid. The Moody Gardens Hotel is one of the best places to stay in Galveston and a popular vacation destination.

Ways to Get Involved with Moody Gardens: Volunteering

One of the easiest ways to get involved with Moody Gardens is to become one of our many valued volunteers! As a public, non-profit organization, we really count on our volunteers to keep Moody Gardens awesome.  We believe our volunteers are essential in making sure each and every guest has an unforgettable experience with us.

Volunteers offer help in a variety of departments throughout all of Moody Gardens. Volunteering with us is not only a help to the community, but also an incredible opportunity to learn more about Moody Gardens, nature, and conservation. We are very flexible with our volunteering schedules, so you have the opportunity to volunteer as much or as little as you want! We appreciate any amount of time you are willing to share with us.

The current volunteer opportunities at Moody Gardens are for:

  • Individuals
  • Divers
  • Interns
  • Teenagers
  • Special Events

Volunteers are required to attend a brief volunteer orientation in order to be better prepared for volunteering at Moody Gardens. The orientation will teach you what you need to know in order to have a successful volunteering experience. The orientations are typically held on Saturdays, so even if you work or attend school, you can still make it.

To find out when the next volunteer orientation is, check with Volunteer Services. You can find out more information by emailing the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@moodygardens.com or calling 1-800-582-4673, ext. 4108. The Volunteer Coordinator would be happy to answer any questions you have about volunteering or the application process.

You can also sign up today to help out with the famous Festival of Lights! We have thousands of visitors each day coming to see the millions of lights, drink hot cocoa along the trail, and enjoy the live entertainment, so we need more helping hands!

When you aren’t volunteering, be sure to visit Moody Gardens for fun Galveston events. Don’t miss out on the Aquarium Pyramid this season!

Sports Fest Attendees Share Inspiring Stories

For the first time in its 22-year history, Moody Gardens’ annual Adaptive Water Sports Festival is teaming up with the U.S. Paralympics for a unique experience for individuals with special needs. This event allows participants to experience several water sports, including water skiing, sailing and kayaking, with the assistances of special equipment and instructors. The U.S. Paralympics team, TRR Texas, will also demonstrate its skills with a kayaking time trial as part of the Paralympic Experience.

Here are three inspiring stories from some of the people attending this weekend:

Kelly Allen, Age 20:

My name is Kelly Allen. I was born with Proximal Femoral Focal deficiency (PFFD) type D. This is a rare, non-hereditary birth defect that affects the pelvis and the femur. However, because I am a type D I am totally missing my left femur, patella, and fibula, along with a fully developed hip socket. Because of this birth defect I have learned to adapt to everyday life using my prosthetic leg. Basically, the left side of my lower body didn’t develop and I look like I only have one half of a leg. Doctors told my parents I would not be able to sit or stand let alone participate in any sports.

However, today I am more active than ever! Having taken home 4th place at the 2012 ICF Sprint World Cup in Poznan, Poland for kayaking I am now considered an elite athlete. Along with kayaking, I am on my way of living my dream of becoming a world class ski racer and an athlete in the 2014 Sochi Russia Paralympic games!

Dylan Brown, Age 23:

Dylan is ranked 6th in the world for ParaCanoe V1 TA after representing the United States this past May at the ICF Sprint World Cup in Poznan, Poland. Brown, a native to Pensacola, Florida started his promising career as a US Marine during his junior year in high school. Taking on the role as a Platoon Radio Operator, Brown was deployed to Afghanistan in March of 2011. Only a few months on the job Brown suffered serious injuries in the field after being electrocuted. He has been recovering since in the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.

It is here in Texas that his kayaking career has only just begun. Dylan participates in the Red River Racing Kayak program on base held at the Center for the Intrepid. It is there that he took his kayaking skills from intermediate to the elite level. Brown took second at US Nationals in Oklahoma City qualifying him for the national team. Brown is now working with a Military Paralympic program to help him reach his full potential on the water in hopes of making the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Tacey Raulerson, Age 12:

Tacey was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer, Retinoblastoma, when she was 7 ½ months old. Retinoblastoma causes malignant tumors to form in the eyes of infants. When she was diagnosed, the doctors were not very optimistic that Tacey’s eyes could be saved but they were willing to attack the disease with some aggressive chemo in the hopes of saving at least some of her vision, but more especially, her life. Only six weeks into the chemo, the doctors realized her left eye could not be saved. Her left eye had to be removed and years later, after fighting to save her right eye and as much vision as possible, the doctors and her parents came to the realization that in order to continue to save her life it was necessary to also remove her right eye. One month before her 7th birthday, Tacey underwent the surgery that would leave her blind.

Cancer may have taken her sight, but it has not taken her courage. Soon after she lost her second eye, she rode her first horse and a new passion and dream was fueled. Now those dreams are being realized as she reigns as the first ever Miss Tough Enough To Wear Pink Four States Rodeo Queen. During her reign, Tacey has many duties, but her primary task is to spread her uplifting spirit and to encourage others to set their sights high. Wherever Tacey goes, she spreads hope, inspiration and encouragement with her joy and zest for life. She shares her story and courage with all she meets.

It’s not too late to register or to volunteer! This event is scheduled for Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Moody Gardens’ Palm Beach. It is free of charge to the individual with special needs and immediate family members on a first come, first serve basis. For more information please contact volunteers@moodygardens.com or call 409-683-4108.

Mardi Gras Ball for Special People

Special People's BallPerhaps, one of your new year’s resolutions was to meet new people, get involved in the community or volunteer more. Well, you can do all of that by volunteering at this fun event.

No one needs to miss out on the Mardi Gras experience in Galveston. Moody Gardens will host the 24th Annual Mardi Gras Ball for Special People on Sunday, Feb. 7. Annually celebrated by thousands of people with special needs, this free event is hosted by Moody Gardens and made possible by hundreds of volunteers who contribute their time, supplies and services.

This year’s theme is Masquerede, and entertainment will include a local Galveston band Mid-Life Crisis.  To make the event free to all attendees, contributions have been made by numerous volunteers, Moody Gardens and other local businesses. Participants can enjoy donated food, refreshments, plenty of beads, clowns, face painters and a dance contest. This year, there will also be a costume contest and costumed characters.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the table set-up, decorations, ushering, serving food and dancing with the guests. It’s a win-win situation where both participants and volunteers can have a good time.

The event is scheduled for 12 noon to 4 p.m. at the Moody Gardens Convention Center Expo A and B. For event registration and volunteer information, please contact Moody Gardens® at 800-582-4673, ext. 4108.

What: Mardi Gras Ball for Special People
When: Sunday, Feb. 7, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Moody Gardens Convention Center Expo A&B
Who: People with special needs and their immediate family members are invited. Volunteers are always welcome and appreciated.
Information: 800-582-4673 ex. 4108 or volunteers@moodygardens.com


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Oneplus 5 Australia Price Support Band 28

Oneplus new Flagship killer Oneplus 5 Released on June 21， New smartphone a dual-camera setup, top-of-the-line specs, and an all-new design, powered by the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 SOC comes with a combo of either 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage or a max 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

At this stage OnePlus are not bringing the phone direct to Australia, but good news Oneplus 5 sale on North America, Europe, Hong Kong and Mainland China all same model name and have 34 distinct cellular bands covering at least one band in every country — in one piece of hardware. That's pretty impressive.

Support Australia Band 28 ( 700mhz ) ? Yes . more consumer ask about smartphone work on Australia support b28? Oneplus 5 Maybe a good choice.

Oneplus 5 running official OxygenOS based on the latest version of Android, 7.1.1 Nougat,  features include an automatic Night Mode, expanded screenshots, gaming do not disturb mode etc.

OP5 highlights Dual back real camera and this is the highest resolution dual-camera system on any smartphone.

>Wide-angle Sensor: Sony IMX 398 Megapixels: 16 , Pixel Size: 1.12 µm.

>Camera Telephoto Sensor: Sony IMX 350 Megapixels: 20 Pixel Size: 1.0 µm

About design The theverge tech blog media post The feel of this phone, though, is quite unharmed by its lack of originality.  how you feel about the OnePlus 5’s design ? like iPhone 7 :)  more comment The specs are just amazing no one can ask for more , but the design.. why would you copy the iPhone? I mean it looks like a cheap replica of it.   curved antenna lines the dual-camera module, microphone, and LED flash etc..

How to Buy Oneplus 5 Australia

Also seeing as there's only one version of the oneplus 5 (and allows for band 28)  At this stage OnePlus are not bringing the phone direct to Australia, the OP5 is looking very attractive ? Nextbuying have online OP5 6GB / 8GB version, shipping to Australia express DHL only 3 -5 work day.

  1. J T says:

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  2. Stuart Blake says:

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  3. Brian says:

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    700Mhz (Band 28) – [Telstra Cat6, Optus] on Australia, I have not noticed any issues through not having band 28. … the phone has better reception than my old oneplus 3 smartphones which I assume would have had the coveted band.

    • wanjie says:

      Thanks for your comments, Oneplus 5 have in stock on Nextbuying 64GB and 128gb version. We warmly welcome your feedback. Best regards !

  4. Davi says:

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  5. wanjie says:

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  6. wanjie says:

    The OP5 will receive a update to boost the photo quality ..

  7. Alexz says:

    I’m surprised the battery life is quite good on Oneplus 5 128GB .. Thanks to the SD835 and 8GB RAM !!!

  8. Terrye says:

    Oneplus 5 8GB VERSION points for me:
    - Much nicer feel in hand for the ONEPLUS 5 body
    - Battery life is really impressive
    - SD835 is a beast when it comes to performance and battery efficiency
    - OxygenOS 4.5.5 has some nice additions..
    - Speaker is louder
    - supports a lot more 4G LTE bands (convenient for travelling)

  9. DV says:

    Oneplus 5 vs HTC U11 .. the phone is wider than the OP5, even though it’s a bit only, can feel the difference when use one hand.
    For me OP5 wins in a few things. Slightly better performance, nicer software experience, and battery life.

    • wanjie says:

      Good weekend ! Nextbuying Instagram share a oneplus 5 shot picture from Australia consumer :) think plus photo quality !!

  10. wanjie says:

    Nextbuying system new online more oneplus Original protection cover cases and Silicone Protective case for OP5 , detailed see this link

Leave a Reply to Terrye Cancel reply


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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

First feedback!

Today I've got the first feedback on picasa2html.com service in my mailbox.

Thanks to Emil for that.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Picasa2HTML gets more user friendly!

Dear visitors!

We are glad to announce the last stable version of online software for html code generation of picasa albums www.picasa2html.com

Added and fixed:
  • valid username submission. Now page is not reloaded in any case
  • Album previews are decreased in size.
  • !!!Visual photo chooser. After album selectionyou can see all photos that selected album contains. Click on desired photos and get HTML code done.
  • Client-server code is rewritten. Now all queries are faster.
  • No photos block redraw.
  • something else, minor issues.
I'll be glad if you place link to the picasa2html service on your page.

Any suggestions and feedback are welcome.