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The Joker & Harley Quinn Couple Costumes
Click image to zoom in/out Images are for illustration purposes only

  • £61.99
  • £67.99
  • £6.00 (9%)
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Availability: In Stock

SKU: 75337

* Dates and prices based on mainland UK delivery

The Joker & Harley Quinn Couple Costumes

Become Batman's arch-enemy and his gorgeous partner in crime with our fantastic The Joker & Harley Quinn Couple Costumes!

Male Costume includes:

  • Jacket with attached vest
  • Clown mask

The Joker costume, includes a long purple jacket with faux pocket detailing and an attached vest, printed with a shirt, tie and green waistcoat.

Also included is a terrifying ¾ vinyl clown mask.

Female Costume includes:

  • Dress with attached collar
  • Gloves

The Batman Harley Quinn Costume includes a dress with red and black panels and printed diamond shapes on the front.

The pictured white collar is attached to the dress with straps and metallic buckles, creating a straight jacket effect.

Also included are two long and shiny gloves, one in black and the other in red.

Product Type Dress-up Costume
Material Polyester & Latex
Colour Red, Purple, Black
Packaging Resealable PVC Bag & Header Card
Gender Couple
Product Suitability Adult Specific Item - All Ages Over 15 Years
Washing Instructions Dry Clean Only

Sizes for this costume are:

  • Extra Small:
    • Female:
      • Dress Size: 6 - 8
    • Male:
      • Jacket/Chest size to 42"
      • Waist: Up to 34"
  • Small:
    • Female:
      • Dress Size: 8 - 10
    • Male:
      • Jacket/Chest size to 42"
      • Waist: Up to 34"
  • Medium:
    • Female:
      • Dress Size: 10 - 12
    • Male:
      • Jacket/Chest size to 42"
      • Waist: Up to 34"
  • Large:
    • Female:
      • Dress Size: 12 - 14
    • Male:
      • Jacket/Chest size to 42"
      • Waist: Up to 34"

Customer Reviews

Write a review for this product Average score 3 out of 5
  • Average but ok for one night

    I am a size 12 and ordered a medium dress and whilst it was very short it fitted ok apart from the straight jacket part which was so tight around my neck and I had to tie the strings from where the straight jacket met the dress as it was so baggy. The jokers mask was massive and looked ridiculous but the costume was good enough. Overall I think it was expensive for what it was but it did look good!

Q & A

Have a question about this product? Why not get in touch by completing the boxes below.

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Halloween Masks

Welcome to our hair-raising array of Halloween Masks, the the hub for all manner of various scary masks that you'd need for one of the biggest events in the fancy dress calendar. Masks are a traditional part of Halloween, harking back to the days when the Celts painted their faces to frighten away ghosts and witches. Here you will discover one of the largest collections of Halloween masks available on the market today.

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Louche Rainbow Tassel Necklace

Product Info

Chase the rainbow in this multi-coloured tassel necklace from Louche! These 9 tassels hang on a delicate gold chain and is the perfect way to add colour to your jewellery collection without looking like a 90s teenager!

Delivery & Returns

Standard UK Delivery: £3.95 (Free when you spend £50+)

This delivery option can take between 3-5 working days.

Next Working Day (Orders placed by 4pm): £5.95

International Delivery: £9.95 – £11.95

Large Item Delivery (UK Only): £15

In the unlikely event that the item isn't quite right and you are not fully satisfied with the purchase, please send it back to us within 14 days using the postage label provided (UK only). If you opt for a refund, we will process the full amount minus £2.50 postage & handling fee to cover the cost of the return. Orders placed online cannot be returned in-store for a refund.

Please note we do not accept any returns for pierced jewellery, tights, swimwear and opened beauty and grooming products due to hygiene reasons, unless they are faulty.


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Blog: Leonie BarrieSri Lanka: Designing for the future

Leonie Barrie | 3 December 2009

The Sri Lankan apparel industry is nurturing its local design talent in a bid to help manufacturers add another layer of skills and competitiveness to their operations.

Indeed, such a move has long been the next logical step for the country's $3.5bn export business, but it is only within the last few years that several degree programmes have been set up here to cater to this demand.

Both the University of Moratuwa and the Academy of Design have sensibly affiliated their degree courses with UK establishments – Northumbria University and the London College of Fashion respectively.

Not only does this ensure courses are compatible with those taught elsewhere, but it means students who are remote from the world's fashion capitals get an international perspective on fashion trends, as well as an understanding of customers and markets. And placements within local companies give them hands-on experience of how the industry works too.

Sri Lanka’s first Design Festival this week highlighted the Indian Ocean island's creative talent in a series of stunning catwalk shows, and visits to local firms including Melbourne Textile and Hirdaramani Group showed design in action.

At Melbourne Textiles, Sri Lanka's largest washing, dyeing and special effects facility, 800 workers produce around 200,000 garments a day for customers including Next, Gap, M&S, Nike and Victoria's Secret.

The company claims that being more proactive in design, including research into new wash effects, gives it a competitive edge – even though it admitted buyers sometimes copy ideas and farm them out to rival suppliers.

The $300m Hirdaramani Group – the largest direct supplier to M&S – also emphasises the importance of added value services such as washing, printing and embroidery to its casual and activewear and children's clothing.

It has recently invested in a new G2 machine, which uses ozone to strip colour from a garment without using water or chemicals, making for a faster and more environmentally friendly process.

The company has also set up a dedicated design centre, and offers placements to design students from the London College of Fashion to bring to the table extra knowledge about UK high street trends. And it has even launched its own denim brand in India called LICC Jeanswear.

While firms acknowledge they're never going to replace a brand or retailer's own design teams, they're fully aware that having designers in the production process speeds things up – and that this, in turn, gives them an enormous head start over their rivals.

Trump trade probe could have costs for cotton

An International Trade Commission hearing got underway last week as part of the Trump administration's probe into China's intellectual property practices under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. The a...

Stop negotiating and bring in the engineers

Surviving in a declining market is the biggest challenge for discount/mass-market retailers and suppliers of commodity products such as basic T-shirts, hoodies or cotton men's shirts – which is why it...

The implications of buyer purchasing practices

New research has delved into one relatively underexplored aspect of global supply chains: how buyer purchasing practices impact wages and working conditions....

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Category: Cell Phones
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Experience:  Experience with iPhone and other Smartphones
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I forgot my pass code to unlock my phone

Customer Question

I forgot my pass code to unlock my phone
Submitted: 1 year ago.
Category: Cell Phones
Expert:  Ashik replied 1 year ago.

Hi and Welcome. My Name is ***** ***** I look forward to assisting you today with your question.

What is the model and make of your phone ? Is this is an Apple iPhone ?

Customer: replied 1 year ago.
Expert:  Ashik replied 1 year ago.

Unfortunately there is NO way to retrieve that passcode or get back to your phone without the passcode (without erasing it). Your only option is force-restore the iPhone to factory settings through iTunes by putting it to DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode, which will erase everything from it. This is how Apple designed it to protect the information of their users.

But if you had backed up your iPhone to iTunes on your computer or iCloud, then you can restore all your data back after restoring your iPhone from iTunes/iCloud. You can also redownload all your past purchases for free using the same account.

Follow the steps below to restore your iPhone by putting it to DFU Mode.

First download and install latest iTunes on your computer from here :

Then connect the iPhone to your computer with the USB Cable.

Open iTunes application on your computer.

On your iPhone press and hold the Home button and the Power button at the same time.

After EXACTLY 8 seconds release the Power button. Continue holding the home button until your iTunes shows a message telling you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.

Click OK or Restore

Note : Put it to DFU Mode while connected to computer and also in DFU Mode your iPhone will remain blank and will be unresponsive. It is normal. If it is not showing blank/black screen, then repeat the steps again. Timing is critical when you put it to DFU Mode. So keep trying until it goes to DFU Mode. And it will take a while to restore it.

Remember, it may take a while to restore the iPhone (the iOS firmware has to be downloaded, you will see the Download button at the top right corner of iTunes screen. Click it to see the time remaining)

Please let me know if that didn't work, so I will continue to help you until we fix the problem


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Dodge 05 dodge durango 4.7 liter bank 2 sensor 2 location

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05 dodge durango 4.7 liter bank 2 sensor 2 location
Submitted: 6 years ago.
Category: Dodge
Expert:  Dodgerench replied 6 years ago.
Hi, my name is Ed. Welcome to Just Answer!.

The 2/2 oxygen sensor location is just rearward (downstream) of the right bank (passenger side)catalytic converter.


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I accidentally jammed a q-tip in my ear. There was no blood

Customer Question

I accidentally jammed a q-tip in my ear. There was no blood just throbbing pain, and the pain ended within 5 minutes. I went through my day feeling a dull soreness and slightly sensitive to noise. As day has progressed, the soreness is more obvious. Hearing is a bit dull, like the day after a loud concert on injuried ear. Generally hearing is fine though. DO you have any advice? I cannot afford to go to the doctor. Don't have medical insurance.
Submitted: 8 years ago.
Category: Medical
Expert:  Family Physician replied 8 years ago.

There are several possible causes for this sudden pain and change in your hearing. The most serious of these would be an actual trauma to the eardrum - causing a tear or hole in the eardrum and possibly damage to the very tiny bones in the inner ear.

The other possibility would be that wax in the ear canal has been jammed up against the ear drum.

While I understand and appreciate your financial issues with seeking medical attention, you really DON'T want to suffer permanent hearing loss because you ignore this potentially serious medical problem.

An emergency room (which is required to screen you for an emergency medical condition without regard to your ability to pay), an urgent care clinic or a freee clinic all would be possible sources of treatment.

This link would help you find a free clinic in your area:

PLEASE do not ignore this potentially serious problem.
Family Physician and 4 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you
Customer: replied 8 years ago.
I appreciate this resource, but I need to know if their is anything specific I can do or not do to take care of my ear before I can see a doctor. What you have said is congruent with stuff I have read when researching ear damage. Can I take a shower, or should I apply warm compresses to soothe soreness?
Expert:  Family Physician replied 8 years ago.
I'm sorry for the delay in answering your follow up question - Unfortunately, without knowing if there may be a perforation of the ear drum, it would be dangerous to suggest using ear wax removal drops or other types of over-the-counter ear drops into the ear. If there is a hole in the eardrum and you used these types of drops they could cause further damage.


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De Haar Castle is the biggest and most luxurious castle of the Netherlands. With its towers, turrets, moats, gates and suspension bridges, it resembles a true medieval castle. For large groups you can book a group visit at De Haar Castle. During your visit, you and your group will learn everything you need to know about the castle’s architectural history, its interior and collection and about the special relationship with the Van Zuylen and Rothschild families. The castle has a cosmopolitan grandeur unique to the Netherlands.

You will visit the Old Kitchen, where famous desserts were made, but also the Ball Room, Dining Hall and The Great Hall. This tour takes around 45 minutes. Do you want to see more of the castle? You can book a XL tour (special theme in combination with regular tour, total duration: 75 min). Ask our reception about the current theme of this tour.

You can book a tour on weekdays and during the weekend between 09.00 and 12.00 hours (last tour can start at 11.15 hours). You can also book a tour in the afternoon after 15.30 hours (last tour can start 16.15 hours), except on Sunday. There are no guided tours available on Sunday afternoon.

Book your group visit (via the contact form)

Reservations and cancellation

Reservations can be made by contacting our reception via the contact form or by phone (+31 30 677 85 15). Cancelling your booking is possible up to 10 work days before your visit. If there are any changes in the number of persons attending the visit, you can also notify our reception. There is a maximum of 20 people allowed per group during a guided tour. A second tour can be arranged if necessary.

Prices group visit

valid 2017 regular tour (45 min) xl tour (75 min)
Adults weekdays € 13,50 € 16,00
Adults weekend € 16,00 € 18,50
Children 4-12 years weekdays € 8,50 € 11,00
Children 4 -12 years weekend € 10,00 € 12,50
Child until 4 years free free
Museumkaart free* € 2,50

You can pay before your visit by cash or by pin (no Visa) at the Ticket Office of the museum. You always pay for a minimum of 20 people.

* The Museumkaart is only valid from the 21st person of the group.

Please consult our house rules

Download our brochure for more information.

How to get there & Parking

De Haar Castle is near Utrecht and only a 30 minute drive away from Amsterdam. De Haar Castle has its own spacious outdoor car park. The parking fee is €4 per car (different prices apply during fairs and events). It takes around 15 minutes to get to the castle from the car park. You will find toilets near the Ticket Office and in the basement of the castle.

For more information please consult our Reception via + 31 (0) 30 677 85 15 or by sending an email via the contact form.


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Hotel Plaza Elysées

Search hundreds of travel sites at once for hotel deals at Hotel Plaza Elysées

177, boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris, Île-de-France, France
+33 1 45 63 93 83

RM 672+

Hotel Plaza Elysées
Sat 21/10
Sun 22/10

Overall guest ratings

8.5/10 Excellent
Based on 573 reviews

  • 1 km Avenue des Champs-Elysées
  • 1.6 km Musée de l'Orangerie
  • 1.8 km Paris Opera House
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The BEST WESTERN Plaza Elysees is ideally situated in the residential district of Champs-Elysees near Arc de Triomphe. Original decoration. Direct link to Disneyland® Resort Paris, La Defense. Lido Cabaret and the famous Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore with Haute Couture Shops and Antiques Furniture Shops. We are located One kilometer from the Louvre Museum and Opera House. Our guest rooms feature cable LCD TV with satellite channels, telephone with dataports, hairdryer, coffee/tea service, mini-bar and turndown service, Wi-Fi wireless connection. At the BEST WESTERN Plaza Elysees we have 24-hour front desk, laundry and valet services, safe deposit box, and public paying parking garage is just 200 meters from the hotel.

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  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Facilities for disabled guests
  • Business centre
  • Internet
  • Concierge service
  • Laundry service
  • Room service
  • No smoking
  • Air-conditioned
  • 24 Hour Front Desk
  • Safe
  • Storage available
  • Cable or satellite TV
  • Babysitting/child care services (surcharge)
  • Pets not allowed
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Carisolo Bed & Breakfasts

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B+W 49mm Soft Focus WZ1 Filter

KEH Model# 317083

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B+W 49mm Soft Focus WZ1 Filter Description

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  • Size:   49mm
  • Type:   SOFT FOCUS WZ1
  • Mfg:   B+w

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Tiffen 55mm 81 Filter

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Comprised of experienced business and community leaders, the Kelowna Chamber's committees advise Chamber leadership on what is needed to improve business conditions in Kelowna and within the organization. Many of the Chamber's current and past successes have resulted from the work of its committees, tapping into the influence and expertise within the local business community to get things done and to generate new ideas.

Executive Committee

  • Tom Dyas, President
  • Ken Carmichael, Past President
  • Carmen Sparg, Exec. Vice President
  • Jeff Robinson, Vice President
  • Martine Hickman, Vice President
  • Una Gabie, Vice President

Policy Advisory Committee

Provides leadership in identifying and taking action on local, provincial and federal issues of specific interest to members of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and of concern to the business community at large.

Contact Us

Member Care Committee

Welcomes new members and encourages growth of the membership while ensuring ongoing support, evaluation and adjustment of programs, services and events provided to Kelowna Chamber of Commerce members and the community.

Contact Us

Governance Committee

Monitors the compliance of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Board Policy Manual. This committee will also ensure compliance of the Bylaws as registered with Industry Canada and any other regulatory framework as required by the Province of BC such as the BC Societies Act.

Contact Us

Finance Committee

Oversees the financial activities pertaining to the operations of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.

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Past President’s Committee

This group serves in an advisory capacity to the board of directors to bridge past and present Chamber leadership and provides input on issues that impact the long-term health and vitality of the Chamber and the economy of Kelowna.

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Building Committee

Oversees the Chamber’s lease agreements with the City of Kelowna and with the Chamber’s tenant(s) to ensure the Chamber reasonably maintains its building and physical space both internally and externally in a manner that is appropriate for the Chamber’s brand and in consideration of the long term physical needs of the organization.

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Woven Tulip Floor Vase

Item #: 115088
$45.99 $29.97
Sorry, this item is currently unavailable online.
Ship to Home

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Standard delivery orders are shipped via ground service. Estimated to arrive within 3-7 business days. Select oversized items have an additional delivery surcharge; this charge is listed in parentheses after the item price. We are currently unable to ship US Territories, international locations, Alaska, Hawaii, or PO Box addresses.

Need Help? Live Chat or Call 1-877-541-4855.

The Woven Tulip Floor Vase has a unique basket weave style mid-section and lovely tulip shape. You won’t be disappointed with this decorative accent.
  • Floor vase measures 28H in.; 12 in. in diameter at widest
  • Crafted of natural materials
  • Espresso and caramel finish
  • Interior wirework provides structural stability
  • Unique loosely woven twig mid-section
  • For decorative use only
Woven Tulip Floor Vase is rated 5.0 out of 5 by 1.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great colors I like this vase because it seems to be good quality, it has beautiful colors that combine with almost everything.
Date published: 2013-07-09
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Jul 04, 2016 Daily Horoscope for Libra by KT Astrologer

Mon Jul 04, 2016

Mumbai, India Time Zone: GMT +5.50

Moon positioned at Aridra Star 2 padha in Midhuna Rasi at time of Sun Rise 06:08 AM

Excellent; you will feel lot of positive energies on your body.

88 [75 - 94]

Graph View

Your family will be supportive for your growth; success and happiness.

79 [69 - 85]

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You will develop close intimacy and romance is looking good.

68 [58 - 78]

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Your boss will be happy with your performance. It is a good time to discuss with your boss on career development plan.

71 [62 - 78]

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It is Good day to travel since it can yield fruitful results.

68 [58 - 76]

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It is a good day to invest in real estate; lands or any other long term investments.

88 [74 - 96]

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Stock market trading is looking good. If you have accumulated good percentage of profits; then it is better to cash out for doing investments in fixed assets.

85 [71 - 95]

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God bless you!
Written by KT Astrologer

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Looking to start your own business? Check out these three tips for a successful venture

The entertainment industry is competitive and challenging. You need to have a thorough understanding of what it takes to be successful, including how to create a successful blueprint that will help bring your new entity into fruition. If you’re beginning your business plan, there are a few things that you should keep in mind to ensure your strategy has a chance of becoming successful.
When crafting a functional and complete model for your business, you should first consider the character of your brand, including your objectives; your intended audience; the actual product or content you will be creating, reproducing, or selling; what types of talent your business will need when hiring and conducting business; what types of technical equipment you’ll need to be a success; and what your estimated timelines will look like for business processes. In addition to all of this, the following three tips for creating a successful business plan can help make sure that you have your bases covered.

investor friendly

1. Craft a persuasive business plan that’s investor-friendly

What does it mean to write a business plan that’s investor-friendly? It must be completely clear, and you must address the issues that will be important for investors. This includes how your business will be different than – and similar to – your competition. It’s fair to say that in the entertainment industry, whether you’re planning to enter music, film, gaming, or otherwise, you’ll have face competition. Investors will want to know what makes your business unique, what will make it successful, and how you will work to ensure the investments you receive pay off for you and for your investors, whether they be private funders, banks, grants, or others.
Some things that investors will want to see in a successful business plan are:
• A “problem” in the industry and how our business will be the solution – this is often an area in your plan where you can highlight how your business will be different than your competitions’ based on things that you will do differently, how you can offer something that will make the industry better, etc.
• Demonstrate why your business would be successful today. Although there are some brilliant ideas out there, they’re not always relevant at the time. Make sure you can explain why your business will succeed in the industry today – this may be a good time to outline any technology, advancements, or other modern characteristics that will make your business relevant today.

2. Understand the latest technology of your industry – and incorporate that understanding into your business plan

Just as you should consider how technology can make your business relevant in today’s entertainment industry, you should also determine how technology will contribute to your success. That means understanding the latest advancements in technology and how you can use these to your advantage. Or perhaps your business could benefit from older technology that is more effective for a specific purpose. Maybe your entire business is based on using retro production technology that will set you apart from your competition! Whatever role technology will play in your business, make sure to outline that in your business plan. Not only will it help you hook investors, it will allow you to determine how costly or affordable your business could be based on the cost of purchasing and using the technology you need.

3. Understand the legal and economic elements of starting your own entertainment business – including tax requirements and laws specific to your industry

Although you aren’t likely to think of laws or taxes when you first decide to start your own business, these are two crucial elements of enterprise that cannot be ignored. You should be aware of the laws that will dictate your business proceedings and the taxes your business will be subject to. Understanding these parts of creating and running a business in the entertainment industry will ensure that there are no surprises partway through your planning process. It will also show investors that you’ve considered the success of your business from every angle and that you – and your business – are a worthy cause!
Check out these resources that can help you create a successful business plan of your own!
• Sample Entertainment and Media Production Company Business Plans
• 2016 Entertainment & Media Industry Trends – Familiarize yourself with the latest entertainment industry trends so that you can address these in your business plan.
• Investor-Friendly Business Plan Format for Startups – This post isn’t specifically meant for entertainment professionals, but some of the basics of startup business plans can be beneficial for those starting an entertainment business from the ground up!
• Example Business Plan, Created by Reference for Business – a complete business plan sample for a TV and entertainment programming company that provides a useful demonstration of each part of a business plan.
At The Los Angeles Film School, we’ve created coursework that’s tailored to the skills students will need to not only run a successful business in the entertainment industry but to actually get their business started with a successful business plan. Our Entertainment Business Bachelor of Science online and on-campus degree program allows students to work with industry professionals who have experience working in entertainment and who know what it takes to thrive in their respective industries. With us, you’ll learn how to develop your brand, market and pitch your business, determine the best technologies for your business, earn the attention of investors, and so much more!

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pop music
29 May 2017

3 Tips For Creating Pop Music

What is it about pop music that is so catchy? Why is it that every time a song becomes popular, it seems to be replayed over and over on the radio for months on end? It’s all in the production, from the way a song is arranged to the way

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music production
10 Mar 2017

Music Producer Needed!

MUSIC PRODUCER NEEDED ASAP ***PAID GIG*** Artist working on specific sound and song needs a music producer. MUST work with Roland drum machine, foundation is not RMB or gospel The song is “WHITE RABBIT” by Jefferson Airplane The list of songs below all combined is the sound I’m moving towards:

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22 Jul 2016

Grad Anthony Pratt Talks Success

Grad Anthony Pratt’s meteoric rise in the music industry Anthony Pratt is an entertainment industry executive who has experienced ongoing success in the industry. Inspired by his family and a life-long passion for music, Anthony has worked tirelessly to develop and nurture www.prestonbevrly.com , a thriving record label based in

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Livin LARS
09 Mar 2016

Livin LARS Was A Hit!

Livin’ LARS is a premiere event held in our historic Ivar Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, bringing in the talents of students and alumni in a networking environment. If you are a student or graduate at The Los Angeles Recording School, you owe it to yourself to check out

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09 Dec 2015

Toys For Tots

Jesse James, one our our Music Production students, is DJ-ing at a Toys For Tots drive at Walgreens in Hollywood! Stop by to donate your unwrapped toys to a good cause, and enjoy great music provided by one of our students! When: Friday, 12/11/2015 from 12:00pm – 8:00pm Where: 1501 Vine

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08 Nov 2015

You’re invited! The Hollywood Music & Media Awards After Party

The Hollywood Music & Media Awards (HMMA) recognizes and honors the music of visual mediums (film, TV, movie trailers, video games, commercials, music videos, etc.), the talented individuals responsible for creating, producing and placing it, and the music of artists, both mainstream and independent, from around the globe. HMMA is

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28 Oct 2015

LARS graduate Jamar Williams featured on hit TV series

The Los Angeles Film School and Recording School would like to congratulate our Recording School graduate Jamar Williams on a huge milestone in his music career! A song written by Jamar has been placed on the latest episode of the hit TV series, Bad Girls Club. Be sure to check

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30 Jun 2015

You’re Invited to an Evening Session at The Los Angeles Recording School

You’re Invited! You’re invited to An Evening Session at The Los Angeles Recording School. The Los Angeles Recording School invites you to join us for a FREE sneak peek behind the scenes of our world-class facilities. Tour our campus and see our recording studios, industry standard gear and historic Ivar

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08 Apr 2015

Brian Warwick Discusses Working with Weird Al Yankovic

Brian Warwick, a LARS Music Production faculty member, engineered “Weird Al” Yankovic’s winning album “Mandatory Fun.” Warwick has been engineering for Weird Al for the past eight years, and has worked on numerous Grammy-nominated albums. This is his first win. “I knew we had something special when I got a late

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24 Mar 2015

America’s Got Talent Seeks Music Groups

America’s Got Talent is looking for Pop, R&B, country, soul, jazz, etc.  Also, musical groups including boy bands, girl groups, R&B groups, duos, trios, etc. If you are interested email discover@mydiveo.com with “America’s Got Talent” in the subject line and include their name, residence and a link to their music

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Owning Land

Every harvest deserves to be savored

We in Virginia’s mountains are in harvest, as are farm communities across much of the Northern Hemisphere.

Our four-day county fair celebrates our gatherings. On the first night, we shoot balls of paint at each other; second night, we bash into each other’s clunkers; third night, we match teenage boys with big belt buckles against bulls with big bull things; and on Saturday night we cheer trucks and tractors as they pull increasing amounts of dead weight down a meaningless track. Many find higher meaning — even metaphors for modern life — in each of these activities.

County fairs give everyone a chance to strut his or her stuff in front of friends, neighbors and enemies. The quality of what we produce is serious business. Self-esteem and reputation are locked into every hopeful Mason jar of pickled eggs.

Winners are not expected to show swelled heads in public, but a little gloating might happen on the ride home if you’re holding a blue ribbon. I base this statement exclusively on hearsay…and not on any first-hand experience with my wife who happened to take five blues and two reds in the seven classes she entered at the horse show and one more blue in the parade. (It’s a good thing I worked all that in, believe you me.)

I’ve always been drawn to the exhibits of misshapen vegetables, particularly the Jay Leno look-alikes on the potato table as well as the rumble over who raised the largest inedible zucchini, which comes down to whether you’re a pound person or a length person.

Fairs provide a break from the harvest. They’re an excuse to spend money foolishly and see people whose names you’ve forgotten. But mainly they provide an opportunity for comparison and ranking.

It’s easy to forget that harvests — not warehouses — supply our supermarkets. Food is grown anew each year, much of it in a spring-to-fall span. This is not obvious in the grocery aisles I frequent.

The traditional small-scale agriculture that gave rise to community fairs was packed with risks from weather, war, weeds and weevils.

Modern farming has eliminated much of this roll-of-the-dice aspect of producing food. Were it not so, we could not create the surpluses that allow society to function with 98 percent of us doing something other than chasing cows and cursing weeds.

Modern harvests depend on controlling the different environments in which agriculture occurs. Where rain is hit or miss, we irrigate. With pests, we kill them. With market risk, we hedge. With politics, we lobby the appropriations process, tax code and regulatory agencies as well as anybody. These techniques have succeeded, but they come with costs and have had consequences that no one foresaw.

The movement to produce food locally for local markets uses an earlier supply-demand model. Products depend on the season and the harvest. These farms are small, not big. They don’t sell into the commodity markets; they sell directly to individuals. The cost of farm-to-market transportation is largely shifted to consumers. Rather than use chemicals to control harvest risks, they ask their customers to pay more for products. (www.localharvest.org)

The conventional model produces lots of relatively cheap food whose quality is a matter of current public debate. The local-harvest model produces a relatively small amount of expensive food whose quality depends on the practices of individual producers and processors.

Whichever model a farmer follows, Nature imposes discipline on its human partner. To get a harvest, you have to do certain things when those things need to be done. If you do them wrong or half-right, you get hammered. If you are lazy or procrastinate, you end up like the “sluggard” in Proverbs 6: 6-11 or Aesop’s grasshopper.

Few Americans today live off their own harvest, which is how most of us survived when the Constitution was being ratified. The need to produce the products that sustained us drove our people’s desire for acquiring land. Dirt of your own meant life.

Today, even farm families buy much of their food at supermarkets.

Survival 220 years ago depended on a harvest that each family had to make, save and stretch. Families had to live within their harvests. From the richest farmer to the poorest, everyone understood these values.

County fairs call up the memory of those harvests, but we have uncoupled ourselves from the discipline, thrift and make-do that they imposed. I don’t think we get them back in a jar of green tomato chow-chow even when it’s best in show.

Today, the closest thing most Americans have to a harvest is a long-term capital gain. Profit is the crop we hope for, not potatoes.

Every agricultural harvest has a dark side. With the exception of foods like dairy products, harvests kill the things gathered, the things we eat. Our civilization understood from its beginning that every shepherd slaughters his sheep.

We understood that we, too, were subject to the Grim Reaper — the skeleton with a scythe — who harvests us in wars, disease and even on the backyard deck if need be. Maybe this is why we mock death at our county fairs with paint-ball fights that are never fatal. Maybe we are trying to buy off the Grim Reaper by sacrificing our vehicles instead of ourselves.

The nicest aspect to every harvest is being finished. Every year, the day comes when the barn’s full of hay, the woodpile needs no more sticks and the cellar shelves are lined with the jars of August.

Like writing, it’s fun having the harvest done, not in doing it.

This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of LANDTHINK. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law. The articles, posts, comments, opinions and information provided by LANDTHINK are for informational and research purposes only and DOES NOT substitute or coincide with the advice of an attorney, accountant, real estate broker or any other licensed real estate professional. LANDTHINK strongly advises visitors and readers to seek their own professional guidance and advice related to buying, investing in or selling real estate.

About the author

Curtis Seltzer

Curtis Seltzer is a land consultant, columnist and author of How To Be a DIRT-SMART Buyer of Country Property, available at Curtis-Seltzer.com where his columns are posted. He also does commentary for Virginia public radio. His new book, Land Matters: The “Country Real Estate” Columns, 2007-2009, which includes 14 commentaries on CD.

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  • Nice article.these days things are to much dependence on supermarkets,commercialized industry….how nice it be if things were the way they were in the past,more people involved in producing ones own food,istead of so much dependence on these bic commercialized operations…from someone realizing its not how much money one makes,just wanting to live a more fruitful way of life!!Mike

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Support LSU Law

Karen Soniat, 225/578-8645 (o); 225/938-7763 (c)
Bobbi Zaunbrecher, 225/578-8705 (o); 225/218-3586 (c)

Great things are happening at the LSU Law Center, and a key to our success is the financial support provided by alumni and friends!  Your charitable gifts are more important than ever. With your gift, LSU Law can be even better tomorrow.

The Office of Alumni Relations is here to help you design a plan for your legacy gift to the LSU Law Center.

There are many needs at the Law Center, and many ways that you may support our efforts. From annual and endowed scholarships to special program initiatives like our new Energy Law program or our Clinical Legal Education program, private philanthropy provides critical funding for the education that we provide to tomorrow’s lawyers.

Want to name a moot court program or give a gift in honor of our beloved Cheney Joseph, Frank Maraist, or George Pugh?

With an IRA, stock, property or cash gift, you can  support our students, important curricular areas, or provide faculty support.  We welcome discussions with you regarding both annual gifts and endowments that will give in perpetuity.

Giving is easy.  Give now at or by check payable to the LSU Foundation, notation line, LSU Law Center, and mail to: LSU Law Center, 110 LSU Union, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-0106.  Information on making a gift of stock may be found at

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1. Can’t make it to the GIE+EXPO 2017?
    LawnSite brings the trade show floor to your fingertips with our new GIE+EXPO 2017 Sneak Peek video series debuting now in the Lawn Mowing forum.

    Dismiss Notice

Anyone own a US Lawns franchise

Discussion in 'Franchising' started by dfdsuperduty, Apr 10, 2009.

  1. dfdsuperduty

    dfdsuperduty LawnSite Member
    Messages: 38

    Does anyone own a US Lawns franchise have any comment on owning one of their franchises I am considering purchasing one. I am leaving on sunday for florida to meet the big wigs?
  2. driver5

    driver5 LawnSite Senior Member
    Messages: 270

    your gonna pay someone else while you do all the work? Have you tried to get your own yards?

    Just asking.

    I understand that they will get the accounts for you, insurance liability and what not.. but your gona pay for that
  3. dfdsuperduty

    dfdsuperduty LawnSite Member
    Messages: 38

    I have but cant break into the commercial industry
  4. LedgedaleLawn

    LedgedaleLawn LawnSite Senior Member
    Messages: 377

    Franchise's suck! I owned a Rhino Linings dealership, they promise the world but they are a bunch of leaches, most are like that.
  5. fredski119

    fredski119 LawnSite Member
    Messages: 42

    Dude, don't do it save your money! Just spend it on me Ill tell you how to run a business. I mean those U.S. Lawn guys want you to cough up BIG BUCKS and all for what on how to run a business. Just put your money into advertising you be fine. :hammerhead:
  6. driver5

    driver5 LawnSite Senior Member
    Messages: 270

    Ive never tried commercial.. but I guess thats where better money is... But all I hear is that it is a pita to get paid.. and if someone underbids you by just a few dollars.. then your out. Kinda sux.
  7. Mike Blevins

    Mike Blevins LawnSite Bronze Member
    Messages: 1,390

    We have a U.S. Lawns franchise operating here locally. I see them everyday in the same neighborhoods I work in. Like them I mow residential and commercial lawns. With the price of mowers and equipment and the number of low-baller ads in the phone book and local trading papers I couldn't imagine starting a Lawn franchise right now. In the last 3 weeks there have been 3 different companies (Eastman chemical,Exide battery,and Bristol metals) announce a total around 700 layoffs locally. Thats not including Bushhog, Mack Tools, Columbus Mcckinon machinery, Electrolux, and Bristol Compressors. How many of these people are going to "start mowing yards"??
    I would give it a looooooong look before I was to jump into a franchise. The initial franchise and starting fees are pretty substantial I hear.

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1. Can’t make it to the GIE+EXPO 2017?
    LawnSite brings the trade show floor to your fingertips with our new GIE+EXPO 2017 Sneak Peek video series debuting now in the Lawn Mowing forum.

    Dismiss Notice

Got this cutomer who wants me to..

Discussion in 'General Industry Discussions' started by Outdoor_Maintenance_2010, Sep 1, 2010.

  1. BCLawns

    BCLawns LawnSite Member
    Messages: 124

    First sign of trouble is when a customer tries to tell me how to cut grass.
  2. Sammy

    Sammy LawnSite Bronze Member
    Messages: 1,734

    I agree.......Good advice.
  3. CutterCutter

    CutterCutter LawnSite Member
    from WV
    Messages: 76

    I think every LCO runs into this kind of customer from time to time, I know I have. There's really no way of continuing with one of these people. You have to get rid of them.

    Sometimes you can save the job by educating them but most of them can't be educated. I've got to the point where I don't spend much time trying to save a job. If the customer isn't happy I thank them for the business they have given me and move on. It's painful if you don't have lots of work but stay in the business long enough and you'll be up to your eyeballs with good customers.
  4. ajslands

    ajslands LawnSite Silver Member
    Messages: 2,238

    I have one. Good paying job! Way more than it's worth! That's for sure!
    She is much nicer now and we ge along! I try to make friends not enemies (spelling)
    Posted via Mobile Device
  5. Frank's Lawn Care

    Frank's Lawn Care LawnSite Member
    from fla
    Messages: 109

    I have one account that always leaves clippings. I cut it first thing and she must water that morning. It's only on her front lawn. If i bagged the front it made it easier. Also have to blow clumps there too. She pays great and leaves me a bottle water every cut. My kind of customer..:cool2:
  6. 32vld

    32vld LawnSite Gold Member
    Messages: 3,983

    Your the pro.

    Being your a pro you should know that before you touch the mower there would be a ton of clippings left over.

    As a pro you should of known:

    that customers will not accept clippings left on the lawn when you are done

    mowed the lawn at the regular setting then mow it again at a lower setting so the clippings would be small enough to disperse and not be seen

    mowed the lawn at the lower setting then go over the lawn a second time to disperse the clippings

    that the only way you were willing to do the job she was going to have to accept piles of clippings on her lawn.

    You refused to do the job right.

    You refused to comunicate with the customer on how the job was going to look when you were done before you did it.

    You failed to meet your customers needs and then you complain that the customer was unreasonable and she dumped you.
  7. 1bigdaddy62

    1bigdaddy62 LawnSite Member
    Messages: 27

    None of you guys have addressed the Underlying issue here. Send her a vibrator with a fresh set of batteries... problem solved. Now you can cut the grass any height you like it.
  8. Dnryan

    Dnryan LawnSite Member
    Messages: 55

    I have had a few customers that said the grass gets too long in between cuttings and I simply tell them one of two things, a let's put you on the schedule for every week or b, I educate them that I can't cut fescue below 3 inches. I explain why and that if they want shorter grass I would be happy to give them a quote for bermuda or something. I personally, would rather lose a customer than to have the yard look like crap because the homeowner is telling me how to do my job. If they can't understand that I will do what is best for their yard and lawn and this is what I do for a living, they I don't bother havong them as a customer. If I cut it short because they want me to, well nothing good is going to come of it. They will be unhappy cause it will yellow and show dead spots, and I will look bad if people drive by and see me taking care of a yard that looks like that.
    Posted via Mobile Device
  9. Gravelyftw

    Gravelyftw LawnSite Member
    Messages: 119

    That should be how it is, IMO. I cant afford to have people/potential customers riding by and seeing me cutting a fescue yard at 2 inches with brown spots and clippings everywhere. I want someone to ask the homeowner who is doing their yard because they think it looks great, and they want to hire me. Not because it looks awful, and they want to avoid me.

    But from the way it sounds im thinking the yard is bermuda grass and weeds for some reason.
  10. Dnryan

    Dnryan LawnSite Member
    Messages: 55

    Yea I see what ur saying and I think it does depend on the area too. Here in san diego everything is bagged for the most part so there really is never the issue of clumps. If someone sees me just mulching they usually will complain even if u explain it to them. But to get around this I have learned a little trick that someone mentioned on here. I have a snapper 21 hi vac and thye suggested just to put the chute blokc in and still run the mower with the bag on it and no one will know the difference. Never had anyone say anything and I think as long as they assume its getting bagged then they feel im not lazy, regardless of if its better for the grass or not. I think its all about choosing your battles.
    Posted via Mobile Device

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Part of the Blippar Group

Layers of the week: Germany’s No. 1 yellow pages Gelbe Seiten and conquer world cities with the ConquAR game layer

Redactie June 24, 2010

Because of all the fuss of last week’s NEXT event we saved the layer of last week for this week’s post. Marc Rene Gardeya from Hoppala shared with us what it’s like to work with a big brand for the Gelbe Seiten layer, Germany’s number one Yellow Pages. Next to that, this week’s recommendation is the ConquAR layer, an Augmented Reality strategy game through which you can conquer world cities, made by C2K.

Gelbe Seiten, Germany’s number one yellow pages, launched a layer with its service in Augmented Reality. The layer was developed by Hoppala from Germany, and integrates all data of Germany’s yellow pages service. We talked to Marc René Gardeya, founder and CEO of Hoppala, about the Gelbe Seiten layer and his experience with working with a big brand and a huge thirdparty data source.

What’s different when creating a layer for a big brand?
Marc: “When you work closely with a brand like Gelbe Seiten, you really need to pay attention to every detail. Therefore we pulled together all the requirements first and created a layer concept in very close cooperation with Gelbe Seiten. Having experience with layer development for quite some time now helped us a lot to foresee potential pitfalls and to suggest options.”

Can you tell us something about the requirements of Gelbe Seiten?
Marc: “Gelbe Seiten ordered a complete layer package: setup and design, linking the layer to the existing Gelbe Seiten database and creating additional mobile web pages for every Gelbe Seiten item to show detailed information like opening times, ratings or foto’s.”

What were the main challenges when developing the layer?
Marc: “There were basically two major challenges: one was to design the layer as close to the Gelbe Seiten corporate identity as possible. And secondly we needed to hook up the Gelbe Seiten layer with the existing Gelbe Seiten database, which is a huge system. Together we pulled it off, it was great to work for Gelbe Seiten Deutschland!”

The layer of this week is ‘ConquAR’, a Risk-inspired strategy game in Layar’s Augmented Reality created by C2K. The layer makes your surroundings part of the game: The world is your game board, virtually to conquer. For the individual gameplay, you conquer cities instead of whole countries as in the original game of Risk. As for now, ConquAR has about 160 active players. On the ConquAR website you can keep track of all cities that are conquered and the scores of the conquering teams. We talked to Fred van Rijswijk and Pascal van Gemert from C2K about their game.

What inspired you to create this AR strategy game?
Pascal: “We wanted to relight the fire of old fashion board games by combining their gameplay with augmented reality.  We started to think about different board games and landed on the strategic game of Risk. We figured that the original goal of Risk, conquering countries and continents, would be too big of a goal for individual play. So we used cities instead of countries, which works great.”

How can users conquer a city? And which cities can or should be conquered?
Pascal: “When you’re in the layer, you can see the cities around you and get some information about them. If you want to conquer and defend cities, you have to create an account first. Then you will be placed in a team (red, blue, black, yellow or green). Then and are able to attack cities of the other teams by clicking on the army icons, or strengthen cities with the color of your own team. Right now we already have over 2500 cities that you can conquer in the following countries: The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, France, Sweden, Japan and South Korea.”
Fred: “We are still adding countries to our database and are planning to add other types of locations like airports, sightseeing spots and other interesting places.”

What about the gameplay of the layer?
Fred: “The game is already turning out to be addictive fun for some players and we are noticing that big cities are very popular places to conquer. The only thing we’re struggling with is the active period of the game. Currently, when you’ve lost or fortified all your armies the game ends, and you have to wait until the next reinforcement moment to be able to play again.”
Pascal: “We will add new features to expand the game play within the next month or two, including:

  • Solving the active period issue of the game

  • More team building effort, by giving the players of the leading team an extra army

  • Adding more location types like airports, sights and famous places

  • Adding the sight of other players in the Augmented Reality View

Other suggestions to enhance the gameplay are very welcome!”

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A good visit to London: Facebook Event and Meffys

Claire Boonstra June 24, 2010

Mark Zuckerberg and ClaireLast Monday June 21st I celebrated the official start of the summer with a visit to London, to attend the Facebook Developer Garage London (FDGL; #fdgl on Twitter) and the Meffys Award dinner and gala.

The FDGL was a great event, organized by the local London Facebook developer community, together with Christian Hernandez (@christianhern) from the Facebook EMEA and Developer team. Facebook is now focusing much more on areas outside of the US, so they decided to send an executive team over to attend this event including Joanna Shields, Mike Vernal, Ethan Beard and Mark Zuckerberg himself! The atmosphere was great and I got to meet many great companies and developers - and managed to talk with “Zuck” for a while about Layar. He was impressed by what we achieved in only one year!

We are thinking about how we can integrate Facebook and Layar in the best possible way - so that Layar users can share their activity on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg indicated they are finishing designing their geo-location application and hope to offer it soon. Which is of course possibly also very exciting for Layar. Tweets about the event can be found here.

After the Facebook event I went to the Meffys Award dinner. The Meffys are the ‘Oscars’ of the mobile entertainment industry - awarded by the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF). This was a gala dinner - so unlike most geeky & startup events, people were wearing suits, tuxedo’s and cocktail dresses, and the dinner was held in a ballroom with chandeliers. Nice!

During the ceremony, 18 Meffys were awarded in categories such as ‘Best Music Service’, ‘Best Game’ and ‘Best Ad Campaign’. And guess what: Layar won the Meffy for ‘Technology Innovation’! This is a fantastic reward for Layar - showing that we have passed the ‘promising startup’ stage to become a mature business.

Rimma Perelmuter, MEF’s Executive Director, said “Congratulations to Layar on pioneering the field of augmented reality on mobile, which looks set to become a mass-market phenomenon.” Great, right?

The Meffys were by the way not the only award we received last week. Marc Rene Gardeya from Hoppala received the Autovision Innovation Award on behalf of Layar on June 16th. More information can be found on his blog.

Thanks all for a great event and great prizes,

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Follow the Prophet

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Elder J Ballard Washburn

Brethren, it’s an honor to be with you. I humbly pray for the Spirit to guide the things that I say, that we may look at a few brief events in the life of our prophet and resolve to try harder to be like him, to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Elder Kimball quoted Mr. F. M. Bareham as saying, “When a wrong wants righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants discovering [and, we might add, or God wants us to read the Book of Mormon], God sends a baby into the world to do it.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1960, p. 84.)

And so it was that on August 4, 1899, in Whitney, Idaho, Sarah Benson started into labor. Her husband, George, gave her a blessing. “Dr. Allan Cutler attended her in the bedroom of their farm home, with both grandmothers, Louisa Benson and Margaret Dunkley, there. The delivery was protracted. As the baby, a large boy, was delivered, the doctor couldn’t get him to breathe and quickly laid him on the bed and pronounced, ‘There’s no hope for the child, but I believe we can save the mother.’ While Dr. Cutler feverishly attended to Sarah, the grandmothers rushed to the kitchen, praying silently as they worked, and returned shortly with two pans of water—one cold, the other warm. Alternately, they dipped the baby first in cold and then in warm water, until finally they heard a cry. The 11 3/4 pound boy was alive! Later, both grandmothers bore testimony that the Lord had spared the child. George and Sarah named him Ezra Taft Benson.” (Sheri L. Dew, Ezra Taft Benson: A Biography, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987, pp. 13–14.)

When Ezra was age twelve, his father was called on a mission, and being the oldest child, Ezra was left to help care for his mother, who was expecting, and his six brothers and sisters. A smallpox epidemic caused them all to be seriously ill, and the mother became critically ill, but they refused the insistence of the doctor that the father come home. And the Lord blessed them, and they weathered this and many other difficult situations while the father served a mission.

“In the early fall of 1920 Ezra spent a weekend in Logan preparatory to enrolling for winter quarter. He and a cousin were standing on a curb on Main Street when an attractive young woman drove by in a Ford convertible and waved to a friend. A few minutes later she drove by a second time and waved again. ‘Who is that?’ Ezra asked. ‘Flora Amussen,’ his cousin replied. There was something about the girl that impressed Ezra, and he responded enthusiastically, ‘When I come down here this winter, I’m going to [court] her.’ ‘Like heck you will,’ the cousin answered, adding, ‘she’s too popular for a farm boy like you.’ ‘That makes it all the more interesting,’ Ezra countered. He received the distinct impression that he would marry her.” (Dew, pp. 46–47.)

In the summer of 1921, at age twenty-one, Ezra received a letter from President Heber J. Grant calling him on a mission to Great Britain. July 14, 1921, he went through the Logan Temple with his parents, and two days later, he said good-bye to his parents and girlfriend and started on his way to England. (See Dew, p. 50.) Elder Benson studied and worked hard but didn’t feel like he was doing too well and wrote in his journal that he was disgusted with his “‘frail attempt at speaking.’” But as he matured spiritually, he was invited to speak at the South Shields Branch. He was assigned to speak on the Apostasy, but instead he “‘gave a strong and impressive discourse of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.’” He later said, “‘I spoke with a freedom I had never experienced. Afterwards, I couldn’t recall what I had said, but several nonmembers surrounded me and said, “Tonight, we received a witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and we are ready for baptism.” It was the experience of a lifetime. … It was the first experience of that kind I’d had, where I knew that the Lord was with me.’” (Dew, p. 55.)

President Benson married his sweetheart September 10, 1926, in the Salt Lake Temple, after they had both served missions. He has said that Sister Benson had more faith in him than he had in himself. After sixty-four years of marriage, they are an example of love and devotion to us all.

Now, each of you young men can know that the Lord is with you and that he loves each one of you. You can follow this great prophet and serve a mission and be married in the temple. You can live a life of service as he has and be a disciple of Jesus.

When President Kimball died, we were living in Arizona. President Kimball had been in our home. We had knelt with him in family prayer, and he had eaten bread and milk with us. We knew he was a prophet of God.

I wanted a witness of the Spirit that President Benson was God’s chosen prophet. I wanted to know more than that he was just a good person and next in line after President Kimball. The Lord was kind to me, and, after fasting and prayer, I received, by the Spirit, the witness that President Benson was indeed God’s chosen prophet for this time, with a special calling and a special message for our day.

Today there are thousands who have had a spiritual awakening because they are studying and following the teachings of the Book of Mormon as the prophet has admonished us to do. There are thousands who feel they have received a special personal message from the prophet as he has spoken to the young men of the Church, the young women of the Church, the children, the elderly, the parents. There are thousands who are better people today because they have stripped themselves of pride, as counseled by this great prophet. Yes,

We thank thee, O God, for a prophet
To guide us in these latter days.

(Hymns, 1985, no. 19.)

I bear witness that Ezra Taft Benson was born to be a prophet, has lived so he could be a prophet, and has been called of God to be a prophet in our day. He has set a pattern of service and endurance that each of us should seek to follow.

In closing, may I read the words of a song that were sung this afternoon by the young ladies’ chorus that express our feelings for our prophet.

We ever pray for thee, our prophet dear,
That God will give to thee comfort and cheer;
As the advancing years furrow thy brow,
Still may the light within shine bright as now.
We ever pray for thee with all our hearts,
That strength be given thee to do thy part,
To guide and counsel us from day to day,
To shed a holy light around our way.
We ever pray for thee with fervent love;
And as the children’s prayer is heard above,
Thou shalt be ever blest, and God will give
All that is meet and best while thou shalt live.

(Hymns, 1985, no. 23.)

May God bless and sustain his prophet, and may we follow him, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.


text:
Lesson 2: Jesus Christ Was Chosen to Be Our Savior

Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996), 6–8

To help the children understand the importance of using their agency to choose and act for themselves.

  1. 1.

    Prayerfully study:

  2. 2.

    Additional reading:

  3. 3.

    Study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account (see “Preparing Your Lessons,” p. vi, and “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii). Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will best help the children achieve the purpose of the lesson.

  4. 4.

    Materials needed:

    1. a.

      A triple combination for each child.

    2. b.

      A copy of the standard works.

    3. c.

      The plan of salvation cutouts used in lesson 1 (6-A through 6-J).

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Distribute the cutouts depicting the plan of salvation among the children. Have them place the cutouts in the correct order, beginning with “Premortal Life.” Have the children tell what they know about Heavenly Father’s plan as they put up each cutout.

Scripture Account

Teach the children the account in Moses 4:1–4 and Abraham 3:27–28 of Jesus Christ being chosen in the premortal life to be our Savior, of our choosing to accept him as our Savior, and of the War in Heaven. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture account, see “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.) Explain that agency is the ability and privilege given to us by Heavenly Father to choose and act for ourselves. We can use our agency to choose right or wrong, but we are responsible for our decisions.

Discussion and Application Questions

Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights.

  • When Heavenly Father asked his spirit children whom he should send to be our Savior, what was the difference between Jesus’ response and Lucifer’s response? (Moses 4:1–2.) How did Lucifer want to change Heavenly Father’s plan? (Moses 4:1, 3; see also enrichment activity 1.)

  • Why did Heavenly Father choose Jesus to be our Savior? (Moses 4:2.) Why did he reject Satan’s offer? (Moses 4:3.)

  • What happened after Heavenly Father chose Jesus as our Savior? (Revelation 12:7.) What happened to Lucifer and the spirits who followed him? (Revelation 12:8–9; D&C 29:36–37; 76:25–27; Abraham 3:28.) What kind of bodies do they have? (Explain that because they rebelled and were cast out of heaven, they will never be able to be born on the earth and have physical bodies.) What are these spirits trying to do now? (Moses 4:4.)

  • How can we avoid being influenced by Satan? (Matthew 26:41; 3 Nephi 18:18; see also enrichment activity 4.) What happens to those who follow Satan in this life? (Alma 30:60.) What happens to those who choose to follow Jesus Christ? (2 Nephi 31:20.)

  • What happened to the spirits who followed Heavenly Father and Jesus? How do you know that in the premortal life you chose to follow Jesus? What can you do to follow Jesus now?

  • What is agency? Why did Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to have our agency? Why is it so important that we use our agency to choose the right? (2 Nephi 2:27.)

Enrichment Activities

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

  1. 1.

    To help the children imagine what it might be like to live under Lucifer’s plan, tell them that for the next few minutes they must do exactly what you say and nothing else (make sure they know they cannot talk). Have them stand and remain standing perfectly still for a few seconds. Then tell each child where to sit. (Do not seat friends near each other.) Tell the children they must sit erect, feet flat to the floor, looking straight ahead, not moving or speaking. Have them hold the position until you tell them otherwise. After about thirty seconds, let them stand again and sit where they want.

    • What would it be like to live under Lucifer’s plan? (Help the children understand that Lucifer wanted us to do exactly as we were told, without being able to decide for ourselves.) Why wouldn’t his idea have worked?

      Have the children talk about how they felt and how they would feel if they were forced to do exactly what they were told to do all day every day. Express your gratitude for the blessing of agency.

  2. 2.

    Write the following choices on separate pieces of paper. Have the children take turns picking a choice and talking about the consequences that come with making that choice. One of the consequences the children might think of is listed in parentheses after the choice.

    • Pray (receive Heavenly Father’s help)

    • Attend church (learn the gospel)

    • Lie (people will not believe you next time)

    • Be cheerful at home (home is a happier place to be)

    • Steal or cheat (lose the influence of the Holy Ghost)

    • Be kind to a new neighbor (make a new friend)

    • Be reverent in church (feel Heavenly Father’s Spirit)

    • Be grouchy at home (family does not get along)

    • Do not keep the Word of Wisdom (damage your body)

    Discuss the consequences, good and bad, that come when we use our agency. Emphasize that Heavenly Father blesses us when we use our agency to make right choices.

  3. 3.

    Discuss and help the children memorize the second article of faith. Help the children see that each of us is responsible for how we use our agency.

  4. 4.

    Prepare a list of situations the children might face when they would need to choose between right and wrong. (See the following list. You could also have the children suggest situations.) Have the children read and discuss them one at a time, or have them role-play each situation. Talk about how we feel when we choose to do wrong and how we feel when we choose to do right.

    1. a.

      A friend encourages you to steal from the store.

    2. b.

      You are about to buy a ticket to a movie when you see an advertisement showing that it is not an appropriate movie.

    3. c.

      Several neighborhood children are unkind to a child.

    4. d.

      You see someone tormenting an animal.

  5. 5.

    Sing or read the words to “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, p. 4) or “I Know My Father Lives” (Children’s Songbook, p. 5).

You may want to bear your testimony about the importance of what Jesus Christ did for us as our Savior. Encourage the children to use their agency wisely by choosing the right.

Suggested Family Sharing

Encourage the children to share with their families a specific part of the lesson, such as a story, question, or activity, or to read with their families the “Suggested Home Reading.”

Suggested Home Reading

Suggest that the children study Moses 4:1–4 at home as a review of this lesson.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer.


text:
Viva Vicenza

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    In this town in northern Italy, the youth know diversity brings zest to life.

    The hot Venetian sun fills the upstairs room where the teenagers are discussing their upcoming activities. They’re using hesitant, mispronounced Italian, broken English, and some French, so the communication can’t help but break down.

    Finally, one of the American boys turns to an Italian boy and translates into German. “Capito!” (understood), the boy replies, and the Young Men/Young Women group continues its discussion.

    In September 1985 the Venice Italy Stake was created and the Vicenza Italian Branch and American Serviceman’s Branch were united to become the Vicenza Ward. Together, the youth of the ward are striving to strengthen their testimonies, grow in the gospel, and become united while overcoming language, cultural, and national barriers that in many parts of the world could seem insurmountable.

    Vicenza is in northern Italy, where cultures have been blending and languages have been mixing, not for centuries but for millennia. In the shadow of the Alps, on the site of an ancient Roman camp not far from the Brenner Pass into northern Europe, Vicenza has been a trading area and cultural melting pot since the third century B.C.

    Vicenza was first conquered by Romans, then by barbarians sweeping out of northern Europe to topple the Roman Empire, then by several medieval city-states, and then absorbed by the Venetian Republic in the 14th century. In the 1800s, it was conquered by Napoleon, then controlled by Austria until it became part of the new Italian nation in 1848.

    The young men and women of the new Vicenza Ward are like the city itself, a montage of backgrounds, personalities, and nationalities. There are Americans whose fathers are stationed at a nearby military base, Italians from several areas of the country, and a German-American family. The youth are enthusiastic and bi- or tri-lingual, and strive to bridge the communication gap that separates them as much as the cultural differences.

    With such diverse backgrounds and languages, Church lessons are different and more condensed than they are in a typical ward. When a missionary is not available to translate a lesson, one of the youth may try to help. But since the young people are more familiar with colloquial terms or schoolbook Italian or English, translating gospel concepts can be quite a challenge.

    Some of the newer and younger youth find it difficult as well as distracting to wait for the translation, and they lose their train of thought. The older students, however, most of whom are studying languages, find this a challenge and a benefit.

    “I really like how it helps me learn English better,” says Denis Evolani, a 15-year-old who is fluent in German and French and is currently studying English.

    Most of the Americans are studying Italian, but many of them are new to Italy and don’t understand much. “I wonder sometimes why I can’t stay where I want to be, where I can understand the language,” says Donna Kennedy, whose family recently arrived in Italy. “But though it’s difficult now, I know that when I leave I’ll wish I didn’t have to.”

    Athena Dayley, a senior at the American High School, is often the translator for the Young Women. She finds it challenging but fun. “It is so neat to be able to talk to someone in another language,” Athena says, “but translating at church is really hard, and I get flustered at times and can’t remember what is being said or comprehend the meaning of what I’m translating. All I’m doing is parroting words.”

    But the youth have discovered that sometimes spiritual moments transcend the language barrier.

    “I seldom cry at movies,” Athena says, “but at girls’ camp the Spirit was so strong that even if I couldn’t understand the words, I couldn’t help but have tears in my eyes.”

    American Marc Dayley, 15, who attended the Young Men camp in the Alps, agrees. “You can feel the Spirit so strongly when someone is speaking about the Church, even if you can’t understand the words,” Marc explained. “Listening to other testimonies at camp really strengthened my own.”

    The youth activities are very difficult to plan because school schedules for the Italian and American nationalities are very different. The Italian youth go to school six days a week, from 8:30 to 12:30, while the Americans attend school on post five days a week, 8:30–3:30, with many extracurricular activities and sports lasting until 6:30.

    The Italians observe “riposo,” when shops and businesses close from 12:30 to 4:00, then reopen until 7:30, and the people often enjoy activities from 8:00 to 11:00 P.M., when most Americans are studying. Stake youth activities are often scheduled on Italian holidays, when American students must go to school. The large boundaries of the stake force many youth to commute an hour by train, so it is very difficult to schedule seminary or activities during the week.

    “There are not as many youth activities here as in the States,” says Marc. “But I like the ward dances we have had where we’ve invited other youth from the stake, even if it’s more challenging to flirt with girls in a foreign language.”

    Some activities, like volleyball, soccer, dancing, and camping, are universal, and can be enjoyed equally by all; while others, like scripture chases, Church knowledge games, and drama, are far more difficult because of the language problems. Food is another thing. Some youth are hesitant to try pumpkin pie, hot dogs, pizza romano (with anchovies), and other foods that may look or taste different. Yet they usually try some of everything and generally admit they like it “a little.”

    These youth enjoy an opportunity to live in Europe and to gain an appreciation of another culture, whether it is the Americans viewing priceless Renaissance art or the Italians learning to play football. But they admit that it’s hard at times to be a member of the Church in Italy.

    “In the States, most people know what the standards of the Church are, so it’s easier there,” Donna explains. “Here there are more temptations because they don’t know automatically what you stand for or what to expect from you.”

    “It’s hard here,” Athena adds. “School activities are set up on Sunday and everyone plays soccer and goes to the movies. Here you’ve got to set your own standards for yourself and stand by them. It has strengthened my testimony.”

    But despite the challenges, the youth are growing in unity, not just as a ward youth group but as citizens of the world. This was brought home forcibly to the young women when they participated in an activity that was conducted worldwide. They tied their written testimonies to balloons and released them into the Italian skies.

    “I thought of all my friends in Arizona,” Donna said, “and I felt close to them, even though we are far away.”

    Living in the mission field, or anywhere in the world as a Mormon youth, is not always easy, nor is gaining a testimony and understanding other cultures and people. But in the Vicenza Ward, the youth are learning to help each other by appreciating each other’s differences and reveling in their similarities.


text:
Wed.Jan 25, 2012

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