A look at an unseen IDP camp (internally displaced persons) in northern Burma/Myanmar. A group of several hundred people from the Ta'ang ethnic group fled this year from fighting near their villages. This short film presents doubts and concerns of President's Thein Sein's peace plans with ethnic armed groups. With growing international attention and investment in Burma, it is important to hear from those most affected by conflict and questionable peace talks.

Some might tell you the only way to manage your association is through a “one size fits all” Association Management System like NOAH. While these tools have their place, they are not the best solution in all situations. In this article, we’ll discuss benefits towards assembling a custom Association Management System using open source tools […]

The post Alternatives to NOAH AMS (Association Management System) appeared first on Psychology of Web Design | 3.7 Blog.

In early 2014 I had just gotten married and recently moved into a new home. With two major life events out of the way, I decided I was ready to lead a WordCamp. I originally planned to organize WordCamp Detroit. I was an organizer twice before and the event had missed a year and I […]

The post 5 Critical Lessons Learned Organizing WordCamp Ann Arbor for the Third Time appeared first on Psychology of Web Design | 3.7 Blog.

You’re hiring a web designer or providing web design services, what’s included in a normal project? In other words, what are the deliverables, and the use of a membership website builder could be essential for this. Let’s start by defining what a deliverable is. Wikipedia defines a deliverable as: …a tangible or intangible good or […]

The post Modern Website Deliverables appeared first on Psychology of Web Design | 3.7 Blog.

Matt Ridley on putting everything in perspective I love this guy… he always has a fresh perspective on things. Daily Photo – Carnival Row at Disney When I was at Disneyland in Anaheim, I thought this would make excellent subject-matter for an HDR shot. This mix of lights and textures usually comes out pretty cool. […]

Deep Learning is a branch of artificial intelligence and a subset of machine learning that focuses on networks capable of, usually, unsupervised learning from unstructured and other forms of data. It is also known as deep structured learning or differential programming. Architectures inspired by deep learning find use in a range of fields, such as...

A study to comparatively examine the effects of sports-related concussions (SRC) on athletes in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the English Premier League (EPL) in terms of incidence, return to play (RTP), performance, and career longevity.

Whether you’re into photography, there are so many basic skills that you can learn when it comes to photo editing that can make a huge difference in your photos and selfies. Between brightening up a photo, changing the size, or cutting something out, there’s always a small thing you wish you could change. In order to do that, you should learn these basic photo editing tools so that you can adjust your photos in the simplest manner. Adobe photoshop If you were to use only one software for photo editing, then it should be none other than Adobe Photoshop. With

The post Learning the Basics of Photo Editing appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

The following is a guest post by Austin Gunter of WPEngine.com. If you’re looking to boost performance for a content-heavy WordPress installation, adding a cache like Varnish is a great way to boost your site’s performance. NB - This is an advanced topic, and only relevant if you have full control over your server (e.g. you're on a VPS). It does not apply to regular webhosting.

Editor’s note: The Gazette sports staff has compiled lists of its top 15 favorite sports movies. Each day, a different staffer will share some insight into one of their favorites. Some of them...

CEDAR RAPIDS — Xavier senior Kaiden Cuevas dedicated a majority of his life to sports, but after three different knee injuries he has decided to stop playing and focus on training other...

Iowa athletics director Gary Barta began Thursday’s meeting of the UI’s presidential committee on athletics with two numbers: It’s been 56 days since the coronavirus pandemic shut...

The team will be offering carry-out ballpark food to fans on Fridays with orders placed during business hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays

CEDAR RAPIDS — You weren’t taken out to the ballgame or the crowd. You couldn’t get Cracker Jack, though you could get peanuts. Not to mention hot dogs and bacon cheeseburgers, a...

CEDAR FALLS — Like many high school seniors across the country, Norwalk’s Bowen Born is unsure when he’ll be able to get on campus at the University of Northern Iowa and begin...

Hobbies can be more than fun, they can make you money, too. Read our eight-step guide to learn how to turn your hobby into a business & make money online!

The post Turn Your Hobby into a Business in 8 Steps appeared first on WooCommerce.

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County Fair has canceled grounds and grandstand entertainment at this year because of the novel coronavirus and is looking at ways youths could exhibit their...

DES MOINES — The Iowa Supreme Court has asked a group of criminal and civil lawyers, judges and court staff from judicial districts across the state to make recommendations on how criminal and...

A man suspected of a workplace shooting last month at a vinyl window manufacturer in southwest Cedar Rapids turned himself into authorities Friday. Jamal Devonte Edwards, 26, has been wanted since...

JOHN "JOHNNY" BJORNSEN Cedar Rapids

John "Johnny" Bjornsen, 68, passed away Saturday, May 2, 2020, after a brief battle with COVID-19. John was born in 1951 to John and Lucille Bjornsen in Cedar Rapids. He attended Harrison, Roosevelt and Jefferson schools and graduated in 1970. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Army and served two years in South Korea. In his earlier working years, he was employed by Harnischfeger and General Mills. In his later years, he did volunteer work for a few organizations, including Horizons. John was an avid bicycle rider and enjoyed going to garage sales, usually with Sheree. He is survived by his daughter, Christie Bjornsen of Davenport; two sisters, Linda Cornelius of Clinton and Sheree Bjornsen of Cedar Rapids; nieces Hollie Bjornsen of Cedar Rapids and Cadence Cornelius (Eli) of St. Paul; and long-term friend, Donna Miller of Marion. A memorial of life and family gathering will be held at a later date to be announced. To share a thought memory or condolence with his family, please visit the funeral home website at www.gayandciha.com. Johnny will be missed by all who knew him.

BERNADINE "BERN" CAROLINE MCDONALD ROUSHAR
Cedar Rapids

Bernadine "Bern" Caroline McDonald Roushar, 86, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, May 2, 2020. A private graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Cedar Rapids. A Funeral Mass will be held at a later date.
Bern was the second oldest of six daughters born to John and Mary McDonald in Victor, Iowa, where she grew up. She married John E. "Jack" Roushar on Aug. 12, 1953.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two sisters and several in-laws.
Jack and Bern founded Roushar Pharmacy in Cedar Rapids in 1970. She volunteered and was a gift shop buyer at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids for 30 years.
She is survived by her daughter, Brenda Roushar (John) Cooney and five grandchildren, Jacklyn Caroline Cooney, Julie and Darryn Records, and John and Candace Cooney; three sisters and spouse's; and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Mercy Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary. Condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.

After more than a decade in the making, the Tea Party moment has finally arrived.

The movement originated in 2009 as a challenge to runaway taxes, spending and regulation. Organizers sought to restore the constitutional balance of power between the states and the federal government.

Eventually, the Tea Party devolved into a catchall for right-wing populism, and a magnet for xenophobes and culture warriors. In 2016, its early adherents overwhelmingly fell in line with President Donald Trump, choosing protectionism over freedom.

But that original Tea Party spirit — the charge to buck the national government in favor of local control — was on full display recently from two unlikely sources.

Trump decided early on in the coronavirus pandemic that the federal government would not centrally coordinate the purchase and distribution of medical supplies. That might have worked fine, except the Trump administration actively undermined state governments’ efforts. The federal government has outbid state buyers and even seized products from states.

After 3 million masks ordered by the Massachusetts governor were confiscated in New York, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker decided to sidestep the usual procurement process. He sent a New England Patriots’ private airplane to bring supplies back from China.

In Maryland, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan coordinated a large COVID-19 test order from South Korea. The delivery was facilitated by the National Guard and state police, and the tests were put in a secure location with armed security.

“We guarded that cargo from whoever might interfere with us getting that to our folks that needed it,” Hogan said last week in an interview with Washington Post Live.

Hogan and Baker don’t fit the common perception of the Tea Party mold. They both have harshly criticized President Donald Trump and supported the impeachment inquiry. Hogan openly considered challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.

They are among the last vestiges of moderate conservatism in American executive office, and yet they are the ones waging a battle over federalism and states’ rights.

The political minds built for this moment — the ones who have long fantasized about escalating the state-federal power struggle — are not up to the task. The conservative firebrands who should be taking up this fight instead are beholden to Trump and whatever cockamamie plans he comes up with.

At a news conference last month, Trump made a striking claim about his powers in managing the public health crisis: “When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s total.”

That should have been a flashpoint for conservatives, the beginning of a revitalized Tea Party that recognizes the enormous threat Trumpism poses to our values.

But it wasn’t. Loyalists brushed it off, again, as Trump misspeaking.

The small-government philosophy is founded on the likelihood that the levers of government power will eventually be grabbed by some menace, an incompetent or malicious figure. But when that menace is your friend, your fundraiser and your public relations manager, it proves hard to slap his hand away.

adam.sullivan@thegazette.com; (319) 339-3156

I have been a Johnson County resident since 1977. I grew up in Clear Lake, a small farming community in North Central Iowa. I came to Iowa City after being recruited by Dan Gable to wrestle for the University of Iowa Hawkeye wrestling team and placed 3rd place in the 1980 NCAA Division I.

I met my wife Teresa and we settled in Iowa City. I have two children, Melissa, 36, and Anthony, 25; and grandchildren Emma, 9, Ellie and Emilia, 4-month-old twin girls, and Jack, who passed two just before his 2nd birthday. I am a cancer survivor and support cancer research and patient support.

I was a maintenance supervisor at the old Cantebury Inn, I owned and operated Advance Property Management for 23 years and drove a school bus for First Student, Inc. While working at First Student I was one of the driving forces in the campaign for the workers to unionize with the Teamsters. I was asked to join the Teamsters as a full-time organizer after the campaign, which I did for 13 years. I found my calling as an organizer because I was able to help others stand up for themselves and really change their lives.

I made the decision to run for Johnson County supervisor because we need to bring some common sense back to Johnson County government, and run a smarter government that works for all. The supervisors need to oversee the county departments better to stop wasting county funds paying settlements to individuals because of illegal action by department employees. Rules are for everyone and if you work outside the rules there will be costs and consequences.

I want to bring new blood to the board as well as new ideas. County supervisor is a public service position of honor and trust. Being a supervisor is about following through on jobs you were elected to do for the people. The supervisors need to finish jobs that they started but never completed. You should never leave a job half done!

I hope the voters agree the Johnson County Board of Supervisors need to answer to the public for their actions and their employees. We can no long just “sweep issues under the rug.”

Dean Phinney is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Johnson County Board of Supervisors.

Another day, another devastating new uptick in Iowa’s COVID-19 figures.

Several times in the past few weeks, Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced a new daily high in Iowa’s positive COVID-19 tests or deaths. On Tuesday, yet another striking record — 19 deaths in a 24-hour period, or nearly 10 percent of the state’s total COVID-19 deaths to date.

For a governor who says she is staking her pandemic response on data and metrics, those grim numbers don’t seem to weigh heavily on Reynolds’ decision-making.

“The fact is we can’t prevent people from getting the COVID-19 virus,” Reynolds said at her Tuesday news conference. “If we weren’t testing in these areas, people would still have the virus and without being tested, diagnosed and isolated it could spread even further.”

In one breath, Reynolds tells Iowans we are helpless to stop the virus’s spread. In the very next breath, she explains how testing and isolation can help prevent the spread.

It’s just one example of the confusing guidance Iowans are getting from the governor and her team. Iowans looking for answers about how to protect themselves and their families are finding seemingly conflicting answers.

They report we have reached the peak, only to backtrack. They say we’re in this together and there’s a statewide plan to confront the outbreak, but then they tell us it’s really about “personal responsibility.” They tell us to stay home as much as possible, then pivot to emphasizing the need for people who feel sick to stay home.

Sometimes, it almost feels as if Reynolds is blaming Iowans for getting sick.

Early on, Reynolds used a regional strategy to track the virus, based on factors such as hospitalizations and health care resources in six multicounty regions across the state. That approach has been brushed aside with little explanation to the public.

Instead, Iowa now has “open” and “closed” counties — 22 where significant restrictions remain intact, and 77 where businesses can open in a limited manner. After less than a week under the county-by-county strategy, there are early signs that the 77 counties are seeing an uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

• Gov. Reynolds is disrupting her own virus response plan

Reynolds’ response in this phase of the pandemic is just as crucial as the initial phase, to prevent a deadlier wave. Shifting to the personal responsibility path also decentralizes leadership, which creates more uncertainty.

If Iowa’s “open” counties see a surge, will Reynolds relent and reimpose restrictions?

We have reason to doubt it. Just this week, Reynolds co-authored a Washington Post guest column with other governors, arguing “our approach worked.”

In Reynolds’ mind, she has already defeated the virus, so she’s retreating from the fight. That’s bad news for Iowans who are still very much on the front lines of this pandemic.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County Fair has canceled grounds and grandstand entertainment at this year because of the novel coronavirus and is looking at ways youths could exhibit their work.

“After consulting with Linn County Public Health, the Linn County Board of Supervisors, and other stakeholders, it was determined this was the best decision due to the uncertainty of what the public health situation may look like at the end of June,” Albert Martin, Linn County Fair Board president, said Thursday in a statement.

The fair was scheduled June 24-28.

The Linn County Fair Association said it is working with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Linn County and Linn County 4-H to determine how 4-H and FFA members and other youths will exhibit their work. Those details — which could include in-person or virtual exhibiting — are expected to be finalized and announced in mid-May.

Tom Barnes, executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs, told The Gazette on Thursday that the Benton County Fair also was canceled for 2020.

Organizers for the Wapello County Fair in south-central Iowa previously announced they would not host the fair this year.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com

DES MOINES — The Iowa Supreme Court has asked a group of criminal and civil lawyers, judges and court staff from judicial districts across the state to make recommendations on how criminal and civil jury trials will resume with coronavirus health restrictions.

The court is asking the 17-member Jumpstart Jury Trials Task Force to develop temporary policies and procedures for jury trials that will ensure the “fundamental rights of a defendant” to a jury trial, while at the same time “protecting the health and safety” of the jurors, attorneys, judges and the public, said Des Moines lawyer Guy Cook, co-chairman of the task force.

The court, Cook said Thursday, has put together a “good cross-section” of professionals who have experience with civil and criminal trials.

Task force members are:

• Associate Supreme Court Justice Mark McDermott, chairman

• Guy Cook, Des Moines criminal and civil attorney, co-chairman

• 4th Judicial District Judge Michael Hooper

• 5th Judicial District Judge David Porter

• Angela Campbell, Des Moines criminal defense attorney

• Jim Craig, Cedar Rapids civil attorney, president of Iowa Defense Counsel Association

• Janietta Criswell, clerk and jury manager, 8th Judicial District, Ottumwa

• Kathy Gaylord, district court administrator, 7th Judicial District, Davenport

• Patrick Jennings, Woodbury county attorney, Sioux City

• Julie Kneip, clerk of court, 2nd Judicial District, Fort Dodge

• Bill Miller, Des Moines civil attorney, chairman of Iowa State Bar Association litigation

• Todd Nuccio, Iowa state court administrator

• Jerry Schnurr, Fort Dodge civil attorney and president-elect of Iowa State Bar Association

• Jennifer Solberg, Woodbury County chief public defender

• Chad Swanson, Waterloo civil attorney, president of Iowa Association of Justice

• Brian Williams, Black Hawk county attorney

• Mark Headlee, information technology director of Iowa Judicial Branch

The committee will review the current schedule to resume jury trials that the court has established in consultation with public health officials and other health care providers, and recommend whether the schedule should be altered, according to the court’s order.

Jury criminal trials can resume July 13 and civil trials Aug. 3, according to the order.

The task force also will make recommendations for how those trials should proceed, according to the court’s order.

Members should develop policies and procedures aimed at protecting the health and safety of jurors, court staff, attorneys, judges and visitors throughout the trial process, particularly during the identification of potential jurors, summons of potential jurors, jury selection, trials, jury instructions and jury deliberations.

Cook said members will have to consider the challenges for each type of trial. More jurors, for example, are needed in a criminal case, so space and logistics will have to be considered with social distancing requirements.

That will be more difficult in the rural courthouses that have less space.

A pool of 80 to 100 potential jurors are sometimes summoned for felony trials in larger counties, but that, too, may be a challenge with social distancing.

Another possibility would be requiring masks, but how will a mask affect the credibility of a witness if it hides the person’s facial expressions, Cook said.

These are all issues the members may encounter.

Steve Davis, Iowa Judicial Branch spokesman, said the goal is one uniform statewide plan, but it’s possible that each district may have some discretion, as in the previous orders issued during this pandemic, because of the differences in each county.

Davis said the task force members were chosen based on gender, background and geographic area.

The recommendations should be submitted to the court the first week in June.

Davis said he didn’t yet know when the task force would start meeting by phone or video conference or how often.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com

A man suspected of a workplace shooting last month at a vinyl window manufacturer in southwest Cedar Rapids turned himself into authorities Friday.

Jamal Devonte Edwards, 26, has been wanted since two men were shot at Associated Materials, 3801 Beverly Rd. SW, the morning of April 9.

Cedar Rapids police had indicated Edwards was wanted in particular for the shooting of Mark Robertson, 36.

Edwards faces charges of attempted murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent and willful injury.

The U.S. Marshals Service helped locate Edwards, distributing a photo of Edwards along the Gulf Coast. He was located in Mobile, Ala. when his father brought him to the Mobile police department so he could turn himself in, according to a Cedar Rapids police news release.

The April 9 shooting was reported at 5:03 a.m. after two employees were shot at Associated Materials. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police said at the time it appeared the shooter knew the two men.

Shawn Hardy, senior vice president of integrated products for Associated Materials, confirmed Edwards worked at the Cedar Rapids business, which gave him access to the building, but said he had been employed through a temp agency.

It has almost been two months. First, allow me to apologize for not providing any updates during this time. As … Continue reading Returning to Our Community Roots →

This trip solidified my conviction to learning photography. A lot has happened since this shot was taken.
Can you pinpoint the moment you decided to pursue photography? (at Toronto, Ontario)

Internet of Things, wat betekend dat voor informatie in de gebouwde omgeving? Hoe kan een bewegwijzering systeem hiervan onderdeel uitmaken?

Een unieke dag in London met sprekers over ontwerp, innovatie en samenwerking. Vanuit verschillende oogpunten worden de onderwerpen besproken in uitdagende sessies met grote interactie met het publiek.

Today's processors contain billions of heat-generating transistors in an ever shrinking space. The power budget might go from:

• 1000 watts on a specialized server
• 100 watts on desktops
• 30 watts on laptops
• 5 watts on tablets
• 1 or 2 watts on a phone
• 100 milliwatts on an embedded system

That's

Block patterns are unique, predefined combinations of blocks you can use and tweak to create stunningly designed sections of your website.

https://thenextweb.com/growth-quarters/2020/05/08/should-designers-learn-how-to-code-syndication/

Researchers are warning that the coronavirus pandemic could inflict long-lasting emotional trauma on an unprecedented global scale. They say it could leave millions wrestling with debilitating psychological disorders while dashing hopes for a swift economic recovery.

“It will get easier after you adjust."After receiving a traumatic brain injury from a car crash two years ago, the Los Angeles-based journalist Amanda Chicago Lewis has lived in social isolation. Because of stay-at-home orders to reduce the spread of COVID-19, more people are now living in similar circumstances. Below, Lewis shares how she’s adapted her apartment, her routine, and her habits to cope with being at home for extended periods of time.

Language sets humans apart in the animal world. Language allows us to communicate complex ideas and emotions.  But too often after brain injury be it stroke or trauma, language is lost. 

In today’s Adobe Photoshop tutorial I’m going to show you how to turn anything into gold using this simple combination of Photoshop filters and tools. The effect smooths out the details of a regular image and adds an array of shiny reflections to mimic the appearance of a polished metal statue. A gradient overlay gives […]

The post Video Tutorial: How to Turn Anything into Gold in Photoshop appeared first on Spoon Graphics.

It’s that time of year when Spoon Graphics gets a little older, with 2020 marking 13 years of tutorial creating, freebie sharing and article writing on what started as a blog that was attached to my portfolio website in 2007. Every April I take some time to reflect on the past 12 months and talk […]

The post Spoon Graphics Turns 13 Years Old — Traffic Down, Subscribers Up! appeared first on Spoon Graphics.

Language sets humans apart in the animal world. Language allows us to communicate complex ideas and emotions.  But too often after brain injury be it stroke or trauma, language is lost. 

Patterns can be a powerful way to quickly add some real texture to your artwork with very minimal effort. In one-click you have beautiful texture overlays that will...

The post Seamless Vector Subtle Grunge Patterns appeared first on Function Design Blog.

Get in on the hand-drawn vector illustration trend without leaving the digital realm with this fun and tropical pattern tutorial. Tutorial Details: 7 Steps for Easy Flat Work Hand-Drawn Vector Design Program: Adobe Illustrator CS6 – CC Difficulty: Intermediate Topics Covered: Design Theory, Drawing Skills, Tracing Panel Estimated Completion Time: 15 Minutes Final Image: Hand-drawn Vector […]

The post 7 Steps to Create Hand-drawn Vector Patterns appeared first on Vectips.

Many photographers think that learning how to find the ideal location and take a picture at the right time is all they need to know. However, this isn’t the case, and in a world where CGI rivals reality and touch-ups via photo editing software are now seen as a necessity to customers, relying on point and click will kill your photography business. Here are seven reasons every photographer should learn how to use Photoshop.   Royalty Free Photo Touch-Ups Are Essential When a family orders school photos, they pay a flat fee for copies of the school pictures and a little more if the child’s name is embossed on the picture. They pay a separate fee if the picture is touched up, whether it is hiding acne or reducing glare on the child’s glasses. Photographers who know how to touch up photos without making it look artificial or cartoonish can ... Read more

The post 7 Reasons Every Photographer Should Learn How to Use Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography Tutorials.

Over at All Things Photo, I’ve shared a video detailing a scam targeting photographers selling prints online. Also included in the video are 7 tips to avoid being scammed online. While the video is on the long side it’s worth a listen to protect yourself and learn the limitations of fraud protection with your bank and insurance companies. If you’re driving you can also listen to the podcast recording via the All Things Photo podcast. If you haven’t already I welcome you to follow All Things Photo on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

By Lauren McCauley Common Dreams At this rate, plastics production will account for 20 percent of total oil consumption and 15 percent of the global annual carbon budget by 2050. The weight of plastic waste clogging the world’s oceans threatens … Continue reading →