ZOSO not disrupting sporting life in Mount Salem
The Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) that has been declared in Mount Salem, St James has not disrupted sporting activities in the football-loving community. The community’s vibrant corner-league competition was completed Sunday while players, especially schoolboys, who are currently preparing for the rural daCosta Cup competition have no difficulty traversing to and from the community Daniel Ricketts, Wadadah Football Club’s coach, says although they have not trained at Mount Salem for years, he has players living there and says there is not much sign normal life has changed much. “We don’t have a lot of players there, only a few. It is not affecting us. We have not started training, but I have seen the players,” he said. “They (community) had their corner league and the final on Sunday went well, so things are good.” Winsome Barnes, president of the Mount Salem Community Development Committee (CDC) and organiser of the corner league, said the operation has had very little effect on the summer competition and the main problem residents are now facing was lack of proper identification. “Those who are having problems are the ones who don’t have any IDs. They have no National ID, driver’s licence or passport, they have nothing. So they have to talk to the officers,” she said. Although the match venue is not located within the zone, most residents and teams taking part are from the side of the community being curfewed, but still the turnout for games was no less than in the past. “We had a fabulous corner league final. Clarke Street is in the zone and is one of teams that would have been affected, but their supporters were out in droves for the final,” she noted. Cornwall College’s coach, Dr Dean Weatherly, though admitting he knew very little about the Mount Salem situation, says players who reside there have no problem getting to and from training and have shown no sign that the operation is having a negative effect on their daily lives. “The students are coming to training, so it is not really affecting them,” Weatherly said.
“The serious concerns raised by the trustees’ report demand the attention of America’s policy-makers and the public,” Snow said. But Democrats charged that the administration was using the report to try to create an air of crisis to make radical changes to the two benefit programs. “There is no crisis,” said Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif. “There remains plenty of time to mend rather than end Medicare.” While the depletion of the reserves built up over past years is projected to occur in 12 years for Medicare and 34 years for Social Security, both programs will face financing issues much sooner at the point when the amount paid out each year exceeds the amount the government collects to fund them. For Medicare, that occurred for the year of 2004. However, the program is projected to be in the black again this year before crossing over to paying out more than it takes in permanently in 2006 and the years after that. For Social Security, the point at which the program will pay out more in benefits than it takes in will occur in 2017, the trustees projected, the same as in last year’s report. The one-year faster depletion of Social Security trust funds occurred because the government changed assumptions – to a slightly lower average of 2.9 percent rather than 3 percent as the inflation-adjusted return for the trust’s government bonds. The faster exhaustion of the Medicare trust fund occurred because of rising prices for hospital care and greater utilization of the program by sick people. The trustees estimated that in 2040 when the Social Security trust fund is depleted, it will be able to pay 74 percent of benefits from the taxes then imposed on workers. The trustees estimated that the monthly Part B premium, which Medicare beneficiaries must pay to cover insurance for doctor visits, will have to rise by about 11 percent next year, to $98.20, after an increase this year of 12 percent. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said in a joint printed statement that the projected increase for next year, if it comes about, would mark the fourth double-digit advance in Medicare premiums. They said they would introduce legislation to cap future increases to the amount that the Consumer Price Index rises in a given year. Last year, consumer prices rose 3.4 percent. The trustees’ report reduced the estimate for the cost of the new drug prescription benefit in Medicare, which went into effect this year, by around 20 percent, attributing part of this to the fact that people are signing up for less costly plans. Democratic critics said Bush’s drive to make the tax cuts of his first term permanent should be viewed in the context of the funding shortfalls for Social Security and Medicare. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said if Congress approved Bush’s request to make his tax cuts permanent and enacted a permanent fix for the alternative minimum tax, which was designed to tax the wealthy but is falling on more middle-class taxpayers, the cumulative revenue shortfall would be equal to 2 percent of the total economy over a 75-year period. That is three times the shortfall estimated by the trustees for Social Security over the same period, Reed said.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREOregon Ducks football players get stuck on Disney ride during Rose Bowl eventTheir joint statement says the projected long-term growth rates for both Social Security and Medicare are not “sustainable under current financing arrangements.” The trust funds contain the equivalent of government IOUs. To raise the actual cash to meet obligations, the government borrows more money from the public by issuing marketable Treasury securities, raising taxes or cutting spending in other programs. Bush tried last year to overhaul Social Security with the introduction of private investment accounts for younger workers, but the idea went nowhere in Congress. Democrats attacked the Bush program as a hidden effort to cut future benefits. In this year’s State of the Union address, Bush asked Congress to create a bipartisan commission to study entitlement reform. But even this modest proposal has not generated much interest, in part because lawmakers do not want to address entitlement reforms in a congressional election year. Treasury Secretary John Snow, the chairman of the trustees group, said the new report depicts “a looming fiscal crisis as the baby-boom generation moves into retirement,” and he urged Congress to act. WASHINGTON – The trustees for the government’s two biggest benefit programs said Monday that the trust fund for Social Security will be depleted in 2040, a year earlier than expected, while Medicare will exhaust its trust fund just 12 years from now. The annual report showed deterioration in the financial condition of both programs although the problems in Medicare were depicted as more serious because of the skyrocketing costs for health care. A year ago, the depletion of the Social Security trust fund had been projected to occur in 2041, one year later than the current estimate, and the Medicare hospital insurance fund had been forecast to last until 2020, two years longer than the current estimate. The trustees, who include the head of the Social Security Administration and three members of President George W. Bush’s Cabinet, painted a somber assessment of the health of the two programs in advance of the looming retirements of 78 million baby boomers. 
Capitol Weekly reported last week that the cost to buy television time has gone up by as much as 50 percent in just the past three weeks. That means the cost of a significant statewide television buy has gone from $2 million to $3 million a week. And as tough as it is for Angelides, imagine what it means for the down-ticket races, where it is already difficult for candidates to raise funds and get any attention for their campaigns. In the meantime, the Schwarzenegger campaign continues to portray itself as above the day-to-day fray and has been bolstered by two recent polls showing him with leads among voters ranging from 10 to 17 percentage points. The campaign is continuing to caution restraint, however, amid expectations of a low voter turnout and Angelides moving up in the polls as Election Day nears. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa got a fair amount of attention last week when he was one of the celebrity models at a fashion show. Villaraigosa donned a Hugo Boss suit as he sashayed down the catwalk. It was an odd situation for the mayor, who boasts of being able to wear suits off the rack and never paying more than wholesale. How low is interest in the Nov. 7 election? So low that the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils was forced to cancel a forum last week on the City Council’s term limits/ethics reform proposal because of lack of public response. Organizers said only about 75 people responded to an invitation that normally would have attracted response from more than 200 people. Then, too, they couldn’t even get a supporter of the measure to appear on its behalf. rick.orlov@dailynews.com (213) 978-0390160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! If there is one lesson of Los Angeles that never changes it is this: Money talks. Nowhere may that be more true than at the University of Southern California, which announced last week that several notable alumni will be among those honored at its annual Celebration of Leadership dinner. The featured guest is golfing legend Arnold Palmer, graduate of Wake Forest University, who is being saluted for his work with nonprofit organizations. Also on the list is Beverly Hills real estate developer Alan I. Casden, who a year ago was embroiled in one of the money-laundering scandals involving former Mayor James Hahn. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORESurfer attacked by shark near Channel Islands calls rescue a ‘Christmas miracle’Casden was never accused of wrongdoing, but his firm and associates ended up paying more than $147,000 in penalties to the city Ethics Commission for exceeding campaign contributions. USC officials said they had no comment on that situation. They said it did not factor into their decision to honor Casden, a 1968 graduate of the USC Leventhal School of Accounting. Casden is being presented with the Vanguard Award recognizing “an individual who is on the forefront of business and civic activities,” USC said in a press release. “These outstanding … alumni exhibit the true essence of leadership, vision, integrity, commitment, courage, confidence and strength of character.” As if he didn’t have enough problems trying to catch up with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democratic challenger Phil Angelides finds the cost of television ads escalating dramatically. 
Premier League Team of the Season so far, including Liverpool and Leicester stars REPLY Every time Ally McCoist lost it on air in 2019, including funny XI reactions BEST OF Berahino hits back at b******t Johnson criticism – ‘I was in a dark place at Stoke’ Ronaldo warned Lukaku how hard scoring goals in Serie A would be before Inter move Son ban confirmed as Tottenham fail with appeal to overturn red card “talkSPORT and talkSPORT2 are providing best-in-class live commentary and coverage to millions of football fans across the UK. Our hugely talented teams now have an unrivalled opportunity to deliver Premier League football to more listeners than ever.The talkSPORT network also has an exclusive global rights partnership with the Premier League until 2022, meaning talkSPORT can provide official live and on-demand audio coverage of all 380 Premier League matches to listeners around the world outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland. The network is also the exclusive home of the EFL – including the play-off finals – as well as holding rights across the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup in the UK.With nearly three million listeners, talkSPORT is the world’s biggest sports radio station and has been winning exclusive rights across a variety of sports, including football, cricket and boxing, ranging from the FIFA World Cup™ to Anthony Joshua’s biggest bouts. REVEALED 2 no dice ADVICE Oxlade-Chamberlain suffers another setback as Klopp confirms serious injury talkSPORT and talkSPORT2 have rights to broadcast Premier League games across all three time slots on Saturday – 12.30pm, 3pm and 5.30pm – delivering award-winning coverage to more game day listeners than ever.talkSPORT has also picked up exclusive rights for all matches scheduled to kick off at 12 noon on Sunday.Wireless CEO Scott Taunton said: “talkSPORT is now the game day destination for live Premier League action. We’ve consolidated our position as the Premier League’s only national commercial radio partner, winning more games and a key new slot on Saturday lunchtime, meaning we’re the only radio network delivering live coverage from the first kick to the final whistle on Saturday. LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS talkSPORT will now offer more Premier League games than ever before – and become the go-to destination for live action on Saturdays.The Wireless network has today been awarded three Premier League live radio broadcast rights packages for the next three seasons to 2022. Which teams do the best on Boxing Day in the Premier League era? shining Where Ancelotti ranks with every Premier League boss for trophies won talkSPORT will broadcast more live Premier League games than ever before huge blow REVEALED 2 talkSPORT will show more live Premier League games than ever before From Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist at breakfast through to live coverage of the biggest games with the voice of football himself, John Motson, as well as Sam Matterface, Jim Proudfoot, Stuart Pearce, Ally McCoist and Ray Houghton, talkSPORT is the station for football fans.The station delivered coverage to listeners all day and all night at last Summer’s FIFA World Cup™ with over 800 hours of World Cup content and all 64 games live across the talkSPORT network.talkSPORT’s sister station talkSPORT 2, has won plaudits for its England cricket coverage of the Sri Lanka tour, bagging the Best Live Sports Broadcast Award at the Sports Journalism Awards. The coverage won plaudits for the quality of its output, delivering uninterrupted live play. The station also has the exclusive rights for all of England’s major overseas tours until 2021.In January, Wireless appointed Lee Clayton – formerly Head of Sport at the Daily Mail Group – as Head of talkSPORT, with a remit to ensure the best coverage of the greatest sporting fixtures in the UK. And the two stations recently moved into new start-of-the-art studios in The News Building, welcoming England Football Manager Gareth Southgate as a guest on day one.
Top scorer in 2019: Messi, Mbappe and Sterling trailing Europe’s top marksman AFP or licensors LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS Ray Parlour urges Arsenal to appoint Carlo Ancelotti as their new managerStandard Liege vs Arsenal: Team newsLjungberg has welcomes Konstantinos Mavropanos and Matteo Guendouzi to the starting XI.Youngsters Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe have also been given the nod.Meanwhile, Alexandre Lacazette leads the line for the Gunners ahead of main striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.Standard Liege: Bodart, Fai, Vanheusden, Laifis, Gavory, Cimirot, Bastien, Amallah, Mpoku, Carcela, EmondSubs: Gillet, Lavalee, Cop, Boljevic, Lestienne, Avenatti, VojvodaArsenal: Martinez, Sokratis, Luiz, Mavropanos, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Guendouzi, Saka, Nelson, Smith Rowe, LacazetteSubs: Leno, Chambers, Medley, Olayinka, John-Jules, Martinelli, Aubameyang Arsenal take on Liege this evening and know only a 5-0 defeat would see them eliminated from Europe’s secondary competition.But the north Londoners will want to build on Monday’s result and make sure they top Group F. Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 1:09Loaded: 14.34%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -1:09 Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedAudio Tracken (Main), selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -0:00 Playback Rate1xFullscreen Standard Liege vs Arsenal: How to listenThe Group F clash will get under way at 5:55pm on Thursday, December 12.Full coverage from the Stade Maurice Dufrasne will be live on talkSPORT 2, with Alex Crook and Jermaine Pennant bringing you the live build-up and commentary from 5pm.To tune in, just click here for the live stream or click the radio player below.You can also listen through the talkSPORT App, on DAB Digital Radio or on MW 1053 or 1089.For more information about how to listen LIVE on talkSPORT 2 click here.Standard Liege vs Arsenal: What has been said?Freddie Ljungberg claims he has yet to hold talks with senior figures at Arsenal over the full-time managerial vacancy.“That’s not a conversation I’ve had with the bosses,” he said when asked if he still saw himself in the running.“My job is to go from day to day, game to game, to try to help this fantastic club. That’s what I try to do. All of those decisions are up to the top dogs.“I’ve been asked this question a lot since I took over and I just try to concentrate on my job – that is to win football games and get us to play better football.“What the club decides to do or who they choose it is totally up to them but I stay totally out of it.” Freddie Ljungberg will be looking to claim his second win as Arsenal boss when they face Belgian side Standard Liege in their final Europa League group game.Ljungberg oversaw the Gunners’ first victory since 24 October when they beat West Ham 3-1 in the Premier League on Monday night. on target 1 Freddie Ljungberg’s Arsenal take on Standard Liege tonight 
Should Celtic advance to the knockout stages, as they did in 2012/13, they would make an immediate €5.5m.Reaching the group stage would ensure a record payout for Celtic.They earned €23.7m in 2012/13 when they got to the last 16 and faced Juventus, and €17.6m when they played in the group stages in the following season.The club would also benefit further from ticket sales, which are projected typically to raise £2m to £3m per fixture.Other Premiership sides could also benefit from a payout if Celtic reach the group stage.A solidarity payment is made to leagues with Champions League participants. £1.5m was shared between the other 11 top flight teams in season 2013/14. Celtic are poised to net a minimum of €25m should they qualify for the Champions League group stage.Vastly increased payouts are on offer since their last involvement in the competition in 2013/14, both in participation money and TV cash.Defeating Hapoel Be’er Sheva and reaching the groups will immediately net the Scottish champions €14m.A near-£900m broadcast deal signed with BT Sport, which started last season, has significantly increased the “market pool” payment to clubs, which is distributed based on the value of the TV market a club resides. Celtic are counted as part of the UK market because there is no Scottish broadcasting deal with UEFA. The value of the UK pot is still unconfirmed, but projections place it at anything between €110m and €125m.As part of a deal with UEFA, Scotland’s group stage participants are guaranteed a fixed 10% of the UK pot. Even in the worst case scenario, Celtic stand to make €11m in TV cash.Added to the participation money which is set in stone, victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side against their Israeli opposition should net them upwards of €25m.The potential payouts do not end there. Clubs net €1.5m per win in the group stage and €500,000 per draw.
So the 32-year-old Scot is relaxed about his prospects of returning to anywhere near the heights which saw him win three grand-slam singles titles.“There were a number of times over the last 18 months where I did want to stop, I didn’t want to play anymore, I was getting no enjoyment out of tennis at all,” he said.“Now, I like playing tennis. I’m a fan of the sport, I played it as a kid and I want to keep playing if I can.“I didn’t know how I was going to feel if I went and had the operation but it’s been brilliant, completely life-changing for me from where I was. Andy Murray revealed his hip operation has been “life-changing” as he prepares to make his return to competitive tennis.Former world number one Murray has entered the doubles at Queen’s Club with Feliciano Lopez in what will be his first taste of action since undergoing surgery in January.Next week’s Fever-Tree Championships represent the first tentative steps towards resurrecting a career which Murray feared was over due to a chronic hip condition.Such was the pain Murray was in he considered quitting the sport on more than one occasion. “Yes it would be nice to be winning Wimbledon and things like that, but hardly anyone gets the opportunity to do that, and there are loads of players who still love and enjoy the sport without winning the biggest competitions.“I would hope that I would be able to deal with that and enjoy it.”Murray and Lopez will face Colombian top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah when the tournament gets under way.“I don’t know how I’m going to feel when I get back on the court, but I feel lucky, I feel relaxed, I didn’t expect to be in this position,” added Murray.“I’m looking forward to getting back out there but I don’t know what to expect. I’m not putting any expectations on myself because just being out on a tennis court again, and being comfortable and pain free, is enough.“I’ll enjoy competing. I enjoyed practising, hitting tennis balls, doing all the things I couldn’t do even a few months ago, so we’ll see what happens.”
Share This!There are many, many (many!) tourist attractions in Washington, D.C. and we will eventually get to just about all of them on this blog (whether you like it or not). In honor the recent release of the all-new Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C., I’ve decided to highlight a tour that we found to be both excellent and altogether surprising: The Diplomatic Rooms at the United States Department of State.The State Department resides within a gigantic, blocky building in D.C.’s Foggy Bottom district and the exterior does not divulge the spectacular rooms within. You are asked to arrive 30 minutes early in order to make it through security and let me tell you that they will not delay the tour. Len, Laurel, and I underestimated the distance we needed to walk and got to the security shed about 5 minutes prior to our tour time. There was a tense few minutes where the security staff had to make a few calls to see if we’d be allowed in. Luckily our collective charm won them over and we made it in.Much like walking up to the building, the initial foray in the foyer doesn’t make it seem special either. A typical government building entry and sterile hallway is where you meet the group. From there you are brought up to the top floor of the building where everything changes.Exiting the elevator takes you into what looks like a cross between an elegant hotel and a museum. From there a guide walks you through each of the six rooms explaining each of the many, many antique pieces on display. Most are American made and many are pre-revolution. Unfortunately none of the pieces had museum-style placards to photograph and I didn’t take notes, so I cannot describe many specifics. I can tell you though, that most of what these rooms hold range from very expensive to priceless.The tour begins in the Entrance Hall that is based on the interiors of Carter’s Grove and Westover, two Georgian plantation houses in Virginia. Unfortunately I don’t have photos of the Entrance Hall, partially because it was hard to take photos of the small room with the group in there, partially because I’m a dummy and sometimes forget I’m carrying a camera. Anyway, from there, you head into the generically named Gallery with its anything-but-generic decorations. The furniture is American Queen Anne and Chippendale with an emphasis on blockfront furniture by John Townsend and John Goddard of Newport, Rhode Island. On the floor is a Baktiari rug (from around 1910) and a rug from northwest Persia (around 1900), so don’t go spilling the drink you’re not allowed to have. Next up is the room that I thought would be the most impressive (I was wrong)–The John Quincy Adams State Drawing Room. In addition to the dozens of pieces of antique furniture in this room is porcelain owned by George Washington. The most impressive piece in the room, however, is a writing desk. This particular desk was THE desk where the 1783 Treaty of Paris was signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay thus officially ending the American Revolutionary War. Following that moment, the desk went to live with Thomas Jefferson and now you can get close enough to smell it.This is a good time to mention that getting too close to anything you shouldn’t on this tour is not a great idea. Not only is it disrespectful–it may be dangerous…to you. The entirety of the tour was flanked by two armed guards, one leading us and one behind. At no point were we allowed out of their sight and, although I am a bit of a joker, I was not eager to find out their reaction if I sat in one of the chairs. If you are visiting Washington, D.C. I cannot recommend the State Department Diplomatic rooms enough–especially if you’re looking for something a little off the beaten path. Tours are offered Monday through Friday at either 9:30am, 10:30am, or 2:45pm and can be reserved via the State Department website. The Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room is where all major State Department events are held and it is shockingly regal. It is liberally gilded, flanked with Corinthian columns, and anchored by a 1767 portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Both the carpet and the ceiling feature the Great Seal of the United States and eight cut-glass chandeliers hang overhead. I can’t even imagine the nerve it takes to walk around this beautiful room carrying food and drink. The second-to-last of the major rooms is The Thomas Jefferson State Reception Room, which is “considered to be a masterpiece of neoclassic design with perfect proportions, a Doric entablature, pedimented glass doors, triple-sash windows, and an 18th-century Cararra marble mantle.” That is according to the very informative State Department website. Like all of the rooms, the art, furniture, and adornments are gorgeous and historic. It was hard at this point not to be looking into the next room…
Peak Style Guide: In response to Chris Coyier’s comments about style guides, Brad Frost says if a comprehensive style guide leads an organization to committing to a design system, he’s all for them. What I Found InterestingForget Incentives, People Want To Share Stories They Believe In: Rather than giving incentives, create stories with ideas that people believe in. Makes sense to me. Which leads me to the next post Your Letters Helped Challenger Shuttle Engineer Shed 30 Years Of Guilt: I’m sure members at last night’s Metro Detroit Content Strategy meetup were being too kind to mention my red eyes. I heard this story on NPR as I drove to the meetup. I smiled. And I cried. How to motivate employees:Dear manager, use these words to motivate employees:1 I trust you2 thank you3 what do you think?4 how can I help?5 I am proud of you— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) February 26, 2016 If you like what you’ve read today, share the post with your colleagues and friends.Want to make sure you don’t miss out on updates? Subscribe to get notified when new posts are published.Did I miss some resources you found this week? I’d love to see them! Post them in the comments below.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading…RelatedWeekly Roundup of Web Design and Development News: May 12, 2017In this week’s web design and development news roundup, you’ll learn how to present your user research findings, discover how to make your code and content accessible, find out what’s expected in the upcoming WordPress 4.8 version, and more. If you’re new to my blog, each Friday I publish a…In “Web design & development links”Weekly Roundup of Web Design and Development Resources: April 3, 2015In this week’s roundup of web design and development resources, you’ll learn about ten threats to the quality of online research, find out how StoryCorps uses WordPress to enable storytelling, learn about the features in Project Spartan, and more. Each Friday I publish a post with my favorite resources for…In “Web design & development links”February 15, 2019 Weekly Roundup of Web Design and Development NewsIn this week’s web design and development news roundup, you’ll learn the five-step process to create an empathy map, find out how to create better web experiences, discover when to use CSS Grid or flexbox, and more. If you’re new to my blog, each Friday I publish a post highlighting…In “Web design & development links” Website Logo Placement for Maximum Brand Recall: Just like in the 1998 movie Ever After, “It’s tradition.” A logo placed in the top-left of a page is what users expect. And that’s exactly what the Nielsen Norman Group discovered in their research. AccessibilityAccessibility in Office 365—progress in 2015 and plans for 2016: Great news to read this week about accessibility plans for Office 365!By the end of 2016, we… are committed to ensuring we meet more modern accessibility standards, including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA Success Criteria and European Standard on accessibility for public procurement of ICT (EN 301 549). Restaurant Menu Builder: I was thrilled to find this free online site for building responsive restaurant menus with HTML. Say no to PDF menus! Here’s a screenshot of a breakfast menu of pancakes I quickly created. In this week’s web design and development resources roundup, you’ll find out about a free webinar to reduce product failure, learn to develop a strategic plan to address web accessibility issues, discover how to create cool photographic filters in CSS , and more. Each Friday I publish a post with some of my favorite resources I’ve read about in the past week, focused on user experience, accessibility, WordPress, CSS, and HTML.Hope you find the resources helpful in your projects!Want more resources like these on a daily basis? Follow me @redcrew on Twitter. Tweet of the WeekFind a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them. No one is here today because they did it on their own— Kris Walker (@kixxauth) February 23, 2016User ExperienceHow to Reduce Product Failure While Rapidly Boosting Conversion Rates: Hosted by UserZoom and the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), this free webinar on Monday, February 29 features Peter Hughes from Ascest. He’ll discuss four usability testing techniques you can use to improve conversion rates and how to know which test to conduct at the right time. Noah’s Transition To Mobile Usability Testing: Follow Noah as he makes the transition from desktop usability testing to mobile. Personally, I like the storytelling format in Lyndon Cerejo’s Smashing Magazine post. Your thoughts?Why do you redesign?We often redesign for the wrong reasons. Collect test data on your current site to reduce future risk! #UTWebinar @bmassey— UserTesting (@usertesting) February 25, 2016 Accessibility Prioritization: Laying the Foundation with a Strategic Plan [Part 1]: In her two-part series, Glenda Sims (Team Accessibility lead at Deque), guides you through developing a strategic plan to address web accessibility issues (Part 1) and tactical tips for implementing the plan (Part 2). Wix: Request Support for Screen Readers: Website builder Wix says their sites aren’t compatible with screen reader or text-to-speech programs, asks users whether the feature should be added. Yes, my eyebrows went up when I read this support request. Special Report: How Accessible is WordPress?: It’s a question I get asked frequently. In this special E-Access Bulletin Live report, Graham Armfield addresses accessibility in WordPress administrative screens, plugins, and themes.WordPressWordPress 4.5 Beta 1: With the first beta of WordPress 4.5 available, the team could use your help testing. Check out the responsive preview of your site in the Customizerand theme logo support. It’s the first beta, so test on development sites only. How to Work With WordPress Metadata: In the first of a three-part series on working with the WordPress metadata APIs, Tom McFarlin takes a closer look at post, user, and comment metadata.Are WordCamps Still Camps?: Have to say I agree with the points Natalie MacLees brings up in her post. For the bigger WordCamps, they’re no longer camps; they’re conferences where people travel from all over the country and world to speak and attend. I miss camps, organized by and for the local community of WordPress users. But I also like to attend the larger WordCamps. Is there room for both? Proposal: Increase the default image compression in WordPress: What are your thoughts on changing the WordPress image compression from 90 to 82?CSS and HTMLCSSCo: Inspired by VSCO filters and CSSgram, Lauren Waller created these cool photographic filters made only with CSS.No, it’s not too early to use Flexbox.Globally, 92% of browsers in use support border-radius. 96% support Flexbox. Still think it’s too early to use Flexbox?— Jen Simmons (@jensimmons) February 24, 2016