Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 1130

Pocket App Wins Charity/Not For Profit UK Digital Experience Award

Kris Rawcliffe, Andy Hull, Paul Swaddle

London, 2nd December 2015 – Pocket App, the UK’s largest independent app developer, is delighted to announce that it has won a silver award in the Charity/Not For Profit category of the UK Digital Experience Awards 2015, held on Friday 27th November at the Park Plaza Riverbank in London.

Created to recognise and celebrate the delivery of an exceptional customer experience through digital media channels, the awards event is a vehicle for sharing best practice, and promoting continuous improvement, learning and personal development. The awards are proud to have Usability 24/7 as sponsor and Customer Experience Magazine as media partner.

Pocket App has won the award for its ‘My Poppy’ project. Designed and developed in just three weeks to be the digital face of the annual Poppy Appeal campaign, My Poppy allows users to make a charitable donation to the Royal British Legion via a new mobile app. Traditionally, the only way to buy a poppy was in shops or from volunteers, and so the app is offering supporters the ability to make a digital donation for the first time, expanding the potential target audience and opening up a new method of receiving wider donations than in recent years. My Poppy has proved to be a great success, achieving over 30,000 downloads and raising over £60,000 in the space of just a week when unveiled for the 2014 Poppy Appeal campaign.

The winners of the awards were selected by a panel of independent judges made up of digital and customer experience professionals. The finalists made their presentations to the judges in the morning, and the winners were announced over a celebratory lunch in the afternoon.

Paul Swaddle, CEO of Pocket App, who attended the Awards to present the project to the judges, commented on receiving the Charity/Not For Profit award, “We are thrilled that My Poppy has received this prestigious award. At its core, this project was about raising awareness of a very worthy cause, opening up a brand new channel for receiving donations and keeping the Poppy Appeal alive and relevant to the mobile generation. The need for digital transformation to boost donations and maximise the efficiency of daily operations is currently affecting the charity sector in a big way, and we are hugely proud of the success that My Poppy has had in modernising the Royal British Legion’s campaign.”

Congratulating the winners, Neil Copping, Managing Director of Awards International, said: “We are truly inspired by all the best practice showcased at the UK Digital Experience Awards. We have seen many outstanding examples from companies who are doing truly amazing things in digital customer experience and as a result have reaped the benefits in terms of business growth and customer engagement. Today gave us the opportunity to acknowledge those companies and celebrate with both the finalists and the winners.”

Visit: http://d-x-a.co.uk/winners-and-finalists/ for the full list of winners and finalists.
During 2015, Awards International has raised over £12,000 for its chosen charity Barnardo’s, via raffles, auctions and generous donations.

TV Picks Today, December 3: The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Haven

If you read Yareah, you probably know about this series, The Vampire Diaries. This is our Top#1 TV Picks Today, December 3. Today’s episode: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. Season 7. Episode 8. 8:00 pm. CW.

And if you like The Vampire Diaries, you will love The Originals, a spin off-off of The Vampire Diaries. Today: The Other Girl in New Orleans. Season 3. Episode 8. 9:00 pm. CW.

And our las recommendation is for a story of a small town with people with strange ‘troubles’. It’s Haven. Today’s episode: Blind Spot. Season 5. Episode 23. 10:00 pm. Syfy.

We hope you enjoy the shows. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: The Vampire Diaries | Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me Scene | The CW

Famous Birthdays Today, December 3: Amanda Seyfried, Jake T. Austin, Gemma Styles, Ozzy Osbourne

She is a great and a beautiful actress and she is our Top#1 Famous Birthdays Today. Amanda Seyfried! She was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States in 1985. And well, from Yareah, we wish her and her family all the best in this special day. Congrats and happy birthday, Amanda Seyfried!

Famous Birthdays Today, December 3: Amanda Seyfried, Chloe premiere – Roy Thompson Hall – September 13, 2009. Source: flickr. Author: Courtney

Singing is a way of releasing an emotion that you sometimes can’t portray when you’re acting. And music moves your soul, so music is the source of the most intense emotions you can feel. When you hear a song and you’re acting it’s incredible. But when you’re singing a song and you’re acting it’s even more incredible. Amanda Seyfried

It’s sad, actually, because my anxiety keeps me from enjoying things as much as I should at this age. Amanda Seyfried

More famous birthdays today, December 3: Jake T. Austin, who played the role as Max on Wizards of Waverly Place, born in New York in 1994; Gemma Styles, older sister of Harry Styles, born in England in 1991; and Ozzy Osbourne, legendary lead singer for the band Black Sabbath, born in Aston, England in 1948.

Happy birthday to all of them. Have very nice day, dear friends,

Video: Mark Wahlberg’s Dog Prank Made Amanda Seyfried Cry

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber speaking about love

Justin Bieber, Oslo 2015. Foto: Kim Erlandsen, NRK P3 on Flickr

What is the current relation between Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber? Nobody knows but Bieber has just taken to Instagram to post a photo of himself with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez, and fans are asking questions. What are their feelings? What do they think about their future together? Our quotes of the day are by these two great singers. What do they think about love? Listen to them! In fact, Selena Gomez believes in second chances, but she doesn’t believe in third or fourth chances.

“I maybe had a first love and had my heart broken, but reflecting on it, I don’t think that was love. I think as I’m getting older and having more in-depth relationships, maybe I’ll experience it. At the moment, I don’t know, exactly, if I’ve been in love.” Selena Gomez.

And how about Bieber? Once he said: “I want to be a young dad. By 25 or 26 I want to see myself, like, married or start looking for a family.” Is he still thinking in this way? Who will be his couple?

“I’m looking forward to influencing others in a positive way. My message is you can do anything if you just put your mind to it.” Justin Bieber.

What do you think about Bieber and Gomez? Are they a romantic couple? What do you expect from their relationship? Tell us your opinion now!

** Remember that from December 2010 to January 2013, it was reported that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were in a relationship. In January 2013, it was reported that Justin Bieber was single.

Enjoy your day, Yareah friends. Art is everywhere and up to you!

“I believe in second chances, but I don’t believe in third or fourth chances.” Selena Gomez.

Vancouver exhibitions. Washed by Water at Bau-Xi Gallery

Vancouver exhibitions. Washed by Water at Bau-Xi Gallery

Vancouver exhibitions. Bau-Xi Gallery is pleased to present WASHED by Water a group exhibition centered on the theme of water. From January 9 to 23, 2016.

“The water understands Civilization well” famously states Ralph Waldo Emerson in his seminal poem, Water about the independence, transcendence, and spiritual union of water and society in the nineteenth century. An essential life giving element that is as precious a commodity as it is a dangerous and volatile source of destruction, water has an ever more complicated relationship with civilization today. If once, society valued the element for hydration, ablution, regeneration and transportation, water has become an inexplicable source of power rife with political, financial and environmental contention. Never has society better understood the importance of water and simultaneously taken it for granted.

WASHED by Water will explore the metaphorical, environmental, material significance of water and bodies of water as they inform visual culture in the twenty-first century. Artists will look at the different formations water takes and offer work that comments on their own unique relationship with the element. Special attention will be paid to depicting the aesthetic quality of the element – how to capture its various color, its fluidity and its ability to reflect light.

TV Picks Today, December 2: American Horror Story: Hotel, Empire, Arrow

It’s strange, weird… we love it. We are talking about American Horror Story: Hotel and it’s our Top#1 TV Picks Today. American Horror Story: Hotel. Today’s episode: The Ten Commandments Killer. Season 5. Episode 8. 10:00 pm. FX.

Music, family and power… yes, of course, it’s Empire and we are sure we will love this new episode titled Et Tu, Brute? Season 2. Episode 10. 9:00 pm. FOX.

And our last choice is for the series Arrow. Today’s episode: Legends of Yesterday. Season 4. Episode 8. 8:00 pm. CW.

We hope you enjoy the shows. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: American Horror Story: Hotel 5×08 Promo “The Ten Commandments Killer” (HD)

Famous Birthdays Today, December 2: Britney Spears, Lucy Liu, Charlie Puth, Aaron Rodgers, Amber Montana

She famous, pretty and she’s our Top#1 Famous Birthdays Today. And she is… Britney Spears! She was born in Mccomb in 1981 and, from Yareah, we wish her and her family all the best in this special day. We love her video Hit Me Baby One More Time. Enjoy it! Congratulations and happy birthday, Britney Spears!

Famous Birthdays Today, Dcember 2: Britney Spears, Carson, California on May 11, 2013 – Photo by Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com

I’m not at the point where I’d feel safe in a house alone. I would be really scared. I’m the kind of person that when I get up to go use the bathroom I have this big long hallway, and I just know someone’s going to jump out and get me. Britney Spears

With love, you should go ahead and take the risk of getting hurt because love is an amazing feeling. Britney Spears

And today is also the birthday of the actress Lucy Liu. Happy birthday for her too.

Being Asian in this business is something you have to consider, because sometimes people aren’t as open. They’ll say, I can’t see you with a Caucasian person. Lucy Liu

It’s like kill or be killed, that’s my thing basically. Lucy Liu

More famous birthdays today, December 2: Charlie Puth, pop singer-songwriter born in New Jersey in 1991; Aaron Rodgers, football player born in 1983; and Amber Montana, actress known for her roles in Monster Mutt and Viaticum.

Happy birthday to all of them. Have a very nice day, dear friends.

Video: Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time

Game of Thrones season 6 and its sets. What do you know about the Castle of Zafra?

Game of Thrones season 6. Castle of Zafra in Guadalajara (Spain)

Game of Thrones season 6. Filming began in July 2015, and some locations in Spain included the Castle of Zafra in Guadalajara, the Bardenas Reales Natural Park, the Alcazaba in Almería, and the Castle of Santa Florentina in Canet de Mar. Beautiful and mysterious places! Today, ten things about the Castle of Zafra.

The producers of HBO were looking for a remote site and away from any building. No doubt, the find this place here!

Game of Thrones season 6. Castle of Zafra in Guadalajara (Spain)

The castle is situated atop a large rock at an altitude of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft). It occupies the whole of the outcrop, which runs in a north-east to south-west alignment.

Built in the late 12th in the Sierra de Caldereros in Guadalajara (Spain), it stands on the site of a former Visigothic and Moorish fortification that fell into Christian hands in 1129.

Thus, it had strategic importance for its situation on the border between Christian and Muslim territories.

The reconquest of the Iberian peninsula deprived the castle of its former strategic importance, and from the 16th century onwards it began to fall into ruin.

At the far south-west end is the entrance tower, after which is an open courtyard which leads to the enclosed Place of Arms. The highest point of the outcrop is occupied by the Tower of Homage, with the lord’s chambers and kitchens. The castle could accommodate as many as 500 people.

Once, the entrance was reachable via a route said to be of “great ingenuity and appearance” but this disappeared long ago, and visitors have to reach it by climbing a ladder now.

The castle remained the property of the Spanish state until 1971, when it was sold at auction. The purchaser, Sanz Polo, spent the next 30 years and most of his fortune on rebuilding the castle.

The material used was sandstone.

It can be visited with permission from the owners.

Pretty women and exotic harems. Oriental beauty in art history

Women of Algiers (1834) by Delacroix

What is a real harem? It’s simple, the place of the house where women live. Of course, we are talking about girls as well as ancients, and about pretty as well as ill women. However, Western fantasy has turned this reality in a world of exoticism, where beautiful ladies are dressed like princesses of One Hundred and One Nights while dancing and resting in luxurious rooms.

Thus, our artists have created wonderful paintings which has nothing to do with reality. But art is fantasy and everything is allowed.

Today, enjoy seven paintings about harems by seven masters of all times: Delacroix, Fortuny, Ingres, Frederick Lewis, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso. What do you prefer? Tell us your opinion now!

“Women of Algiers” (1834) by Delacroix. The warmth of the colors and the sensuality of the fabrics are quite suggestive. Here, this romantic painter begins a genre that will continue throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century.

“The Odalisque” (1861) by Fortuny. It’s a suggestive oil painting by the Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny. It’s currently exhibited in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The Odalisque (1861) by Fortuny

“The Turkish Bath” (1862) by Ingres. Its eroticism caused no scandal at the time, but it wasn’t displayed until the twentieth century in public museums. He is currently in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

“Gossip” by John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876). This English artist felt very attracted by oriental worlds, and female harems are one of his recurrent themes.

Gossip by John Frederick Lewis

‘One Harem in Montmartre’ (1872) by Renoir. The subtitle of the painting makes clear the intention of the artist: Parisians dressed like Algerians.

Video: From Renoir to Picasso. Beautiful harems.

“Decorative Figure on an ornamental background” (1925-1926) by Matisse. The father of Fauvism was another great admirer of the subject. When he died his friend Picasso took the witness and to honor his mentor continued to paint harems. Which do you prefer? Difficult? For sure.

Decorative Figure on an ornamental background (1925-1926) by Matisse

“Woman on a Black Armchair” (1932) by Picasso. Beautiful? Picasso is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century! He is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore… Also harems.

Woman on a Black Armchair (1932) by Picasso

HBO News: Documentary Bolshoi Babylon debuts Dec. 21

Bolshoi Babylon, An Unprecedented Inside Look at the Famed Russian Ballet Company in the Wake of Scandal Debuts Dec 21 on HBO

In Jan. 2013, Sergei Filin, artistic director of Russia’s celebrated Bolshoi Ballet, was attacked by an unknown assailant who threw acid in his face. The Bolshoi’s ballet company had long been part of the nation’s identity, but this mysterious and vicious attack thrust it into the limelight for all the wrong reasons, pulling back the curtain on the scandals and infighting plaguing the iconic institution.

When one of their own – male soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko – was arrested and charged with the crime, it revealed a company defined by personality clashes, power struggles and professional jealousy, something Bolshoi insiders had known for decades.

Featuring backstage footage, breathtaking performances and illuminating interviews with Bolshoi dancers and power players, BOLSHOI BABYLON examines a storied cultural institution struggling to survive tempestuous politics inside and outside theater walls. This unprecedented look inside the famed ballet company debuts MONDAY, DEC. 21(9:00-10:25 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 21 (3:40 a.m.), 22 (11:15 a.m., 11:00 p.m.), 23 (5:15 p.m.), 26 (2:15 p.m.) and 31 (1:15 p.m.), and Jan. 3 (11:50 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 23 (10:15 p.m.) and 27 (8:45 a.m.), and Jan. 4 (11:30 a.m.) and 11 (11:00 p.m.)

The documentary will also be available on HBO NOW and HBO GO.

“The Bolshoi has such a sacred meaning for Russia, because the art of ballet is closely connected with the Russian national character,” said chairman of the board Alexander Budberg. “[The attack] means the country is sick, not just the theater.” Once seen as “the country’s best asset,” visited by delegates and politicians ranging from Fidel Castro to Ronald Reagan, the Bolshoi has had its share of internal strife, which reached its apex in the Jan. 2013 attack, which left Filin with third-degree burns and partially blinded him. “It’s hard to believe this could happen in the world of art,” said first soloist Anastasia Meskova, in tears just after the attack. “It’s a shocking tragedy for all of us. It’s incomprehensible.”

Meanwhile, the media and police began investigating the scandal as stories of backstabbing and intrigue made international headlines. After male soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko was arrested, police claimed he had convinced a neighbor to target Filin in retaliation for passing over his girlfriend for the lead role in Swan Lake. Though Dmitrichenko denied ordering the attack, the arrest revealed a fault line in the divided company. In court, some dancers testified for Filin and others on behalf of Dmitrichenko, yet in the evening, “These two opposing sides danced together in the same performances,” recalls Boris Akimov a former Bolshoi artistic director.

After a tumultuous period of public outcry and bloodletting, during which several dancers resigned or were fired, the Kremlin appointed a new director, Vladimir Urin of the Moscow Stanislavsky Theater, to restore order. The start of the 2013 season finds Filin returning to the Bolshoi to resume his duties, but his well-known stormy history with Urin spells new potential conflict.

By the end of the season, however, many are thriving under the Bolshoi’s regime change, touting a new fairness in casting and a push for transparency. With their status andesprit de corps undermined by scandal, many in the company are desperate to leave behind controversy and focus on the grueling regimen of rehearsal and performance that usually defines the life of a dancer. Away from political intrigue and backstabbing, the extraordinary talent and drive of the artists keep the prestige of Russia’s most famous theatre intact. Dedicated to a life of obsession and discipline backstage, they continue to chase the dream of perfection onstage. “Here the stage is everything,” explains prima ballerina Maria Alexandrova, “That’s our religion, our God. This place unites us all.”

BOLSHOI BABYLON is directed by Nick Read; producer and co-director, Mark Franchetti; executive producers, Simon Chinn and Maxim Pozdorovkin. For HBO: senior producer, Sara Bernstein; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.