Thursday, September 15, 2022

An expert on home appliances takes your questions - The Washington Post

Buying a major appliance takes a lot of research. And with new features being added each year, it’s a challenge to determine which make and model is best for you and your budget. Jessica Petrino, the editorial director at AJMadison, a family-owned appliance store offering more than 150 brands, has made a career of keeping up on the latest in the appliance industry.
She compiles buying guides and runs webinars for consumers as well as trade professionals. Topics have included smart home technology as well as new and trending features on appliance models for the kitchen, the laundry room and outdoor living.
Every week, Jura Koncius helps you in your quest to achieve domestic bliss. She and weekly guests, whether Martha Stewart, Marie Kondo, or the Property Brothers, answer your decorating, design and decluttering questions. For more than 20 years, our Thursday Q&A has been an online conversation about the best way to make your home comfortable, stylish and fun. We invite you to submit questions and share your own great tips, ideas and gripes. No problem is too big or too small.
Join the conversation here or check out some of our past discussions.
Send us your question below. The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional. Your question may be edited for accuracy and clarity.
Looking for more? Read some of our coverage on home appliances:
Sign up for At Home, a digest of the best home and garden stories, delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
Helen Carefoot, writer and editorial aide for the Lifestyle section, produced this Q&A.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2022

The Best Retouching Tools for Photographers - Fstoppers

Fstoppers has teamed up with Infinite Tools to bring you the best retouching plugins online. These tools are relevant for every type of photographer and will dramatically speed up and improve any retouching workflow. We are offering them at 20% off in the Fstoppers Store through July 5th.
If you're brand new to retouching, the best place to start is Infinite Guide, an intelligent, step-by-step retouching educational video. No matter your experience level, this guide will make your workflow better and faster.
When it comes to color grading your images, you have a variety of options to improve and automate color selections by using Infinite Color, Infinite Black and White, and Infinite Looks
If you're working with portraits, you're going to want to check out Infinite Retouch, Infinite Skin, and Infinite Texture.
Finally, no matter what genre you're in, Infinite Luma, Infinite Radiance, and Infinite Unify will help you fine-tune your images and bring everything together into a final, polished image. 
Be sure to check out this incredible catalog before July 5th to take advantage of this discount. 
David Strauss is a wedding photographer based in Charleston, SC.

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WILSON RELEASES ULTRA V4 TENNIS RACKET - PR Newswire

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Aug 31, 2022, 11:00 ET
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New performance racket available now, exclusively at the US Open, Wilson store locations and Wilson.com
CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sporting Goods Co., the official ball and racket stringer of the US Open for over 40 years, today launched the Ultra v4, a significant evolution of its popular tour frame. Drawing upon the Ultra features the pros rely on at the highest levels of competition, the newly upgraded tennis racket includes even more power through stability, empowering athletes to play with Pure Beauty and Ruthless Power.

FORTYFIVE°, Wilson's proprietary carbon fiber construction, enhances the stability of the Ultra v4 resulting in increased energy return and power. The racket is also equipped with a sleeker geometry with a revolutionary color-shifting design that changes as it moves, from ocean blue to purple haze.
"I've played and trained with Wilson rackets for many years, and I'm excited to use the new Ultra v4 on the biggest stage in tennis at the US Open," said Wilson Advisory Staff member and current Women's Tennis Association-ranked No. 3, Maria Sakkari. "Wilson consistently delivers the power I need, but also the style and light-weight feel that complements my game."
The Ultra v4 is available exclusively at Wilson's onsite store at the US Open, Wilson retail stores as well as wilson.com beginning today, and launches globally across Wilson's retail partners on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Pricing is $249 for the Ultra 100 v4, Ultra 100L v4, Ultra 100UL v4 and Ultra 108 v4. Ultra 25 v4 and Ultra 26 v4 are available for $110.
"The Ultra v4 can help players of all levels take their games to new heights by harnessing both beauty and power," said Hans-Martin Reh, Global General Manager of Wilson Racquet Sports. "We are excited to unveil this racket during one of the greatest moments in sports, alongside some of the most impressive tennis players in the world."
In addition to the Ultra v4, Wilson's onsite US Open store features the popular Night Series Collection with rackets and gear made to shine brightest after dark, as well as Wilson's latest tennis-inspired sportswear drop. Fans will also have the opportunity to see Wilson's skilled racket stringers in action. For those who can't make it to the Open, Wilson offers three retail locations in Manhattan (Upper East Side, SoHo and Columbus Circle), plus a pop-up shop in the Hamptons that features a curated assortment of tennis equipment and sportswear.
For more information, please visit wilson.com or follow @wilsontennis #RuthlessBeauty. 
Note: Pros often customize the racket they use. Racket specifications on endorsed consumer models may vary from the models used by pros for match-play.
Chicago, USA-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation, is the world's leading manufacturer of high-performance sports equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company brings more than a century of innovation, history and heritage across many sports including Racquet Sports, Baseball, Softball, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Golf.
In Racquet Sports, Wilson is a global leader in tennis, padel, racquetball, badminton and pickleball. The brand also offers Wilson Sportswear inclusive of lifestyle and performance apparel for all to live like an athlete. Leveraging player insights to create products that push equipment and apparel innovation into new territories, Wilson empowers athletes at every level to perform at their best. Visit www.wilson.com for more information.
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Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Traditional Buddhist celebration returns to Santa Maria after pandemic hiatus - Santa Maria Times

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Costumed participants celebrate the annual Obon Festival, which the Guadalupe Buddhist Church brought back to Santa Maria on Sunday after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus led to modifications to this year's event, moving performances to the street outside the Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.
Togen Daiko of the Oxnard Buddhist Temple performs at the Obon Festival held Sunday afternoon in Santa Maria.
Students from Rising Sun Martial Arts, of Santa Maria, demonstrate the skills they've learned during the Obon Festival presented Sunday in Santa Maria by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.
Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, was performed to close the Obon Festival held Sunday in Santa Maria.
Members of the public join in the Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, that closed the Obon Festival presented Sunday afternoon in Santa Maria by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.
Students from Central Coast Kenpo Karate in Nipomo demonstrate their martial arts skills for the audience at the Obon Festival presented Sunday by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church in Santa Maria.
The Guadalupe Buddhist Church's annual Obon Festival returned Sunday at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, where most events took place outside.
Traditional Japanese collectibles, apparel and crafts were on sale inside the Santa Mara Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, where a silent auction and raffle were conducted Sunday during the Obon Festival in Santa Maria.
Members of the public peruse the traditional Japanese collectibles, apparel and crafts that were on sale Sunday afternoon at the Guadalupe Buddhist Church's Obon Festival in the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center. 
A variety of Japanese collectibles were on sale Sunday afternoon at the Obon Festival presented by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.
Costumed participants celebrate the annual Obon Festival, which the Guadalupe Buddhist Church brought back to Santa Maria on Sunday after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus led to modifications to this year's event, moving performances to the street outside the Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.
Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, was performed to close the Obon Festival held Sunday in Santa Maria.
Members of the public join in the Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, that closed the Obon Festival presented Sunday afternoon in Santa Maria by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.
Students from Central Coast Kenpo Karate in Nipomo demonstrate their martial arts skills for the audience at the Obon Festival presented Sunday by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church in Santa Maria.
The Guadalupe Buddhist Church's annual Obon Festival returned Sunday at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, where most events took place outside.
Traditional Japanese collectibles, apparel and crafts were on sale inside the Santa Mara Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, where a silent auction and raffle were conducted Sunday during the Obon Festival in Santa Maria.
Members of the public peruse the traditional Japanese collectibles, apparel and crafts that were on sale Sunday afternoon at the Guadalupe Buddhist Church's Obon Festival in the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center. 
A variety of Japanese collectibles were on sale Sunday afternoon at the Obon Festival presented by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.
The Obon Festival sponsored by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church is usually held the last Sunday of July, although the date may vary.
Workshops are held in advance to teach people the Bon Odori dance so they can join in at the close of the festival.
For information as the 2023 festival approaches, visit http://guadalupebuddhistchurch.org/obon-festival.
After two years on hold, the Obon Festival returned to Santa Maria with drumming, dancing, martial arts demonstrations, traditional crafts and food Sunday afternoon, restarting a 75-year local tradition.
Guadalupe Buddhist Church presented the Obon Festival that has become a favorite local celebration held every year since Japanese Americans returned to the area from internment following the end of World War II.
Staged at the Veterans Memorial Cultural Center on West Tunnell Street, the festival was still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as dancing, drumming and martial arts demonstrations took place outdoors.
Esther Trejo, chair of the church’s Obon Committee, didn’t have an estimate on the number of people who attended the free event.
Togen Daiko of the Oxnard Buddhist Temple performs at the Obon Festival held Sunday afternoon in Santa Maria.
“You know, when you’re running a festival, you tend to get tunnel vision,” Trejo said. “But we had a lot of happy people, we sold out all the food we had and there was a lot of joyful dancing.”
The thunder of traditional taiko drumming filled the area with performances by Togen Daiko from the Oxnard Buddhist Temple and Ichi Mi Daiko from the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Temple.
“Our sister temples really came out and supported us,” Trejo said.
Visitors were also thrilled by martial arts demonstrations by Rising Sun Martial Arts in Santa Maria and Central Coast Kenpo Karate in Nipomo.
The celebration was something of a “street party,” as the street outside the Cultural Center was closed to allow events outdoors, and Trejo expressed gratitude to the city for allowing and facilitating that.
“We’ve never done that before,” she said. “So while we tried to make the festival a little smaller, we ended up expanding it.”
Students from Rising Sun Martial Arts, of Santa Maria, demonstrate the skills they've learned during the Obon Festival presented Sunday in Santa Maria by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.
While a teriyaki chicken dinner could be ordered prior to the festival, other foods were available for purchase on-site, where crafts were also for sale and a silent auction and raffle took place.
Obon is a traditional celebration for Japanese Buddhists that usually lasts three days but has no specific date.
It is a time of family reunions, returning to ancestral family places and visiting and cleaning the graves of ancestors, who are believed to revisit household affairs during that time.
Obon has been celebrated for more than 500 years in Japan and, in California, since the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants.
“It’s been celebrated continuously here since the Japanese returned after World War II — and before that, too, except for the break during the war,” Trejo said.
Sunday’s celebration ended with dancing.
“Bon Odori is the traditional way we close out the festival,” she said, noting that anyone who in any way helped with preparing and serving the food was given a happy coat and joined the dance. “And the public is invited to join us, too.
“We often go out and grab friends and family to join us,” she added. “We are a small church, but we have a big heart.”
The Guadalupe Buddhist Church's annual Obon Festival returned Sunday at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, where most events took place outside.
Togen Daiko of the Oxnard Buddhist Temple performs at the Obon Festival held Sunday afternoon in Santa Maria.
Costumed participants celebrate the annual Obon Festival, which the Guadalupe Buddhist Church brought back to Santa Maria on Sunday after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus led to modifications to this year's event, moving performances to the street outside the Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.
Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, was performed to close the Obon Festival held Sunday in Santa Maria.
Students from Rising Sun Martial Arts, of Santa Maria, demonstrate the skills they've learned during the Obon Festival presented Sunday in Santa Maria by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.
A variety of Japanese collectibles were on sale Sunday afternoon at the Obon Festival presented by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.
Members of the public peruse the traditional Japanese collectibles, apparel and crafts that were on sale Sunday afternoon at the Guadalupe Buddhist Church's Obon Festival in the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center. 
Students from Central Coast Kenpo Karate in Nipomo demonstrate their martial arts skills for the audience at the Obon Festival presented Sunday by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church in Santa Maria.
Traditional Japanese collectibles, apparel and crafts were on sale inside the Santa Mara Veterans Memorial Cultural Center, where a silent auction and raffle were conducted Sunday during the Obon Festival in Santa Maria.
Members of the public join in the Bon Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, that closed the Obon Festival presented Sunday afternoon in Santa Maria by the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.

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Therapy dogs travel 800 miles to comfort Highland Park residents after mass shooting - CBS Chicago

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By Steven Graves
July 8, 2022 / 6:32 PM / CBS Chicago
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) - Healing from Highland Park's tragedy will no doubt take a lot of time, but there are people determined to overcome obstacles to assist.
As CBS 2's Steven Graves told us, one group persevered to bring some canine comfort.
Help with trauma after Monday's mass shooting is coming in many forms. And in this tale, not even travel woes from 800 miles away, could stop the four-legged companions from coming here.
Lilo, 1, was the smallest but clearly most curious dog of the bunch.
One interaction, though, can't help but put a smile on your face. She and two other therapy dogs are doing just that for healthcare workers. On Friday, they were at Swedish Hospital in Chicago.
"The dogs are there. We're just kind of the other end of the leash," said Cory Silvo, a volunteer with Crisis Response Canines.
They also stopped at North Shore University Health System where colleagues treated or knew someone who took care of gunshot victims after Highland Park's July 4th parade shooting.
"It's not just people who saw things happen," Silvo said. "It's not just people who were at the event. It's everybody in this community. Everybody's affected."
Silvo knows the feeling well. Her group traveled from New Jersey to Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York, both scenes of recent mass shootings.
So, there was no hesitation trying to come to Highland Park, despite some challenges.
"We intended on flying out, but it didn't work out," she said.
With their flight cancelled, they went to the rental car checkout counter, put Lilo and the gang in a van. Their two-hour flight turned into a more than 12-hour drive.
They made it Wednesday morning to vigils, other hospitals and a memorial, all to put more smiles on people's faces.
"People start to pet these dogs and they open up after they said they don't want to talk about what happened," Silvo said.
Call it canine comfort, that seems to be unmatched.
"Travel time, that's nothing compared to what this community's been through," Silvo said. "It's about helping people."
All of the work is volunteer. The hope is to never have to respond in this type of situation again.
The group visited three memorials in Highland Park and five hospitals before driving back to the East Coast on Friday. 
Steven Graves is a Multimedia Reporter for CBS2 Chicago who joined the team in September 2019.
First published on July 8, 2022 / 5:19 PM
© 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
©2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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