When the world seemingly changed overnight due to COVID-19, it was surreal. Maybe your surroundings looked exactly the same. Your to-do list contained the same projects. Even if things were...

The post Reasons to Be Thankful: Bright Spots for Web Designers appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

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.

Learn how to create a 3D comic book text effect that pops! You will get very familiar with many different layer styles. We will start by creating the background with halftone brushes and then proceed to creating our text effect. Lastly, we will finish it off by adding a bevel effect with a stroke.

The post How to Create A Comic Book Text Effect appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

Landing pages are specifically designed to be seen after clicking an advertisement on almost any platform. Landing pages are clearly different from normal web pages which involve a bit of leeway to help visitors explore the website. The sole purpose and focus of landing pages are, to urge visitors to buy a product or a service after an advertisement had piqued their interest. In the legal industry, the conversion rate is very important, making the landing page one of the priorities of those designing a website for a law firm. We’ve gathered a few landing page designs for legal service

The post Landing Page Design Ideas for Legal Services appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

The business world has changed over the years and you’ll need to rely on digital methods of marketing your brand to succeed. One of the best ways to do that is through search engine optimization (SEO) to get better traffic for your business. When you use the right techniques and strategies, you can double your organic traffic.  If you’re in the business of helping people with their search engine optimization needs, here are some of the best ways to double your client’s organic traffic. Help Clients Work On Their Content You need to teach and advise your clients on how

The post Search Engine Optimization – How to Double Your Client’s Organic Traffic appeared first on Photoshop Lady.

In this post, I will show you a simple way to add a distraction-free "Reading Mode" to your blog. The purpose of adding a feature like this is to enable a visitor to remove all the clutter of your site, and focus solely on the post itself. In an ideal world; there would never be a need for such a feature. In reality though, sites have numerous other goals to achieve, such as brand building, serving ads, promoting other content etc. In this way, you can compromise between the two. Do what you need when the user first arrives, but get out of the way when they decide what to read.

There is a lot of debate going on right now in the WordPress world about the WordPress Foundation barring all ThemeForest/CodeCanyon (Envato really) authors from speaking at WordCamp events. I don't want to rehash the argument here; the best place to get it is in the original post, and the comments on it. Instead, I want to make a different point: Regardless of whether he is right or not, it's good for WordPress that Matt makes these bold choices.

The Iowa high school softball season was supposed to start practice Monday. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic has everything delayed until June 1, or maybe longer. Or, perhaps, canceled. But since...

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 are...

I haven’t run a marathon since ... Well, it’s been so long, I don’t even remember. My longest run each week these days is 5 miles ... 5.38 if I’m feeling extra spunky and...

Last week, University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld made some waves when he announced at a Board of Regents meeting UI athletics plans to resume practice on June 1. Monday, the Big Ten announced...

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 — Jay Whannel is baseball through and through. He was a star player in high school and college, played briefly in the professional independent leagues. He coached in college and...

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...

For Keagan Johnson and his family, the decision to play football at the University of Iowa was theirs. A personal decision that set a course for a fairly massive three or four or five years. When...

CEDAR RAPIDS — This was his alma mater, a place he had a ton of success at as a player. The future of the program is clearly bright. But Matt Lesan has a clear plan for his own future, which...

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...

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...

How much do you really know about your customers? Learn why buyer personas are the foundation of your business & how to create your own in just four steps.

The post How to Create Buyer Personas for Your Online Store appeared first on WooCommerce.

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 17-year-old, charged in January with fatally shooting an 18-year-old during a drug robbery, was released in March only to be arrested about a month later for drunken driving....

The Iowa Supreme Court approved a pilot program in the 4th Judicial District — Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Pottawattamie, Page and Shelby counties — to develop...

Several hundred cars were parked outside a food bank in San Antonio on Good Friday — the food bank fed 10,000 people that day. Such scenes, increasingly common across the nation and evocative...

“I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, and my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”...

Nearly 25,000 more Iowans filed unemployment claims in the past week, Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday. Continuing weekly unemployment claims total 181,358, the department reported. Iowa...

MARION — Marion’s 14-member COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force is beginning to work on recommendations of how to get people back to work, while keeping everyone...

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...

MARION — While the Uptown Marion Market will continue to sell fresh produce, it will look a little different this year. The market will continue operating on the second Saturday of June, July...

Vice President Mike Pence owes Iowans more than a photo-op when he visits Des Moines today, according to Joe Biden’s campaign. “Iowans are seeing up close the most consequential failure...

As the coronavirus spread from the nation’s meatpacking plants to the broader communities where they are located, it burned through a modest duplex in Waterloo. In the downstairs unit lived...

In August 1919, the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette opined in favor of the passage of a $5 million congressional appropriation to “investigate influenza, its cause, prevention and...

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Dubuque woman who helped her boyfriend and another person buy heroin that later led to a fatal overdose was convicted Thursday in federal court. Jacqueline M. Birch, 23,...

On Wednesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds removed some restrictions on businesses in the 22 counties that have been seeing higher numbers of Iowans affected by COVID-19, including Linn and Johnson counties....

Some Eastern Iowans are ready to go camping. With Gov. Kim Reynolds allowing campgrounds across the state to open Friday, some people wasted little time in heading outdoors. “They’re...

Note: This post is adapted from my original viral Twitter thread. Ffrom November 2003 through July 2005, I worked in the prepaid cell phone and phone card industry. Most of my work was in BFE meth towns and urban ghettoes. I learned things about the poor in America you won’t want to believe… But this […]

We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa.

For some, quarantine is optimal: a moment of reflection, of reconnection, easy in flip-flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate financial & family crisis.

In some homes a sole occupant faces loneliness. In others, family members are getting peace and time with each other — in others, quarantine means an increased danger due to domestic violence.

Some families of four just received $3,400 from the stimulus while other families of four saw $0.

Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk and eggs for the weekend.

Some want to go back to work because they don’t qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to punish those who break the quarantine.

Some are home spending a few hours a day helping their child with online schooling while others are educating their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday.

Some have experienced the near death of the virus, some have already lost someone and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don’t believe this is a big deal.

We are not in the same boat. Our perceptions and needs are completely different.

We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey.

Diane LaDuke

Iowa City

I am a longtime resident of Johnson County, currently in my 25th year of law enforcement. I worked for the Coralville Police Department in the late 1990’s and transferred to the Cedar Rapids Police Department in 1999 where I am a sergeant of the patrol division. I have degrees in criminal justice and organizational leadership and have advanced leadership training from Northwestern University in the School of Police Staff and Command.

Working in the second-largest city in the state has offered me many opportunities to lead. I have taught in the police academy and defensive tactics and as a field training instructor. I was the director of the Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative, where I founded CRUSH of Iowa (Community Resources United to Stop Heroin). CRUSH is a community-based, grassroots organization helping all those affected by substance abuse disorder.

My passion has been community outreach. Currently I am a member of the Johnson County Human Trafficking Coalition and the Johnson County Prevention Partnership. Through these partnerships I will create a criminal interdiction team to fight the trafficking of humans, weapons and narcotics.

As sheriff, my top three concerns are substance abuse, mental health and human trafficking. I believe in creating long-lasting relationships with the community. I believe in common sense solutions without the haze of political bias. I believe that every citizen has a voice and should be heard. I believe in building a proactive and progressive law enforcement agency that serves with professionalism, compassion and dedication to the citizens. I believe we need to place the community back into community policing.

I am ready to be sheriff of Johnson County. I am a proven leader who is determined to build bridges with the citizens of the county and lead with accountability, trust and transparency. I will fight for all of Johnson County as sheriff because I have done so all of my life. This election is not just about me, it is about us. We, together, will make a positive impact on Johnson County. The status quo is not working. It’s time for change!

I would love to have your vote on June 2. We work better when we work together. People before politics!

Al Fear is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Johnson County sheriff. alfearforsheriff.com

I have been your County Auditor for over 13 years. I am on the ballot in the Democratic primary election and I have an opponent.

I have been your County watchdog since 2007. I have been a nationally certified election administrator since 2009. I was Iowa’s County Auditor of the Year in 2013.

I am for automatic voter registration when citizens turn 18.

I am for improved post election audits, e.g., risk-limiting audits.

I am for allowing felons to vote after they have served their sentences.

I am for all vote-by-mail elections to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

I oversee a great team! The anchor of our team is First Deputy Auditor Becky Shoop. She has been with the county for over 40 years. Her institutional knowledge is indispensable. She provides guidance not only to our office, but other county offices.

When a vacancy occurred on my elections team a few years ago, I hired local attorney Rebecca Stonawski as Deputy Commissioner of Elections. Her organizational skills and legal background have proved to be invaluable as election laws change from year to year.

And finally, after I successfully lobbied to get the Code of Iowa changed so that county auditors can audit county accounts and funds, I promoted Rhonda Betsworth, a CPA (certified public accountant), to Deputy Auditor to oversee the County’s accounting and property tax systems.

I am a U.S. Army Military Police veteran, former IBEW member, former Chair of the Linn County Democrats, and former Mayor of Robins.

I am a member of Rotary, the American Legion, and the Catholic Church. My wife and I have been married for 42 years. We have three adult married children and nine grandchildren.

I have been a dairy farmer, a deputy sheriff, an electronics technician for AT&T, a senior manager for Teleconnect and MCI, a senior project manager for Siemens, and an IT Director for Four Oaks of Iowa. I have owned my own profitable technology business.

This is not the time to hire an amateur to run your elections. This is not the time to hand watchdog duties over to a former county supervisor who quit to take a job in DC. This is not the time to break up a great team.

I request you vote in the Democratic primary election. I request you vote Miller for Auditor.

Joel Miller is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Linn County auditor.

In response to the coronavirus, Americans were told by their federal and state governments to shut down their businesses, stop going to church, work, school or out to eat, travel only when necessary and hunker down at home. Originally, Americans were led to believe this was for a two- or three-week period, in order to flatten the curve and not overwhelm our health care system.

At seven weeks and counting, with staggering economic loss that will leave families and thousands of small businesses and farmers with profound devastation, the question must be asked, are we trying to flatten the curve or flatten our country?

The initial models that pointed to staggering loss of life from the coronavirus have proved wildly inaccurate. As of May 2, the CDC placed the number of deaths in the U.S. from the virus at 66,746. While all loss of life is deeply regrettable, these numbers cannot be considered in a vacuum. For perspective, deaths from pneumonia in the U.S. during the same period were 64,382, with average yearly deaths from influenza in the same range.

The original goal of closing much of the U.S. economy and staying at home was to flatten the curve of new coronavirus cases so that our hospital systems would not be overwhelmed. Hospitals built by the Army Corps of Engineers to handle the increased volume have mostly been taken down. Except for a few spots in the U.S. the health care system was not overwhelmed. As the medical models of casualties from the coronavirus continue to be adjusted down, it is clear the curve has been flattened, so why do we continue to stay closed and worsen the economic devastation that tunnel vision has thus far kept many of our leaders from acknowledging?

Many health experts say 80 percent of Americans will get the coronavirus and experience only mild symptoms. The curve has been flattened. Our health care system is not overwhelmed. Why is our economy, for the most part, still closed?

A University of Washington study recently revised the projected number of deaths from the coronavirus in Iowa from 1,367 to a much lower estimate of 365. While all loss of life is horrific, we must also consider the devastation being done to our economy, our families and our way of life by actions taken to combat the coronavirus.

It must be noted that 578 Iowans died from the flu and pneumonia in 2017, a greater number than are likely to pass away from the coronavirus. We also know that many who die from the virus are elderly with underlying health conditions, increasing the likelihood that any serious illness could result in their death. Are draconian government restrictions in response to the coronavirus still needed and economically sustainable? The data shows that the answers to both questions is no. We are no longer flattening the curve; we are flattening our state and nation.

We have seen the medical data. What has been less visible in news conferences and in the overall reporting of the coronavirus and our response to it, are the economic and human costs of what we are doing:

• 30 million Americans are out of work and the number grows daily.

• Dairy farmers are pouring out milk they have no market for.

• Pork producers are euthanizing hogs they have no market for.

• According to a study by Iowa State University, the losses to Iowa Agriculture are at a staggering $6.7 billion and growing, with the largest losses in pork production and ethanol.

• In Iowa, the economic loss for corn is estimated to be $788 million, $213 million for soybean and $34 million for cattle.

• The Iowa Restaurant Association estimates that between 10 & 25% of Iowa’s restaurants will not reopen.

• Iowa’s public universities are predicting a $187 million loss.

• Iowa is spending $200 million or more per month on unemployment claims, with over 171,000 Iowans unemployed.

• 29 percent of the U.S. economy is frozen as a result of government action, with U.S. economic output down 29 percent.

• U.S. unemployment could soon hit 47 million.

• Losses to U.S. tourism are predicted to top $910 billion.

• Retirement plans for millions of Americans are being decimated, with recent reports projecting the average 401(k) loss at 19 percent.

• Drug and alcohol addiction and relapse are increasing.

• Testing for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are being delayed, which could lead to increasing health problems and life-threatening illnesses in the future.

• Economic damage to rural hospitals could lead to hospital closures and less access to health care in some areas.

• Warnings of a possible meat shortage in the U.S. have been issued by executives of Farmland and Tyson, with reports that the food supply chain is under stress. Several grocery store chains are now limiting meat purchases and some national restaurant chains are no longer offering certain meat products on their menus. Higher meat prices are almost certain in the months to come.

• Huge U.S. debt increases unlike anything seen since World War II, to the tune of over $3 trillion and counting, are adding to the already monstrous $22 trillion in U.S. debt. This does not bode well for our children or future economic stability.

The list of consequences goes on and on, and behind each of the statistics is a family struggling to survive, a father and mother fearful of how they will care for their children, a small-business owner seeing their dreams and hard work destroyed overnight by draconian government mandates, a restaurant owner deciding never to reopen, a dairy farmer throwing in the towel and a business owner postponing indefinitely plans for expanding.

Behind these numbers is an economy greatly impacted by the government response to the coronavirus, with implications for our economic well-being profound and long lasting. Expansion projects delayed, business closures, layoffs and contraction for many businesses will likely keep unemployment numbers high and depress economic expansion for an unknown amount of time.

Let us be clear, it grows worse every day we remain closed.

Steve Holt represents District 18 in the Iowa House.

When I wear a mask to go into the grocery store or the post office, it’s not because I think it protects me from coming down with the coronavirus. I wear it to protect the people around me.

I am lucky to be in a position where I can follow the CDC guidelines to maintain social distancing, practice vigilant hygiene and stay at home for the most part. When I am in the grocery store I am grateful for the measures taken to protect customers and employees as much as possible from exposure to the virus. I wear a mask so I do not defeat the safeguards in place to protect public health. I have no symptoms. But I have not been tested. I cannot guarantee that I am not an asymptomatic carrier. By wearing a mask when I shop, making sure I wash and sanitize my hands before I go to the store, handling as few items on the shelves as possible, and maintaining a six foot distance from my fellow shoppers, I can guarantee I have done my part to protect them and the dedicated store employees serving us. But even more important, I am protecting the people at home where these customers and workers return when they leave the store. It is a very small thing to do but it is my duty to do it.

Joe Mischka

Cedar Rapids

I’m Admiral Mike Franken, and I’m a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Months before COVID-19 gripped the world, and what feels like an eternity before it began to run roughshod over Iowa, I decided to run for U.S. Senate. Why? Because Iowans deserve experienced leadership in Washington.

Now, Iowa suffers one of the worst outbreaks in the nation; currently, three Iowa cities are the home of the second, forth, and fifth worst outbreaks in the country.

During a crisis, especially a crisis of this severity, there is no alternative to leadership, experience, and vision. Unfortunately, political decisions have taken precedence over workers and their families. Our governor is insistent on opening the state as local experts and the CDC frantically urge otherwise. Sen. Chuck Grassley has said little.

And, indefensibly, Sen. Joni Ernst is declaring that “Iowa has fared pretty well” despite what we know to be true: Iowa still is in a crisis. And the worst still is to come.

Iowa doesn’t just suffer from a pandemic, we suffer from a profound failure of leadership. The question that voters must ask ahead of the June 2 primary is clear: Where can an Iowan look for leadership?

A lack of leadership may come from a lack of experience, as well. I’m no stranger to dealing with disasters, pandemics, or other crises. Hurricanes have slammed economies, and, working for the Department of Defense, I helped rebuild them. Ebola decimated communities and, working in the Pentagon and in Africa, I helped rally the international efforts to save them. I’ve been here before.

My plan is to win this race by offering a showcase of leadership. Recently I began a Daily Coronavirus Briefing on Facebook Live to fill the vacuum of leadership left by Joni Ernst and others. I use these daily opportunities to set the record straight, to discuss what is best for Iowa, how to recover from this pandemic, and kick start our economy, and ultimately build a new America. In short, I will lead to achieve these opportunities.

On June 2, we have a close race for the U.S. Senate. Let’s chart a new course. I am the only candidate with the experience to lead Iowans out of this crisis. Let’s cast a vote for principled, experienced leadership for Iowa.

Michael Franken is a candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Canusa Street in Vermont is the border between the United States and Canada. Roughly 200 years ago, when the border was decided, no one could have imagined that breaking your leg on one side of that street would have vastly different consequences than breaking it on the other.

I’m Kimberly Graham. I’m an advocate and attorney for abused kids and for parents in Iowa’s juvenile courts. I’m also a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa.

On one side of Canusa Street, that nation has a universal single-payer health insurance system. For 20 years, I’ve been friends with an international circle of moms who met in an online mommies group when our kids were infants. Some of us have had medical events requiring expensive care.

To this day, my Canadian (and Australian and British) friends are shocked when we American moms talk about $5,000 or $10,000 deductibles, plus astronomical premiums. We talk about medical debt and how we put off or avoid medical care. We talk about how our child’s broken leg and the resulting deductible has set us behind financially and will take years to pay off.

A poll commissioned in 2018 by West Health Institute and the University of Chicago showed that 40 percent of Americans are more frightened by the cost of health care than getting sick.

Are Canadians, Brits and Australians more deserving of health care without premiums, copays and deductibles than Americans?

Of course not.

In a moral and wealthy nation, health care should be a fundamental human right.

Human rights are not for sale.

Human rights are not commodities to be marketed, bought and sold.

We need a universal, single-payer health care system (Medicare for All) that covers everyone. It should work like a public library. We value libraries and all of us can use them. But libraries aren’t free, so we all pitch in and pay for them. When I want a book, I go to the library, hand them my library card, check out the book and never hand them a debit card or receive a bill in the mail.

Health care should work like that in a moral and wealthy nation. Please join me in working for the day when all of us truly have the health insurance system we deserve. You can learn more at www.kimberlyforiowa.com Onward to justice for all, Kimberly

Kimberly Graham is a candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.