November 7

St. Louis County Decides To Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses. Will Other Counties Follow Now?

After Wednesday's ruling that Missouri's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional, offices in St. Louis and St. Louis County have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

But so far, other counties in Missouri have expressed reluctance at issuing their own.

The Recorders' Association of Missouri, an organization that all recorders of deeds are part of, has advised recorders outside of the city of St. Louis not to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

"On the advice of the association's attorney, that guidance has been sent out to all recorders throughout the state," said Jan Jones, the president of the Recorders' Association of Missouri.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-county-decides-issue-same-sex-marriage-licenses-will-other-counties-follow-now

American Eagle Stops Photoshopping Underwear Ads, Sees Sales Boost

Digital photo manipulation has been a controversial issue for quite some time and some brands have made a point of trying to keep things looking more natural. However, it can be hard to tell exactly how effective those methods are. When American Eagle decided they would stop manipulating the models in their Aerie underwear ads, they actually saw a noticeable uptick in sales.

The women in the ads are still decidedly, well, model-like, but they haven't been rendered completely smooth or tattoo-free like you might expect to see in a Victoria's Secret ad. Aerie also tends to have a slightly more natural-light oriented look in its advertisements, which lends itself to less retouching.

The program has been in place since January and it will presumably continue on since companies don't often discontinue initiatives that spur a 9% growth in sales.

It's tough to say exactly how much of an effect this has had on the brand and their image, but it seems like a new positive for all involved.

http://www.popphoto.com/news/2014/11/american-eagle-stops-photoshopping-underwear-ads-sees-sales-boost?src=SOC&dom=fb

November 6

My Sincerest Thank You to "In The Wind" who not only kept up with these daily posts during my time away, but made them look a whole lot better than what I do. (I must learn your secret).