We’re bringing basketball and volleyball to a court near you, Silver Spring!

Check out these two social sport favorites starting up at Sligo Middle School this winter:

• Basketball on Mondays 🏀
• Volleyball on Thursdays 🏐

Both leagues are social, mixed gender, and 21+ only divisions starting the last week of January.

Whether you’re looking to relive the nostalgic fun of a game of H.O.R.S.E. or want to bump, set, spike for the first time ever, these leagues are perfect for all skill levels.

Register Now!

Sunil Bastola is a skilled culinary professional with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry.  Recognized for his comprehensive knowledge of international cuisines, he opened Commonwealth Indian at Pike & Rose in 2019 with the desire to bring a contemporary Indian dining experience to the area.

The decor is exquisite and the food will transport you.  The chef’s favorite dishes are Crab Curry, Butter Chicken, Lovely Corn, and samosas.  Accepting walk ins and reservations.  Visit Commonwealth Indian for an amazing dining experience!

Opening Hours:
Sunday-Thursday 11:30 AM – 9:30 PM
Friday-Saturday 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM
240-833-3055
11610 OLD GEORGETOWN ROAD, ROCKVILLE, MD 20852

Sam The Concrete Man has been providing residential and commercial concrete services since 1989. With over 30 years in the concrete industry, we ensure the highest standards, world-class customer service, and sustainable products that are built to last and designed to impress. At Sam The Concrete Man, we have experience with a wide range of customized projects and can provide the quality results you need.

We’re ready to help with your new concrete driveway, custom patio, walkway, sidewalk, and much more. We’ll give you a free, at-home detailed estimate to ensure that we provide the most accurate quote and so you can approve the costs before we start. We’re familiar with local zoning laws and regulations, so we’ll ensure that our work is fully compliant. We are a trusted partner for your planning, executing, and delivering solutions for the best results to align with your requirements, schedule, and budget. We handle the entire project from start to finish.

If you’re looking for a reliable, experienced concrete contractor, Sam The Concrete Man is the concrete company for you. We’re dependable, have a great track record, and always put our customers first. Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule a free on-site estimate.
https://samtheconcreteman.com/location-md/
MHIC# 151478

The engineering field is constantly evolving, and the demand for skilled engineers who can design and implement advanced technologies is only increasing. One of the newest and most exciting undergraduate engineering programs today is Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering (CPSE). This cutting-edge program is now offered by the University of Maryland, College Park, A. James Clark School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Rockville campus.

The CPSE program at USG provides students with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education that includes integrating physical systems with advanced computing, networking, and communication technologies. The curriculum taught in this program better prepares students for careers in emerging sectors and future technologies such as autonomous vehicles, electrical smart-grid development and management, and industrial IoT systems.  The program is unique because it provides opportunities for Montgomery County residents to remain in-county while earning an in-demand engineering degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

The program has a two-year degree plan designed to provide students with rigorous training in hardware and software which also includes hands-on experience in areas such as advanced FPGA system design, embedded systems, computer vision, and microelectronics and sensors.  Students are exposed to techniques and tools of the practice and become proficient in Java, C/C++, Python, Verilog coding, and other hardware descriptive languages.

In addition to its rigorous curriculum, the CPSE program also offers students a wide range of opportunities for hands-on experience, including access to state-of-the-art labs and facilities, internships, and other opportunities for real-world experience. The program also boasts highly qualified and experienced Clark School of Engineering faculty committed to providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in cyber-physical systems and other engineering fields.

The UMD Cyber-Physical System Engineering program at USG is an exciting new undergraduate engineering program offered by the University of Maryland, College Park, A. James Clark School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Its focus on the intersection of hardware and software and its specializations in programming, networks, cybersecurity, and machine learning, make it an excellent choice for students interested in pursuing a career in a rapidly growing engineering field.

This program is a great option for Montgomery College graduates looking to transfer but if you or someone you know is interested, whether they’re looking for a job in industry or to further their education, the CPSE program provides the knowledge and skills they’ll need to succeed.
Interested in learning more? Visit: https://shadygrove.ece.umd.edu/ and find them on social media @umdcpse

Looking for a new wellness trend?
There are tons of new health trends popping up everywhere these days. It’s exciting to know that people just want the best for their bodies in 2023.  Wellness should be a priority for everyone.

Among these new trends is IV Hydration and Vitamin Therapy.
Have you heard of it? These concierge wellness treatments have the health industry very curious! Essentially these “drips” can help with numerous health and wellness concerns. The treatments involve a Registered Nurse placing an IV, and intravenously providing hydration mixed with blends of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes.
You might be asking yourself : where can I find these wellness drips? 

Elite Hydrations is a mobile, wellness company in Bethesda ( and servicing surrounding areas) that will bring the service to you! Started by Critical Care RN, Angie Sexton and Nurse Practitioner and seasoned Critical Care RN, Long Nguyen- Elite Hydrations offers professional IV services with quality ingredients to help tackle many wellness needs. 

Importance of Hydration
The Elite Nurses explain that “optimal hydration is essential for every cell in the human body”.  Secondly, proper hydration is needed for: digestive regularity, delivering nutrients to cells (even if you take vitamins, if you’re dehydrated nutrients aren’t getting to the right place), preventing infection, boosting immune, proper organ function, regulating cognition and nerve function, aids in weight loss and decreases headaches and migraines, while also combating fatigue and tiredness. 

So, how much water do you need? Elite Hydrations says that a good rule of thumb is to take your weight and divide it by half, so you need half your weight -in oz- of water a day.  Example: if your weight is 140lbs, divide that by two. That’s 70 oz of water you must drink a day. 

But you must add additional hydration if you are losing water through sweat or other water losses such as sickness ( fever, vomiting etc), working out, on hot days, drinking alcohol or caffeine.  See how easy it is to become dehydrated? 

Why IV?
It’s no secret that our bodies need hydration and vitamins to function properly.  According to the Elite Nurses, these IV forms are quick, easy and efficient and provide an excellent supplementation! Furthermore, Elite Hydrations wants you to know that these blends are provider approved and are completely safe for healthy individuals. According to Elite, almost 70% of Americans are chronically dehydrated and are not getting the hydration that the body needs to function properly. 

 

What kind of Drips are offered?
Elite Hydrations offers lots of different blends.  Here are some of the popular ones: 

Rehydrate: Need a Boost? Need a Refresher?  Nothing does this better than the Myers Blend. This drip comes with extra hydration, vitamins, and minerals to keep you going.
Ingredients: Super hydration, B, Complex, Vit C, B-12, Magnesium, Calcium

Beauty Blend: Get the glowing skin you’ve always wanted!  Fight tired, dry skin, acne, and wrinkles with this blend.
Ingredients: Hydration, Vit C, B-Complex, Biotin, Amino Blend Glutathione, ALA

Immune Booster: Don’t let the cold and flu season keep you down.  If you are feeling ill or want to prevent sickness, this is your blend!  Boost your whole system Ingredients: Hydration, High dose Vit C, B-complex, B-12, Zinc *add on Glutathione for best results

Slim and Trim: The best drip yet. Everyone has a little trimming to do, right? Well this drip activates the metabolism with some key ingredients like ALA and Glutathione mixed with an MICC IM Injection.  The blend is perfect for aiding in weight loss
Ingredients: Fluids, Vitamin C, B Complex, B-12, Taurine, Amino Blend, Glutathione, ALA*Add-on MICC IM Injection for best results

Performance and Recovery: Rev up your fitness level with this game-changer. This blend allows your body to recover and restore after working hard. Recovery is a big part of increasing your fitness level.
Ingredients:Super hydration, Vitamin C, B-Complex, Mineral Blend,Taurine, Glutathione and Amino Blend 

Migraine Formulas: Struggle with chronic migraines? Are the season changes giving you headaches?  This blend will get you back on your feet! You deserve to feel your best.
Ingredients:Hydration, Vit C, B Complex, Mineral Blend, Magnesium,B-12, Pain Reliever, Anti-inflammatory agent, anti-nausea agent.  

Re-Energize: Need an energy boost from a long day at work? From traveling, training or just an energy reset from stress?  Blended with quality ingredients like B Vitamins, Taurine and Glutathione and of course lots of hydration, your energy levels will be addicting.
Ingredients: Hydration, b-12, b complex, Amino Blend, Taurine, Glutathione

Hang Over: The worst feeling after a night to remember is waking up not being able to function. Don’t worry about it, after consuming alcohol your body is depleted of everything- hydration, vitamins, minerals electrolytes etc.  We can give that all back to you, quickly with this drip!  So, you’ll naturally start feeling the effects immediately!
Ingredients: Hydration,b complex, Vitamin C, mineral blend, Anti-nausea, Pain Reliever

How Often Are Services Needed?
“Depending on what your wellness needs are, the time frame for receiving IV treatments can vary.  Our Hangover drip or is one of those services that our clients only use when they have a need arise.  However, drips like Slim and Trim, Performance and Recovery, and our Beauty Blend are wellness drips that are given weekly or bi-weekly to provide a desired goal” 

–Elite Owner and Provider, Long Nguyen, 

RN, BSN, CRNP, MSN, CCRN

I’m Interested, how do I sign up?
If you’re ready to make your wellness a priority, you can contact Elite Hydrations: 

• www.elitehydrations.com  you can book an appointment right online 
• Call, Text, leave a message 240-435-4453
• Check them out on social media- send them a message there!
  Instagram
  Facebook

  Elite Hydrations offers exclusive discounts to their first time clients! 30% off first Drip 

*Disclaimer The information on this article and the information listed as well as Elite Hydrations  is not intended or implied as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any conditions, diseases, or ailments.  All content, including text, graphics, images, and information contained on or available through this article, is for general information purposes only.

Although IV Therapy is considered safe and potentially risk-free for healthy adults, side effects such as phlebitis at the IV location, swelling at the IV site, allergic reaction, and anaphylaxis are rare- but potential risks and side effects. 

Celebrate MoCo native and “modern jazz icon in the making” (All About Jazz) Allison Miller as she takes the Music Center at Strathmore’s stage on Friday, February 10. Her immersive, multimedia performance, Rivers in Our Veins combines original jazz music with tap and contemporary dance—it also features Maleek Washington, who started his professional career with local CityDance Conservatory. The performers are accompanied by improvisational video projections inspired by the sights, sounds, and movements of five US rivers, including the Potomac. What results is a balanced, multimedia experience that unifies the senses and fully immerses the audience into the wonders of these great American waterways.

MOCO Show fans can see the show for $20 off with promo code MOCO20.

Miller’s love for nature and waterways began during her childhood, which she often spent hanging out by the creek at the back of her parents’ farm in Olney. Her internal love and longing for nature persists, and she makes it a priority to spend time seeking answers and respite on the banks of her favorite rivers.

“I would not be the artist I am today if it had not been for MCPS’s commitment to the arts in education,” says Miller. “Sherwood High School provided a healthy and robust environment for me to learn, practice, and put my craft to work. Coming up through the MCPS system provided me the opportunity to learn from the best teachers on the planet, including Ron Kearns, Bill Evans, Joe Reiff, Judy Adler Reiff, Marcia Massey, and Warren Crutchfield.” Miller’s career has led her to be named Jazz Ambassador for the US Department of State three times, and she has been the rhythmic force behind such artists as Sara Bareilles, Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Toshi Reagon, and more.

Miller’s time with Strathmore included a residency with students and artists from the DMV area on January 24, including interviews with river experts. She will also be conducting a music workshop for her alma mater, Sherwood High School, February 8 in Olney, MD. The evening of the performance also includes a pre-concert talk at 6:30pm with local riverkeepers from the Anacostia Watershed Society, Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN), and Groundwork Anacostia River DC.

When asked what she looks forward to during her time in Montgomery County, Miller said, “I make it a priority to drive along Batchellors Forest Road, taking in all the beautiful old homes, the old horse farm, the lush forest, and the overgrown corn fields. This is home to me.”

MOCO Show fans can see the show for $20 off with promo code MOCO20.

This program is part of a multi-year examination of the environment through artistic expression and is made possible, in part, through the generous support Kathleen Knepper. Commissioned by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Sponsored post courtesy of Weblime:
As a top-rated Maryland web design company, we always have prospects and co-designers asking us:

• What’s your philosophy for a website redesign?
• How do you redesign websites to improve conversions? 
• What content strategy do you adopt when redesigning web pages?

And a whole myriad of other questions about web redesign.
Today, we’ll answer these crucial questions as we share the web redesign process for which our clients love us. Ready? 

How to Effectively Redesign a Website

At Weblime, we use a 6-step process for creating redesigns that increase conversion rates, reduce bounce rates, and help our clients win over the race to customers. Here’s what that process looks like:

1. Check Your Current Website’s Performance

You need to know where you stand before making any changes to your website. To do that, we ask questions like:

• What was the goal of the current design?
• Does the current web design attain that goal?
• What works and what doesn’t?
• What are the expectations for the redesigned website?

Armed with answers to these questions, we then conduct QA (quality assurance) tests to check for errors around user experience, documentation, design, etc. If the site’s low conversion stems from simple QA problems, we fix that and voila.

Finding these problems will guide the redesign process and can serve as performance benchmarks for the redesigned process. 

2. Analyze Competitor Websites for Gaps 

At Weblime, we like to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Not necessarily “enemies”, but you need to keep tabs on your competitors if you want to become the go-to problem solver in your niche. That’s why nearly 6 out of every 10 business executives leverage competitive intelligence to monitor competitors and break into new markets.

Analyzing competitor websites gives you insights into where your website is lacking and what you need to do to close that gap. We perform two types of competitor analysis for our redesign process:

1. Quantitative analysis 

As you’d imagine, quantitative analysis focuses on numbers. Think of metrics like organic traffic, backlinks, PPC keywords etc. You can spy on these metrics with free tools like Ubersuggest, SemRush, Ahrefs, etc.

Here’s an example of competitor spying we performed on Adobe:

Source

 

You can then check this info against your metrics to find the gaps and develop ideas to match, if not supersede, these numbers.

2. Qualitative analysis

Qualitative analysis centers around user experience and behavior on your website. What content are visitors consuming the most? What CTAs are converting the most? Etc.

When we conduct competitor analysis for clients, we look at page load speeds, intuitive navigation, screen resolutions, and others. But, our qualitative analysis will be incomplete without analyzing their customer journey. Where does it begin and end?

Typically, the customer journey looks like this:

Home > Features > Pricing > Payment page

We check this journey to find the bottlenecks and speedbumps that give visitors a cause to bounce. Then, we can make an effective redesign plan. 

3. Create a Website Redesign Plan

Now, you need a roadmap for your redesign. 

First, consider why you are redesigning; perhaps you want to increase sales, drive more traffic, or reach a wider audience. Then, establish your KPIs to measure the company’s goals. For an online clothing store, for instance, you’ll want to track metrics like traffic (particularly on your checkout pages), average customer lifetime value, etc. 

Next, develop a new site map, messaging strategy, and an ideal user flow.

A new sitemap allows you to rearrange your current pages, remove outdated ones, and add any missing ones. To comprehend the hierarchy of each page, we like to create a visual sitemap like this one.

Also, excellent web design aims to support and convey the intended message. To accomplish that, you must have distinct knowledge of your message.

In our experience at Weblime, Donald Miller’s StoryBrand architecture is the best messaging technique for successful brands. The StoryBrand framework is simple: it positions your business as a guide on the customer’s journey to finding solutions to their problems.

While redesigning Monarch Prime’s website, we used this framework to understand its pain point and craft the right messaging for its business. The process looks like this:

Source

With this strategy, we then proceed to create an ideal user flow. It helps you think about how users engage with your website, from visitors to qualified leads. Start by optimizing each step of a user’s journey once you have planned how they would navigate your website.

Beginning with a basic user flow, such as the one shown below, is perfectly acceptable. 

Source

 

Simply remember to return and make changes to your website once it launches and gathers more data.

4. Prioritize a Content-First Strategy

According to the content-first strategy, your redesign should complement the concepts and messages you want to convey to your audience. This implies that rather than creating a fancy website to stuff your content into, build a straightforward responsive website based on your gathered data.

The content-first architecture suggests you present your website’s information in the most consumer-oriented way possible. It’s built on the user research information you gather in the prior stages of the redesign process, like the competitor analysis.

5.  Start Creating

After sitemaps, we create mockups. To begin, our design team creates wireframes for the redesigned website. Why? These wireframes project how you organize the content on the new site for improved user experience.

Next, focus on the UI. You need programs like Adobe XD and Figma to embellish your wireframes with colors, logos, and pictures. These mockups and wireframes must describe the altered design elements, unique functionality, and communications to your design team. 

6. Test and Launch

Here, we create a “dummy site” of the redesigned website with a different URL. Then, we invite beta testers to try out the site and collect their experience on the site. This way, we can locate and whack out any bugs and errors before launch.

Whew! Now, you’re ready to go live. 

Pro tip? You need a team of professionals to pull off an effective redesign. Many people realize this down the line and then seek out web design experts to get the job done. By then, they’ve wasted time, money, resources, etc. 

Thankfully, that’s not you.

Talk to an Expert Web Design Company in Maryland

According to Hubspot, 9 out of 10 site visitors bounce because a site is poorly designed. Meaning, you can’t take your web redesign lightly. 

Weblime is a first-rated Maryland web design company focused on helping online businesses grow. Our goal? Building websites that deliver tangible business results. We’ll help you unlock the full potential of your most important digital asset – your website. 

If you’re ready to start serving more customers through your website, you can book a free consultation with any of our web design experts. 

Recently, Maryland Senate Bill 450 (SB 450) went into effect, revising the definition of sexual harassment in the workplace by changing the standard of sexual harassment from “severe or pervasive” conduct to the “totality of the circumstances” in sexual harassment cases.

The previous standard of “severe or pervasive conduct” was a rather high standard that made it particularly challenging for employees to prevail because they were required to show the conduct they faced in the workplace was so offensive, threatening or consistent that their place of employment was unbearable. Under the previous standard, fleeting sexual remarks did not rise to a level of legally actionable sexual harassment.

The new “totality of the circumstances” standard looks to whether a reasonable person would perceive the working environment as abusive or hostile. This new relaxed standard significantly expands the scope of conduct which may support a claim of sexual harassment. This will likely lead to an increase in viable sexual harassment claims and increased litigation costs because winning summary judgment will become exceedingly difficult. To read the full text of Senate Bill 450, click here.

Maryland employers should consider arranging for sexual harassment training for their workforce to ensure employees and management have a better understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment, how it can be prevented, how employees can report an incident and how complaints should be addressed.

Our Labor and Employment Group at Shulman Rogers offer annual sexual harassment training to our clients throughout the year.  The training is typically comprised of a one-hour training presentation for all employees and an additional one-hour training for supervisors and management. The training can be recorded and made available to clients following the presentation so that employees that are hired over the course of the year can watch the recordings and complete the training during the onboarding process.

If you have any questions about this Alert, we encourage you to reach out to your Shulman Rogers contact for solutions and recommendations for addressing these issues.

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

The contents of this Alert are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about this Alert, please contact the Shulman Rogers attorney with whom you regularly work or a member of the Shulman Rogers Employment and Labor Law Group.

To receive Employment Law Alerts and other timely news and information from Shulman Rogers, please click HERE to subscribe.

The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center held its Red Carpet Speaker Series event last week at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville
The setting was an English Garden Tea to welcome Rebecca Eaton, executive producer at large for Masterpiece Theater. She is the creative force behind Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and Masterpiece Theater. Ms. Eaton took the stage to share her insights on developing Masterpiece and shared tidbits and fun gossip on the set with the stars of her award-winning programs, which spans decades of all her filming for Masterpiece on PBS.
“One of Kisco’s signature features is The Art of Living Well programming which provides intellectual and educational opportunities for residents and truly personifies The Carnegie name,” said Jaime Pacheco, General Manager for The Carnegie. “We want to empower residents to pursue their passion and purpose, surrounded by culture, art, and education. Our Red Carpet Speaker Series is a signature event that does just that.” https://lifeatthecarnegie.com/

The Carnegie is visionary retirement living with ageless style and graceful amenities that engage the senses and create opportunities to explore life with newfound inspiration. With a fresh new perspective to a maintenance-free lifestyle, The Carnegie is setting a new standard of excellence with five-star hospitality and a choice of intellectual programs designed to address the new mindset of younger seniors entering retirement. The Carnegie Discovery Center is open daily to the public in Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg, showcasing a full-size two-bedroom model with the interior décor and architectural design featured in The Carnegie residences. Learn more: www.lifeatthecarnegie.com

The real estate at experts at Team Nurit/The Agency DC are thrilled to announce that Buying Beverly Hills is now streaming on Netflix! “So excited to be a part of this new real estate occu-soap following The Agency Beverly Hills, featuring Mauricio Umansky, his daughters  Farrah Brittany and Alexia Umansky, and more of our talented agents. Grab the popcorn and clear your weekend plans—this is going to be good,” said Nurit Coombe. Watch the trailer on Netflix here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbtWcigOyq/

 

Moving soon? “While the right moving company can make for a smooth move, choosing the wrong movers can make your relocation a nightmare.”  So how do you make sure you choose the right movers for you?
AJ Moving Services is a locally founded moving company. We specialize in residential & commercial moving service. We are the fastest growing Local & Long Distance moving company in Maryland, Virginia & the Washington D.C metropolitan Area. We are a family owned & operated moving company based in Gaithersburg MD, with more than 7 years of experience in the moving industry. Established by professional Gaithersburg movers back in 2018.

We know what it takes to provide you with an easy and successful move. Our Maryland movers are highly trained in our facilities by veteran moving specialists and must meet our high standards before they work for you. We strive everyday to provide our best service from the first phone call until the job is completed. We would be more than happy to provide a free online estimate through our website AJMOVINGSERVICES.COM or call us at (301) 541 6793 to schedule a free in-home estimate. WE MAKE MOVING EASY.