When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present. If youre a Foolish mortal who loves all 999 Happy haunts from The Haunted Mansion, then youre definitely going to want to attend this sance in The Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits Game. Designed by Prospero Hall and released by FunkoGames, players will travel through the mansion trying to collect spirits from different groupings and have more of them than anyone else by the end of the game.

The game might come from Funko, but that doesnt mean it looks like Funko Pop! figures. The character artwork is very faithful to the classic Disney Parks attraction and the back of the package offers a glimpse of the fun in store.

A very nice touch, the underside of the lid becomes the stretching portrait room and the sides of the box are decked with portraits from the mansions gallery.

Even the backside of the gameboard is themed.

The colorful board splits the mansion into six rooms connected by a rotating endless hallway with Madame Leotas sance room in the center. In terms of moving your pawn, players only really move between the sance room and the endless hallway.

The pawns are modeled after the bat stanchions in the queue. Playable by up to 6 players, there are 6 colored pawns to chose from.

During each players turn, they can make three actions, which are listed on a handy reference card that each player receives with their pawn. The gameplay sounds a little complicated, but its not really once you get the swingof things.

It would be a pretty big deck of cards if there were 999, so the gamemakers have simplified it down to just 99. There are 7 types of ghosts in addition to stretching portraits and special ghosts in the deck of ghost cards. Heres what they mean by that, starting with the stretching portraits.

With 4 stretching room portraits in total, a player would need to collect 3 of each to get 15 points from the set at the end of the game. Have 1 of each of the 4 different portraits and you also get 18 points. Generally speaking, having 1 of each and several sets would be an easy way to get a lot of points.

The other sets are a little easier to earn points with. The paintings and artifacts, for example, give you 3 points for just 1 card and 12 for 3 cards. But the mansion is full of tricks. If the game ends and you had just two, you wouldnt get any points for your effort in this set.

As you can see, the artwork on these cards recreates memorable moments from the attraction in a fun way. Musician Ghosts is a set through which a player could try and get all of the singing busts.

The dancing ghosts pair up couples from the ballroom.

The ballroom ghosts feature other characters from that famous scene.

Tea party ghosts are having fun in the graveyard.

Groom ghosts have met their untimely end as a direct consequence of their marriage to the one and only Constance Hatchaway.

Grim grinning ghosts are the last themed collection with a few faces you may have seen jumping out at you from behind a tombstone.

Special ghosts come with extra rules for adding points at the end. In the Madame Leota card, theres an eyeball symbol, which references the Haunt Cards. What a perfect segue!

Haunt cards are bad and take away points from your final total, so you want to have little to no haunt cards by the end of the game. You receive them a variety of ways. Sometimes the instructions on a ghost card you pick up come with a requirement to draw a haunt card, or being in a room that is occupied by the hitchhiking ghosts is another way.

Thats right, this game has hitchhiking ghosts, so beware! The figure travels through the board as dictated by event cards, which are drawn at the start of each round. When youre trying to collect ghost cards from a room with the hitchhiking ghosts, you end up taking on more haunt cards. Also just stopping by their room will earn you at least one. These guys are bad news!

These are event cards. They tell you which way the hitchhiking ghosts move at the start of a round and which direction they go. When you set up the game, you find the Final Round card and shuffle it within the bottom 3 cards of the event deck, so you dont actually know the last turn is about to come. Otherwise youd have time to Make final arrangements and adjust your cards in advance of your last turn and that would just be unfair.

Since each player gets to make 3 actions during their turn, a floating candelabra helps keep track of whos turn is first on the next event. Its not hard to remember when its just 2 players, but if you had a big party, this would definitely come in handy.

You may have noticed one of the actions you can take in a turn is Duel. The way that works is if another player grabs a card you need, you could challenge them to a duel. There are two bidding dials with a rotating number between 0 and 3. Each player secretly moves the dial to the number of haunt cards they are willing to receive to take or keep possession of that card. Whoever picks the highest number wins, but in the event of a tie, the player who already had the card just keeps it.

At the start of each event, ghost cards are distributed around the board starting with the room the hitchhiking ghosts are in. The number of ghost cards varies depending on how many players are in the game. Its always the number of players +3, which is easy to remember. Then players use their turn by either staying where they are and spinning the endless hallway or moving around it until they reach the room they want to be in. Each action eats up one of your 3 allowances per event, so choose them wisely. Drawing a ghost card is considered an action, but hypothetically if you were already in a room with 3 cards, you could pick all 3 cards as your 3 actions.

To recap, youre trying to strategically collect ghost cards to get more points by the end of the game than any other player while also trying to avoid haunt cards and have the least amount of them in the end. It can feel a little overwhelming when youre first reading through the instructions, but by the end of the first event round, everyone will feel comfortable with the game play. Its a lot of fun for fans of Disneys The Haunted Mansionand players will want to Hurry back again and again for more.

Amazon.com: Funko Disney The Haunted Mansion Call of The Spirits Board Game

Alex has been blogging about Disney films since 2009 after a lifetime of fandom. He joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and covers films across all of Disneys brands, including Star Wars, Marvel, and Fox, in addition to books, music, toys, consumer products, and food. You can hear his voice as a member of the Laughing Place Podcast and his face can be seen on Laughing Places YouTube channel where he unboxes stuff.

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Game Review: "The Haunted Mansion: Call of the Spirits" from Funko Games - LaughingPlace.com

[12/10/20 - 09:48 AM]Peacock Orders More Episodes of Timely and Topical Late-Night Series "The Amber Ruffin Show"The critically-acclaimed series is currently streaming on Peacock with brand new episodes dropping tomorrow, December 11 and next Friday, December 18.[via press release from Peacock]

PEACOCK ORDERS MORE EPISODES OF TIMELY AND TOPICAL LATE-NIGHT SERIES "THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW"

Peacock has ordered 10 more episodes of the break-out late-night series, THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW.

Watch/share Amber Ruffin's video announcement:

The critically-acclaimed series is currently streaming on Peacock with brand new episodes dropping tomorrow, December 11 and next Friday, December 18.

The show will return after the holidays with new episodes dropping every Friday beginning January 8, 2021.

"We are thrilled to get the chance to bring you more episodes, because each episode is a new opportunity to have another margarita," said Ruffin.

THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW showcases Amber's signature smart and silly take on the week's news. No matter what's happening in the world, Amber responds to it with a charming mix of seriousness, nonsense, and evening gowns. THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW is a topical late-night show with just the good parts - the comedy.

Emmy and WGA Award nominee Amber Ruffin is a writer and performer for NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and was the first African American female to write for a late-night network talk show in the U.S. She wrote and performed on Comedy Central's "Detroiters" and was a regular narrator on the cabler's "Drunk History." Ruffin was previously a performer at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, the iO Theater and the Second City in Chicago. In addition, she was a writer/performer for the 2018 and 2019 Golden Globe Awards and has written for the series "A Black Lady Sketch Show."

THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW writers room includes head writer Jenny Hagel ("Late Night with Seth Meyers"), as well as writers Demi Adejuyigbe ("The Good Place"), Shantira Jackson ("Busy Tonight"), Dewayne Perkins ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") and Amber Ruffin.

Tarik Davis ("Page One") serves as the announcer for the series.

Amber Ruffin, Jenny Hagel, Seth Meyers and Mike Shoemaker serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions.

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Breaking News - Peacock Orders More Episodes of Timely and Topical Late-Night Series "The Amber Ruffin Show" - The Futon Critic

Boston police raced to a home in the South End on Saturday afternoon when the victim of a home invasion managed to discreetly dial 911 and whisper his call for help. Officers said they arrived in time to arrest the suspect.The victim later told officers that he was entering his home on Chandler Street when he was shoved from behind and fell to the floor of his foyer. The suspect entered and locked the front door behind them, before forcing the victim into the living room. Around 4:53 p.m. the victim was able to discretely make his phone call to 911 and officers were sent to the home, where they encountered the suspect as he was trying to leave.While police did not identify the suspect, officials said he was wanted on 22 warrants in connection with felony and misdemeanor cases across Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.In addition to the preexisting cases, the suspect faces charges of assault and battery on a victim over 65 years of age, unarmed breaking and entering, disturbing the peace and providing a false name to a police officer.

Boston police raced to a home in the South End on Saturday afternoon when the victim of a home invasion managed to discreetly dial 911 and whisper his call for help. Officers said they arrived in time to arrest the suspect.

The victim later told officers that he was entering his home on Chandler Street when he was shoved from behind and fell to the floor of his foyer. The suspect entered and locked the front door behind them, before forcing the victim into the living room.

Around 4:53 p.m. the victim was able to discretely make his phone call to 911 and officers were sent to the home, where they encountered the suspect as he was trying to leave.

While police did not identify the suspect, officials said he was wanted on 22 warrants in connection with felony and misdemeanor cases across Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.

In addition to the preexisting cases, the suspect faces charges of assault and battery on a victim over 65 years of age, unarmed breaking and entering, disturbing the peace and providing a false name to a police officer.

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Home invasion suspect caught after victim whispers call for help to 911 - WCVB Boston

Global lodging owner-operator The Ascott Company has completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of The Domain Hotel, an independent boutique hotel located at the nexus of Silicon Valley's leading tech campuses including Apple and Google. The revamp encompassed a portion of the property's 137 guestrooms, public activity areas and a newly updated fitness center.

The overall aesthetic, imagined by Atlanta-based Design Atelier, dubbed "California Fresh" was inspired by the fresh air and open nature that is hallmark of The Golden State. The design theme incorporates vibrant textures and a curated eclectic style to allow guests to feel they are in a home away from home. A warm and relaxing color palette combines muted blue and grey hues, wood tones and pops of orange inspired by the California poppy, the state's official flower. The 136-unit hotel offers a range of deluxe rooms as well as suites that provide separate living, dining and work areas, with some units featuring private balconies. Guestroom interiors were functionally and thoughtfully redesigned to reflect an updated, contemporary feel combined with practical comfort. Each room features new LVT bedroom floorings, designer wall coverings, new bed frames, statement rugs, Serta Chateau Plush mattresses, modern lounge chairs, and 55" smart TVs. New desk units provide an ideal workspace for remote work and virtual meetings and bathrooms were elevated with new tile, vanities, f ixtures and illuminated mirrors.

In addition to the guestrooms, the corridors were repainted and enhanced with rustic wood-toned door drops and decorative wall sconces. The lobby floor fitness studio was enhanced to serve California's health-conscious locals and guests, and included an expansion featuring new flooring, wall finishes, and upgraded fitness equipment. Finally, the pool area was equipped with new furniture and dcor to provide an improved outdoor wellness experience.

Canada-based Avison Young served as the project manager and Metcon was the general contractor.

The Domain Hotel is situated along Sunnyvale's primary thoroughfare, El Camino Real, which leads to San Francisco City and San Jose. Guests can enjoy convenience as the hotel is near San Jose McEnery and Santa Clara Convention Centers, and attractions such as Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, The Tech Museum of Innovation, and The Computer History Museum. A range of retail, dining and entertainment outlets can also be found at Santana Row, Westfield Valley Fair and Levi's Stadium. Tertiary institutions in the vicinity include Stanford University, Santa Clara University and San Jose State University.

To celebrate the renovation, The Domain Hotel is offering a special introductory rate of $109, complimentary glass of Champagne at check-in and complimentary parking. The offer is bookable at http://www.domainehotelsv.com using code CHEERS.

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Newly Upgraded The Domain Hotel Offers Modern Accommodations For Work Or Play In The Heart Of Silicon Valley - Hospitality Net

The 49ers pulled off an upset victory over the Rams as time expired on the game clock when Robbie Gould split the uprights with the game-winning kick. The win improves the 49ers to 5-6 and keeps them in the playoff race while improving their chances to make it to 17.8% per Football Outsiders playoff odds. This was a 13.1% increase over the previous week. Theyre still last place in the division, but with the seventh playoff teams addition in each conference, its not out of the question by any means.

Making a late playoff push comes at the right time, too, as the 49ers got back Richard Sherman, Raheem Mostert, and Deebo Samuel back in the lineup. Trent Williams was a late addition off the covid list as Brandon Aiyuk remained on it and will likely be back for the Monday Night Football game against the Bills this coming Monday.

The playoff push also comes amid a lot of growing criticism of Shanahan, the in-game play-caller and head coach as fans increasingly grow restless with a less than functioning offense and on a team where. But what are the criticisms, and are they fair? Ill attempt to answer those in this article.

The main source of fans frustration right now is the offensive line play and whats perceived as Shanahans unwillingness to adjust his gameplan to give his quarterbacks time to get throws off. But thats not really warranted. For one thing, every play in Shanahans playbook has a built-in hot route or sight adjust based on a blitzing defender.

Against the Rams on Sunday, Nick Mullens was under pressure on 12 of 38 dropbacks, was sacked twice, and was hit three times per Pro Football Focus. He didnt face his first pressure until late in the second quarter.

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald made easy work of the double team of Daniel Brunskill and rookie right guard Colton Mckivitz. Mullens escaped to the left and got a pass off. It was the first real pressure he faced. Later in the drive, he faced another pressure, but it was on a screen pass that went nowhere and shouldnt really count as a pressure anyway because of the entire right side of the offensive line released downfield.

But in the second half, most of the pressure he faced was quarterback-driven pressures when he failed to read his progressions properly or held the ball too long and took two unnecessary sacks.

This is a good example of quarterback-generated pressure. The play call is all-go four verticals with a check down underneath. The pressure comes from the right side again, with Donald trying to split McKivitz and Brunskill again. From the end zone view, you can see Mullens has a lane to climb the pocket to his left, and it would take one hitch step for him to get a clean throw to reed down the left hash.

Instead, Mullens shuffles around and runs right into the rushing lane to his right as both Donald and Leonard Floyd collapse the right side. On a five-man pass protection, Mullens has to process this faster and do a better job of seeing the routes develop and feeling the rush. As a result, he takes a hit, and its recorded against the interior linemen rather than Mullens.

On another quarterback-generated pressure, Mullens made the wrong read.

Reed motions over to the right, creating a 2x2 formation with the running back offset to Mullenss left. To the right, Mullens has a 3-over-2 situation. His pre-snap read shouldve told him to look left first, where he essentially has a 3-over-3 matchup due to the back releasing to the left flat. The Rams are in cover-6 (quarter-quarter-half) with the cover-2 side into the boundary.

Mullens drops back and looks right first instead of left. Hes looking for routes that never come uncovered or develop long enough to get open. By the time he scans to the left, the pressure is already in the backfield.

Some plays with longer developing routes are not meant to have full-field reads, especially with five in protection because the line cannot hold their blocks for four-plus seconds as they did here. Had he started left, he couldve come off the whip route and back to the flat (the go route was automatically not an option due to the deep safety).

Mullens was also sacked twice, and both are largely his fault. His first sack came late in the third quarter after Donald had already generated some pressures. His second sack came midway through the fourth quarter.

On the first sack, the 49ers are running play action. The goal with straight drop-back play action to so slow the pass rush long enough for the quarterback to find an intermediate-range throw downfield. That doesnt happen here. Mullens turns around and looks to throw and almost immediately has pressure in his face. Once he turns and sees the rusher, he should know to look for his checkdown right away. He doesnt and takes a sack.

Now, McGlinchey does deserve some blame for this because he barely touches Donald and shouldve held his block longer. But its Aaron Donald. The quarterback can make players like Donald irrelevant throughout the game by making quick throws and quick decisions.

On the second sack, he had a little more time to get rid of it and still held on to it.

On the second sack, he never anticipated the running back coming open. But he had the time, and it wouldve required an off-platform throw, which the 49ers quarterbacks make with some regularity. So its not like he couldnt try to. The throw was there.

Or he had Bourne and Reed breaking open on in-breaking routes to the right that he couldve thrown with some anticipation before the rush arrives in his lap. As a result, he pulls it down and tries to escape but gets knocked down for the sack.

On any given Sunday, Shanahan manages to scheme his receivers and tight ends more than should ever be expected for a head coach or allowed by the defense. On some plays, there is nothing but open grass. In other plays, there are wide-open windows. The Rams game had both.

Mullens missed a chance to convert a 3rd and long when he overthrew a wide-open Jordan Reed over the middle running a basic route (10-12 yard dig route) over the middle. He had a clean pocket and time to step into the throw, and he sailed too far in front and too high for Reed to make an attempt at catching it. If Mullens hits the catch radius anywhere near Reed, thats at a minimum a 15 yard gain.

When hes not off-target with throws, Mullens can seem indecisive on his reads and therefore put the ball in harms way.

Reed is to the left running a quick out. To the right, fullback Kyle Juszczyk is running an arrow route with Dwelley over the top of him running a basic route across the middle. Mullens drops back and doesnt trust what he sees. He winds up for the throw, doesnt throw it, and pumps to Reed instead. This is just wasted movement. He attempts the throw to the next progression, Dwelley over the middle, but he doesnt have the arm to make it.

This hesitation prevents the offense from moving the chains. And its not an uncommon thing that Mullens does. In Week 10 versus New Orleans, Mullens missed a wide-open Brandon Aiyuk with similar wasted motion.

In that game, on the first drive, Shanahan called a one-man iso route play called read. Aiyuk is the lone receiver running a read route where he has the option to sit at a depth of 20 yards or take off on a go route. The safety turns his hips to run with a deep route, so Aiyuk sits at 20 yards and turns for the pass. As hes coming open, Mullens double clutches for some reason and doesnt trust what he sees. As a result, he throws late, and the pass is nearly intercepted.

Later in that game, Mullens had another receiver schemed wide open due to the route distribution stretching the defense laterally, but he never came off the read to consider the first down throw he had at the sticks, choosing instead a much tougher throw into coverage.

Mullens sort of double clutches again, not really sure if he should pull the trigger when he sees it opening, causing him to be late on the throw, wasting valuable movement and time he needs to fit a pass into tight coverage. He had Bourne open on the deep sit route to that side, which wouldve been a much easier wide-open throw.

How much of that is Shanahan responsible for? If hes coaching Mullens through the progression in the film room and on the practice field based on the likely coverage hell get on the throw; then there isnt much he can do beyond that. Receivers have been running wide open through the secondary since week one this season, and both starting quarterbacks have failed to do the basics required of their position. It has cost them way more drives and points than anything Shanahan is failing to do.

Of course, this isnt true either. For one thing, Shanahan has adjusted the foundation of his run game to account for the 6-1 fronts most teams are playing by using sifts and escort motions to get extra defenders at the point of attack.

When the 49ers were able to crack the code on the defense late in the first quarter on their touchdown drive, they did through the run game.

One addition to the playbook theyve made to the running game (though its scored as a pass) is through the use of their new Deadpool package for Deebo Samuel. Its a package they used with success against the Rams in week six out of 11 personnel. In week 12, they used it to gain 33 yards on their touchdown drive, but this time out of 12 personnel from the shotgun.

The play is blocked like their outside zone concept Zorro. Zorro tells the F back to block/protect the inside gap of the tight end while the tight end kicks out or reaches the edge defender. The F, in this case, is Jeff Wilson, offset to the left of Mullens. Deebo comes on a jet motion, takes the tap pass with a full head of steam, and runs the edge behind his blockers downfield.

The 49ers deployed this package at key moments in the game against the Rams in week six but its tough to prepare for a multi-varied rushing attack.

Another run game adjustment this season is the escort motion to get extra defenders to the playside and create new gaps.

The 49ers have three to block four to the play side. The run tags have a sift block plus a fly/escort motion to get blockers over to the play-side against the Rams six men on the line of scrimmage and 8 in a condensed box for the formation, creating extra gaps the Rams cant account for. Mostert gets to the edge, and all he has to do is beat the cornerback alone on an island. Remember what Alex Gibbs said about making corners tackle? Easy six.

The reinforcements have arrived and at the right time too. The 49ers are in a position to make a potentially late playoff push in the final quarter of the season, but the margin for error is small. They cannot afford to give away drives on offense at any point in the game due to mistakes, throwing, blocking, dropped passes, etc., but the returning players should be able to hold the line until a potential week 16 return of Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle.

The 49ers will also play their next two games in Arizona due to being shut out of Santa Clara during a three-week pause in sports in the county at all levels due to the rising covid cases. Its unclear where the 49ers will play their remaining home games after that, but for a team facing a ton of adversity, getting wins on the road has been easier than winning at home anyway, and the next several weeks will tell us a lot about this team as we advance.

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49ers film room: Are the criticisms of Shanahan fair? Looking at the Rams game for answers - Niners Nation

TEMECULA The lines between the outdoors and indoors are being blurred. Homeowners build extensive outdoor living spaces so they can relax on weather-resistant furniture and cook in outdoor kitchens in their backyards. In addition, indoor three-season rooms full of bright, open windows that showcase outdoor vistas challenge the boundaries between outside and inside.

For those working with limited budgets, there are some easy, inexpensive ways to enjoy the majesty of natural landscapes indoors. Houseplants can be used to improve indoor spaces, and they also provide various health benefits.

Plants help with allergies.

According to WebMD, rooms with houseplants tend to have less dust and mold in them than those without any foliage. Leaves and other parts of the plants serve as natural filters, catching airborne particles and allergens. Plants with textured leaves might be especially effective at trapping particles.

Growing plants put more oxygen into the air.

The human respiratory system works by bringing in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Plants do the opposite during photosynthesis. They absorb carbon dioxide and then release oxygen. Plants can put much more oxygen into the air, improving indoor conditions.

Houseplants increase indoor humidity and reduce illness.

Studies from the Agricultural University of Norway found that indoor plants can increase humidity in indoor spaces, which decreases the incidences of sore throats, dry coughs, dry skin and the common cold. Higher absolute humidity can decrease the chances of survival and transmission of the flu virus.

They filter the air.

Researchers who presented their work at the 252nd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society found certain houseplants can combat the potentially harmful effects of volatile organic compounds. Plants may help filter out VOCs like benzene, acetone and formaldehyde, which can enter indoor air via cleaning supplies, dry-cleaned clothes, furniture, printers and paints.

They improve the interior atmosphere.

Prevention magazine said plants can be used to screen unattractive areas, moderate room temperature by shading spots from the sun and even reduce noise. Plants also can improve ambiance and create a pleasing atmosphere in a room.

Houseplants can improve your mood.

Growing and caring for plants can alleviate everyday stress. A nationwide study from UK Magazine Gardeners World found 80% of gardeners declared themselves satisfied with life compared to 67% among non-gardeners. Gardeners were more positive mentally. Greenery can help people feel more at home and improve mental health. A rehab center in Norway found patients reported a greater increase in well-being four weeks after having greenery added to their surroundings.

Houseplants can improve indoor areas and positively affect personal health.

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Take in the many benefits of houseplants - Valley News

Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM) posted fiscal third-quarter earnings way above guidance, and management raised its full-year outlook again. Yet because of its lofty valuation, the company's stock price dropped following the release of these phenomenal results. Let's see whether Zoom's various growth opportunities could lift the stock price higher again.

The coronavirus pandemic certainly contributed to Zoom's stellar fiscal third-quarter results. Revenue increased to $777.2 million, up 367% year over year, way above the guidance range of $685 million to $690 million. During the earnings call, CFO Kelly Steckelberg explained that this outstanding performance is thanks to the lower-than-expected churn rate -- an encouraging sign for the demand for Zoom's products no matter how the coronavirus situation evolves.

Image source: Getty Images.

Zoom's customer base also grew significantly. The number of customers with more than 10 employees increased to 433,700, up 485% year over year. And Zoom's products attracted large enterprises too, with 1,289 customers spending more than $100,000 over the last 12 months, up 136% from the prior-year quarter.

Given these positive developments, management again raised its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $2.575 billion to $2.580 billion, which corresponds to a 314% year-over-year increase, compared to a previous range of $2.37 billion to $2.39 billion.

With these impressive results, Zoom will face a tough base comparison for revenue growth next year, though. And the coronavirus-induced boost in demand for the company's remote communication solutions should wane with diminishing travel restrictions associated with potential coronavirus vaccines. However, Zoom will be pulling several levers to fuel its growth.

Over the last few years, the company has been expanding beyond its core video communications business to become a comprehensive unified communications player, partly thanks to its Zoom Phone. As a result of the company's solid execution, the research outfit Gartner recently positioned Zoom as a leader in its magic quadrant for unified communications, based on its completeness of vision and ability to execute. Management doesn't communicate specific metrics about the performance of Zoom Phone, but it planned increased sales and marketing efforts to boost the product, which should solidify the company's positioning as a unified communications specialist and contribute to revenue growth.

The new online events platform OnZoom should also support revenue growth over the next several years with a monetization strategy executives will announce in 2021. And beyond the extra revenue potential that remains difficult to estimate, the company may benefit from an attractive and free opportunity to raise its brand awareness, as influential broadcasters may leverage social networks to advertise their Zoom-based gatherings and events.

In addition, during the earnings call, Steckelberg confirmed Zoom's ambition of increasing sales and marketing and research and development expenses to fuel revenue growth. Indeed, the company's spendings couldn't keep pace with exploding revenue over the last couple of quarters, which resulted in enormous free cash flow, as you can see in the chart below.

ZM Revenue (Quarterly) data by YCharts

However, that underspending could lead to missed or reduced long-term growth opportunities. The result of these investments remains to be seen, but it shows management's focus on long-term growth instead of immediate free cash flow.

Besides, thanks to its strong profitability, the company accumulated a comfortable safety net of $1.9 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities and no debt at the end of last quarter, which can be used to fuel its growth and expand its addressable market via acquisitions. For instance, Steckelberg expressed satisfaction in providing contact center capabilities via partnerships. But I wouldn't be surprised to see the company expanding its portfolio in the medium term with a contact center solution it could acquire or develop thanks to its large resources.

Zoom will also leverage several other growth opportunities thanks to its other products and partnerships. The potential of all these growth levers remains uncertain, but even if you assume flawless execution and strong growth, the stock looks expensive. Zoom's market cap corresponds to 46 times revenue, based on the midpoint of full-year guidance, which indicates phenomenal results are already priced in despite intensifying competition and no matter how the coronavirus pandemic pans out.

Thus, given Zoom's limited stock price upside potential even if growth opportunities materialize, investors should wait for a deeper pullback before considering investing in the high-growth communications specialist.

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Is There Still Room for Zoom Stock to Boom? - Motley Fool

Inequities within our society that have persisted over decades have never been more evident than in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the digital divide for learners and has laid bare the challenges that todays college students face around ensuring their basic needs are met. In addition to the pandemic, racial injustice in America further highlights the need to eliminate equity gaps.

Like a flash of lightning in the night, the pandemic revealed all the cracks and fissures hidden in the landscape and gave us a stark and unsparing look at the cavernous wealth and attainment gap before us in our Black and Brown urban communities, in the immigrant communities of our gateway cities and in our poor, white communities in the rural regions, Dr. Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College, said in the recent Dallas Herring lecture, entitled Insights from the Pandemic: The Reckoning and the Hope at Our Nations Community Colleges.

To reduce inequities within our society, we have to address the root causes of these disparities. And while there are many potential solutions, wide-open access to education has long been a hallmark of the American dream though one that is not realized for Black, Latinx, and Native American populations. North Carolinas Career and College Promise program provides college coursework through the local community college to high school juniors and seniors. Career and College Promise increases access to the states higher education pipeline and has the potential to reduce college attainment gaps.

Community colleges can be a catalyst for this needed change given their open access missions, embedded nature within the community, and credential programs intended to meet the needs of lifelong learners and the local workforce. North Carolinas Community College System (NCCCS) is uniquely positioned to achieve these aims. The 58 community colleges within NCCCS were specifically designed to be within 30 minutes of any North Carolinian, and my research confirms this is true for more than 99% of residents. Simply being located near a community college reduces barriers to access because a prospective student does not have to travel far and is likely to have more familiarity with their local college.

Another benefit of having community colleges embedded locally across the state is the partnerships between the college and the K-12 schools. These partnerships can lead to early and increased exposure for K-12 students to the college environment. Many of North Carolinas community colleges conduct campus tours as early as eighth grade, community colleges are home to Early College High Schools, and most importantly, community colleges provide opportunities for high school students to earn college credit through the Career and College Promise program.

Within Career and College Promise, there are two pathways for students to choose from. The first is the College Transfer Pathway which consists primarily of general education courses meant to transfer to one of the University of North Carolina System (UNC) institutions. That pathway is governed by the states Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA). The CAA is a joint effort between NCCCS and the UNC System and it establishes the foundation of course transfer between the two systems with the goal of increasing students degree completion through maximizing applicability of credit. While the agreement is not perfect, the CAA establishes the necessary structure and organization around successful between-system transfer. The second pathway is Career and Technical Education meant to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and credentials to enter the workforce.

The goal of Career and College Promise is to increase the number of completed associate and bachelors degrees for North Carolinas residents by providing early access to college while a student is in high school. Early access to college allows students to try on college while in the more familiar environment of high school. Students are able to practice their new time management skills, study skills, and experience the academic rigors of college with the added support often offered by faculty and staff. College courses taken early in high school that apply to students associate and bachelors degrees also save students valuable time and money as they pursue higher education.

While these benefits are common across many dual enrollment programs, North Carolina takes further steps to broaden access. For instance, the North Carolina state legislature has recognized the value of creating a pipeline into and through postsecondary education and covers the cost of tuition for the Career and College Promise. This funding allows students to take advantage of the program without fewer financial constraints.

There are costs such as transportation, books, and supplies which are not covered by the program. However, tuition is the largest college expense, making it an important factor when thinking about how to reach low-income and historically underserved students. Career and College Promise is offered statewide, further reducing geographic barriers in access to education.

Further, the legislature has funded career coaches who are professional staff members that help high school students explore their college and career options. Community colleges across the state also have designated Career and College Promise liaisons who facilitate the delivery of the program. These factors combined not only promise to cover tuition but open the promise of a college education to many students who may not have considered going to college otherwise.

The benefits of Career and College Promise extend beyond increasing student access to higher education. In my own research, I found that students who participated in the program in 2015-2016 and/or 2016-2017 had a higher probability of enrolling in a North Carolina community college after high school, had higher persistence rates, had higher community college graduation rates, and had a higher college GPA when compared to students who did not participate in the program. The Career and College Promise program has all of the right components: free tuition, broad accessibility, support for students, and participation is associated with positive educational outcomes. As of the 2019-20 academic year, the program enrolls more than 70,000 students across the state.

While the foundation of the program is firmly established and there is broad support and participation in the program, Career and College Promise is not equitably reaching populations of students that are historically underserved in higher education. Relative to all North Carolina 10th graders in the 2014-2015 academic year, students who go on to participate in the College Transfer Pathway are more likely to be female (63% compared to 50%) and white (76% to 56%), to speak English at home (93% compared to 86%), and to have a higher high school GPA (4.0 on average, compared to 3.2).

In another aspect of my research that focuses specifically on historically underrepresented students, it is apparent that students that meet these criteria are more likely to participate in the Career and Technical Education Pathway. Relative to their counterparts in the College Transfer Pathway, students in the Career and Technical Education Pathway are more likely to be Black (20% compared to 11%), Latinx (11% compared to 6%), to be economically disadvantaged (48% compared to 30%) and to speak Spanish at home (11% compared to 5%).

Given we know that Black, Latinx, and low-income students are among the groups of students least likely to access higher education, it is important that state-wide marketing, recruitment, and retention policy focus on these populations so that North Carolinas College Transfer Pathway provides postsecondary opportunities for students who may not already be college-bound. The postsecondary pipeline from the high schools through the community colleges and to the universities in North Carolina is strong, and Career and College Promise has already opened access to more than 27% of high school graduates across the state.

However, for North Carolina to fully realize the potential impact of Career and College Promise on postsecondary attainment, to reduce inequities and close postsecondary attainment gaps, the program must provide equitable access for Black, Latinx, and Native American populations.

Sarah A. Deal, Ph. D. is a research affiliate at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. Deal researches topics including dual enrollment, college access, and rural student success. Deal focuses on policy and practitioner-relevant research, leveraging her 10 years of experience working in higher education within North Carolina, most recently with the North Carolina Community College System. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development in 2020 at North Carolina State University and is a Lead Consultant with DVP-PRAXIS LTD.

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Career and College Promise in NC: Room for growth - EdNC

When busy empty-nesters Donna, an immunologist, and David, a European history professor, traded in their New Jersey family home for a more modestly-sized apartment on New York City's Upper West Side, they knew they'd need some redecorating and renovation guidance from a pro. So they enlisted Joe Human of Designs by Human, who specializes in both construction and decorating for a holistic approach. Down-sizing meant prioritizing a guest bedroom for the occasional home visit from their grown children, but they also needed a designated home office, so Human helped them do bothin one room.

Whether you're trying to figure out how to design a spare room or you could use a little guidance for your own bedroom-meets-home-office, the transformational guest room makeover below is sure to inspire good functional and formal change. Keep reading to discover the do's and don'ts of guest room and home office decorating.

As many of us can personally attest, focusing on work and being productive in the same room where you're supposed to rest, relax, and unwind can feel impossible. But all it really takes is a strategic layout to help break the room into different zones based upon use-case, and versatile decor. In this room, Human started by "toning down some of the colors" and landed on a muted olive green anchor color, Benjamin Moore's Vintage Vogue (the ceiling is Ceiling White and molding, doors, and trim in China White semigloss), which is a nice balance between stimulating and stylish, soothing and understatedin other words, ideal for a bedroom-office hybrid. "It should draw out your creativity and actually make you want to go into that room to get things done," Human says.

If you're trying to come up with a color scheme for this type of room, Human has some advice: "I see and hear all the time that, 'everything must be white and light to feel bright' and it is simply not true! This room was lighter in color tones in almost every way, but now it feels so much lighter and brightereven with all the dark colorsand now is so much more interesting."

The couple's condo is in a classic New York Art Deco building, so Human wanted to accentuate some of that original character. He added "intricately detailed crown molding to bring in that modern take on Art Deco" design. And while the couple didn't have the budget for real wood wainscoting, the existing wood chair rail running the perimeter was able to function as a makeshift alternative. Plus, it could work as a dividing line that allowed for a fun wallpaper moment. "What do we miss in while living in NYC? Nature! I didnt want a literal picture of trees or a floral print because this room had to remain neutral for guests, so we found this wonderful vintage-inspired mural-scape from Anthropologie that almost extends the space further and makes the room feel larger than it actually is."

Hanging full, voluminous drapes warmed up the room and extended the life of the wallpaper into the dimensional space. (Not to mention, the window treatments gives guests the green light to sleep in and relax without blocking any of the natural light when open.) Human brightened up the space with "newer, more useful overhead fixtures and then the addition of side lamps for accent lighting." Oh! And, of course, comfy bedding is a must for a guest room. Human opted for a Brooklinen set.

"The size of the room was ample but as you can see, there was a mish-mosh of items that needed to be curated and made cohesive." We're all for incorporating sentimental items and furniture in a roomthose items can become the very lifeblood of the space, since they often communicate your personal style and interests. For example, the little stuffed doll on the dresser of this room, is "a sock puppet made by our daughter out of some of Donna's old socks! Next to it is an origami dragon, also made by her," the homeowner David says.

The books are another good example. "Their book collection is honestly one of my favorite things" about the entire space, Human says. "In so many projects, I get to curate book collections for clients. But I was so happy to see the existing collection here." All it took was a little reorganizing. While the books were "literally overflowing in the space when we got there," they now look nice and orderly thanks to another bookshelf made to house the books.

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Joe Human's Dramatic Guest Bedroom and Home Office Makeover - HouseBeautiful.com

Salemis ready to serve its visitors during theholiday season, as fewer crowds lead to intimate shopping experiences. Salemhas so much to offer during theholidayseason, says Kate Fox, executive director of DestinationSalem. It is magical to stroll through theSalemCommon and see the lights and enjoy the picturesque backdrop of downtownSalem.

In response to the economic impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Massachusetts local businesses and communities, the state has launched the #mylocalMA campaign to help drive business and economic recovery to small businesses and Main Streets across the state such as downtownSalem. In addition, economic development catalyzer Creative Collectiveis running a separate hyper-local campaign, #StayLocalSalem and #StayLocal2020.

We are happy to welcome visitors back toSalemfor theholidayseason. The crowds are light this time of year and walking around and accessing shops and restaurants is easy, says Kim Driscoll, Mayor ofSalem. There are new shops and restaurants in the community that are excited to share theholidayexperience with visitors.

While walking between stores,holidayrevelers can grab a decadent hot chocolate from a stop onSalemshot chocolate crawl,and take in some festive photo opportunities such as theholidaytree next to the statue of Samantha fromBewitched.Salemis celebrating the recent opening of many new businesses and expanded offerings from old favorites. Once the shopping is done, enjoy your favorite local museums and restaurants.

Start yourholidayshopping inSalem, where you can find intimate shopping experiences in local shops. For example, the shops at Artists Row feature items by local artisans such as candles, jewelry, and artwork. In addition to the diverse range of stores on Essex Street, including Moodys Home & Gifts, Wicked Good Books, and the PEM Shop, Pickering Wharf offers many options forholidaygifts in stores like Merry and Bright, Partridge in a Bear Tree, andSalemdipity. DestinationSalemhas created lists of ideas for presents such asmasks,ornaments, and overallgiftsfromSalem-based stores and boutiques.

Salemhas many new businesses this year like Beverly Bees in Artists Row, Botanica / Hermetic Arts Center, City Smoke Shop, Coven Beauty Company, GNU Kitchen, Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry, Pentagram, Sage, Settler, Shindig Studios at Artists Row, the Juicery, and Spitfire Tacos. In addition to the new businesses, many popular locales such asSalemArts Association, District Trading Company, The Boutique, and Jolie Tea Company have expanded their spaces.

Salem is renowned for its food scene and in addition to indoor dining, the culinary community is ready for the cold weather as many restaurants have been outfitted with tents and heaters to extend outdoor dining through the end of November. Enjoy award-winning pizza from Bambolina, local cuisine from Ledger Restaurant & Bar, or the freshest seafood at Turners or Finz.For a list of DestinationSalemrecommended restaurants, visitsalem.org/eat.

Hotels inSalemoffer cozy rooms forholidayvisitors, sometimes even offering in-room fireplaces. The hotels and inns ofSalemare a perfect place to get comfortable inside and plan out the next day for shopping inSalem. There are seasonal specials to consider when booking a hotel such as the historic Hawthorne Hotel and TheSalemInn, contemporarySalemWaterfront Hotel and Suites, mid-century modern gem The HotelSalem, and the new Hampton InnSalem. Clickherefor a list of recommended hotels and inns.

A long-standing favorite, HistoricSalemis adapting to COVID-1 restrictions and hosting avirtual tourof historic houses decorated for theholidays. Peabody Essex Museum is offering aholidayexperience with seasonal decorations and shop specials.Click herefor a list of recommended museums and attractions.

DestinationSalemhas launched a new mobile app to assist visitors toSalemin accessing the latest information. This new app features news, information on walking tours, educational content, and location-based notifications. The app is available for iOS and Android and can be found on the App Stores by searching for DestinationSalem, Mass.

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7 Ways to Celebrate the Season in Salem This Year - nshoremag.com