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Before you figure out how you should invest, it's important to understand why you should invest to begin with and what your investment options are. The more information you have, the better position you're in to decide how you want to answer the question, "How should I invest?" At the end of the day, there are no absolute right and wrong ways to invest. That's like asking, "What should I wear tonight?" The answer will depend on your personal style, your age, the weather, the size of your budget and where you are going. The same goes for investing; there are many variables to consider. So here's some background information to help you decide what you want your investment wardrobe to look like.
Why Invest?
You invest to make your money work as hard for you as you did to earn it. After the market craziness of the past few years, you may be tempted to just stash those hard-earned dollars under your mattress. After all, you worked hard for your money, and with all the options out there investing can seem complex. Unfortunately, if you leave your savings in cold, hard cash – inflation will eat away at your money's "purchasing power." This means that in 30 years, $1,000 will only buy what $400 does today (assuming historical inflation levels of roughly 3%… it could be worse). So the reason you invest is to protect your purchasing power from the ravages of inflation.
What Should You Invest In?
The answer depends on when you'll need to spend that money, your gender, and how old you are right now. If you need to spend that money in the next one to five years, guess what? You shouldn't invest that money. That's right. If you know you have to spend it in five years or less, your goal is to protect that money from inflation. The way you do that is by "parking" the money in a savings account, money market account/fund, or a CD (certificate of deposit). Each of these financial products offers you a place where you can earn enough interest to hopefully keep up with inflation – and, at the same time, not put your underlying savings at risk.
For money that you won't need to spend over the next five years, you have three basic options: stocks, bonds and real estate. Stocks are pieces of ownership in underlying businesses. Bonds are loans to governments or corporations. Real estate is tangible structures – and can be residential like homes or apartments, or commercial like office buildings and shopping centers. Personally, I believe that for most people, ownership of their primary residence is enough of an investment in real estate so I recommend splitting the money you don't plan to spend in the next five years between stocks and bonds, using to this formula: If you are female, 110 minus your age is the maximum percentage of your portfolio that you'd want to allocate to stocks. (If you are male, the rule of thumb is 100 minus your age because your life expectancy is shorter). Say you're a 40-year-old woman like me. The formula would be 110-40=70. So 70% is the maximum percentage of my portfolio that I allocate to stocks. I would put the rest in bonds.
How Do You Invest in Stocks & Bonds?
Index funds are my favorite keep-it-simple investment tool. Buying individual stocks and bonds can be great, but how do you know which ones to select from the thousands that are available? Here's the good news: I'd say – don't even try! Unless you want to analyze companies for a living, the best way to invest in stocks and bonds is by buying a whole basket of them, rather than trying to pick and choose. In the world of investing, these baskets are called mutual funds.
There are two types of mutual funds: Active and passive. Think about it as two styles of fashion. Trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends is very similar to investing in an active mutual fund. Wearing the classics is a lot like investing in passive (or index) mutual funds. Unless you just LOVE investing, I say go with the classics, or index funds. An index fund is a basket of stocks that doesn't change very often. Personally I use a mix of Treasury inflation-protected securities, municipal bond and corporate bond index funds for the bond side of my portfolio, and a mix of the total U.S. stock market index and total international stock market index on the stock side. Another option I like are Target-Date Retirement funds, where the mutual fund company picks the mix of stocks and bonds for you based on your age. While there are many good sources of Target-Date Retirement funds, my personal favorites are offered by Vanguard, Fidelity and Charles Schwab.
Investing is a very broad subject. If you'd like to learn more, I recommend reading Little Book of Common Sense Investing by Vanguard founder John Bogle. And if you have additional comments or questions, leave them below, and I'll do my best to get back to you.


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Kolding is a city in Jutland, Denmark.
Get in
By train: Kolding hasn't got a very big train yard (2 tracks), but trains between Aarhus and Copenhagen normally stop in Kolding. If not, the 2nd-largest train station of the counry in Fredericia has a train departing for Kolding every 10- or 20 minutes.
Get around
Kolding isn't very big, so getting around in the city centre is quite easy. If you wish to go to more remote locations, e.g. the botanical garden of Geografisk Have, buses are cheap and drive all over town. It should also be possible to get a taxi cheaply (by Danish standards. Taxi-driving is mostly very expensive in Denmark.)
Because most of Kolding's sites are very centralized to the centre of the city (Church of St. Nicholas, Koldinghus, Geografisk Have), most travellers won't have to do much travelling once the city's been reached.
Many restaurants can be found in the city centre of Kolding with various themes: oriental food, pizza, traditional Danish food, American buffets and steak houses can all easily be found in the city centre and near the train station.
Get out

subset: commoncrawl


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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed the controversial rotation policy and hit out at its critics.
While paceman Mitchell Starc was left "absolutely shattered" after being told he would be rested from the Boxing Day Test, Ponting said he had no qualms with the decision.
"There are a lot of people talking about it that don't need to be talking about it to tell you the truth," Ponting said. "A lot of people talking about it, past bowlers in particular, have got no idea of the workload of some of the guys. I don't want to get into it too much - it annoys me a little bit. Everyone around the Australian set-up is trying to do the best thing for Australian cricket.
"They aren't trying to harm the team or make it weaker, it's about putting the best and fittest bowlers on the park. People from the outside can have opinions on it all they like but until it starts coming from within people should mind their business."
Ponting was not a part of a Boxing Day Test in Melbourne for the first time since 1998 but he still managed to pile on the runs on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old, who averaged 58.17 from 15 Tests at the MCG, guided Hobart Hurricanes to victory with a man of the match 63 not out, clearing the boundary three times in the seven-wicket win over the Sydney Sixers at the SCG.
"It's a lot different," Ponting said. "Normally I'd be at home on the couch, ordering room service, getting ready for day two of the Test match. I've known for a while what my last half of the summer was going to look like. I watched a little bit [of the Test match] but I didn't watch a lot.
"My wife was out for most of the day so I was on kid duty by the pool."
The match-winning knock was Ponting's second consecutive half century in the BBL. While he had little reservation about exiting from the international arena, Ponting refused to confirm that Wednesday night would be his SCG swansong.
"I don't know," Ponting said. "I haven't said I am hanging them up altogether at the end of the year. We'll wait and see. I've got some Shield and Ryobi games to play, so I'll see how I feel at the end of the season.
"I'm more than comfortable with the decision I've made. This format is a little different than facing the world's fastest bowlers in a Test match. But scoring runs is always nice and it's good to be contributing for the Hurricanes, I've had my time in the sun."
The Hurricanes have now won their past two games and are on track to emulate last season's semi-final finish. They all but ended the Sixers' hopes of consecutive premierships, the same side which ended their Big Bash League dreams last season.
"We played a reasonable game and are happy to sneak away with a win," Ponting said. "It probably got closer than it should have."
Ponting shared an 84-run second wicket partnership with Aiden Blizzard in Hobart's successful run-chase.
Hobart's next assignment is a clash with the Scorchers in Perth on New Year's Day.


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Pundit's Fallacies: Not, Alas, Just For Reactionary LibertariansComments
Jon Chait has some fun with Nick Gillespie, who asserts that the problem with the Romney campaign is that it didn't take a more libertarian approach (perhaps campaigning on the assumption that the Ryan budget was a left-wing sellout.) Because nothing says "electoral landslide" like campaigning ideas that are enormously unpopularwith your base, let alone the population as a whole.
The thing is, though, that it's not just right-wing libertarians who can be prone to this kind of farcical projection. Somebody in the recent "
was Andrew Johnson the greatest civil rights president in history?" would Romney be better for civil liberties?" thread linked to this post, which argues that Obama is singlehandedly responsible for eliminating civil libertarian majorities that have never actually existed. (We apparently need more frequent reminders of Garry Wills' dictum that running people out of town on a rail is every bit as "American" as declaring inalienable rights.)
To anyone with some basic familiarity of American history, to summarize this argument is to refute it. And, yet, this evidently erroneous assumption about the popularity of civil libertarian positions seems to be the basis of the "Obama entrenched presidential powers that were all entirely entrenched before he took office" argument. This explains why two events — what happened when Obama tried to close Gitmo, and what happened when Obama tried to give KSM a civilian trial — always go down the memory hole when arguments that Obama is so uniquely bad on civil liberties that civil libertarians shouldn't support him surface. the pundit's fallacy version of this argument seems to be that Obama made otherwise unpopular policies of arbitrary detention popular. The far more accurate way of describing the underlying dynamic is that presidents are varying shades of terrible on civil liberties because most civil libertarian positions (especially in the context of military powers) have very little popular constituency. Should Obama have vetoed the still-terrible 2011 NDAA rather than just getting concessions Bush, McCain or Romney wouldn't have gotten? I still lean in that direction. But let's be clear that this almost certainly would have been an ineffectual symbolic gesture — the votes were definitely there to override his veto in the Senate and probably in the House, and even had the veto been sustained Congress would have almost certainly passed a version that wasn't meaningfully more civil libertarian. So I can certainly understand why he didn't. Ultimately, pretending that the American people are already with us isn't going to make solving the problem of arbitrary executive power any sooner.


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Hout Bay
Earth : Africa : Southern Africa : South Africa : Western Cape : Cape Peninsula : Atlantic Seaboard : Hout Bay
Hout Bay appears to be a little harbour village but is actually a suburb of the South African metropole Cape Town.
Get in
Hout Bay is situated at the west side of the Cape Peninsula. You can get there by car, following the road along the west coast of Peninsula. From the Cape Town city centre drive to Camps Bay and from there all along the sea. You can also get there from the east side of the Peninsula and from the Cape of Good Hope.
Park your car at the parking lot by the harbour.
The harbour itself is the main attraction. It is quiet and full of bustling fisher boats at the same time.
Watch the fisherman unload their fresh fish, old ladies repairing the nets or go on a trip to Seal Island to see the local seal colony.
A visit to Hout Bay is incomplete without a visit to the World of Birds, a wonderful bird park, touted to be the biggest in the western cape. Make sure that you time your visit to coincide with the feeding of the Squirrel monkeys.
Chapman's Peak Drive starts just south of Hout Bay. This toll road offers spectacular views, especially at sunset. If you're a world class big wave surfer, Hout Bay is the location of Dungeons home to some of the worlds biggest surfable waves in winter.
There is an antique store next to the restaurant, which is definitely worth a visit!
Taste fresh lobsters or other seafood and fish at the local restaurant. It is cheap compared to prices in inner Cape Town, but can be bought for less at more quiet places.
Accommodation in Hout Bay consists mainly of smaller guesthouses and bed and breakfasts, prices vary and it is worth shopping around for the best option. Try searching to find accommodation to fit your budget and requirements, as more establishments offer their own websites and direct online booking facilities, securing the right accommodation is much easier. Booking in advance is essential over the peak periods and in particular over December and January.
Get out


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Marching orders for the future
George Curry | 9/2/2013, 12:37 p.m. | Updated on 9/2/2013, 12:37 p.m.
(NNPA) – Now that we've had two events at the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, it is important to remember a few things about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. beyond his I Have a Dream speech.
The question is always asked: What happens after the marches are over? Demonstrators left Washington, D.C., in 1963 determined to change the American landscape. Consequently, we had passage of the 1965 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Those laws were passed not because of a speech in the nation's capital, but because of the hard work and dedication of people at the local, state and national level to bring about change.
While the I Have a Dream speech might have been King's most popular oration, it was not his most substantive one. In 1963, King etched a prosaic picture of what America should look like in the future. But a far more important one was his Mountaintop speech, delivered in Memphis the night before he was assassinated.
In that speech, King outlined a plan for economic empowerment and told us how to strengthen our institutions to accomplish that goal. He reminded us, "Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal."
King explained, "We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails. We just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, 'God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda – fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."
He urged us to "strengthen our Black institutions" by patronizing them.
Instead of placing so much emphasis on what King said in 1963, we should look at what he was doing at the time of his death. He wasn't trying to create a special commission or hold conferences on how to strengthen the middle class. He was organizing a Poor Peoples Campaign, a trek to Washington, D.C., to dramatize the urgent need to help the least among us.
After President Lyndon B. Johnson shifted his focus from the War on Poverty to the war in Vietnam, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference launched an effort in 1968 to seek economic justice for poor Blacks, Whites, Latinos and Native Americans. The idea was to have another March on Washington that would force political leaders to address the issue of poverty.
"We ought to come in mule carts, in old trucks, any kind of transportation people can get their hands on," King said. "People ought to come to Washington, sit down if necessary in the middle of the street and say, 'We are here; we are poor; we don't have any money; you have made us this way … and we've come to stay until you do something about it."


text: On Saturday I joined the Wellington Botanical Society's field trip to Wright Hill in Karori, Wellington. Wellington city would not be my first choice of locality for fern spotting, but we still found plenty to keep me interested. The filmy ferns Hymenophyllum flexuosum and Trichomanes endlicherianum are always pleasing finds. Although widespread, they are not… Read more »


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view a plan
"10 Pennies = 1 Dime" is a money lesson that makes "cents"!
Math, Music
Title – Ten Pennies = One Dime
By – Lisa Bischof
Primary Subject – Math
Secondary Subjects – Music
Grade Level – K
Anticipatory Set:
- While we talk, I would like you to raise your hand and I will call on someone to provide an answer for me. We have been reading about Mrs. Wishy-Washy. Do you remember what animals Mrs. Wishy-Washy put in the tub? Yes, she washed the cow, the duck, and the pig. We have also been learning about money, especially coins. What coin is this? (Hold up a large-modeled penny.) Who is pictured on the penny? Abraham Lincoln, yes. What color is a penny? Yes, brown or copper in color. Pennies are made from copper and that's why they are brown in color. What coin is this? (Hold up a large-modeled dime.) Is Abraham Lincoln pictured on a dime? No, Franklin Roosevelt is pictured on our dime. What color is a dime? That's right. Dimes are gray or silver. Which one of Mrs. Wishy-Washy's animals, a cow, a duck, and a pig, has something to do with money or coins? Pig! Very good! A Piggy Bank! Today we are going to make a piggy bank while we find out how many pennies equals, is the same as one dime.
Developmental Activities:
- ¢ Today's leader, (call by name) will come up. (Teacher should pick out two numbers that will total ten.) How much is one penny worth? Leader answers. One penny is worth one cent. So if we have three (Use one of the numbers that total ten.) pennies, how many cents do we have? If we have seven pennies (The other number picked to total ten), how many cents do we have? Yes, seven cents.
- ¢ Let's add these two values together (Use the numbers that total ten.) and see how many cents we have. Ask the leader to write a math sentence showing how to combine the two values. Do you remember the symbol or shortcut we learned to write the word "cents?" Please remember to use our shortcut. Then we know that we are talking about cents. The sentence should read 3¢ + 7¢ = 10¢. (Insert other numbers selected to total ten.)
- ¢ Have the leader read the math sentence using correct terminology. Have the class chorally repeat the math sentence. Ask the leader to take his/her seat. (These sentences are written everyday as part of the morning ritual.)
- ¢ Teach the children the song, "Ten Little Pennies." (Sung to the tune of "Ten Little Indians.") As the class sings, place a magnetic penny on the board for each penny in the song.
- One little, two little, three little pennies,
- Four little, five little, six little pennies,
- Seven little, eight little, nine little pennies,
- Ten little pennies make a dime.
- ¢ When we count pennies and reach the number ten, we have ten pennies. We can trade those ten pennies for another coin. What coin did we sing about that has a value of ten pennies or ten cents? "Ten little pennies make a?" Dime! If we have ten pennies, we may trade those ten pennies for a dime. Ten pennies is the same as one dime. We know another way to say "the same as," don't we? That's right! When something is "the same as" something else, we can say "equals." Place an equals sign after the ten pennies and a dime after the equals sign. Point as you read the sentence. "Ten pennies equals one dime." Let's read this sentence all together. "Ten pennies equals one dime." Very Good!
- ¢ Let's all count as we sing our "Ten Little Pennies" song. Again, as the class sings the song, place a magnetic penny on the board to demonstrate a one-to-one correspondence of the number to each penny. Make sure everyone is counting using the correct numbers as appropriate to the count. Have the students count the pennies without singing and without the teacher. Observe the students and note those who need help.
- ¢ Show the students the pig handout. What animal do we have here? Raise your hands, please. Yes, a pig. There is a hole at the top of this pig. Why do you think the hole is there? Because it is a piggy bank! Very Good! What does this symbol means? Point to the two straight lines (=). That's right, "equals" or "the same as." Do we have this sign on the board? Yes. We just read the sentence "Ten pennies equals one dime." (Hold up both handouts.) I want you to use these two papers to make this sentence on your Piggy Bank. First, you will color. And color all of the coins the correct color. Don't be tricked! The pennies should be colored what color? Brown. The dimes should be colored what color? Silver or gray. After all of the coins are colored, you will cut out all of the coins by following the dotted lines on the paper. Do not throw any scrap paper away until I tell you to throw the scraps in the trash can. When you are done cutting out all of the coins, count the pennies. How many pennies are you going to need to equal one dime? That's right. Ten pennies. Again, don't be tricked. When you have counted out ten pennies, find one dime. Then raise your hand. I will come around and you will each have a chance to count your ten pennies for me. After I have heard you count your ten pennies, you may glue your ten pennies in the big area on this side of the equal sign on your Piggy Bank. What do you think you will glue on the other side of the equal sign? That's very good! One dime! Your dime will be glued here on this side of the equal sign.
- ¢ You will have five minutes to finish your worksheet. This is not enough time to chat with your neighbor. Five minutes will be up when the minute hand or big hand gets to here (point to the clock).
- ¢ Does anyone have any questions about our Piggy Bank worksheet? Remember, first color, cut, count. Raise your hand for me to come and listen to you count. Then glue. Using a pencil, please write your name on the line below your Piggy Bank. (Write the reminder words on the blackboard: "color, cut, count, hand up, count again, glue." [This is done on a daily basis in this kindergarten class.]) I would like today's leader to pass out the worksheets.
- ¢ As they students work, walk around and assess their work. Are they coloring with the correct color within the lines? Are they following the dotted lines as they cut? Did they follow directions as posted on the board? Make written or mental notes concerning each child.
- ¢ As each child raises his/her hand, kneel beside each one and listen to their counting skills. Question any students that do not stop at ten. After they count to ten, ask "If you have 4 pennies (varying amounts) how many more do they need to reach ten pennies. Or ask if they have ten pennies and lost some amount, how many would they have left? Have them count the ten pennies again and have them place the pennies where they are going to glue them. Ask them place the dime where it is to be glued. Pennies should be placed on one side of the equal sign and the dime on the other side of the equals sign. Have each child read the completed sentence. "Ten pennies equals one dime." What does the equal sign mean? Make sure they know it means "the same as." Ask the students to glue their coins in their Piggy Bank. Be sure to listen to every child count!
- ¢ Make sure each bank worksheet has the child's name on the line. Ask that all scrap paper on the tables/desks or on the floor be thrown in the trash.
- After everyone has glued their coins in place and cleaned up the scraps, chorally count up to ten as each student points to the pennies on their paper. Have the class count without the teacher. Chorally read the math sentence created in the Piggy Bank. "Ten pennies equals one dime." Ask the students to repeat the sentence without the teacher. Have everyone sing the "Ten Little Pennies" song. As everyone sings, have the students point to the pennies on the worksheet as the teacher points to the pennies on the board. At home this evening, have the students count their pennies and sing the song for their parents, brother(s), or sister(s). Collect the worksheet to be placed in the students' folders to go home.
- Assess the students as they count up to ten. Be sure they use a one-to-one correspondence with each penny as they count. Make sure each child can understand the equal sign as meaning "the same as." Assess following the given directions. Can the students work independently without disturbing other students? Did they color with the correct color within the lines? Did they cut on the dotted lines? Assess the printed names. Are the letters made correctly and formed on the provided lines?
E-Mail Lisa Bischof !


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The U.S. Department of Commerce has granted SOLARCON India 2012 Trade Fair Certification status, establishing a U.S. Pavilion that welcomes U.S. firms of all sizes. Trade Fair Certification affords U.S. exhibitors at SOLARCON India 2012 with a full range of support services from the U.S. Commercial Service in the United States and India, including one-on-one export counseling. U.S. companies exhibiting in SOLARCON 2012 will have an excellent venue to establish or expand overseas distribution, generate sales leads, evaluate competitors, and work with U.S. Commercial Service trade experts to find the right buyers and partners.
Industry leaders look to SOLARCON India 2012 to source the products, technologies and solutions they need to meet the goals of implementing India's National Solar Mission. SOLARCON India 2012 is organized by SEMI India, a not-for-profit trade association serving the solar manufacturing supply chain.
Sales Potential
With enormous market potential as well as Indian Government support and direction, the Indian market for solar, photovoltaic and renewable energy is expected to expand exponentially through 2020. To achieve its goal of 20,000 MG of installed solar energy capacity by 2022, the Government of India will purchase both solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies. Indian Government policy also focuses on developing a sustainable indigenous market.
In certifying SOLARCON India 2012, the Department of Commerce recognizes the capability and exhibition experience of SEMI and the potential of this international market, India, to benefit from U.S. products and services.
The Trade Fair Certification Program is a cooperative arrangement between private sector trade show organizers and the U.S. Government. The program seeks to broaden the base of U.S. exporters, particularly new-to-export and new-to-market firms, by introducing them to key trade fairs where they can meet their export objectives.
The U.S. Commercial Service helps U.S. businesses, especially small and mid-sized companies, to establish international business relationships. The agency's global network includes 107 U.S. and over 90 foreign offices. For more information on the U.S. Commercial Service, please visit http://www.export.gov [1]
For additional information about SOLARCON India 2012 see: http://www.solarconindia.org/ [2]
Art Paredes
Sr. Director of Global Expositions
SEMI Global Headquarters (CA)
Tel: 408/943-6982
E-mail: email@example.com [3]


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This spring, San Antonio is the perfect destination for travelers looking for a getaway full of activities for a price that won't break the bank. Historic icons, world-class hotels and resorts, thrilling theme parks, delectable flavors, outdoor adventures and more await visitors in San Antonio – and all at great vacation savings with the SAVE (San Antonio Vacation Experience) program.
SAVE provides visitors up to $1,600 in deals to over 70 hotels, attractions, shopping experiences and other opportunities. With SAVE, visitors can bring the whole family to San Antonio to create long-lasting memories.
Visitors can begin planning their spring trip and SAVE now at http://save.visitsanantonio.com, by downloading the mobile app by searching for SAVE in San Antonio or by following @SAVEinSA on Twitter.
Below is just a sampling of what SAVE has to offer:
Theme Parks
SeaWorld San Antonio celebrates its 25th operating season this year with bigger and better shows, animal interactions and more. In its second year, SeaWorld's water park, Aquatica, is where the South Seas meets South Texas in a whimsical, one-of-a-kind, 18-acre waterpark only SeaWorld could create. Aquatica blends up-close animal experiences, waters from serene to extreme, high-speed thrills and more than 42,000 square feet of sandy, white beaches. SAVE discounts include deals on family-four packs, $12 off admission and more.
At Six Flags Fiesta Texas, there are more than 50 rides and attractions for all ages and thrill-seeking levels. This spring, the park will unveil its new hybrid coaster, Iron Rattler, which combines a wooden support structure with modern track and rails. The result: a staggering 171-foot drop with an 81-degree drop angle, a 70 mph top speed and four over-banked turns – more than any other hybrid coaster, and the first of its kind to feature a completely inverted barrel roll. SAVE discounts include adults pay kid's price, next day free and more.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort recently introduced The Falls, "the world's longest waterpark ride." The Falls features raging rapids, careening waterfalls and giant waves. The continuously rushing 3,600-foot whitewater river features a ride up the park's first AquaVeyer, a conveyor belt lift hill, providing an endless float. SAVE discount provides $2 off admission.
The Witte Museum's new Texas Heritage Center focuses on the birthplace of the vast ranching empires of South Texas, where the American cowboy learned the best techniques for riding, roping and herding cattle from Spanish vaqueros. Cinematic robots, motion triggered audio personas and a gallery theater entrench visitors in the stories of the settlers that made South Texas what it is today. SAVE discount provides $2 off admission.
The Buckhorn Saloon & Museum recently joined 35 other Texas businesses with a Texas Treasure designation by the Texas Historical Commission for being in good standing and in business for more than 50 years. The old stomping grounds of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, the museum now houses great food, spectacular wildlife exhibits with over 500 different species of animals from around the world, and artifacts from famous Texas Rangers. SAVE discount provides $2 off admission.
At Natural Bridge Caverns, visitors can discover incredible underground chambers filled with spectacular formations on a family-friendly guided tour along paved, lighted walkways. For the more adventurous, there are more challenging exploration tours as well as the Canopy Challenge & Zip Lines, a 60-foot, four-tier adventure course with 47 obstacles that test agility, balance and strength. And for the little ones, the Canopy Kids Course provides rope course fun on a smaller scale. SAVE discounts provide $1 - $2 off Discovery Tours.
San Antonio Zoo is ranked as one of the best zoos in the nation exhibiting over 3,500 animals of 600 species. Some of the newest additions include a sun bear named "Baubles," a clouded leopard named "Indira," and a warthog piglet named "Zuko." SAVE discount provides $2 off admission.
The Alamo is a must-see while in San Antonio, especially this spring. The Alamo will welcome home the famous Travis Letter for the first time since its drafting by Alamo Commander William Barrett Travis during the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. The letter, which requests aid for the falling fort and provides a glimpse into what odds the defenders faced, will be on exhibit in the Main Hall of the Alamo February 23 – March 7.
There are so many additional options for learning about San Antonio's past. Professional narrated tours provide a colorful look at the history of the city. Tours can be taken by foot, bus, trolley, double-decker bus, segway and even helicopter. SAVE discounts include $1 off, $5 off and more.
Spring Events
Visitors should also mark their calendars for these April – May happenings in San Antonio. Below is just a sample of what is going on this season – for the full calendar and more details, visit www.visitsanantonio.com.
• Contemporary Art Month – Various locations (March)
• Dinosaurs Unearthed – The Witte Museum (Now – September 2)
• First Friday – Various locations (March 1)
• Travis Letter Exhibit – The Alamo (March 1 – 7)
• Six Flags Fiesta Texas Opens for the Season – Six Flags Fiesta Texas (March 2)
• Aquatica at SeaWorld San Antonio Opens for the Season – Aquatica (March 2)
• Spring Into Night Shows – SeaWorld San Antonio (Saturdays, March 2 – June 1; with SeaWorld admission)
• Dawn at the Alamo – Alamo Plaza (March 6)
• Easter Bunny Visits North Star Mall – North Star Mall Star Court (March 6 – 30; Pet Nights: March 18 – 25)
• Luminaria San Antonio – HemisFair park (March 9)
• Remember The Alamo Weekend – The Alamo and Alamo Plaza (March 9 – 10)
• Sand Sculpture Exhibit: Spring Break – San Antonio Botanical Garden (March 9 – 17)
• 4th Annual Paella Challenge – The Pearl Brewery Complex (March 10)
• Murphy's St. Patrick's Day River Parade & Festival – La Villita and River Walk (March 16 – 17)
• Native San Antonio! – Land Heritage Institute (March 16)
• Eggstravaganza Easter Egg Hunt – Morgan's Wonderland (March 23)
• Dog Days – San Antonio Botanical Garden (March 23 – 24)
• Big League Weekend: Rangers vs. Padres – Alamodome (March 29 – 30)
• Just for Kids Shows – SeaWorld San Antonio (Saturdays in April; with SeaWorld admission)
• Valero Texas Open – AT&T Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio (April 1 – 7)
• First Friday – Various locations (April 5)
• Fiesta San Antonio – Various locations (April 18 – 28)
• Visits to the Past – Alamo Plaza (April 20)
• Splashtown San Antonio Opens for the Season – Splashtown San Antonio (April 27)
• Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort Opens for the Season – Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort (April 28)
• First Friday – Various locations (May 3)
• Starlight Movies in the Garden – San Antonio Botanical Garden (May 3 and May 10)
• Praise Wave: MercyMe Concert – SeaWorld San Antonio (May 4; with SeaWorld admission)
• Cinco De Mayo – Various locations (May 5)
• Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio – Rosedale Park (May 14 – 17)
• Culinaria: A Wine and Culinary Arts Festival – Various locations (May 16 – 19)
• Military River Parade: Here's to Our Heroes – River Walk (May 18)
• Visits to the Past – Alamo Plaza (May 19)


text: It's been a while since we've updated you guys. As the title says, we have successfully completed writing 3 new songs thus far. We are very optimistic. The new material we've been forging has surpassed our expectations. It's all coming together, and we can't wait for you guys to hear it. We'll leak a title or two soon. Stay tuned ladies and gents.


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Situated along SEPTA's Fox Chase Regional Rail Line, Ryers Station is a connection point for bus routes 24, 70 and 77. Approximately 700 trips begin or end at Ryers Station each weekday.
"Ryers Station is a community cornerstone and we thank the community for their patience and support while construction was underway," SEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey said. "The station is now a state-of-the-art facility that will provide our customers with a safe, accessible location to meet all of their public transit needs."
To make the station more accessible, a new 240-foot high, level platform, stairway and an Americans with Disabilities ramp were constructed. Additionally, there is new platform seating, lighting, landscaping, signage, canopies, windscreen and upgraded parking facilities. Cameras and emergency call boxes were installed in the platform and parking lot to enhance customer security.
Additional improvements include concrete repairs to the adjacent railroad bridge abutment, painting of adjacent railroad bridge and sidewalk installation.
Ryers Station renovations began in Fall 2010 and lasted approximately 18 months. The existing station was fully operational during construction. All work was completed by a combination of SEPTA employees and third party contractors.


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DSOGaming writes: "Now this is how you develop a PC version of a multi-platform title. Far Cry 3 PC is the definition of what developers can achieve when they're taking advantage of the PC. Not only does the game look fabulous, it also scales incredibly on four cores and showcases the huge difference between a game that is optimized for dual-cores and one that is optimized for quad-cores. It's ironic - given the fact that this is a Ubisoft title - but Far Cry 3 is the most optimized PC game of 2012 and you can read below the reasons why we consider it this good."
glad to see developers start taking advantage of more than two cores.
I find dx9 works well with this game, but as soon as you put it on dx11 the game has huge drops especially when there is virtually no visual difference for what you get. I think sleeping dogs for me is the most optimized of the year.


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The cops work for the government, which is your elected representation. It is up to you to control them. I'm afraid you must take responsibility.
Where do you live?
No matter what your answer is, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to lay the blame on you for not holding authorities accountable.
The only way to avoid this argument is for you to claim you agree with everything the authorities do. In that case, I'd realize the conversation is pointless.
What is needed is for the people of New Zealand to grow some balls and elect a government that is going to stop kissing the ass of the United States on these kinds of issues.
Then again, the way the NZ people keep electing government after government that sucks up to the US government and to big US corporations, I wonder who is smarter over there, the people or the sheep...
Please leave the rest of the world alone. Thankyou.
You're far too polite.
docs need to prove conspiracy for extradition.
however, the defense would like it's hand on the evidence so they can show the police fucked up(afaik the computers are supposed to have security cam footage from the raid).
this is also a test if the fbi/etc can even hand over the evidence(I suppose they should have also had something prior to the bust to prove the conspiracy)...
INAL but from what I've been reading it's more complex then that, the conspiracy/ racketeering and money laundering charges only stick if they can show criminal copyright infringement. Problem is copyright infringement is civil issue in NZ AND they need to show probable success of conviction for crimes with at least a 5 year jail term in NZ before extradition can even go ahead.
Conspiracy to commit a crime carries a maximum penalty of 5 years so qualifies, but they need to show both likely hood of conspiracy and the original crime.
A laymans example would be: I think you and your friend conspired to cheat on a test. I may have emails showing you conspired but I can't just have you extradited by showing conspiracy, I have to convince a judge that cheating on a test is a criminal offence first. A much taller order.
Also remember that the judge has already stated his displeasure with the failure to follow due process in the initial arrest and has required the crown to guarantee to cover costs and lost income if kim dotcom is not found guilty.
The NZ authorities didn't have this information before? They've destroyed a company, cost the 'innocent until proven guilty' person great harm, and NZ hasn't even seen the evidence yet to allow the raid? Good grief.
The NZ authorities didn't have this information before?
They aren't saying they haven't seen enough evidence to say Dotcom is guilty of a crime, they are saying that he has a right to defend himself against extradition and that defense needs to be able to review evidence for and against that charge.
Having said that, I think NZ sleep walked into a political quagmire which they would be very happy to get out of with the least amount of embarrassment. It would be very useful for them to find a reason not to extradite Dotcom because then they could say they followed the International Treaties with the US that they had to but their own courts also protected someone from illegal extradition.
They aren't saying they haven't seen enough evidence to say Dotcom is guilty of a crime, they are saying that he has a right to defend himself against extradition and that defense needs to be able to review evidence for and against that charge.
Various news outlets in NZ tried to talk to just about everyone (PM, Crown, etc) and find out whether FBI presented evidence (and what evidence was that) before raid was ordered, who exactly authorized the raid, negotiated with FBI, etc.
Everyone refused to talk to media about these issue. As if they're not public servants paid by taxpayers' money, but working in a private company and can decline to comment.
In short - noone (except police, I guess) knows what evidence NZ police has seen before the raid. They might have not seen any evidence, for all we know.
Wouldn't be the first time if the US lied in order to get the international community to support them.
Nonsense. There is plenty of evidence...in the sense that there was plenty of evidence of WMDs in Iraq before the US invaded. It's just...slightly manufactured.
The NZ authorities didn't have this information before? They've destroyed a company, cost the 'innocent until proven guilty' person great harm, and NZ hasn't even seen the evidence yet to allow the raid? Good grief.
See, you weren't there for "the call".
US DoJ: OK, this Dotcom guy has to be raided.
NZ official: But you haven't even presented us any evidence against him whatsoever!
US DoJ: Speaking of evidence, did you know that US SIGINT is the best on the planet? Did you know we have recordings/copies of all the emails, phone calls, and other electronic data, including photos and videos, sent and received by all the top NZ politicians and government officials? In fact I remember seeing something with your name on it concerning a string of calls to a "transvestite escort service", I think it was?
NZ official: What time do you want us to hit the bastard?
well, if you count going purely on fbi agents word then they didn't act with zero evidence. if they had gone with something more substantial the raid wouldn't have needed to be in such a hurry and could have gone through the proper procedure - but as it is the warrant could probably have been fought against legally - had they been given the chance.
obviously the nz authorities assumed that fbi wouldn't be bullshitting so badly but they were, full knowing that the actual suspected crime wasn't enough for extradition even.
and the fbi agents thought they could get kim to settle "for less jailtime" regardless of the actual crime since that's the standard in usa - and now they're in trouble because they would need to come up with some real evidence to show that it's actually a criminal case that should be tried in usa.
I highly doubt NZ acted with 0 evidence
You're obviously not familiar with the NZ Police.
In fact I remember seeing something with your name on it concerning a string of calls to a "transvestite escort service", I think it was?
Give the guy a break. After all those parliamentary sessions sitting across the house from Geogina Beyer [wikipedia.org], a man does get a little curious.
apparently nz authorities didn't get to see any evidence before the raid either and fucked up handing over the warrant to megaupload too so they(mu) could have asked for it. it seems from the reports that usa authorities before the raid made up kim look like a financial conspirator, something much severe in legal terms than copyright infringement. the nz authorities went with just fbi agents word on the case and are now starting to hopefully pay the price(and so fbi/nz relations too).
(too bad usa is wasting
By all accounts Kim seems to be something of a scumbag
But far less so than those scumbags involved in his arrest.
Regardless if the US produce evidence or not. The Megaupload saga can be considered a success by the US authorities, MPAA, etc. Because they have destroyed Megaupload and all alternate providers like Megaupload are shaking in their pants. They have one this battle. But the war rages.
Actually - as this thing is going it is more than likely that the US will loose and fail to get any extradition or other conviction.
Remember, everything hinges on thumped-up charge of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement which is ludicrous because MegaUpload did not sell access to the illegal stuff, nor did they ask or otherwise entice the pirates to use their services. They were just one of many cloud storage and sharing service providers that both pirates and everybody else used. You paid for longer storage time, more storage space and more bandwidth to access/download. Access was free otherwise, which means that downloaders didn't pay for access but paid for ease of access.
Oh, and when the US loses this case, I can't wait for the counter-suit for damages. I would laugh my pants off when the US government is ordered to cover the damages incurred during this farce of a trial. I hope Kim Dotcom takes them to the cleaners and take everything to the max. Get them to pay so obscene amounts that heads will have to roll and the collaboration with the copyright MAFIAA is dropped like a hot potato.
I would laugh my pants off when the US government is ordered to cover the damages incurred
No payment would ever be made if that were ever to happen.
alternate providers
I think that proves that enough porn has already been downloaded for their further services to be unnecessary.
If Megaupload wins and starts again, US will have the problem of having to accuse somebody of the same crime twice.
Megaupload has seen their opponents hand, and knows how to play their cards the second time round.
The US government will have to find new (and increasingly far fetched) legal strategies.
"A judge in New Zealand has ordered the U.S. government to hand over evidence seized in the Megaupload raid so Kim Dotcom and his co-defendants can use it to prepare a defense for an extradition hearing..."(bold/italics mine)
Usually, it is the US that orders other jurisdictions to hand over stuff...not the other way round! This leads me to one conclusion:
It will not work! This request is DoA! Moot...name it!
Well, if they don't hand it over, then I reckon the case for extradition will be thrown out and Dotcom is free to go. Not to the US, obviously... So it's in the their best interest to provide the requested evidence.
Actually I would like to correct that: America, fuck you.
theres nothing wrong with the parts of america that aren't the US
I believe the most significant quote from the statement is this:
"United States is attempting to utilize concepts from the civil copyright context as a basis for the application of criminal copyright liability [which] necessitates a consideration of principles such as the dual use of technology and what they be described as significant non-infringing uses."
In other words, the NZ government realizes this is a misuse of the justice system to allow the US government to prosecute a civil case as a criminal one without giving the defendant access to evidence. The significant problem here is that the rights of the right-holder is being held to a higher standard than the rights of the defendant in this case.
I'm not attempting to say Mr. Dotcom is completely innocent in this case, but the US legal system has destroyed his business, confiscated his assets and likely taken away his future without due process and without a conviction of any crime at this point. Innocent until proven guilty, anyone?
I'm not attempting to say Mr. Dotcom is completely innocent in this case, but [...]
Why aren't you? Isn't he innocent until proven guilty? Right now, he's 100% innocent.
I'm not attempting to say Mr. Dotcom is completely innocent in this case, but [...]
Why aren't you? Isn't he innocent until proven guilty? Right now, he's 100% innocent.
Innocent until proven guilty is correctly used with the verb "presumed", not "is". Whether he is innocent or guilty will not change in the coming months - either a crime has already been committed or it hasn't. However, he is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
This was just an oversight, the US has forgotten that you are supposed to have evidence for criminal trials. With the Bush and Obama doctrines, NSLs, GItmo, and the national security exception this idea of evidence is a rather quaint and archaic notion. I'm sure they are sending the evidence now to their less enlightened allies.
Things equal to nothing else are equal to each other.


text:
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Senate page
Thursday, March 20, 2014 8:16 AM
Keagan Hovey (right), of Huntington, recently served as a page in the Indiana Statehouse for State Sen. Tom Wyss (R-Fort Wayne) (left). Hovey is a student at Riverview Middle School. Pages spend a day at the Statehouse, touring the building, observing debates from the chamber floor and interacting with their state senators.


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Major Research Areas
Researchers in the College of Graduate Studies focus their efforts where it truly matters—on the diseases and illnesses that affect many people. Much of our research activity is grouped into four areas of concentration: cancer; infectious diseases; disorders of the nervous system; and diabetes, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases.
Steven M Taffet, PhD
Current Appointments
- Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Hospital Campus
- Downtown
Research Programs and Affiliations
- Biomedical Sciences Program
- Microbiology and Immunology
Education & Fellowships
- PhD: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1981
Research Interests
Regulation of intercellular communication in the heart, gene expression during macrophage activation
Link to PubMed (Opens new window. Close the PubMed window to return to this page.)
Role of Connexin43 (Cx43) in the immune System
We have developed a model system to study the role of the gap junction protein Cx43 in the immune system of mice. There are many reports that suggest that Cx43 is a critical for a variety of immune functions. We are particularly interested in the role of connexins in the function of macrophages in inflammation.
Acidification based gating of the Cardiac Gap Junction (with M. Delmar)
This study has defined the structures of the cardiac gap junction protein (Connexin 43, Cx43) that are involved in the pH-based gating of this channel. We have created a series of compounds that modulate the gating of Cx43 and help maintain the function of the channel in pathologic conditions. These compounds may have efficacy in the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias subsequent to ischemic heart disease.
The effect of inflammatory heart disease on the cardiac gap junction.
We have initiated a study to determine the effect of inflammatory processes on cardiac junctional proteins. We are using both viral infections and the induction of autoimmune disease to study the mechanisms by which the cardiac electrical conduction if altered during inflammation.
Selected References
Nguyen TD, Taffet SM. A model system to study Connexin 43 in the immune system. Mol Immunol. 46(15):2938-46 (2009).
Lewandowski, R., Procida, K., Vaidyanathan, R., Coombs, W., Jalife, J., Nielsen, M.S., Taffet, S.M., and Delmar, M. RXP-E: a connexin43-binding peptide that prevents action potential propagation block. Circulation Res. 103:519-26. (2008).
Shibayama, J., Lewandowski, R., Kieken, F., Coombs, W., Shah, S., Sorgen, P.L., Taffet, S.M.,* and Delmar, M*. Identification of a novel peptide that interferes with the chemical regulation of connexin43. Circulation Research: 98:1365-72 (2006)


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IT Content Marketing in Asia-Pacific: Time, Patience and Money…
Some years ago a business acquaintance told me of her time as an expat product marketer in the newly established Tokyo office of an IT networking hardware company.
The branch grew like crazy, employees worked all hours (leaving at 11:30 pm to catch the last train connection home was not uncommon for the Japanese staff) and business flourished.
Two memories remain very clear for her.
The first was in response to a customer from the academic world who signed up as an early adopter of the firm's ethernet NIC products. After some software driver incompatibility problems had been identified as the likely cause of a number of outages, the university's IT engineering manager wanted it fixed, along with answers.
To cut a long story short, the US-based tech support specialists eventually had to bring their R&D software engineers into the conversation with the Japanese staff. Not only did they want detailed, written explanations of what my friend's research boffins had found, they also (politely) demanded to see the driver source code changes, albeit under a signed NDA.
The R&D team had never experienced such a sustained thirst for proprietary detail from any US or European customers, and they were often stretched to provide appropriate failure analysis and correction reports.
The lesson my friend learned? Attention to detail and communication of same, is a natural cultural business trait between many Japanese businesses and their customers. (In 18 years of living here, I agree with her assessment.)
The second memory is of the time, effort and money expended in localizing the marketing collateral coming out of corporate HQ. At first, my friend and her team attempted to translate and self-publish data sheets, case studies and press releases by themselves. However, content was changing so rapidly that they could not keep up and were in danger of burning out.
Also, many Japanese customers (and some prospects) would complain that the translations were 'rough' and showed a lack of attention to detail! Even outsourcing the work to native Japanese-speaking translators was hit-and-miss because the assigned translator often didn't have the specialized vocabulary and experience to satisfy locals that this foreign company was "serious about doing business in Japan."
My friend understood how these two lessons explained why corporate org charts often had Asia divided into 'North', 'South' and 'Japan'. For cultural, language and business reasons, the 'Japan market' was not only financially important but also uniquely different.
And what does this have to do with IT content marketing in Asia-Pacific?
For one thing, you need deep pockets if you are to succeed in Asia. The geographic scale means it takes the best part of a day to fly between countries here. There are multiple languages and cultures. Between India at one end and New Zealand at the other, there's a 7.5 hour time difference!
These factors all translate into the almost Confucian-like mantra of "time, patience and money" as the traits most necessary for business success in much of Asia. (Australia and New Zealand being the 'Pacific' tag in the label, 'Asia-Pacific'.)
For IT content marketers who were hoping to quickly and cheaply port existing white papers, case studies and other collateral aimed at English-speaking Western markets to the Asian equivalents, I've some bad news.
At best, it's unlikely to work. At worst, it can damage your reputation as a self-styled, committed partner to Asian countries and customers.
There is some evidence of the above issues in an eleven page IDG Connect 2011 Global IT content survey. It's well worth downloading their free report and pulling out the Asia-Pacific details. However, on second thoughts, you don't even need to do that because Andrea Edwards, from the Singapore-based SAJE Communications, has already done so with this informative post: IDG Connect Survey – Local Vs Global Content in Asia Pacific.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, if you are an IT marketer with Asia-Pacific responsibilities, I encourage you to read Andrea's post and then answer these three questions:
1) What type of white papers do your potential buyers want to see in Asia-Pacific countries of greatest profit potential for your company?
2) Where will you get the type of data that will satisfy these readers?
3) How many of your customer success stories feature Asian customers and how are you going to source more of them?
Finally, I'd like to wish all readers a successful and prosperous 2012, in this "year of the dragon".
– Mark McClure
IT Case Study Writer to the Computer Networking Industry
5 Big Content Marketing Mistakes
Today's post is about major content marketing mistakes, as revealed by 29 individuals who are experts from the worlds of b2b marketing, public relations, professional speaking, writing and communications.
These folks were interviewed by internet entrepreneur, Eugene Farber, who then summarized their answers to the question below in a post on his content strategy hub blog.
"What is a common content strategy mistake that business owners make?"
Here are five of the major mistakes I identified from the post:
1) Joe Pulizzi is right on the money when he states that: "we love talking about ourselves." Joe goes on to say that aiming for expert status in your prospect's mind by using a content strategy that's big on educational marketing is going to win trust and therefore buyers, when the time's right.
2) Forgetting that content can be re-purposed and published a number of times. This is Robert Rose's assertion and it's a good one. For example, not every new visitor will read (or even find) that ace blog post you wrote from two months ago.
But they might be an iTunes podcast subscriber.
They could be following you on Twitter, FaceBook or Google+.
You've therefore a marketing duty to circulate your content widely and frequently so that target audiences have a chance to read it.
3) Forget, "this will do. I'll tidy it up later." Ann Handley is one great writer and her admonition is to produce great content, even if it requires more work. People do notice the great from the merely average or downright mediocre.
4) And yet, even with great content, there's no guarantee that people will show up to see it. There's just too much competition and great content for visitors to find yours because of search engine optimization wizardry alone. Instead, you need to go where your audience is already hanging out. Let them see you on their terms and, in time, they'll come visit your digital home.
5) A real simple one from Francisco Rosales. Create a content strategy editorial calendar and stick to it.
I can't tell you how much 'creative freedom' a calendar can give a b2b blogger to get on with the tasks necessary to research, write and publish excellent content. It just works.
What did you get from Eugene's post?
– Mark McClure
Why The IT Blame Game's a Winner
Is there a place for humor when marketing IT solutions to technically-savvy prospects and customers?
I ask, because many b2b technology sales teams know that 'geeks' can be very antagonistic to traditional marketing materials. Many interpret these as "marketing BS" or as poorly disguised "sales fluff". (That's why experienced account managers will often bring along a pre-sales SE to customer meetings and conference calls.)
Having been in the network infrastructure world I can understand their unease when a vendor's sales folks arrive to "nurture the account". What I think most interests the network operations staff are tools that:
1) Help them find potential problems before users ever notice anything is up.
2) Quickly pinpoint operational issues while providing the metrics and status info to keep managers and busybodies off their backs during problem resolution.
Now, if your company had a product in this area, how would you get the attention of those in a position to purchase and use it?
Clearly, CIOs and IT Directors are very motivated to reduce the business impact of application and network infrastructure problem. Their career paths depend on it! And that's why some white papers, webinars, trade show appearances and peer company case studies will get their attention early on in the research stage of the buying cycle.
However, because the IT operations staff (and their managers) are 'fighting fires' daily just to keep the existing IT investment up and running, they often have little time, and even less patience, to think about alternatives to the status quo.
Oh, they're interested in making improvements but swapping out an existing solution, even if it is less than ideal, is low down on their task priority list because of the risk, uncertainty and thankless work in doing so.
One way to get their attention is by poking a little fun at the often surreal reasons behind network and application outages. The idea is not to belittle them or their users (who after all fund IT budgets) but to communicate a kind of shared Dilbert-esque world-weariness with the ups and downs of keeping an enterprise networking humming along.
And that's what I think ExtraHop Networks have done with their 'IT Blame Game' microsite. It's 'amusing' in ways that only a network operations department can relate to, with end-users probably finding it condescending or trite. Then again, few end-users would ever check it out…
Here's a screenshot from the home page.
Notice the subservient, apologetic posture of the poor IT staffer, who has to suck up a plethora of excuses for what might be behind the reported 'network outage'.
And here's what shows after clicking the 'Go' button to the right of the figure.
Notice the multiple options for visitor participation:
1) Play Again:
Click through the existing contributions – it's fun to read how outlandish some of the submitted 'Blame game' answers can be.
2) Tell Us Your Story:
Here's an opportunity to grow user-generated content, providing additional reasons for people to visit the site again.
3) Like or Dislike:
You can like or dislike each 'IT Blame" answer.
And along the bottom of the page you can click through to ExtraHop Networks' home page, which is a subtle mix of marketing and technical content.
For those curious about what they're 'selling', there's also a link to a short video on application performance management. But, alas, you have to register to view it. (If this was my campaign, I'd test out making the video free to watch (ungated) and include an offer to register for (say) trial demo software or a newsletter.)
Of course, this site by itself won't change minds and get a purchase order signed any faster. What it might do, however, is to raise awareness of ExtraHop networks amongst IT operations frontline staff and their managers.
And why is that important?
Well, people talk. They do so at the start and finish of meetings, beside the water cooler, over lunch, even in the restrooms. It's not that hard to imagine some of these conversations including an aside about that goofy 'IT Blame' game and how many (or few..) of those submitted stories are relevant in their workplace.
Think 'mindshare'. Because in its own small way that's what this microsite is about. ExtraHop Networks are taking a pain point in the daily existence of an IT professional and, in a light-hearted but still respectful manner, encouraging visitors to link the relief of that pain and embarrassment with their solution offering.
Another way to view this strategy is to imagine an external applicant with probably the best job resume of all candidates (including internal ones), but yet with no firm interview appointment. If only they had a way to clearly flag their accomplishments and value in an indirect yet memorable way…
The purpose of the IT Blame Game microsite, in my humble opinion, is to be that 'flag'; one which can help ExtraHop Networks get a few steps closer to the 'prize' – be that a demo, an invite to tender, perhaps even a trial purchase.
This is great content marketing for a technical audience, with the added benefit of user-generated content and a chance to therefore go viral via social media sharing.
In my book, that makes the IT Blame Game a winner, and a funny one too.
Free On-Page SEO Advice For Content Marketers
"Content marketing" is a topic of interest to many b2b technology marketers.
It's incredible to think there's almost no limit to how much digital information can be released online. But information only becomes useful to your prospects and customers when it's organized into formats such as white papers, case studies, technology guides, FAQs, email newsletters etc.
Having then made it available online doesn't mean that people will easily find it. You need to take steps, many of them automated, to help market that content 24 x 7.
Of course, a percentage of your audience will hear about it by way of a conversation or referral. This could be offline or online. Someone forwards your email newsletter to a colleague, and they sign up. Or your company's name is mentioned on Twitter and followers take note.
But don't forget that there are many others using online search to help solve a business problem… and who don't know your solutions even exist!
You can increase their probability of discovering you online by:
a) Buying online ads (such as Google Adwords) and targeting people searching for specific keyword phrases or brands (yours!).
b) Implementing search engine optimization (SEO) procedures that help content rank highly for specific phrases likely to be of interest to these prospects.
In this post I'm highlighting the importance of b) to your content marketing strategy, so that when search engine spiders come visiting, your online content is more easily indexed and ranked.
And how to do that? Isn't this the preserve of SEO consultants and gurus?
Well, yes, sometimes that is the case.
But there is a free and very valuable alternative way of gaining a good, working knowledge of SEO… and that's to learn from Google's own content marketing efforts.
Just visit Google.com and search for "Google Webmaster Central", where you should find a section title 'Webmaster Links'. Click on 'Webmaster Guidelines' and read that page for some good background information.
In the right hand column of that page you should find a section called 'Help resources'. Click the 'Search Engine Optimization' link and you'll be able to download (or just read online) Google's 32 page pdf document, search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf. (File size 4 MB.)
Alternatively, if Google moves their content around and these links no longer work, just search for the pdf file.
This document is a great backgrounder for getting to grips with 'on-page' SEO and does not focus much on the 'off-page' aspects of link building. I found it useful to skim the sub-heads before reading the details. Here is the table of contents from the version I downloaded:
– SEO Basics
– Create unique, accurate page titles
– Make use of the "description" meta tag
– Improving Site Structure
– Improve the structure of your URLs
– Make your site easier to navigate
– Optimizing Content
– Offer quality content and services
– Write better anchor text
– Optimize your use of images
– Use heading tags appropriately
– Dealing with Crawlers
– Make effective use of robots.txt
– Be aware of rel="nofollow" for links
– SEO for Mobile Phones
– Notify Google of mobile sites
– Guide mobile users accurately
– Promotions and Analysis
– Promote your website in the right ways
– Make use of free webmaster tools
There is a wealth of free SEO information available at Google Webmaster central and I'd encourage b2b tech marketers to become more familiar with their content.
"We Expect Media We Can Manipulate" – What About White Papers?
The title quote's taken from 'CK' Kerley's wonderful thought leadership white paper on "The Mobile Revolution & B2B". Go get it now – a free 17-page pdf download, with great graphic design, and well worth reading.
I've been following Ms. Kerley for a while now and am very impressed by her knowledge of marketing in an increasingly mobile business world. Having finally made time to read her positioning paper on the mobile revolution & b2b, I suspect her key message will have profound implications for the how, where and why of white papers in a b2b marketing environment.
White papers will (probably) still have a significant role to play in b2b marketing efforts but the way in which people consume that information may change quite radically.
For example, with the rise of smart phones and more recently, of tablet computers, it's both a virtual and physical revolution in many corporations. Fast disappearing is a world where the desktop PC and a desk bound executive are together most of the day.
Why? People are mobile because wireless technologies and devices allow them to be so. And with always-on Internet mobile devices by their side, for many of these folks their first digital contact with a b2b marketer's message will be via tablet or smart phone.
What a sobering thought!
CK's paper also contains some links to short video clips of her explaining the impact around this evolving mobile revolution. I recommend you watch them. They certainly made me think about how key decision makers might interact with an IT vendor's white paper series.
The big risk is that the white paper itself, the landing page or related micro site aren't optimized for a mobile user. Imagine the 'marketing car crash' when the visitor accesses this content via a hand held device…
For some of my white paper IT clients I suspect it will be a shock to realize they have to adapt their white paper content not only to suit different 'buyer persona', but they also have to deliver that content in ways best suited to how the prospect likes to consume said content. This means taking existing content and making it smarter and snappier for a mobile audience.
Five Quotes On The Mobile Revolution & B2B Marketing
I'll end this post with what I think are five eye-opening quotes from CK Kerley's paper that should make anyone marketing to executives in a b2b environment pay attention.
1) "Folks need things in a bite-sized way."
2) "Can you wait until after the presentation to tweet?" 😉
3) "Real-time is the only speed."
4) We live in a "… multitasking, multichannel society."
5) "Instead of a society that looks ahead, we are now a culture that constantly (and literally) looks down."
One very important take-away for me was CK's recommendation to include more video aimed at mobile b2b users. For example, this post would probably make a decent 5 minute clip that someone could watch (or just listen to) on their mobile when they have a few minutes to spare.
What are the chances of these "few minutes" occurring on a desktop PC when they're in an office full of colleagues and crises!
Vive the b2b mobile revolution!
– Mark 'white paper writer' McClure
B2B Technology Marketing for ESL Readers
Robust economic growth in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries is good news for IT networking companies, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region (think, India and China).
However commercial success has meant that many IT marketing departments are under increasing strain as they struggle to operate across multiple time zones, languages and cultures.
Marketers new to this part of the world assume that because English is the de facto language of international commerce in Asia-Pac, it's also an effective language of communication.
That's not necessarily how it works… and appearances can indeed be deceptive.
It's easy to forget that those representatives of partners and resellers you met on that last whirlwind business trip were chosen to meet you partly because of their English abilities.
Therefore, don't be surprised to discover that few of these talented people are truly bilingual (holding a business conversation in English does not imply fluency), and even fewer are bi cultural. Remember, you are dealing with English as Second Language (ESL) speakers.
This can mean that content marketing to an ESL audience usually works best with a "simpler is better" approach, as long as you are careful not to confuse simpler with easier, and unintentionally insult your audience.
Of course, those fortunate marketing departments with budget for localization projects may see things differently. If they're real lucky and pay well enough, a translator with the ideal combination of experience, technical understanding and business nuance might just be available to turn the original content into a local language replica that passes muster.
Alas, such people are difficult to find and their services are at a premium.
One workable compromise is to create short versions of your content.
For example:
a) A four-page customer case study becomes three PowerPoint slides.
b) A white paper is reduced to one page executive summary, with a call to action.
c) Create info graphics that convey the message using imagery and limited text.
The most important takeaway is that you can't be all things to all peoples. Since a high level of business English often helps to increase their career opportunities, ESL speakers with a marketing role will mostly be pleased to act as conduits and ambassadors for your marketing messages from English to a local language. So, make it easy for all parties to succeed!
So You Want To Read Our Customer Success Stories? Then Start Jumping…
This could be fictional. Then again…
It took months to get ideal customers in a target market to sign up for a customer referral program, but at long last the project began to make measurable progress.
Writers were hired, customer interviews completed and the arduous job of review and sign off among multiple parties was finished in record time.
Everyone from the CEO to the Marketing Interns was excited that real customers were telling their stories, and with your products as center stage. Here are big dollops of credibility and social proof that no amount of data sheets and brochures could ever amount to.
Now fast forward a couple of weeks…
… and imagine your prospects' surprise, (or more likely, shock and disappointment), when they're confronted with six mandatory registration fields on your case study landing page.
Are they going to willingly give up so many contact details just to get a look at these stories?
You see, while it may make sense to build a contactable list of prospects, there's a time and a place to do so. People looking for IT customer success stories to validate and compare 'your' claims against similar stories from your competitors, may not take kindly to the psychological resistance you've just created with the glitzy sign up form.
Both you and they know that in return for opening themselves up to your sales machinery, some information will come their way.
And that sooner or later, the Sales calls will begin.
The question is: shouldn't your best success stories be freely shared and made accessible to anyone who wants to read them? And without any obligation to become part of a vendor's prospect database?
Just a few years ago that approach (of giving away info in return for nothing… but goodwill) might have seemed like a ridiculous waste of time and money. But in an online world where b2b prospects, customers, and vendors are able to communicate, share and (yes!) critique 24 x 7, the marketing rules are being rewritten.
Perhaps you should freely give your customer success stories away online but include within them an invitation to stay in touch via Twitter, FaceBook, your Blog, email … and see what happens?
The days of making prospects jump through hoops to discover why others do business with you may be numbered…
– Mark McClure
Freelance Case Study and White Paper writer to the Computer Networking Industry.
Tokyo, Japan


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Sponsored By
Best Holiday Travel Tips For People From DFWSanta and his reindeer might travel around the world in one night without a hitch, but for most others traveling during the holidays can be a challenge. With more than half of all Americans flying the skies and traveling by road this Christmas season, it's a good idea to prepare for any obstacles that could unravel your holiday travels. From planning a road trip to keeping kids entertained, these great holiday travel tips help travelers around Dallas Fort Worth enjoy smooth sailing no matter the season.


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The brutal rape and death of a young student in New Delhi is raising concerns about violence against women in India. To find out more about the challenges women face in the world's largest democracy, guest host Celeste Headlee speaks to a women's rights advocate and an Indian author.
Are Women Safe In India?
By editor • Jan 3, 2013


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Thatta, Sindh, November 21st: Day four brought forward a unique learning and recreational opportunity for over 50 participants at the RSC 9. A daylong fieldtrip was planned where the visitors could enjoy the ancient carvings at the Makli necropolis, have lunch at the Keenjhar lake and spend some quiet, reflective moments at a 16TH century Mughal era monument - the Shahjehan Mosque. After three days of the riveting discussions in the environs of a local hotel, the participants seemed happy to explore the unique heritage and ecology of the country.
An early afternoon autumn breeze greeted the visitors when they arrived at the Makli Hills, of what is known to be the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of approximately 8 km. It is the burial place of some 125,000 local rulers and Sufi saints, and some of the ancient tombs have magnificent designs and carvings dating back to over thousand years. Makli necropolis has been on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage List since 1993.
After a brief stop over at a 12-acre patch of freshwater Avicennia marina, the visitors then proceeded to have tea and lunch at the picturesque Keenjhar Lake. Keenjhar Lake commonly known as Kalri Lake, is the second largest fresh water lake of the Pakistan. It is an important source that provides the drinking water to the Thatta District and Karachi city. It's been declared a Ramsar site, a wildlife sanctuary and is a favorable wintering area for migratory birds like Ducks, Geese, Flamingos, Cormorants, Herons, Egrets, Ibises, Coots and Gulls and breeding area of Night Heron, Cotton Teal and Pheasant Tailed Jacana.
Followed by a quick boat ride around the lake, the Livestock and Fisheries Department of Sindh hosted a scrumptious lunch prepared in traditional spices. There was a beautiful musical performance by the local musicians who held the audience captive with their rendition of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's poetry. Highlighting the rich cultural heritage of Sindh, Director General Fisheries, Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Meher thanked the delegation for visiting the area and taking their keen interest in local crafts and music. Ms. Maeve Nightingale, Head of the Coastal and Marine Programme IUCN Asia and Ms Janalezza Morvenna A. Esteban, MFF Regional Knowledge Management Officer acknowledged the local hosts for their warm hospitality.
After a quick stop at the Chillya fish hatchery of the Livestock and Fisheries department of Sindh, the delegation was taken to the architectural jewel of Sindh, the Shahjehan Mosque, built in 1647 during the reign of Mughal Kin Shahjehan. It has been built keeping acoustics in mind, so a person speaking inside one end of the dome can be heard at the other end when the speech exceeds 100 decibels. It is said that Shahjehan built the mosque as a gesture of gratitude to the people of Thatta for sheltering him during his youth, after his father banished him from Delhi. The visitors admired the red bricks and blue glazed Hala tiles used in the construction of the mosque and the beautiful interplay of light inside the mosque.
As the sun started setting in behind the majestic domes of the Shahjehan Mosque, the visitors bid adieu, slowly and reluctantly to the ancient town of Thatta.


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Fourth Friday Workshop - LinkedIn/Networking
Every 4th Friday of the Month, Career Services presents a special topics workshop for current Wright State students.
This month, on January 24th, we will talk about Networking with a focus on developing your LinkedIn profile.
Date: Friday, January 24th,
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Discovery Room B (163B) in the Student Union
Walk-ins only. Space is available on a first come, first served basis. (25 seats available)
Fourth Friday Workshop Schedule for the Spring Semester:
January 24 – Networking/LinkedIn – Discovery Room B, 163B Student Union
February 28 – Advanced Résumé Workshop (focus on targeting) - Discovery Room B, 163B Student Union
March 28 – Job Search/Interview Prep - Discovery Room B, 163B Student Union
April 25 – Start Smart – Explorer Room, 103 Student Union


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Honors and Projects on the University Circuit
During her visit to the People's Republic of China, the Director-General was named honorary professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, honorary chairperson of the Hainan University Council and she also discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation in the sciences with Zhejiang University in Hangzhou.
The President of Tongji University, Mr. Gang Pei, drew attention to his institution's commitment to promoting sustainable development, through projects and trans disciplinary courses encompassing science and the humanities that are open to students from all faculties. Expressing pride upon becoming an honorary professor at such a prestigious university, Irina Bokova also encouraged the faculty to propose a chair in the field of sustainability, explaining UNESCO's vision ahead of the Rio+20 conference.
At Zhejiang University, the third oldest in China and ranked the country's best in 2011, the Director-General expressed her full support for the institution's plan to establish an "International Knowledge Center of Engineering Sciences and Technology" under the auspices of UNESCO. "Through its development China has accumulated extensive about engineering science that we are ready to share with the world," explained Mr. Yunhe Pan, executive vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The Director-General underlined the importance of a better interface between science and policy, and to engineering as one of the pillars of science, innovation and technology. "Such a center will bring the right message at the right time and stands to make a big contribution towards building knowledge societies."
The University also presented its digitization program launched in 2003 – CADAL. Comprising more than 2.5 million items, it is now one of the largest non-profit collections of digitized books in the world.
In China's southernmost Hainan Province, the Director-General was officially nominated honorary chairperson of the Hainan University Council. With some 33,000 full-time students, the University specializes in tropical agriculture, maritime studies, tourism and law. The Council, appointed by the Governor of the Province, is charged with guiding the University's development at a time of rapid social and economic transformation. Hainan is China's first and largest special economic zone and has experienced rapid growth in the past two decades. The University aims to strengthen international exchanges and to support the Province's effort in becoming a hub of international sustainable tourism.
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The SkyBet Championship once again provided some great entertainment this weekend. Not only was their goals, but also an abandonment and a kit blunder on the fourth week of the season.
Blackpool top the table with a hard-working 1-0 win over Reading. The Royals dominated for much of the game, but it was Blackpool who got the win after some comical defending from Nigel Adkins' team allowed Tom Barkhuizen to slot past Alex McCarthy.
Leicester survived a scare to regain their unbeaten record. Birmingham led for 66 minutes after a 12th minute goal from Matt Green. But, three goals in 12 minutes secured the win for the Foxes despite a late strike from Chris Burke.
In the early kick-off QPR earned a 1-0 away win against struggling Bolton. A dull first half was shaded by Bolton who conceded 10 minutes into the second when a neat cross was turned in by Andy Johnson. The Championship favourites held on to go into third.
Leeds came from behind to beat Ipswich at Portman Road and move into fifth. The Tractor Boys took the lead in the 12th minute when David McGoldrick smashed passed Paddy Kenny. The lead lasted 16 minuted, Luke Varney equalising with a calm finish. Early in the second half Leeds were ahead, Ross McCormack's deflected shot cruelly deceiving Scott Loach.
Bournemouth's awful away form continued as they were thrashed by Huddersfield. 3 first half goals from Adam Hammill and James Vaughan (2) all but put the game to bed. The Terriers continued to dominate and when Vaughan got his hat-trick from the penalty spot it looked like it could be a long day for the Cherries.
Substitute Marc Pugh did get a goal back, but Adam Clayton hit a stunning 25 yard-er to make the final score 5-1.
Yeovil's poor form continues as they were beaten 3-0 at home by Derby. Johnny Russell and Craig Bryson put the Rams 2-0 up before half-time and Chris Martin finished the Glovers off after Hennessey could only parry Jamie Ward's strike into his path.
Brighton got their first home win of the season as they beat 10 man Burnley 2-0. Andrew Crofts opened when he was given too much space in the box, slotting home from 10 yards. Burnley keeper Tom Heaton was dismissed in strange fashion after handling twice whilst releasing the ball. He was shown his second yellow, putting Brighton in pole-position for 3 points, they took advantage, Ulloa sealed the win with a goal 18 minutes from time.
Despite leading, Barnsley fell to their third defeat of the season at the hands of Blackburn. Chris Dagnall put the Tykes ahead but just 3 minutes later they were down to ten men, Jean-Yves M'voto was dismissed after bringing down Jordan Rhodes. The resulting free-kick was converted by Tom Cairney. 2 goals from Jordan Rhodes and one from Josh King made it 4-1 to Blackburn at half-time.
Todd Kane for Blackburn and Tomasz Cywka for Barnsley both scored after the interval making the final score 5-2 to Blackburn. Barnsley are now rock-bottom with just one point.
Andy Keogh scored a late penalty as Millwall got their first point of the season against Sheffield Wednesday. Millwall were forced to play in a kit borrowed from, Sheffield Wednesday after forgetting their own and Kamil Zayatte must have been confused as he put it in his own net to give Millwall the lead. Two minutes later, the game was level Reda Johnson heading home for Wednesday. They then took the lead in the 21st minute as Jeremy Helan drove the ball past Stephen Bywater.
It looked as though that would be how it would stay, until, 3 minutes from time Millwall were awarded a controversial penalty that was converted by Andy Keogh. Millwall now off the bottom after a terrible start to the season.
The game between Charlton and Doncaster was abandoned at half-time despite Rovers leading 3-1. Heavy rain made the pitch unplayable and the game was stopped 26 minutes in with Doncaster already leading 3-0. The match was resumed and Simon Church pulled one back for Charlton before the interval.
The rain continued and despite help from the Doncaster players the game was abandoned, a decision Rovers manager Paul Dickov was not too happy about.
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Tyler Tettleton threw for 264 yards and Beau Blankenship had two rushing touchdowns to hold off a rally and squeeze Ohio past Marshall 34-31 Saturday night.
Blankenship scored from two yards out the put the Bobcats (2-1) up 31-17 early in the fourth.
The Thundering Herd (2-1) came right back as Rakeem Cato threw a 38-yard touchdown to Gator Hoskins, then forced Ohio to punt on the ensuing drive, but Cato was intercepted by Devin Bass on the next play.
Following a field goal by Ohio, Cato rushed for a touchdown to cut the deficit to three, but the following onside kick was recovered by the Bobcats to seal the game.
Tettleton was 25-for-38 with a touchdown and Matt Waters had 83 yards on six receptions.
Cato finished 30 of 44 for 367 yards for Marshall.
Tommy Shuler caught 9 passes for 95 yards receiving while Hoskins had 81.


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Finance example for a MINI One New 3-Door Hatch
with optional Pepper White | ReadyFuelGo^ | 15" Heli Spoke alloy wheels in silver & black mirror caps.
You may drive up to 10,000 miles per year, any excess mileage will incur a charge of 3.39 pence per mile.
Your initial rental in the first month will be £999.00 with 47 further monthly rentals of £259.00.
At the end of the agreement you return the vehicle, excess mileage and vehicle condition charges may apply.
Your quote is indicative and may vary if the details of the offer alter before your application for finance.
J M And R J Walker Trading As The Country Garage, trading as The Country Garage is a credit broker.
Price shown is for a 48 month Personal Contract Hire agreement. Applies for vehicles ordered between 29 March 2018 and 29 June 2018 and registered by 30 September 2018 at participating MINI Retailers (subject to availability). At the end of your agreement you must return the vehicle. Excess mileage, vehicle condition and other charges may be payable. Hire available subject to status to UK residents aged 18 or over. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Terms and conditions apply. Offer may be varied, withdrawn or extended at any time. Hire provided by MINI Financial Services, Summit ONE, Summit Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0FB. J M And R J Walker Trading As The Country Garage, trading as The Country Garage, commonly introduce customers to a selected panel of lenders including MINI Financial Services. We may receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to such lenders. This introduction does not amount to independent financial advice.
^1 years' inclusive comprehensive MINI Ready Fuel Go insurance is available when you finance your vehicle through MINI Financial Services for the MINI One 3-Door Hatch model ordered between 29 March 2018 and 29 June 2018 and registered by 30 September 2018 at participating MINI Retailers (subject to availability). Customers must have held a current, full UK or EU licence for a minimum of 3 years for the MINI One 3-Door Hatch and been a resident in the UK for a minimum of 2 years. Retail customers only. Subject to eligibility. Telematics device or telematics app may be required. Policy is subject to cancellation in the case of poor driving. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. MINI Ready Fuel Go Insurance is arranged and administered by Carrot Risk Technologies Limited, registered in England and Wales No: 07771243 (registered office: Global House, Westmere Drive, Crewe Business Park, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 6ZD). Carrot Risk Technologies Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, registration number: 610895. MINI Ready Fuel Go Insurance is underwritten from a limited number of Insurers. MINI Financial Services, a trading name of BMW Financial Services (GB) Limited, and Carrot Risk Technologies Limited are not part of the same corporate group.
Fuel Economy Figures
Official Fuel Economy Figures for the MINI One New 3-Door Hatch: Urban 47.1 mpg (6 l/100km). Extra Urban 67.3 mpg (4.2 l/100km). Combined 57.6 mpg (4.9 l/100km). CO2 Emissions 111 g/km.


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Wayne Howenstine, 47
Wayne B. Howenstine, 47, of Leesburg, passed away Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010 at his home. He was born Sept. 26, 1963 in Huntington, a son of Jay H. and Myrtle Alice (Oxley) Howenstine.Survivors include a sister, Rhonda Ousley and a brother, Steve Howenstine.Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Owen Family Funeral Home, St. Rd. 13 & CR 500N, North Webster. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Friday, at the funeral home with Rev. Robert Wyman of the North Webster Church of the Brethren officiating. Burial will follow at the North Webster Cemetery (Mock Addition).Memorial bequest may be given to Wayne B. Howenstine Funeral Fund, c/o Owen Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 72, North Webster, IN 46555. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. To send condolences to the family in Mr. Howestine's memory visit www.owenfamilyfuneralhome.com.


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MADISON HEIGHTS – Lamphere wrestling coach Russ McKenzie noticed something at Rams Spirit Day last year. There were a lot of kids wearing wrestling attire – something that McKenzie didn't used to see.
"I just noticed at one of the spirit days last year just how much wrestling attire was in the hallways," said McKenzie. "Not just my 30 wrestlers but a lot of other kids too. Some of them were walking around with shirts that had names on the back of kids who graduated four years ago."
The plethora of wrestling stuff on Spirit Day represents the metamorphosis of Lamphere's program since McKenzie began his third stint coaching the Rams in 1999.
The Rams have established themselves as a consistently good team and with 32 wrestlers on the 2012-13 squad and significant depth throughout the lineup, this season should be another strong one for Lamphere.
Part of the Lamphere wrestling ritual involves upperclassmen taking freshmen grapplers under their wing and acclimating them to the wrestling room. It means taking the time to give the younger wrestlers extra drills and help after practice and helping them develop qualities they will need as future team leaders.
Captain Trevor Gorman is working with the team's freshman 103-pound wrestler and helping him gain confidence as well as learn some new techniques.
"The older kids can look back and see how they have left their mark on this program," said McKenzie. "A lot of times, kids come into the room and they watch and learn and they have looked up to certain kids and they don't realize how good they themselves are. They almost surprise themselves."
McKenzie talked about current wrestlers who came up through the program watching and idolizing two-time state runner up Jackson Lewis have now come into their own.
"They watch Jackson Lewis and they are like 'Oh my God he is great!' and one day they realize that they are pretty good too," said McKenzie. "We have had some really quality kids in this program who have been able to set a great example for the younger wrestlers."
In addition to the intangible factors that always go into creating a successful team, there are other contributing factors to Lamphere's success.
The reinstatement of the middle school wrestling program in 1999 can't be minimized as well as the Madison Heights youth wrestling program, a supportive network of parents and alumni, and having 32 wrestlers – only two of those without previous wrestling experience – on the team.
"Honestly, numbers are a huge thing in wrestling," said McKenzie. "For a school this size, 32 wrestlers is great. We have benefitted that way from being successful in recent years because I believe that winning breeds winning and these kids expect to win when they walk on the mat."
Junior Trevor Gorman says he has seen the Rams' wrestling culture intensify even since his brother Don graduated in 2009.
"All of the teachers come and ask when the first meet is or where the next meet is going to be and it is great to see people are interested," said Trevor. "I think interest and support is better than it was even five years ago and I think it could get even stronger."


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SANTA CRUZ -- Keith Greeninger & Friends will perform at a benefit concert for veterans at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Day-of-show tickets are $30 each.
A portion of the proceeds will go to help support veterans and the Santa Cruz Bill Motto Veterans of Foreign Wars Post.
For information, go to www.brownpapertickets.com, contact Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz or call 457-2400.