text:
Readers' Bidding Forum with Brad
Coles, June 2016
here to submit
answers for August
Welcome to Forum number three of 2016. Fraser is off
travelling the world this month, so this is Brad, back again. I've enjoyed having
Fraser moderate this forum over the past year -- my favourite part is that
people are finally starting to appreciate how nice I am (by comparison). Just last week one of
my opponents said to me, "That guy who's doing the bidding forum now can be a
bit mean sometimes, can't he!"
we begin, I'd like to welcome all the new readers joining us for the first time
after hearing about us via the recent Australia-Wide Novice Pairs. Apologies
that I have not included all your comments, but we're very pleased to have you
here and I hope you find much to think about after reading the analysis from the
more experienced regulars.
will be a short column this month, because I'm running very late with the
July issue of Australian Bridge Novice Edition, and also need to start organising the next Australia-Wide
event, which will be held in clubs all
around Australia in the week of 25-31 August. The Australia-Wide Open Pairs is Australia's
biggest annual event, with over 1000 tables in play (scored across the field) --
contact your club's event organiser and make sure you are a part of it.
On to the problems: in last
month's column Fraser spent a good deal of time discussing reasons not to
overcall 1NT, summarising with "I'll overcall 1NT on a hand with one or even two strikes against it"
but not three strikes. This hand only has two strikes against it, so I assume
he'd be with the majority here:
Robert Black: 1NT. 15 HCP; (semi) balanced, and Spades well stopped.
Tania Black: 1NT. 15 HCPs and spades stopped. Might regret not finding a Heart fit, but also might regret looking for one.
Gary Hyett : 1NT. Could work out badly but it's a bidders game.
Neil Silverman: 1NT. Hate it but it is get in now or maybe never and it won't be the last zero I get if they start doubling.
Artur Wasiak: 1NT. Plus for well-located J, plus for 5-card suit, minus for QJ in doubleton -
ultimately it looks like a minimal 1NT overcall. My second choice would be pass, third 2. One more important thing: even if partner doesn't have a few points, it will be hard to double 1NT, because West has to remember that his partner opened in 3rd seat.
That's a good point; we had a similar problem in
this forum last year, where partner opened in third seat and RHO overcalled 1NT.
We held a good hand, but only one person suggested doubling (I think he didn't
notice the 3rd seat opening).
Roger Yandle: 1NT. Slightly off-shape but it gets my point range and spade stoppers across in one go. It also makes life easier for partner if
he wants to progress things.
Bridge Baron: 1NT. My spade holding over East boosts me into the 16-18 HCP range for a 1NT overcall. In that range and with a stopper in opener's suit, even with hands like this that are only semi-balanced, I'll overcall 1NT in preference to 2 of any suit.
Leigh Matheson: 1NT. This is the only way to describe the hand in one bid. But it may not describe the hand accurately enough if partner has exactly
three hearts. I'll take that chance.
I think most of us agree that 1NT isn't the perfect
bid for this hand, but it does seem safer than the alternative:
John R. Mayne: 1NT. This is both safer and more descriptive than 2, and 1N overcalls work out better than they should.
Ron Lel: 1NT. The least lie. The heart suit is too weak for a 2 overcall.
Julian Foster: 1NT. Seems most descriptive. 2 is sticking my neck out with a relatively poor suit.
Damo Nair: 1NT. Barely a 1NT bid. I wish I had even the 9 for a 2 bid.
David Kalnins: 1NT. Hearts might play better, but I reckon 1NT is the value bid.
Rainer Herrmann: 1NT. IT is tough to escape from 2 into 1NT, and if both are no good maybe partner can escape into a minor.
True, we have more options this way.
Dean Pokorny: 1NT.
Showing my range quickly, hoping to find a thin vulnerable game. Another good thing of this bid is - if I get doubled in 1NT, I'm not committed to play a misfitting 2x, but we can find 2m too.
Charles Scholl: 1NT. 2 is probably best if partner has exactly 3 hearts and some shape. Otherwise 1NT gives us the most flexibility -- we should get to the right strain and level. Passing would be pusillanimous.
One reader points out that suppressing the hearts
won't necessarily stop us from finding a 5-5 heart fit:
Ian Patterson: 1NT. Partner may still Stayman or Transfer to hearts.
Nigel Kearney: 1NT. It can be right to avoid a marginal 1NT overcall opposite a passed partner, but a possible nine card heart fit gives us an extra way to gain by bidding.
Dan Baker: 1NT. The hearts are not good enough for a vulnerable 2-level overcall. Points in the short suits argue for the off-shape NT. If partner has a good hand, we might still find the heart fit if there is one.
Yeah, ok, maybe we can still find the 5-4 fits too
-- partner may be able to bid Stayman, but I think it's unlikely.
Martyn Rew: 1NT. Every chance that we have the balance of points here. If partner picks up the bidding, I can tell him about my poor 5-card heart suit.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 1NT. Least of evils. Double promises (a lot) more in the minors. This is right on values (as I
don't have a lot of defensive tricks) and if we get doubled I can still run to my, admittedly, bad hearts
I wasn't going to mention this, but since Ig brought
up the topic of doubling... the "Other" in the above scoring table, with 3% of
the reader vote and a zero score, was actually Double. I usually list minority
bids as "Other" if I can't bring myself to write the actual bid. All the
doublers' names and comments have been withheld to protect the guilty.
While 1NT got the top expert vote, 2 was close
behind, and it was the top choice by the readers:
Tim Munro: 2. +650 to -800, the world is your oyster on this hand, but I'm all in.
Par Ol-Mars: 2. Dangerous to bid but it is equally so to pass. Spade length increases chance partner has a heart fit.
Barbara Whitmee: 2. Describes my hand. Will rebid NT if partners responds in a minor.
James Logan: 2. East could have opened light in 3rd seat, especially with a spade suit. I'm not proud of my suit, but can one overcall 1NT with this collection?
Brad Johnston: 2. I don't overly like this bid. A hand full of soft values and an empty suit, but it'd be awkward if it goes 2 p p ? or a form of
Drury back to me.
Wayne Somerville: 2. I would like a better suit, but the hand is too strong to pass. A 1NT overcall is likely to bury the heart suit.
Andrea Viscovich: 2. In the April forum hand two south passed a similar hand
as Fraser claimed hearts are not solid, but I don't want to pass, maybe we can
have 3NT or 4. No sense doubling here and I don't like QJ so 1NT is a little bit overestimated.
Cathy Hocking: 2. No other option with insufficient points to bid 1NT.
Dave Caprera : 2. Now or never. Hoping to catch spade shortness and heart length.
I'd open the hand 1NT (the new Flannery) but after 1 on my right, I think our more likely game is in hearts.
Tim Trahair: 2. Tempting to bid 1NT which gives a better indication of our strength but deterred by 2 doubletons which may not yield a trick.
Mick McAuliffe: 2. Too many HCPs to just pass, even when you wipe the
diamonds from the count. Of course the heart suit quality is poor. You have at least immediate control of
spades as that will be the likely lead, and 2 can be setup. If they break 2:2
with West and North, then North can hopefully overruff. This will be a battle of the partscores
and if West now raises spades, then that is OK too.
While this problem was intended as a choice between
1NT and 2, there were many who saw it as a choice between bidding and passing.
Passers on the expert panel included Ron Klinger (didn't like having length and
strength in the opponents' suit) and Andrew Robson (worried about a large
Emil Battista: Pass. 1NT a big overbid. Double and 2 have no appeal at red versus green so wimping out.
Herbert Wilton: Pass. Any bid now is premature. Do you want to defend? If to play, which strain?
Alexander Cook: Pass. I need a better suit to overcall at the two level with a five card suit. I also am downgrading my QJ.
Ian McCance: Pass. I very much wanted to bid 1NT. 1NT could be a big + or a big -. No good case for flip of coin
Margaret Copland: Pass. The vulnerability scares me and I'm not sure I have a source of tricks.
Alex Kemeny: Pass. It is very unlikely we have game. Too much chance of a big minus opposite a passed hand. Deal may be a misfit.
Hans van Vooren: Pass. Very dangerous to bid here. Chances for game are slender, especially when compared with the chances for disaster. What's more, if partner has the hand with which we can make game, he'll probably balance.
A.K. Simon: Pass. 2 and 1NT are worse distortions. Perhaps my course of action will become clearer on the next round.
Brian Lawless: Pass. Even tho' my spade honours are working, I might as well have a small doubleton
diamond. Looks like a defensive hand to me. Partner is still there if West also passes.
Peter Vlas: Pass. I don't like my heart suit and I don't like my minors. Let's see what develops.
David Matthews: Pass. Too dangerous at IMPS to overcall in Hearts. Awful lot of soft points. Asking to lose 800. Don't like the offshape 1NT option. Will have to apologise if game is on.
Timothy Wright: Pass. While partner could have the perfect hand (x-KQxx-xxxx-Qxxx), we have neither the shape nor the suit quality to do well if partner does not have a good fit in hearts.
John Newman: Pass. Made easier by the fact that most partners open rank 11-counts.
Not only that, but if he is in the 9-10 range, he may
still get another chance to bid over 1 (he may even have enough to bid over a
raise to 2). On reflection, I feel that the award of 30 points for passing was
inadequate, and I've upgraded it to 50.
Unfortunately we do not have the full deal for any
of this month's problems. (Actually that's a lie -- we have the full deal for a
few of them, but in each case the previous bidding is so dramatically out of
step with the actual hands, I've decided not to show them).
Now for
something a little different, we have a
counting problem: we need to count up
our points, add them to partner's
points, and decide how high to play.
Todd Holes: 3. Too much for 2. Not enough for the splinter. If I rebid 1 to hear more, I'll never convince partner I have 4 hearts later. 3 seems just right.
Par Ol-Mars: 4. Too weak for 4 but LTC says too strong for 3.
Barbara Whitmee: 4. I am able to jump to four. If partner has extra he can move towards slam.
Robert Black: 3. 16 total points in support of Hearts.
David Matthews: 3. 4 is a little bit too far for this hand as game is not certain opposite a 6-count.
David Kalnins: 3. Forcing to game on this hand is a mistake, as partner will expect more and might take us too high.
Peter Vlas: 3. Good
heart support, unbalanced and not strong enough for 4/4. I would prefer the splinter to 4 though.
Charles Scholl: 3. 4 is too pushy and promises a stronger, more balanced hand. 4, also too pushy, suggests a singleton and might help opponents find a killing heart lead. Partner can see the vulnerability, too, and will not pass unless his hand is pretty bad. Meanwhile, with a strong hand, partner has more room to explore for slam after 3.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 3. Opposite the right points six is easy, but needs a positive move from partner.
Neil Silverman: 3. Can't imagine
that this won't be the overwhelming
overwhelming at all (in fact the readers
voted against it by more than two to one). But it is
the top scorer.
The alternative
is 4, which is a bit stronger than 3:
Alexander Cook: 3. Not quite enough high card points for a splinter.
Toby Weinstein: 3. Not strong enough to bid 4.
Dean Pokorny: 3. Too weak for 4. Although I would like an undisciplined 4
too, I'm not afraid very much to lose a game, because partner should pass 3 here only with 4 trumps and garbage.
Wayne Somerville: 3. A mild underbid, but leaves partner room to investigate. I would want more points for 4.
A.K. Simon: 3. My first inclination was 4, but partner will expect a singleton, and it robs us of bidding room. If partner bids 3 or 4 next, I will be hard to restrain. And if partner must pass 3 with junk like Qxx Jxxx xx Kxxx, we are high enough in 3.
Nigel Kearney: 3. Missing a good slam after 3 is less likely than reaching a bad one after 4.
Damo Nair: 3. Not enough HCP for a 4 splinter, besides it is a club void.
Aside from
the lack of strength, the void club is a
problem for 4, because partner may
overvalue his A if he decides to look
for slam (and we are already pushing our
values to the limit). We'll come back to
the void issue a bit later.
In matters of
simple evaluation, there is one player
whose level of experience eclipses that
of all other players combined, and we
are very fortunate to have him on our
Bridge Baron: 3. Simulation says that on average even 3, at -97.63, isn't a favorite to make. So I don't try 4, at -234.75, and certainly not a splinter. But I'm far too strong for just 2.
So, in
short, all the answers below this line
are wrong. I'm going to publish a
handful of them anyway; there might be
some hidden wisdom in there, or a funny
anecdote or something.
Julian Foster: 4. A bit light on HCP but splinters help partner evaluate their hand so much, and our hand is so pure, that I think it's worth it.
James Logan: 4. If partner has an ill-fitting hand,
4 will not do well. However, on good fitting hands, especially ones where partner will think of slam, my values are solid.
Dan Baker: 4. I have a 5-loser hand, it's IMPs, and we're vulnerable. If I've caught partner with xxx Qxxx xx KJxx, it won't be my first -200.
Andrea Viscovich: 4. On a bad day I
will go down in 4, in a good day I will
make 6.
Leigh Matheson: 4. Without the two Tens, this would be an overbid.
Leigh, South didn't hold those tens at
the table. I added the tens to try to
tempt people to bid 4.
Timothy Wright: 4. A splinter raise is a bit of a stretch, but I need very little from partner to make game and only a moderate hand to get to a decent slam.
Tim Trahair: 4. While North is not showing anything more than four hearts and 6HCP, that seems enough for game in
hearts and if North is much stronger, slam could be on.
Tony Treloar: 4. Looks like a good hand, good controls and a source of tricks.
Ron Lel: 4. The bid really depends on agreements. There are some players who never splinter on a void; with those I would bid 1, which I play as forcing. If partner is not one of those, I bid 4. Playing with one of my favourite partners I would bid 2NT game force gadget, which can have 4 card support obviously.
Mick McAuliffe: 4. This hand punches much harder than its weight. Small slam is possible with 27 HCP here with no wasted values in s, and 4 should have chances against a minimum partner.
That's a
brief summary of the 4 bidders, but
there were dozens more who made comments
along the lines of, "Splinter, so
partner will know when to move on."
There was also one reader who splintered
and planned to bid on over partner's
signoff (I've withheld his name, but I
can tell you he's a regular respondent
who has a reputation for being lawless).
We'll finish
with an odd-looking choice which some
readers might find a bit puzzling:
Peter Horan: 1. EW are not competing. Go slowly. The 1 bid could be as low as 6 HCP, or up to 19, so seek more information at the
one-level before showing the fit.
Ian McCance: 1. To find out what's happening.
Michael Burt: 1. Trying to get more information about partner's hand. Game in hearts is on, with slam a possibility.
All those
comments suggest that the goal is to
"find out more" about partner's hand,
and the following comments (from those
who rejected 1) follow the same lines:
Hans van Vooren: 4. Maybe partner will now expect more HCP, but I surely want to play in game here, even opposite a minimum. Another way would be to bid 1 (asking for information, rather than showing), but after such a bid, it is often difficult to get the heart fit across.
Ian Patterson: 3. 1 is tempting, allows partner to show Clubs cheaply.
In fact the
actual upside in bidding 1 comes not
from asking, but from describing our own
hand. After opening 1, rebidding 1,
and closing with 4, partner will be in
a better position to see our void club
(assuming we get a chance to clearly
show primary heart support).
An immediate 4 splinter would sound
more like a singleton, causing partner
to over-value his A, but a failure to
splinter might help him to diagnose the
void. Still, 1 was not a hit with the
expert panel, and has been awarded
John R. Mayne: 3. 1 is for masterminds - which may well be right on this one.
* 2 is natural and game forcing, usually 5+
(balanced hands are allowed to bid 2).
This next problem proved to be quite difficult for
some readers, and I attribute this partly to the special conditions (2 being
game forcing). For example, I think the 18% who chose 5 may have found
something different if they'd had more familiarity with the 2/1 concept.
Accordingly I've upgraded the scores for many of the
minority bids -- even the pass, which frankly is a bizarre choice no matter how
confusing the term "game forcing" is!
have a strong preference for taking problems from real life (and preferably from
expert play) but it's tricky when there are so few experts still playing 20th
century Standard (particularly in the US where much of our expert panel is
based). But I'll make a greater effort to keep the problems to the familiar
system in the future (or at least to provide more guidance when we deviate from
Let's start by looking at the votes
for 3NT (after deleting all the comments that say "Hamman's Rule"):
David Kalnins: 3NT. What else? I don't like the idea of committing to diamonds with potentially 3 heart losers off the top.
Anne Paul: 3NT. 3 is not a very strong bid from partner so considering 3 small hearts and no fit for partner's opening I am happy to settle in 3NT
Dean Pokorny: 3NT. Close, but I think it is better to show a minimal (misfitting) hand with 3NT, than overbid with 4 or make a blind guess by bidding diamonds with a minimum, where a heart lead through dummy will come for sure.
Andrea Viscovich: 3NT. Maybe at Imps I'm better to play in diamonds, at Matchpoints I think most people will land in 3NT and if we haven't any stops in Hearts someone will join my low score.
That's actually fairly important. A bad score isn't
necessarily so bad if it's likely that you'll have a lot of company.
Charles Scholl: 3NT. My hand is an absolute minimum for a game-forcing action, so 3NT here is almost automatic. Why contract for more than 9 tricks?
Rainer Herrmann: 3NT. This could be ridiculous, but it could also be the only game contract with any reasonable chances of making.
Ian Patterson: 3NT. Trusting Partner to have a Heart stopper.
Gary Hyett : 3NT. Hearts are a worry, but nothing else appeals.
The main source of difficulty here is the lack of a
heart stopper, and the inability to ask for one (when only two suits have been
bid, a third suit tends to be natural, or at least naturalish):
Par Ol-Mars: 3NT. Would bid 3 if we had agreed third suit is asking. If 3 is minimum I'm not strong enough for 4.
Wayne Somerville: 3NT. 3 shows a heart stop and concern in clubs. We don't have an alternative for the reverse, so we just take a chance on it.
Neil Silverman: 3NT. Would love to have heart stopper but not going past 3nt as that is most likely game and we play 3h would show not ask.
Peter Vlas: 3NT. 3 from P suggests interest in 3NT. 3 in my view would promise -values, 3 would suggest
spade support. With 3NT I limit my hand in strength as well
Dave Caprera : 3NT. Matchpoints is a sick game. At imps I would bid 4. 3 is asking for club cards.
Dan Baker: 3NT. I don't see a way to get partner to bid 3NT - 3 would show, not ask for, a stopper without prior discussion. But he could have bid 3 as a splinter, so it's likely he has at least two. Even if he doesn't have a stopper, they might split. Matchpoints made me do it.
Nigel proposes that we change the traditional
meaning of 3, adopting a sort of "last train" approach:
Nigel Kearney: 3NT. It's
Matchpoints so 5 is less desirable and there's a risk partner will try 6 if given any encouragement. 3 really ought to be asking not showing since there is only one new suit that can be bid below 3NT. I would be happy to try 3NT if the hearts and clubs were reversed in exchange for avoiding being fixed on the actual hand. But I assume we are not playing that or there would be no problem.
In other words, he's proposing a major-based asking
bid, where the sole available asking bid asks about the major (and if we're
worried about the minor then we just blast it). That would solve a lot of
real-life problems, but I'm not sure that the major is necessarily worthy of
focus. In many auctions (and to some extent in this one) it is easier for an
opponent to bid a major than a minor, suggesting that a concealed minor threat
is a higher risk.
There were a few people
unhappy with the previous auction (in terms of judgement, not choice of system):
Robert Black: 4. If my 2 (accidentally) forced to game I did not wish to play in 3NT; and partner does not seem to want to either.
Ron Lel: 4. Again this depends on deep agreements. 3 shows a heart stopper for me so I am forced into 4. By the way, I wouldn't force to game on this hand with a 12 count and a stiff Spade unless I was playing with Al Roth.
Dean Eidler: 3NT. Someone has to bid it. Object to 2 it is an overbid.
Roger Yandle: 3NT. Ugly. I'm not sure if we really have the values for game, and if we do what strain is best, and there isn't much room to investigate. I'm shooting for NT as even if pard doesn't have a heart stopper 3NT might still make.
Aviv Shahaf: 3NT. For some reason I forgot what my plan was when I chose to bid 2 at my previous turn. Oh well, I guess 3NT is as reasonable as any other choice.
Kees Schaafsma: 5. Forcing NT anyone?
I agree -- 2 looks like an overbid
to me. To a large extent, this problem was caused by the 2 bid, although on the
actual deal a 1NT response would have led to its own set of difficulties (and
playing 2 as non-GF wouldn't have helped much either).
Despite the overwhelming precedent for 3rd-suit
natural, there are a quite a few votes for bidding 3 anyway (with a few
believing it is asking for a stopper):
Alan Jones: 3. Asking for a stop for NT.
Tim Trahair: 3. Looking for a stopper in
hearts and for North to play in 3NT if he has one.
Tony Treloar: 3. Really tough hand especially without knowing some of the agreement regarding continuations. Is 3 a show or an ask? This looks like the only bid which will get partner declaring 3NT which looks like the best spot at MPs.
Emil Battista: 3. Reluctant to bypass 3NT.
Mick McAuliffe: 3. To make a try at 3NT here with the ability to lose 4 tricks could well be a better chance than 5s. It will probably play better if N bids it. There certainly does not seem to be any advantage in South wanting to
declare NT. Transports between the 2 hands is looking to be the biggest issue if the s are all cashed, which is probably what you will do unless P shows with a pretty solid
spade suit but missing say the ace. If P does not have a H stopper, then 5 likely has no future unless he is a singleton.
Todd Holes, Jacco Hop: 3. Waiting. Keeping 3NT in the picture. I will pass partner's 3NT and go to 5 otherwise.
I have a little bit of admiration for this next
Leigh Matheson: 3. Bidding 3 would show a heart fragment, asking partner to bid 3NT with a club stopper. Ideally we would bid
clubs to ask for a heart stopper; since this is impossible, bidding 3 is the only way to do this. If partner doesn't bid 3NT, we can always bid 5 next.
Typically I would expect 3 to show a hand with
spade support, maybe along the lines of Kxxx-xx-AKQxx-xx. Your plan hinges on
your ability to stop partner from insisting on spades as trumps. Apart from that, I like
it, and it's easy to construct deals that make it a
winner. Another fan:
Artur Wasiak: 5. Maybe 3 should show that I worry about heart stopper but I don't risk a misunderstanding if I didn't talk with partner about similar sequences.
With 3NT as uncertain as it is, it's not surprising
there was a lot of support for this very natural-looking choice:
Herbert Wilton: 4. And now I'm finished cooperating.
Julian Foster: 4. We have no easy route to 3NT other than by guessing. This at least shows where my values are and might allow us to reach a perfect 6 opposite a 5143 shape or similar. Would be nice to be able to do this and still stop in 4NT at MPs but I doubt our methods allow that.
Phil Hocking: 4. Cue bid showing a 1st/2nd round control. Can't splinter bid.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 4. Hate to pass by 3NT, but 3 and 3 completely misrepresent the hand.
Brian Lawless: 4. I do have a little to spare and this highlights the lack
of a control in hearts.
Damo Nair: 4. Not sure. If North comes up with the K, A & a heart stopper 3NT could be a winner.
Cathy Hocking: 4. Showing stopper in clubs giving partner chance to look for slam.
john newman: 4. Trusting that partner knows 3 made it difficult.
Zbych Bednarek: 4. Values (usually 2nd suit) - hand oriented for play in suit
Not a lot of consensus there on the exact meaning of
4. Values, cue, stopper, natural; it's not completely obvious, probably doesn't
matter much, and most pairs probably haven't discussed it in great detail. I'll
can tell you what it isn't though: it's not Gerber, and I've deleted the comment
that said it was.
The remaining votes are for 4 and 5. I don't
really see how 4 could be a better choice than 4:
John R. Mayne: 4. I'd bid 4 to show the nice fragment if partner could convert to 3N, but as that won't work, I make the terrible-looking value bid.
Brad Johnston: 4. Norths 2nd bid should already be angling towards thrump if that looked like a spot from their hand. When they raise diamonds it's likely that 3N isn't our spot, and 4 here should show a slammish hand. I can cue 5 if pard cues 4, but otherwise I'll just be playing in 5.
5 (in most cases) was intended as a fast-arrival
type bid, showing a weaker hand than 4 (which would have been forcing):
Hans van Vooren: 5. Funny. Doesn't happen all that often, that the one bid we don't want to hear, is partner supporting our suit. Lacking explicit agreements, I am not going to take one of the smart-ass options, thus keeping partner happy at the cost of a potentially poor
Matchpoint score. Now that doesn't happen all that often, either!
James Logan: 5. Since partner did not bid NT or a heart stopper, I am assuming I am missing a real heart stopper, or partner has higher aspirations. I do not think I have anything more than my original bid, so fast arrival dictates I bid 5 rather than 4.
David Matthews: 5. Looks like I will have to take a punt and bid 3NT myself, hoping for a stopper or two, as partner will assume 3 is natural. So I will just bid a more likely making game even though the score might not be as good.
Bridge Baron: 5. Partner could have bid notrump, but didn't, so we prefer the suit contract.
Stephen Bartos: 5. partner has 12-14 HCP, 5, 3+, no other 4-card suit. Bidding clubs would give opponents information, and we can't play in NT. Choice is therefore between an invitational 4 or jump straight to game. The latter gives opponents more chances to fail and us to pick up a good score.
As I said earlier, I suspect some of the 5 bids may
have been influenced by unfamiliarity with the specified system (with Stephen
suggesting that 4 would have been invitational). Given that you thought it was
invitational, I think 4 would have been an excellent choice; no one else was
happy with having to bid game, but you were the only one who had a way to stay
out of it!
We don't put a lot of Opening Bid problems in this
column, because usually it's pretty easy to choose an opening bid. This problem
was provided by Paul Lavings, and it gives us a chance to discuss what makes a
good (or bad) preempt.
Nigel Guthrie: 1. Less need to pre-empt with spades.
Margaret Copland: 1. In second seat
I don't want to preempt my partner.
Julian Foster: 1. Because we hold
spades we can outbid opps at the same level so it matters less to take up space (reverse the majors and I would probably open 3). I would like better quality Ss to venture 3 vulnerable. Not close to 4 and I have had a spate of bad results recently when partners have opened 2 with a 7-card suit so I don't like that!
Andrea Viscovich, Dean Sole: 1. Only because East passed, 3 otherwise.
Brad Johnston: 1. With a passed opp, there's less need to try pre-empt them, and the value of the K8 has gone down slightly. If I was 2-2 in the minors I'd open 3, but with 2nd round control of 2 offsuits I'm too strong for that, else partner will misjudge when to investigate slams.
Most of the other 1 comments were fairly
repetitive. Too strong for 3, suit not good enough, etc. Many people quoted the
rule of 20 (ten cards in our two longest suits + 10 HCP) and some quoted the
Losing Trick Count (we have six, which is better than what is normally required
for a one-opening).
The suit quality led a
few people to an unusual choice:
Rainer Herrmann: 2. Both at Matchpoints and being in second position argue for restraint.
Ian McCance: 2. Not worth 3 because no texture
Emil Battista: 2. Sure I have 7 spades, but hand and suit and hand are full of losers. Not to mention vulnerable
I've always believed weak twos on a 7-card suit are
not acceptable, but I admit I've seen a few good players do it over the last few
years (on this deal, it was Matthew Thomson and Frank Stewart):
Frank Stewart: 2. I wouldn't criticize 1 or 3. In second seat, vulnerable, I don't mind my weak two-bids being quite sound.
Matthew Thomson: 2. In second seat solid citizen. In first seat open 3 and in third seat open 1. Position, position, position.
It's not a good way to win a bidding forum
though. And seriously, if LHO bids 3, passed back to you, are you going to be
While I normally withhold the names
and comments of the severe minority choices, there are so many votes for passing
I've decided to make an exception here (safety in numbers):
Peter Paton: Pass. Bad hand,
bad distribution.
Bridge Baron: Pass. It all depends on the program's aggressiveness settings, of course.
"Average" is our best guess for Australian Bridge Standard, and at that setting, with a King and a Queen outside our long suit, we pass. Otherwise, we'd bid 3.
Herbert Wilton: Pass. Prefer to listen to a round of bidding first.
John R. Mayne: Pass. A preempt is straight wrong - second seat is not the time to do it on a ratty suit and a bunch of outside stuff. If this gets passed out, I'll be sick, but it's a half-point short of opening. Kaplan count is 11.3, and I expect I'll have another shot at this.
For those unfamiliar with Kaplan Count (I suspect
that will be everybody), Edgar Kaplan was an American expert whose bidding judgement was considered to be
very reliable. "Kaplan Count" is a wildly impractical attempt to
mathematically quantify all the factors that he (and other experts)
instinctively considered
when evaluating a hand. In short: high cards are good, especially in long suits;
king-doubleton is a lot better than king-singleton; honour cards are a bit stronger
when they sit with a ten-nine or nine-eight; voids and singletons are good.
There are 25 factors, each contributing between 0.25
and 4.00 points to your total (for example, ten-nine in a suit with one
higher honour starts at 0.25 points, but loses value if you have so many higher
honours that the nine becomes redundant). Each of the 25 factors applies to an
individual suit, so your total has to be calculated separately for each suit
(Step 12 involves multiplying by the length of your suit, to give greater weight
to attractive features in long suits, eg. Axxxxx is better than Axx). Then all
four suit totals are added together, with some final additions and subtractions,
and then optionally add ice cream and put in a blender.
The rest of the comments (an overwhelming reader
majority, but just half of the expert panellists) are voting for a 3 opening.
I'll skip most of the comments, as most follow the same general pattern.
Mick McAuliffe: 3. Even ignoring the Q the hand has 8 HCP & a singleton & most of its points in the bid suit. It would be nice if the pips were higher,
say ten-nine.
That would have added 0.6 to the Kaplan Count,
making it a borderline opening bid! Well judged, Mick, clearly you are a future
Edgar Kaplan!
Roger Yandle: 3.
A toss up between 1 and 3. The dubious value of Q and the paucity of fillers in the spade suit makes me lean towards the latter.
Dan Baker: 3. Not enough defense for a 1 opening, devaluing the Q. Put the Q in one of the other suits instead and you might tempt me.
Aviv Shahaf: 3. Wouldn't the whole universe open 3 if that Q was a small singleton?
Leigh Matheson: 3. Certainly no higher. If partner has the big hand, it's worth saying I have 7 spades. If West has the big hand it's worth making his life difficult.
Dave Caprera : 3. Hope the opponents don't uppercut the 4.
Yeah, suit quality is important in a preempt, and
every key pip we're missing adds to the danger.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 3. I see no reason not to. Yes it feels like a max in points, but you have to have that sometimes too. 4 is
a different type of hand.
Timothy Wright: 3. I would like better spots here, but 3 is right in terms of shape and strength. It could be difficult to catch up later if I pass.
Dean Pokorny: 3. In 2nd seat 3M should be disciplined and solid - showing 8-11 and a 7-carder suit, exactly what I have.
James Logan: 3. Maybe a bit reckless, but I am not going to let my opponents free wheel into their contract. I will admit that I would have liked to have the
Nigel Kearney: 3. No reason to avoid a normal preempt just because one opponent has passed. It could still be their hand and partner will have a pretty good idea of what I hold.
David Kalnins: 3. Seems spot on - I would love to have better spade intermediates but unfortunately I wasn't dealt them.
Artur Wasiak: 3. Somewhere on the path from Culbertson's Rule of 2 and 3 to the Rule of 11.
The rule of 2 and 3 I know: to open 3 (vulnerable)
we should have a reasonable expectation of taking seven tricks (also known as
the rule of 500). The rule of 11 has me totally stumped; if someone fills me in,
I'll add an edit here later!
For our final problem, we have an auction that
already has nine bidding cards on the table, yet is still at the one-level. We
are currently doubled in 1NT, with no stopper in the opponents' suit.
We'll begin with the passers, none of
whom are happy, but some of whom think partner will make everything ok:
Cathy Hocking: Pass. Balanced hand with no biddable suit. North can bid dependent on West's bid.
Duncan Roe: Pass. Not confident enough to redouble (assuming that would be penalty). East might be looking at 6 diamond tricks and an ace somewhere. I have nowhere to run in any case - if the double gets round to partner he can leave it in with lots of HCP or take it out to his longest suit.
Robert Black: Pass. Slowly, and after asking the meaning of the double. Partner might have a good idea!
Robert is joking of course. It's kind of sad that I
feel the need to explain that, but unfortunately I know a few players who
will be nodding their heads right now saying, "Yes, that's what I'd do".
Rainer Herrmann: Pass. Difficult to come to a conclusion in tempo. Hopefully the bidding is not over yet.
Nigel Kearney: Pass. I doubt we belong in 1NT but redouble is unclear and 2
might bypass our best spot. Partner has also seen the auction and has another
Anne Paul: Pass. no suit to bid so whatever will be will be partner can take it out if need be
Phil Hocking: Pass. We aren't vul and I don't have any suit to rebid whilst my partner still has a bid.
Herbert Wilton: Pass. I made my bed and I'll stay there. Partner is still there.
Jack Lai: Pass. Let partner decide.
I think partner decided when he made the takeout
double. He decided to let you make the decision.
There are also some people suggesting that 1NT was a
mistake in the first place:
Kees Schaafsma: Pass. I wouldn't have bid 1NT. Would 1NT really be better than 1 or 1? I don't think so but if it does it will surely be better than 2 or 2. The stakes are a bit higher
but that is no reason to change my opinion.
Bridge Baron: Pass. I've said my piece. Note that if I had been the one saying my piece last round, I wouldn't have bid 1NT with my four low diamonds and more than 10 HCP;
I'd have scrambled a 1 bid instead.
A few people are confused about why East passed on
the previous round:
Neil Silverman: Pass. Doesn't sound like East has a hand with long diamonds as he might have redoubled to show that before. So taking chance here as it might be as good as anything.
Gary Hyett : Pass. East did not redouble 1 so
I'm hoping he doesn't have 7 solid diamonds.
Dave Caprera : Pass. If East had long diamonds, he would have bid over the double. This is likely just random.
John R. Mayne: Pass. East would have bid diamonds on seven solid, so it's time to suck it up. We could run to the 4-3, but the wrong hand will get tapped. Come get me.
Charles Scholl: Pass. I'm having trouble picturing what East might have to
pass my partner's double but now crack my 1NT, maybe 5 diamond tricks and 2
other aces? With at least half the high cards I'll take my chances. Either West
or North might pull the double.
I don't think East's 2nd-round pass is anything to
get too confused over. When you are vulnerable against not, it's sensible to
just shut up as soon as you realise you are outgunned. Gratuitous bids will just
convince partner to come into the auction, and East probably doesn't want that
(given that partner couldn't find a bid over 1).
The majority of the passers (wrongly) think that we
are already in our best contract; even if it fails, they fear the alternatives
would be worse:
Timothy Wright: Pass. 1NT doubled is not a lock, but I have no alternative that looks better, and partner can always run to a long suit if she sees fit.
Martyn Rew: Pass. East's double is more for his partner here I think, and may get them in to a wee spot of bother. And, I don't have anywhere to go.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: Pass. I am more tempted to raise to 2NT than to run to a 3-card. If righty has 7 diamonds so be it
Nigel Guthrie: Pass. Other denominations are probably no better.
Tim Trahair: Pass. If North is able to double, it suggests he has a near opening hand but no 5-card suit. Probably he is short in
diamonds, but if we XX we are likely to end up in a 2-level contract with a 7 card fit. Playing in 1NT
doubled may turn out OK as we seem likely to have the majority of the HCP.
Par Ol-Mars: Pass. Redouble is to play, and anyhow there isn't anything saying we have a better spot anywhere if partner doesn't bid.
Julian Foster: Pass. Pretty random to run at this point. Besides, why should 1NT be going off even if we don't have a true stopper?
Wayne Somerville: Pass. I can't really think of any alternatives. Redouble should probably be doubt showing, but I'm strong enough that this contract likely has chances even if they do run
five diamonds.
Roger Yandle: Pass. I haven't got anywhere to run to so I'm standing my ground. Let's see who blinks first!
Ron Lel: Pass. There is no reason to think I won't make this. If they do run 5 or 6 Diamonds I can get rid of a lot of dross. If they cash 6 Diamonds and an Ace, well there is no guarantee that 2 or 2 will be better in our almost certain 4-3 fit with the long trump hand copping the force. Anyway the auction is not over yet.
Since the parameters in Ron's answer are so
specific, I decided to run a simulation: East AKQxxx and an ace, North 4414
10-13 HCP (admittedly North could be a bit weaker than this). Results:
(a) we make at least two of a major on 92% of hands
(and on the other 8% we
are only one off).
(b) We make four of a major 24% of the time.
(c) 1NT will sometimes be two off (2 and 2 never are).
(d) If East bids on over 2-major, we get 500 more than
half the time.
So it looks like Fraser's
tales of Kiwi optimism are exaggerated:
Brad Johnston: Pass. We're not vul, it's a possibility we do
go light, but if we do it probably shan't be more than 300, which I'm happy to pay out here.
You'll never get rich settling for -300 per hand.
Hoping for that +500 against 3:
Dean Pokorny: Rdbl. Since a SOS redouble doesn't have much sense here, I'm redoubling 1NTx intending to double
later, showing that way a supermax hand that might still have unrealized game equity.
David Kalnins: Rdbl. Passing 1NT without a stopper is dangerous and leaves west with an easy pass. 1NT could go down but I think E/W are in serious trouble if they bid, and XX is worth the risk - think of the potential upside.
Alex Kemeny: Rdbl. Quickly and with confidence. If I'm allowed to play there and make the contract won't it be wonderful. And if I go off I'll tell partner that the redouble was for rescue!
Barbara Hunter: Rdbl. Put a cat among the pigeons
Peter Vlas: Pass. I considered redouble, but discarded it due to the lack of
diamond-stop. I expect to make it most of the time, but if partner is really weak he can get out now.
James Logan: Pass. I am not about to suggest penalizing the opponents with a redouble. Partner cannot have a great hand here so my guess is the points are split about even with a slight bias to our side.
Margaret Copland: Rdbl. I have had more partnership "accidents" after a
redouble than any other bid. So would only like to bid it after recently discussing it with partner. If I was going to respond 1NT, I'd want it to be on the understanding I have points but not the length to make a jump bid. Their double must be for penalty, so my XX would be an SOS to bid a four card.
Margaret's condition about recently having
discussed it, is an essential element of this bid. Anyone who thinks that a
solid expert partnership will agree on every possible auction, is kidding
themselves. From my own experience, my first-ever board representing Australia
(after months of intensive system practice) saw my partner passing my rescue
redouble and going for 3400 (after the opponents dropped a trick in defence). In
last year's NOT final a top pair disagreed about whether a jump was a suit or a
shortage. In this year's NOT semi final one of Australia's most experienced
pairs didn't know if a double was for takeout. In last week's ACT State Teams
final, almost our entire winning margin came from experienced opponents disagreeing about
whether 1NT-2-2-3 was forcing. Every pair has a gap in their system
agreements somewhere.
Tim Munro: Pass. If I knew my mate
would take redouble as suggestion to run, I'd do that as his diamond shortage will play well opposite my hand, however I think Murphy's law would apply if I redouble.
Dan Baker: Pass. I've told my story. Having limited my hand, I wonder if redouble should mean
"I'm having second thoughts about this, pull it unless you have help in diamonds", but I don't want to spring that on partner undiscussed and have to explain -600 the hard way to teammates.
Here are some more redoublers looking to be rescued:
David Matthews: Rdbl. If Redouble = choose another suit then this is the move as East may be able to rattle off 6 Diamond tricks. East's Pass over the Double looks like that.
Andrea Viscovich: Rdbl. Pick what you want.
Stephen Bartos: Rdbl. Partner must have some suit better than any of mine! I'd like him to bid it.
Leigh Matheson: Rdbl. For rescue. As my wife has taught me, it usually pays to shop around.
(I think he means that like in the sense of actual
shopping, not like in the song...)
Ian McCance: Rdbl. Provided this is for rescue. Not prepared to play against a solid 6-suit, despite good cards. Felicity Beale would say BIAS - better in a suit
Mick McAuliffe: Rdbl. So long as we are playing rescue redoubles else I will pass. We look to have the majority of points (just) & should normally make 1NT, but East just might be able to count say
six diamonds off the top & a club or two. I am OK with a Moysian fit, especially in the majors, if necessary, and P just could be 4405 if I am lucky.
For the record, there were five Redoubles on the
expert panel, and they all intended it as the beginning of a bloodbath (shedding
the opponents' blood, not ours -- some people even dreamed of defending two of a
major). In addition, Ron Klinger said he would have liked to have redoubled to
show doubt, but was afraid that partner would pass it.
One reason for not playing Redouble as rescue, is that
we have a perfectly unambiguous rescue bid elsewhere, and that's where the
expert panel are voting:
Todd Holes: 2. I worry a Redouble could be misconstrued and that partner could pass. So, 2 should ask for partner's best major. Yes, it gives up on 2 but it is less murky. I'm probably
jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Artur Wasiak: 2. Looking for a major 4-3 fit.
Zbych Bednarek: 2. Looking for Majors, it can't be natural.
Bastiaan Korner: 2. Trust the opponents.
Dean Eidler: 2. I would have bid 2 last time, and passed partner's response.
There were also a few reader votes for 2 and 2
(possibly having not thought of bidding 2). The 2 bids slightly outnumber the
2 bids, but my simulation indicated that 2 was the better spot (making 93% of
the time, and making game 26%).
That's it for this issue; Fraser should be back
in Australia in time for the next forum, and it will be my turn to hop on a
plane (Erin and I are off to Washington for the NABC Nationals). The questions
for the August issue are online,


text:
In part one of our "Thinking Outside the [In]Box" blog post series, you learned that lead nurturing should be designed as an ever-evolving conversation between you and your prospects — and that you can't have a good conversation unless you're saying something both relevant and meaningful.
Now it's time to take your lead nurturing campaigns beyond email and into the world of multi-tactic engagement.
Step 1: Be Present in Their Social Circles
Today's buyer truly relies on their social circle when planning a purchase, no matter how big or small. According to a recent survey by IDC, "75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level/vice president executives surveyed use social media to make purchasing decisions." This tells us that a successful lead nurturing strategy should include social media marketing in one way or another. Leverage social media analytics to figure out where your leads are spending their time and what kind of questions they are asking. Boost your conversion rates by incorporating social media sharing into your email nurturing campaigns. Get creative!
Step 2: Reach Them with Direct Mail
Once email marketing was introduced, many marketers completely forgot about other effective marketing tactics — such as direct mail. This may surprise you, but a well-executed direct mail strategy can actually generate more conversions than your typical email campaign.* And incorporating a direct mail strategy into the mix can also help you build brand recognition by keeping your company both in your leads' inboxes and on their doorsteps.
Step 3: Stand Out with Print
Allow me to let you in a little secret: When it comes to nurturing, differentiating your message from the flurry of marketing communications your leads receive daily is key. Not a secret? You totally already knew that? Well, what might still surprise you is that most marketers say they would never use print fulfillment to set themselves apart. Of course, that only makes it even more of a differentiator—and potentially the difference between closing the sale and recycling your leads back to nurturing. Identify your key prospects, and instead of sending them yet another email, mail them a striking print package with powerful messaging that tells them, "This is not just any brand — this company truly wants my business."
Step 4: Add a "Human Touch" with Telequalification
With all the talk lately about automating marketing and sales processes, the majority of marketers overlook what is sometimes needed to convert good ol' leads into Marketing Qualified Leads — the human touch. Adding a specialized team of telemarketers to your marketing mix will help you determine if your leads are truly sales-ready or if they could use another round of nurturing. Plus, a one-on-one conversation gives you the opportunity to learn more about your addressable market and their buying journeys. This will give you the information you need to tweak your marketing strategy so you can nurture, convert, and close business more effectively.
In short, the days of single-channel nurturing are over. If you want your brand — your offering — to stand out from your competition's, then you need to develop a nurturing strategy where you are reaching your leads not only via static drip email campaigns, but also through dynamic, diverse marketing channels.
* Based on Harvard Business Review statistics

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A Classic 1936 Eggnog recipe from Four Roses distillery (not for the kiddies):
Four Roses Eggnog Recipe
1) Beat separately yolks and whites of 6 eggs.
2) Add 1/2 cup of sugar to yolks while beating.
3) Add 1/4 cup of sugar to whites after they have been beaten very stiff.
4) Mix egg whites with yolks.
5) Stir in 1 pint of cream and 1 pint of milk.
6) Add a pint of Four Roses Bourbon and 1 oz. Jamaican rum. Stir thoroughly and serve very cold.
~ ~ ~


text:
The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market
NEW YORK – May 23, 2016 – PRLog — Latest report from our business partner indicates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $ 600 Million by the end of 2016.
Considering its thriving ecosystem, spectrum flexibility and performance metrics, LTE has emerged as the leading candidate for public safety mobile broadband networks. In addition, with the recent approval of the MCPTT (Mission Critical Push to Talk) voice standard as part of 3GPP Release 13, LTE has also become an attractive substitute for providing LMR-like voice services.
The Qatar Ministry of Interior made headlines when it deployed a private 800 MHz LTE network in 2012. Since then, numerous public safety LTE networks have sprung up across the globe, including the UAE, China, Laos, Turkey and Kenya. Several early adopter LTE deployments are also operational in the United States, as part of the planned FirstNet nationwide public safety broadband network. While most initial public safety LTE investments are limited to small scale networks, nationwide rollouts in the United States and South Korea are expected to trigger significant large-scale investments throughout the globe.
Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $ 600 Million by the end of 2016. The market, which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport networking gear, is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years. By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by over 4.4 Million LTE device shipments, including smartphones, rugged handheld terminals and vehicular routers.
The "Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: 2016 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts" report presents an in-depth assessment of the global public safety LTE market, besides touching upon the wider LMR and mobile broadband industries. In addition to covering the business case, challenges, technology, spectrum allocation, industry roadmap, value chain, deployment case studies, vendor products, strategies, standardization initiatives and applications ecosystem for public safety LTE, the report also presents comprehensive forecasts for mobile broadband, LMR and public safety LTE subscriptions from 2016 till 2030. Also covered are public safety LTE service revenues, over both private and commercial networks. In addition, the report presents revenue forecasts for public safety LTE infrastructure, devices, integration services and management solutions.
PDF sample download: https://marketreportscenter.com/ reports/278411/ the
The report covers the following topics:
– Business case for public safety LTE and mobile broadband services, including key benefits and challenges
– Technology, economics, trends, commercial commitments and deployment case studies
– List of public safety LTE engagements worldwide
– Public safety LTE infrastructure, devices and applications
– Industry roadmap, value chain and standardization initiatives
– Spectrum allocation, deployment models and funding strategies
– Profiles and strategies of over 260 ecosystem players including public safety system integrators and LTE infrastructure/ device OEMs
– TCO analysis of private and commercial public safety LTE deployments
– Military and tactical LTE deployments
– Public safety LTE base station (eNB) form factor analysis
– Exclusive interview transcripts from 5 key ecosystem players: Ericsson, Airbus Defence and Space, Sepura, Aricent and Parallel Wireless
– Strategic recommendations for vendors, system integrators, public safety agencies and mobile operators
– Market analysis and forecasts from 2016 till 2030
For more information about this reporthttps://marketreportscenter.com/ reports/278411/ the
Key Questions Answered
The report provides answers to the following key questions:
– How big is the public safety LTE opportunity?
– What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
– How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?
– What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?
– Which regions and submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?
– How does standardization impact the adoption of LTE for public safety applications?
– When will MCPTT and proximity services see large scale proliferation?
– What is the status of private LTE rollouts and public safety MVNO offerings across the globe?
– What opportunities exist for commercial mobile operators and MVNOs in the public safety LTE market?
– Is there a market for 400 MHz LTE networks?
– What are the prospects of tactical, vehicle-mounted and airborne LTE eNB platforms?
– How can public safety agencies leverage unused spectrum resources to fund private LTE networks?
– What strategies should system integrators and vendors adopt to remain competitive?
Key Findings
The report has the following key findings:
– SNS Research estimates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $ 600 Million by the end of 2016. The market, which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport networking gear, is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years.
– By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by over 4.4 Million LTE device shipments, including smartphones, rugged handheld terminals and vehicular routers.
– Following the Qatar Ministry of Interiors private 800 MHz LTE network deployment in 2012, multiple private LTE rollouts are underway by security forces throughout the oil rich GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, including the Abu Dhabi and Dubai police forces.
– Driven by nationwide public safety LTE network rollouts in the United States and South Korea, the North America and Asia Pacific regions will account for nearly 70% of all public safety LTE investments over the next four years.
– Almost all major LMR industry players are leveraging partnerships with established LTE infrastructure OEMs such as Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and Samsung, to offer end-to-end LTE solutions.
– Consolidation efforts are continuing to take place throughout the industry, particularly among the largest LTE infrastructure OEMs and public safety system integrators.
Connect for more details:
Sam Collins
Market Reports Center
original post by https://www.prlog.org/12560081-the-public-safety-lte-mobile-broadband-market-2016-2030-opportunitieschallenges-strategies.html at Telecom – Latest News


text:
The Coach House, and Gardener's Cottage are ideal if you are visiting with children. Each cottage is completely private, with multiple bedrooms and a large living room.
Both have fully equipped kitchens, including washing machines and dishwashers, to help make your stay as easy as possible.
We have all the usual equipment, such as high chairs & travel cots, and some unexpected and rather handy extras too. Books, a toy basket, a never-ending supply of extra sheets & towels. Children's cutlery, stair gates, and even a baby monitor.
If there is anything specific you might need during your stay, from bananas to baby-wipes, then let us know, and we will do our best to make sure it is waiting for you upon your arrival.
Sandwich and its surrounding areas are great fun for children. Outside the gates of The Salutation, on the quayside, is a play-park & an ice cream van (summer only!). A river-boat tour can be booked in advance, and offers seal spotting trips. And our local Italian restaurant offers freshly made stone baked pizzas, which you can watch being made.
Visit Dover & Walmer Castles for a history fix.
Stroll along Deal Pier and watch for the catch of the day.
Meet lions, tigers and…. penguins at Wingham Wildlife Park, just a 5 minute drive away
We have many more suggestions, and are always happy to help.


text: Thirteen-year-old Logan Forbes will have a lot to say in his "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" report in seventh grade next fall. His family has moved into a house known as the "murder house," he's made friends with nerdy outcast Arthur Jenkins and the boys have teamed up to help solve a murder and find embezzled money hidden in the nearby Magic Forest, a theme park now bankrupt and fallen into nightmarish disrepair. Though the murder mystery is the hook, this is really a story of two outsiders becoming friends played out in the small Virginia town of Bealesville, as Hahn capably dissects social strata of the town and school. The first-person voice serves the story well, though Logan occasionally seems too young for his observations. As always, the author is brilliant at establishing tone—eerie, creepy and surreal. The "cold case" mystery, the over-the-top fun of the Magic Forest scenes and the even darker mysteries of friendship and school life will make this a sure hit. (Mystery. 10-14)


text:
You may have noticed this cute little badge on my side bar. This is to show that I'm a proud member of Growing Tree Toys Blog Network. Growing Tree Toys is a family-owned store known for their thoughtful selection of educational toys and eco-friendly toys. You can shop there both online and offline (one block south of Old Main at Pennsylvania State University).
The Growing Tree Toys Blog Network is open to anyone who has a blog. Members get exclusive access to contests, discounts, and sponsorship opportunities (such as product reviews and giveaways). Your may also get featured as Blogger of the Week and receive extra exposure for your site. Sounds like an interesting program? Feel free to fill out the application form here and join in the fun.


text:
Public Relations
San Francisco Symphony
(415) 503-5474
(High resolution images of Sir András Schiff and Yuja Wang are available for download from the San Francisco Symphony's Online Photo Library. Photo credit L to R: Dieter Mayr, Norbert Kniat.)
On April 15 & 17 Sir András Schiff gives two unique recital programs that include works by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schumann, Mozart, and J.S. Bach
On May 6 Yuja Wang performs works by Prokofiev, Scriabin, Chopin, and Ligeti
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Davies Symphony Hall welcomes two of the most celebrated pianists of our time in April and May in three thrilling recital programs. Hungarian pianist Sir András Schiff concludes his North American tour with two solo recitals on April 15 & 17. The programming of Schiff's tour is centered around specific works by Brahms and the way they relate to works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. His April 15 recital, presented as part of the San Francisco Symphony's Great Performers Series, includes Brahms' Eight Klavierstücke and Seven Fantasien; Beethoven's Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor; Mendelssohn's Fantasy in F-sharp minor; and J.S. Bach's English Suite No. 6 in D minor—considered one of the composer's most adventuresome and innovative explorations of the suite genre. Schiff's second solo appearance on April 17 features Brahms' Three Intermezzos, Six Klavierstücke, and Four Klavierstücke, as well as Schumann's Variations on an Original Theme, Ghost Variations; Mozart's Rondo in A minor; Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E-flat major, Les Adieux; and J.S. Bach's Prelude and Fugue No. 24 in B minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV 869. "An undisputed master of the German repertoire" (The New Yorker), Sir András Schiff has distinguished himself as an outstanding musician, conductor, and recording artist over the course of an exceptional international career, spanning over 40 years. He is known for his complete cycles of the major keyboard works of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, as well as for his creative programming.
On May 6, the San Francisco Symphony's 2017–18 Great Performers Series concludes with a solo recital by pianist Yuja Wang, performing Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 10, Chopin's Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise, and Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major—the third of Prokofiev's Three War Sonatas. Also on the program are Ligeti's vitruosic Études No. 1, Désordre and No. 3, Touches bloquées from Études, Book I, and Étude No. 9, Vertiges from Études, Book II. Yuja Wang has returned to Davies Symphony Hall every season since her debut at the San Francisco Symphony's 2006 Chinese New Year concert. Her singular blend of technical prowess, keen musical insight, and emotional depth has established her as one of the world's finest performers. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2009, Wang has released three solo albums and two concerto recordings to date, garnering two Grammy nominations. Intriguing the public both with her artistry and with her sense of style, Wang has been the subject of television documentaries and graced the pages of magazines ranging from arts and culture to fashion. Yuja Wang is a Rolex ambassador and a Steinway Artist.
[To download the full PDF version of this press release, click the link at the top]
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness Ave
San Francisco, CA 94102
Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm
Sat: Noon - 6pm
Sun: 2 hours prior to concerts
Your gift makes concerts possible.


text: Today, semiconductors cannot be manufactured without using machine vision. In fact, machine vision is an enabling technology that has made it possible to achieve the density featured in today's integrated circuits and permits cost-effective manufacturing of such circuits. Suppliers of electronic materials, active components, IC packages, passive components and finished electronic equipment all use machine vision to drive high quality production at lower costs.


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Speaking at SXSW on Friday, Facebook director of product Alex Hardiman said that a change in News Feed ranking wouldn't be enough to entirely decimate an outlet's traffic.
When we look at the publishers who aren't doing well, most likely it's because they're abusing the system in some ways. The content could be sensationalist, it could be misleading in certain ways.— Alex Hardiman
Why it matters: Media companies routinely criticize Facebook for carelessly wielding its enormous power over their distribution and ability to reach readers. Just in the last two weeks, two websites announced they'll be shutting down following Facebook's decision to tweak its News Feed to emphasize news less.


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The University of Arizona College of Nursing has become the fourth nursing school in the nation and the first in Arizona to be recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Health Professions School (HSHPS).
HSHPS is a member-based, nonprofit organization that consists of schools and colleges of medicine, public health, nursing, dentistry and pharmacy throughout the United States. Membership is granted to schools with a demonstrated commitment to increasing the Hispanic health workforce that will serve and promote the health of Hispanics, as evidenced by programs, activities and student and faculty diversity.
The University of Arizona Health Sciences (UAHS) now has three HSHPS members as the UA College of Nursing joins the UA College of Medicine – Tucson and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health as members.
The UA Health Sciences is committed to becoming a national leader in the training of a diverse faculty, staff, student body and health-care workforce. Substantial research underscores that minority health professionals are much more likely to treat minority patients and to serve in rural and underserved areas. These professionals bring improved understanding of cultural diversity and other issues that help better meet the needs of patients and other health service users from minority groups. Under the leadership of UA Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia, MD, the UA Health Sciences is making progress with above-national percentages of Latino and Native American students entering the UAHS colleges in 2015.
"It takes a strategic and dedicated effort to recruit, retain, educate and train a diverse and inclusive health-care workforce," said Dr. Garcia. "I am proud to say the health sciences colleges at the University of Arizona have fully embraced this effort. The College of Nursing's commitment, as recognized by HSHPS, is part of our overall commitment to eliminate health disparities and positively impact the health of Arizona's populations and that of the nation."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012, individuals from ethnic and racial minority groups accounted for more than one-third of the U.S. population (37 percent). By 2043, minority populations are projected to become the majority.
"We recognize the compelling connection between a culturally diverse nursing workforce and the ability to provide inclusive, culturally congruent, high-quality health care," said Joan Shaver, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the UA College of Nursing. "We have made major strides in recruiting and graduating nurses to better reflect our patient populations. We have strategically pursued our goals to reflect our faculty's powerful commitment to advancing nursing and health-care careers, especially for those of Hispanic heritage."
According to a 2013 survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, nurses from minority backgrounds represent 19 percent of the registered nurse workforce, and only 3 percent identify as Hispanic. At the UA College of Nursing, minority students represent 39.3 percent of the total student population, with 11.2 percent identifying as Hispanic.
A number of UA College of Nursing faculty members have their research focused on promoting health equity within Hispanic populations, including:
- Marylyn M. McEwen, PhD, PHCNS-BC, FAAN, who studies how capitalizing on familismo (the strong cultural value of family) can strengthen how Mexican-American adults manage their type 2 diabetes.
- Terry A. Badger, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, who tests a telephone-delivered counseling intervention for Latinas with breast cancer and their supportive partners to treat depression.
- Janice D. Crist, PhD, RN, FNGNA, FAAN, who developed a "telenovela" intervention for Mexican-American elders and their families to reverse the underuse of home health-care services.
HSHPS status will allow UA College of Nursing faculty members and students to apply for additional programs that advance Hispanic health research, education and workforce development, and access resources for identifying and securing funding for research, including grant preparation assistance and a bi-national network of potential collaborators.
About Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS) is a 501(c)3 member-based nonprofit organization. Established in 1996, HSHPS supplies academic and career development programs and services to prepare emerging health professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to address the many health disparities Hispanics and other ethnic minority groups face today.
About the University of Arizona College of Nursing
Faculty at the University of Arizona College of Nursing envision, engage and innovate in education, research and practice to help people of all ages optimize health in the context of major life transitions, illnesses, injuries, symptoms and disabilities. Established in 1957, the college ranks among the top nursing programs in the United States. For more information: www.nursing.arizona.edu


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Uglyworld #1801 - Goods While They Lastereds - (Project Cinko Time - Image 10-365), a photo by www.bazpics.com on Flickr.
Project Cinko Time - Image 10/365
Last night I showereds you some of my chocolaters and cookie scorerings from the Uniteds Kingdomer, but what I didn't lets you casts your eyeballers on was this biggers bagger of Malteserers, and with very good reasons too!
You sees, Baz has what I can only calls a Malteserers addictioner, so I knew if he even catchereds the smallerests of whiffers that I had a packeter in my possessions then they would mosts likely does a dissamappearings act in no times at all!
Thankfullies I managereds to keeps them all to myselfs, and now that the packeter is completelies scoffered I is lefts with only the thoughts that they was goods while the lastereds...hopefullies I can gets another packeter soons!
From the Uglydoll blog at blog.adventuresinuglyworld.com/
And on Twitter at - @uglyadventures
On Google+ at - plus.google.com/110890957394686361214/posts


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Furnaces in Escondido & Carlsbad
Installation, Repair & Maintenance for Your North County Home
Having your furnace in peak performing condition is essential to ensuring that you are kept warm in the cooler months of winter and that you are kept safe from potentially hazardous conditions. Furnaces are designed to work by providing constant warm airflow that can be utilized at your discretion, and having a functioning furnace is key to your comfort. At My Guy Heating & Air, our Escondido heating repair specialists are happy to provide you with trusted repairs, installation, and regular maintenance for your furnace.
If you have questions or concerns regarding your home's furnace, call our office at (760) 512-8885 and schedule a proposal with our team today.
What My Guy Heating & Air Can Do for You
When you work with My Guy Heating & Air, we can:
- Clean and maintain all air vents, intake vents, and valves on your existing furnace
- Ensure that air filters are free from debris and replace filters as necessary
- Check for leaks with gas lines
- Repair any broken parts, including moveable parts and ducts
- Check for thermostat calibration
- Check the age of the furnace and replace the unit if it is out of operating commission
Additionally, if you determine that replacing the existing furnace may be right for you, we will discuss the cost, the work, and the type of furnace that may work best in your home. We will then work quickly and efficiently to ensure that your furnace is up and operating and that you are able to benefit from the system as soon as possible.
Reliable & Experienced Professionals
Are you tired of being left in the cold? Let My Guy Heating & Air help get your furnace working! Our Escondido furnace team is proud to be locally owned and family operated, and we always strive to make sure that our clients are satisfied with the work that we complete.
For more information on how we can help, give us a call today at (760) 512-8885. We serve Escondido and all of North County!


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PAPÉ Machinery Construction & Forestry
For over 75 years, Papé has been providing the West's Construction and forestry industries with premium products and exceptional service.
Engineered Products, a Papé Company
With a history of over 30 years, Engineered Products is one of the fastest growing providers of material handling, storage and commercial products in the United States.
Originating in the Northwest the company's growth has been fueled by a prestigious base of multi national client's spanning a wide cross section of industry segments that include;
The company services its national client base from its Western operations. The recent history of Engineered Products includes the following notable events:
Mercia Petewon
Distribution & Logistics Manager
For over 75 years, Papé has been providing the West's Construction and forestry industries with premium products and exceptional service.
With a large equipment inventory and extensive 24-7 support services, trust Papé with your agriculture and turf care needs.
Our heavy-duty trenching and trenchless equipment serves a broad range of industries including municipal, landscaping, utilities and construction.
At Papé Kenworth, we know Kenworth inside and out. We know what makes them tick and we know how to keep them rolling.
Papé Material Handling has an extensive sales, service, and support network for your forklift and aerial rental equipment needs.
Papé companies have been serving the capital equipment needs of industries throughout the West for more than 75 years.


text: Dr. Justin K. Bonaventure is from Baton Rouge and practices general dentistry, treating both adult and pediatric patients. Dr. Bonaventure strives to treat patients in a relaxing, comfortable, and pain free environment, while using advanced technology. At Bonaventure Dental Care, patients are treated like family and most dental services are completed in house.


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Call for external applications (PhD Track)
This PhD tracks program offers Master students around the world the opportunity to do their PhD in DATAIA ecosystem, to use the resources and facilities at DATAIA Institute, and to work with researchers in areas of mutual interest. DATAIA will fund students' gross salary up to € 95 400 (36 months) as well as an allowance of € 10 000 that covers travelling fees (conference, workshop…).
Host laboratories of PhD Candidates must send the following items to email@example.com before June 15, 2019 midnight.
For more details, please see the text of the call
Conditions of eligibility: Candidates must be eligible to apply for a PhD degree in one of the doctoral schools of DATAIA partner institutions. **
** AgroParis Tech, CEA, CentraleSupelec, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, ENSAE, ENSTA ParisTech, ENS Paris-Saclay, HEC Paris, IFPEN, IMT, INRA, Inria, Université d'Evry -Val d'Essonne, Université Paris-Sud, Université Versailles - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines


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Start of regional influenza surveillance for the 2017–2018 season
During the winter months, influenza may infect up to 20% of the population, depending on which viruses are circulating, and cause substantial mortality. People at increased risk for severe disease once infected include the elderly, pregnant women, young children, immunocompromised people and people with chronic underlying medical conditions. These groups represent a significant proportion of the population in the WHO European Region. WHO recommends that everyone at risk of severe disease as a result of infection with influenza, as well as health-care workers, be offered a seasonal influenza vaccine.
As it is not possible to predict if one influenza virus will predominate in a particular season, seasonal influenza vaccines cover all viruses that are anticipated to circulate, namely influenza A(H3N2), influenza A(H1N1) and influenza B. Due to the constantly changing nature of these viruses – known as antigenic drift – recommendations on the composition of influenza vaccines for use in the northern and southern hemisphere influenza seasons are made each year.
Countries conduct virological and clinical surveillance of influenza to characterize the circulating influenza viruses, and to determine the timing of the influenza season and the potential severity of disease – all of which might differ from one season to the next. They provide these data to WHO for regional and global updates.
Each week during the influenza season (weeks 40 to 20), WHO/Europe, in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, collects and analyses influenza surveillance data from Member States and publishes the Flu News Europe bulletin. These surveillance outputs provide public health specialists and decision-makers in Member States with the information required to assess influenza activity in the Region and take appropriate action. The early bulletins for this season indicate low levels of influenza activity in the Region.
Knowing how influenza is spreading through the Region (often in a west-to-east pattern) and which virus predominates helps countries prepare for the peak of the season, when health services may become overburdened. It also helps them determine which segments of the population might be most affected.
Influenza A(H3N2) virus is known to cause severe disease and death in the elderly, while influenza A(H1N1) virus, which caused the 2009 pandemic and which now circulates as seasonal influenza, is more likely to cause severe disease in younger age groups.
Monitoring influenza virus circulation across the Region also informs recommendations on the composition of influenza vaccines. Details of the recent recommendations on the vaccine composition for use in the 2018 southern hemisphere influenza season can be found on WHO Headquarters' website.


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Kidnapped Georgia teen found 'in good health'
(HLNtv.com) — Two suspects are in custody after Ayvani Perez, the 14-year-old girl who was abducted during a home invasion in Georgia, was found alive on Wednesday, Clayton County Police Chief Gregory Porter said.
"This is a good day for the Perez family, but more importantly for Ayvani. She is safe," Porter said.
He did not go into much detail about the case because the investigation remains active, but he said Perez was held in metro Atlanta and later recovered at a location in Conyers, Georgia.
Porter went on to say Perez was "in good health" and with her family.
Rick Maxwell, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Atlanta office, said the two men in custody are Juan Alberto Contreras-Rodriguez, a 40-year-old Mexican national being held on immigration-related charges, and Wildrego Jackson, a 29-year-old Atlanta man being held on charges of conspiracy to kidnap.
Maxwell said authorities have not yet determined a motive for Perez's abduction. He said additional suspects may still be at large, including the two men pictured in sketches sent out earlier by the FBI.
The teen had been missing since early Tuesday morning. Police told HLN on Tuesday that two armed men pried open the family's back door around 2:15 a.m. ET.
Perez's mother told investigators she tried to hide her two children, but the gunman found them and demanded money and jewelry.
Police say the two men shot the family dog — who survived — and abducted Perez after the family failed to meet their demands.
The Clayton County Police Department asks anyone with information about the two suspects who remain at large to call 678-610-4781.
By Amanda Sloan


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Division 5
Wang Tigers vs Workies Kitty Kats
Workies Kitty Kats defeated Wang Tigers 5 goals to 4
Despite the chilly snow chilled day both teams played well and showed wonderful sportsmanship. Workies Mackenzie Crowe threw a beautiful one handed goal. Ella Houlison and Charlotte Dunn showed great defence and intercepted several centre passes.
Workies Pink Panthers Vs Workies Diamonds
Diamonds were the dominant team in this game. Great defence shown by Pink Panthers Josephine Smith and mid court play from Caitlyn Harvison. Diamonds Emma James and Emily Newton displayed accurate shooting skills. Great game!
Diamonds won this game 14-0
Division 4
Flames defeated Dragonflies 60-2
Workies Flames were the more dominant team in this game, showing their experience in defence and attack.
Strong all round play by Flames through the centre court frustrated Dragonflies efforts, with great mid court effort from Callie and Faith Capomolla and Shannon O'Regan.
Flames mixed the last quarter up playing in positions that they do not normally play in, with Breanna Kelly showing great shooting skills in her first ever time in GA. Well done Breanna!
Strong defensive effort by Dragonflies Freda Clutterham and Emily Burt kept Flames at bay in the final quarter with only 3 goals from Flames.
Great work through centre court from Dragonflies Kasey Besetimoala and Maggie Muir in fourth quarter but unable to convert to points.
Division 3
Mocking Jays defeated Wang Warriors 39 – 8
Mocking jays and Wang Warriors played a strong game of netball against each other. Highlights for Mocking Jays was their flow from each end of the court which was fast and well executed. Wang Warriors defence was increasingly targeted against Mocking Jays and their attack improved throughout the game. Mocking Jays shooting was accurate and a strength of their game. Thankyou to Sheree and Karen for umpiring.
Workies Little Mix defeated Workies Fireworks 29- 24
Fireworks stepped it up this week and gave Little Mix a great game to play. Great play from all players.
Division 2
Portland Pumas defeated Workies Combos 24-21
A close game that was great to watch with Pumas coming out winners.
Omega Druids defeated Omega Misfits 46-25
Druids were the dominant team in this game, showing the experience of playing together as a team compared to the newly formed team of the Misfits. A great enjoyable game of skill and sportsmanship.
Workies Domestic Darlings defeated Workies Swifts 47-16
Focused to win and right past mistakes the Domestic Darlings had a solid win against Swifts. The attack play of Tracey Parsons, Taren Alexander and Kristy Burgess was very impressive. The defence team of Sheree Elliot and Kell Drengenburg was fantastic making Swifts work hard. "The Donstar" was as usual on fire in GD, showing us her never ending energy levels. Swifts Kimberly Pattison and Paula Dowsett were solid in defence and Jessica Knight proved she was a great all round player, playing in both centre court and attack.
Workies Comets defeated Workies Waratahs 34-19
Good game played by both teams. A great fair friendly and even game. Well done to Jordan Parsons who played up with Workies Waratahs. A great experience.
Workies Blasts defeated Workies Angels 38-30
Dominant first quarter by Angels great play from Amy Muir and Monique Rust in the goal circle. Strong defence by Kaitlyn Trounce, Amy Jones and Paige Dowsett spoiled Blast strong effort. Very strong defensive effort by Blasts Paige Cousins and Mikaela Inzitari in the second quarter, saw them restrict Angels, with Rhiannon Millis, Alison Kay and Mikayla Howarth working well in attack and centre court. A tight third quarter saw the scores drawn at 3/4 time. Dominant start to the fourth quarter by Blasts saw them draw ahead to finish convincing eight point winners.
Division 1
Omega Hustlers vs Wang1 drew 36-36
Hustlers played well in the first two quarters- great comeback from Wang1, who were down by 11 goals at half time. Thanks to Janaye Bennet, who played well for Wang1. Very competitive and entertaining game.
Workies Vixens defeated Workies Firebirds 39-22
A competitive game that saw Vixens the winners of the day. Great team support from Suzy Morris and Nadine Cousins worked in Vixens favour, and helped them come off with a convincing win. Firebirds Jess Heath showed accurate shooting skills and Connie Murphy and Brittany Flynn performed well in defence.
Parents, players and spectators wish to thank all the umpires of netball, no matter what their experience. Netball would not be able to go ahead without the effort of these volunteers. Let's make this week "thank an umpire" and show them how much we appreciate them!


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It's time for doctors and nurses to take up arms against the sea of obesity, researchers involved in two studies reported.
Sometimes it can be a simple as a doctor's frank discussion with a patient.
U.S. patients who had simply been told by their physicians that they were overweight or obese were more likely to have tried to lose weight in the previous year than patients whose doctors failed to you either of the "o" words, wrote Dr. Robert E. Post, of Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and colleagues in the Feb. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In the study there were 7,790 participants from the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Of these participants, BMI was 25 or higher in 5,474 and 30 or higher in 2,874.
Overweight patients were six times more likely to perceive themselves as overweight if their physician told them that they were and an obese patient was more than seven times more likely to accept the reality of their size if their doctor told them they were obese.
Yet only 45 percent of those who were overweight and 66 percent of those who were obese acknowledged having been told this by a physician, Post's group found.
People who are overweight or obese today are more likely to consider themselves normal than people did 20 years ago, the researchers observed.
Fortunately, Post and co-authors noted, only 6 percent of participants who were overweight and 3 percent of the obese still considered they to be of normal weight after having been directly told of their weight problem by a physician.
"This speaks strongly to the influence that physicians' words have on their patients," the researchers wrote.
Limitations of the study were its cross-sectional design and the inability of the investigators to assess the quality of the individual physician-patient weight-lossinteraction.
Advice on how to address the problem of obesity by physicians was offered in an invited commentary by Dr. Robert B. Baron, of the University of California San Francisco.
He advocated using a "five A's approach" adapted from smoking cessation programs:
"In addition to office-based approaches, we must advocate for population-based strategies to promote healthy eating and increased physical activity, such as listing calories on menus, more farmers' markets, and more walking and bicycling trails," Baron argued.


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"Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it." – Dorothy M. Neddermeyer —- management tricks
Anxiety is much more common than people want to believe. If you suffer from anxiety, don't worry. You're not alone, but do not repress anxious thoughts. "Repressing anxious thoughts won't work; they will just pop up again, sometimes with more intensity," says psychologist, life coach and author Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D.
There are ways to help yourself feel calm again when you feel overwhelmed with anxiety. Here are some of the best anxiety management tricks to help you calm down, approved by therapists and mental health experts.
This may seem like a no brainer, but when the anxiety hits, it can be difficult to remember to breathe. Focusing on your breathing is a sure-fire way to help yourself calm down when you're feeling anxious. Author Robert Cooper, Ph.D. says, "Breathing from your diaphragm oxygenates your blood, which helps you relax almost instantly."
Breathing in for a count of five and then out for a count of seven will help you focus your mind and relax your body. Deep breathing will also help get rid of the flight-or-fight response that anxiety often triggers in our bodies.
Anxiety is hard to deal with on your own. It's best to make sure that you have people in your life who will support you when the anxiety gets to be overwhelming. "Research shows that people who encounter major life stresses, such as the loss of a spouse or job, come through the ordeal more easily if they have an effective network of friends or family for social support," says psychotherapist Ben Martin, Psy.D.
A support network of people can help distract you, calm you down, or give you a reality a check when you really need it. You don't have to deal with anxiety alone. There will always be people who are going to love you and accept you, so make sure you reach out to them during your time of need.
Anxiety can occur when negative thoughts start to seep into our day-to-day lives. Stopping those thoughts before they cause anxiety is the key to staying calm. One of the best ways to stop negative thoughts in their tracks is by focusing on the positive.
Purposely focusing on positive thoughts will help you calm down by keeping the negative thoughts at bay. The power of positive thought shouldn't ever be underestimated. It can even help to write out all of the positive things you experienced that day, or the positive things happening in your life.
If you're prone to anxiety and also drink a lot of caffeine like coffee or soda, you may want to cut back on those types of drinks. "If you're feeling keyed up all day and having trouble sleeping, look at your caffeine intake," says wellness expert and health coach, Dr. Susan Biali Haas.
Since caffeine is a stimulant, it's prone to making anxiety disorders worse. Keeping your caffeine intake to a minimum will help you deal with flairs of anxiety when they do happen. Instead, make sure you're drinking enough water and staying hydrated. Speaking of…
When anxiety starts to spike, make sure you've got a glass of water nearby. Oftentimes, our bodies have what's called a "diving instinct" that will calm us down so we don't drown when we are submerged under water. Like with diving! Many people with anxiety have found that drinking a cool glass of water can have the same effect when they're feeling anxious. Not only that, but staying hydrated is good for your body and your brain, helping your anxiety.management tricks
Anxiety usually happens for a reason, with what mental health professionals call "triggers." A certain situation or event can trigger you into feeling anxious. One of the best ways to handle your anxiety is to learn exactly what those triggers are. If you don't know what you're anxious over, it can be harder to calm yourself down. But once you learn your triggers, you'll be much more likely to be able to calm yourself down when the anxiety starts to spike.
Getting a good night's rest will help you combat your anxiety before you even start to feel the symptoms.
"If you're sleeping less than 6 hours a night, you're probably looking at a prime cause of your anxiety. True, anxiety can make it hard to sleep, but if there's any way you can get eight hours of sleep a night you should notice an immediate difference in your mood," says Dr. Haas.
Getting ahead of the game is a great way to make sure that you can find ways to calm yourself down again once anxiety starts up. When you're sleeping well, you'll be able to stay calm and keep your head clear.
Yes, exercise can help deal with anxiety. It can help you before the anxiety hits, but it can also help you even out your anxiety when it starts. Go for a jog, or even just a brisk walk around the neighborhood if you can.
"The key is to get up and move," says Dr. Cooper. Sometimes, all you need to do is get your blood pumping so that you can give all that excess energy some place to go.
There's only so much that you can control in life. You can't control other people, or most situations. Instead, you can only control your own actions, and your response to situations.
"Recognize that, sometimes, all you can control is your effort and your attitude. When you put your energy into the things you can control, you'll be much more effective," says psychotherapist and author, Amy Morin, LCSW.
Anxiety often happens when we feel out of control. Take what you can control and allow yourself to let go of the things that you can't. Doing this can help calm you down when anxiety gets to be too much. –
FIND A COPING MECHANISM — management tricks
Coping mechanisms can help with anxiety, and many mental health professionals swear by them. A coping mechanism is something that you can do when you start to feel anxious that can help you ground yourself and deal with the anxiety. "Engage in an activity that brings you joy or requires all of your attention," says Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH.
Some coping mechanisms include writing, drawing, singing, exercise, talking to someone, cooking – anything that doesn't include maladaptive activities is a good thing when it comes to anxiety.management tricks
Anxiety is no fun, but no matter what, you will be able to find a way to calm yourself down when it starts to happen.
"Learn how to recognize worry, and then replace it with thinking. Worry is when your thoughts are stuck on the problem. Thinking is when you are focused on finding a solution. Worry is useless and counterproductive—thinking is progress," says time-management coach and author, Kimberly Medlock.
Keeping a positive outlook and learning how to deal with the physical symptoms of anxiety will lead you to be able to deal with the mental symptoms. And don't forget, your support system is always there to help you.


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Black Lips came out of Atlanta in the early part of the 21st Century as one of the more promising garage-rock-psychedelic-revivalist bands in years. (The band prefers the term "flower-punk.") If you were one of those retro-minded souls who loved the Nuggets or Pebbles compilations, Black Lips' 2005 album Let It Bloom was your kind of thing. But, by the time of the band's 2007 commercial breakthrough album Good Bad Not Evil, the music was being completely overshadowed by the band's onstage antics — mass stage-diving, kissing each other, pissing on themselves, slapping their schlongs against their guitar strings, etc. And then, in the past couple of years, it was the band's offstage antics that were overshadowing their music: Black Lips claimed to be kicked out of India; they were going to play the part of a Replacements-like band in a new movie (they later backed out); the band members formed innumerable side projects. And then, last fall, bassist Jared Swilley got into a juvenile internet feud with Nathan Williams of San Diego's Wavves, which led to a bloody altercation at a New York bar (and more juvenile internet feuding).
In the midst of all this craziness, Black Lips actually put out a pretty good record last year. 200 Million Thousand was far weirder, more psychedelic, and murkier-sounding than Good Bad Not Evil, as though the band were trying to scare off the frat-boy element that had started to creep into its shows. A couple of songs, "Trapped in a Basement" and "I Saw God," sound like Roky Erickson and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators at their scariest. The other songs sound like obscure and awesomely freaky '60s singles you'd find on a compilation somewhere.
Past Event
Black Lips
- Sunday, January 24, 2010, 8:30 p.m.
- Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego
- $15
More from SDReader
- More stories by William Crain
- Black Angels descend on Belly Up — Aug. 14, 2013
- Three Mile Pilot — Aug. 22, 2012
- Black Lips Blow It — June 12, 2011
- Black Angels Dream Phosphene — May 11, 2011
- Embryonic — Nov. 8, 2009


text: We believe that when it comes to giving, it's an act of worship. When we give, it is us saying that we trust God, and that He matters more than the stuff we could buy instead. With money being the top competitor for our hearts in our relationship with God, giving to Him is a tangible way of saying "I love you".


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Oh, it's so good to be back, to reacquaint myself with my sweet little blog. I found a draft of a post that I never published from back in March 2009 called "My Back-Pocket Happy." I reread it and hit the publish button because it expresses just what I feel now – just so happy to have this little corner to express myself, so publicly and privately at the same time.
By now I've lost any quasi-followers I ever had, and oddly, that feels just fine because they were mostly people who knew me in the flesh and blood. For the moment I'm happy to not have an audience.
So, you wanna hear the most oddly romantic thing? We bought a new mattress earlier this week. We had purchased our old one just days before our wedding back in 1989, and we celebrated our 20th anniversary in March. While I was still completely comfortable on it, T was not and had not been comfortable for more than a year. Sure enough, without its bedclothes, that mattress sagged and drooped in ways it didn't when the marriage was new. (Come to think of it, without our clothes T and I are now doing the same thing…sagging and drooping.) So it was time. We bit the bullet and laid out the dough for this veritable mountain of a bed. We now refer to going to bed as ascending the heights or climbing Mt. Hood.
We had a few moments of melancholy seeing that old bed go. Lots of good things happened there, not to be too graphic. But as long as I've already gone there…three of the four kids were conceived on that bed. :P And a different three of the four spent many, many a night there snuggled between us. We have great memories of staying up too late on a regular basis watching old Star Trek reruns on the 13" black and white TV that lived on our dresser back in the old days. We were annoyed when that time slot switched over to The Next Generation Star Trek series, but it didn't take long before we decided that Data , Captain Picard and Commander Riker were even more fun than Captain Kirk and Spock.
But still, how does this translate into romantic? Well, c'mon. What an indisputable vote of confidence in the longevity of our marriage. I mean, that first mattress lasted twenty years, and T has now laid out an outrageous sum to invest in the next twenty. How unintentionally, incredibly sweet! I don't remember that we did much to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I think we were nervous about spending any money, so we tentatively postponed any major celebration to our 21st year, while visions of Fiji danced in our heads. But I don't think he could have bought me anything that would have said "I love you" more convincingly than this.
Well, that's about as deep and penetrating as my thoughts have been these past days. But oh, I am so happy to be back blogging. I'll be back again soon!