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I ran outside last night for the first time since its gotten real warm. Ok, so there is a huge difference between running outside when its 40 degrees in the AM and when its still 80 degrees in the evening. Its not even humid yet and it was still quite a workout. Today at lunch I was back at the gym running on the treadmill and I really appreciated the fans blowing on me! I'm also going to have to figure out a better solution for running with my iPod. I can't stand having the bands around my arm when they are bare, and I just can't get comfortable with it anywhere. So I am going to loo around for a new carrier. It would be nice if I could find something that attaches to my waistband? Not sure, maybe that would end up being uncomfortable as well. If I do some research I will post my findings on here. I also need some new songs for my iPod. I guess I will add both to my list:-).
These green beans have become a weekend dinner staple. They are pretty southern and this is actually a Paula Deen recipe. Before I made them I didn't think that I would like beans and potatoes together, but its really a great combo! I have used different types of fats in this from salt pork to bacon to pancetta and they all work quite well. I have also used fresh as well as frozen green beans and quite honestly, although I probably prefer the fresh, the frozen didn't taste all that much different! I get Trader Joe's frozen hericot verts. Enjoy these with chicken barbeque on a hot Sunday…..and don't forget the deviled eggs and sweet tea!
Green Beans and New Potatoes
- 3 pounds fresh green beans
- 1/4 pound salt pork sliced
- 1/4 cup bacon grease
- 2 cups chicken broth plus more if needed
- 2 to 3 teaspoons House Seasoning recipe follows
- 12 small red potatoes
- 1 onion cut into slivers
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter sliced
- Ground black pepper
- Remove the ends from the beans. Snap the beans in 2 pieces, place into a colander, wash, and set aside to drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large cast iron Dutch oven, lightly brown the salt pork in the bacon grease over medium heat, turning often, for approximately 10 minutes. Toss the green beans into the pot, stirring them with a wooden spoon to coat well with the pork fat. Add the broth and House Seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat, covered tightly, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the beans are half done.
- While the beans are cooking, peel a center strip from each new potato with a potato peeler. At the end of 30 minutes, add the potatoes and onion to the beans; add 1/4 cup more broth, if needed. Cook, covered tightly, until the potatoes are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes, periodically checking the pot to make sure a small amount of liquid remains. When the potatoes are tender, tilt the lid slightly, off to the side of the pot, and continue to cook until the green beans are wilted, approximately 15 minutes. While cooking, add the butter and season with pepper.
- House Seasoning:
- cup salt
- /4 cup black pepper
- /4 cup garlic powder
- Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.


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Rachel Prayle, 21, has run Botanic Lodge Nursery in Wavertree since it opened in September last year.
At the 63-place setting's inspection in February, Ms Prayle was praised by Ofsted for the effective partnership she had established with parents at the nursery, as well as the focus on healthy eating, exercise and an eco-friendly approach.
Ms Prayle said, 'We've always aimed to go the extra mile and I think we've learned even more from having Ofsted in. It was great to hear from them that we've set the bar high and it's so nice that all the hard work is paying off.'
The nursery also won the region's best nursery award at the Family Go Live magazine awards in November 2013.
Botanic Lodge is located in a previously derelict Grade II listed building in Liverpool's Botanic Walled Gardens.
It is is owned by Ms Prayle's mother, Jackie, who has also run the St Paschal Baylon Nursery in nearby Broadgreen for 24 years.
The Prayles converted the building together from scratch over six months after it was left empty for more than 12 years. Many of the original 1836 features have been retained, including carvings and fireplaces.
Mrs Prayle said her daughter had benefited from growing up in a nursery environment.
'She always showed an interest in the early years. She used to do her work experience in our after-school club and she volunteered on days when she wasn't at school.
'She's been involved from the start with Botanic Lodge. I think as a mum I did always have that slight worry in the back of my head, thinking "Is she too young?", but the big test was Ofsted and she did brilliantly.'
Her daughter agreed, 'I've definitely always had that passion. It was scary when we first opened to know that all the responsibility was on me. But I had done lots of research and I knew all the policies and procedures. I went through them with staff and I overcame any issues like confidence when talking to parents.'
Ms Prayle now manages a staff team of ten at Botanic Lodge, all of whom are older than her. She said, 'I thought that might be a problem, but they're all so nice, and hopefully they appreciate I do know what I'm talking about.'
Of her mother, Ms Prayle said, 'She taught me everything I know. She pops in maybe once a week, and if I have any questions or queries I know she's at the end of the phone, so we do work together, but the majority of the time I'm on my own.
'Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to open my own nursery one day like my mum, maybe even a little chain. That would be brilliant. But I'm mostly focused on gaining more knowledge, meeting new people and dealing with new issues. You face new things every day – that's the beauty of this job.'

subset: commoncrawl


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#SaturdayMorningRecap – June 20th, 2015
Happy Saturday and congratulations for making it through the week! Here's a recap of the everything going on here at The Digital Breakdown this week! Lecrae Takes The Stage With Tori Kelly – This week Tori Kelly and Lecrae shared the same stage! Read all about it here. We've [read more...]


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The Ohio Department of Education released preliminary School Report Card Data for the 2011-2012 school year late last month. The reports are not complete and the release of the official reports is running behind schedule, but the preliminary data shows districts' performance scores on standardized tests and graduation rates.
Avon Local Schools' Report Card scores did not move too much from the last report. The district was ranked as Excellent with Distinction for the 2010-2011 school year. Rankings have not yet been released for the 2011-2012 school year.
The biggest positive change in test scores was for fifth grade mathematics, which jumped up 8.4 percent from last year's 78.9 percent. Fifth grade score also rose in reading and science, moving up 0.2 percent and 2.7 percent respectively.
The biggest negative change in test scores was for third grade mathematics, which fell 4.9 percent from last year's 95.2 percent. Third grade scores also fell 1.8 percent in reading, down from last year's 94.6 percent.
The third, sixth, and eighth grades were the only classes that saw no improvement in standardized test scores last year.
The 2010-2011 high school graduation rate was a sparkling 100 percent, but the preliminary data shows a drop in the graduation rate. Preliminary data shows the graduation rate fell to approximately 96.9 percent, which is still well above the state requirement, which is 90 percent.
The preliminary report lists Avon Local Schools as having met the adequate yearly progress requirement.
Like cleveland.com/avon on Facebook


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We help government connect communities by delivering technology that works. For your people, your public, and your organization.
Digital transformation has drastically changed consumer services for the better, and citizens now expect the same from public services. The rising tide of e-Government represents a significant wave that government entities need to ride in order to achieve better engagement with citizens, and deliver services of the highest quality.
Digital tools improve the relationship with citizens
By using mobile apps and digital channels that users are familiar with, interaction between administrations, citizens and companies increases, and trust improves. But at the same time, Government bodies need to provide alternatives, as not all users have access to technology. They must fulfil their duty to make access to public services freely available to all, via multiple channels.
Working together for better elected and employee efficiency
Mobility and collaboration drive digital transformation and make workers more efficient than ever. Incompatibility, dropped calls and missed messages are no longer valid excuses: anytime, borderless collaboration between employees, contractors and citizens is essential. Public/private partnerships and service delegation are increasing to provide the high quality services that citizens expect.
Safer buildings; smarter cities
Whether they're working for citizens' security, towards a better environment or for traffic management, connected objects and sensors are spreading fast around our cities. Their notifications must be transferred and actioned in an accurate, timely manner so the correct actions are taken: traffic regulation, maintenance, crisis management... For Location-based Services, real time communications are critical to inform the workforce in the field, or notify employees and citizens. Connected objects such as street signs and interactive panels will also be an important way of communicating with citizens.
Cost-efficiency in the age of austerity
Budgets are one of the greatest challenges of the digital journey for governments, who are expected to evolve and drive innovation while limiting spend. Austerity is a permanent factor, and as a consequence, responsibilities are being redistributed and services are being shared while new business models arise.
Defense certifications and compliance:
Alcatel-Lucent products are national defense compliant and certified for: Common criteria, NATO, NIST, Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) compliance for U.S. Department of Defense interoperability, FIPS 140-2. ALE is a member of the European Emergency Number Association (EENA 112).
- Secure and resilient systems: Advanced multi-layer network security from edge to core provides comprehensive BYOD and IoT services and protects highly available real-time communications systems for confidentiality, event awareness, notifications and response coordination
- Flexible: Deploy and scale at your own pace; quickly and easily upgrade existing network and communications capabilities from legacy infrastructure to new technologies and optimize budget with innovative OPEX-based networking and communications deployment models
- User experience: Innovative, easy-to-use solutions from deployment through to administration and usage, with a strong focus on greetings, mobility and borderless collaboration
- Easy integration: System openness and analytics make it simple to integrate custom communications or IoT-enabled business processes, and user-facing web or mobile applications


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Web Hosting
The Heartland Conference recommends MinistryWeb.org, a part of Hostek.com. MinistryWeb.org offers the same services as the for profit side of their business, but offers great discounts for churches and ministries. We use the Silver Linux plan for $59.70/year (they also offer Windows hosting, ColdFusion, etc.). Their benefits include:
- Great price
- Prompt customer service through email
- No adult site hosting
- They will also register your domain name (yourname.com, org, or .net) for $10.00/year.
For designing our content we use the popular OpenSource (free) content management system (CMS) Joomla.
There are many free templates available for Joomla online (google "Joomla template"). We use a template designed by YOOtheme which requires a one-time subscription but also gives you several nifty tools for Joomla. You can continue to use their templates and tools after your subscription expires, but you can no longer download new templates and tools.
All this means you can get your church or ministry on the web for as little $69.70/year. What are you waiting for?


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The Virginia Peninsula Literary Consortium brings together the public libraries of Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson and York County and the academic libraries of Christopher Newport University, Hampton University and Thomas Nelson Community College, collectively serving all residents of the Virginia Peninsula. The Consortium formed in 2006 to encourage the study and enjoyment of books and to foster cooperation among all types of libraries on the Peninsula. Programs presented by the Consortium are free and open to the public.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: C.J.'s Keynote
8:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Q&A
8:30 pm – 9/9:30 pm: Book –signing


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Heidelberg To Present 5,000th Speedmaster CD 74 To Phil Vedda & Sons Printing, Inc.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Press release from the issuing companyCHICAGO, September 8, 2005 – During a special ceremony at PRINT '05 in Chicago, Heidelberg will present the 5,000th unit of the Speedmaster CD 74 to Phil Vedda, owner of Phil Vedda & Sons Printing Company in Lakewood, Ohio. Heidelberg will present Vedda with a certificate documenting the purchase of this remarkable press on Monday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Heidelberg Booth # 1200 in a special ceremony with Heidelberg Chief Executive Officer Bernhard Schreier. The installation of the new five-color Speedmaster CD 74 with coater at Phil Vedda & Sons is scheduled to begin in late fall of 2005. The 23 x 29-inch press will replace a MAN Roland 300 and primarily will be used to produce four-color work. Vedda said the CD 74 installation comes at an exciting time for the small, family-owned shop. The new CD 74 is, for Vedda, much more than a replacement, it's a major step into the print shop's future. "We're moving into a new facility soon and now is the best time to upgrade our equipment," said Vedda. "The superior service we've received from Heidelberg in the past played an important role in the purchase of our latest press and we're highly satisfied with our existing Heidelberg prepress, sheetfed offset and bindery equipment. We hope that the new Speedmaster CD 74 will further expand our four-color capabilities and increase productivity." The Speedmaster CD 74 was introduced to the international market at drupa 2000, and the first serial presses were shipped in early 2001. At that time, the straight press was offered with a maximum of eight printing units plus coater. In 2002, Heidelberg began offering the CD 74 with a double coating unit. The perfecting press with a maximum of six units plus coater and the DuoPress configuration became available in 2004. Today, the press is manufactured as a long perfecting press with up to 10 printing units plus coater, offering the largest range of configurations for the half and three-quarter size press. The modular concept combined with the next-generation design of the press allows Heidelberg to tailor the CD 74 to virtually all customer requirements. Highly automated makeready and easy-to-control sheet travel make the Speedmaster CD 74 the most user-friendly press for substrates ranging from flimsy papers to stiff board and plastic sheets. Key features that have driven the Speedmaster CD 74's success include: - Preset Feeder – Adjusts automatically to format and printing stock changes and minimizes make-ready; ensures fast job changes and dependable sheet travel for perfect quality without any marking of the sheet - Quick-Response Inking Unit with Switchable Ink-train Layout – Allows the press to react instantly to requested changes in dampening and inking; decreases makeready and avoids paper waste - Continuous-Film Dampening Unit Alcolor – This feature ensures a stable balance of ink and water. An even film of dampening solution guarantees that print quality remains consistently high throughout the run. The Vario function removes hickeys by creating a speed differential between the dampening form roller and plate cylinder - AirTransfer System – Optimally transfers sheets between the double-size impression cylinders of the printing units; equipped with patented Venturi technology, the sheet guide plates below the Transfer System enable mark-free production with a broad range of substrates. - Automatic Wash-up Devices – Easily accessible and simple to remove for maintenance; developed to comply fully with environmental and ergonomic requirements - Flexible Coating System – Equipped with remotely adjustable lateral, circumferential and diagonal registers to save time and reduce startup waste. A chamber doctor blade system for even application of coating, metallic coatings and fine spot coatings is an optional addition to the system - DryStar Dryer Systems – Achieves excellent drying results and boosts productivity; Optimally tuned to the sheet travel with infrared, hot-air and cold-air modules; easiest access to the dryers from operator side without any tools - Preset High-Pile Delivery – Ensures precise pile formation at maximum press speed. As an added benefit, the sheet slow down system has remotely adjustable brake elements Founded in 1956, Phil Vedda & Sons is a general commercial print shop that produces high-quality printed products ranging from business cards to four-color brochures. With 13 employees, the all-Heidelberg shop services a varied client base of local and out-of-state companies, such as advertising agencies and print brokers.
Industry News
Copyright © 2019 WhatTheyThink. All Rights Reserved


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The work to give ourselves and our children the chance to choose how long we live continues – it depends on the word getting out. The Movement for Indefinite Life Extension has launched a new fundraiser to generate advertising dollars…. Continue Reading →
Will you help us here? The last two went over 100% but this one is falling behind a bit. We all lead the way for others when we complete these and not completing them could possibly show that the cause… Continue Reading →
LEAF already completed its first crowdfunded research project, reaching 154% of its goal. We are now gearing up for another, but to do it we need further reach to like minded people. Please like this page and make a request… Continue Reading →
One of the main reasons for driving as many supporters as possible together at the movement for indefinite life extension page facebook.com/movementforindefinitelifeextension , is so that we have more potential to act as a larger united front. Doing this in these… Continue Reading →
New Crowdfunding Platform Bridges Longevity and Aging Researchers with Public Support NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2015 — The Life Extension Advocacy Foundation (LEAF) officially launches Lifespan.io, an online platform designed to bridge the gap between longevity researchers and the public… Continue Reading →
There are many groups working toward indefinite life extension. They put in a lot of work and lead the way down the paths toward the goal. All of them have one thing in common: they are part of the overall… Continue Reading →
Rise to Meet the Enemies at the Gates: Join the Battle against Disease and Death A lot of your great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers have prepared and gone through the fire of war. This happened time and time again over the centuries…. Continue Reading →
The Movement for Indefinite Life Extension (MILE) is organizing an online demonstration to support life extension technologies and awareness. The Movement for Indefinite Life Extension (MILE) is organizing an online demonstration to support life extension technologies and awareness. The event… Continue Reading →
MILE: Guide to the Movement for Indefinite Life Extension Goals: The MILE mission is to execute a series of goals to bring awareness of indefinite life extension to the world stage (8 million+ people) through themile.info Facebook page. – the… Continue Reading →
Alpha thinkers are creatives, innovators, pioneers. They acutely and agilely navigate an abundance of diverse, fallacy aware thinking. The alpha thinker can't bring themselves to live at the last outpost and not venture further. They cannot resist poking their finger… Continue Reading →
© 2019 transhumanity.net


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Euro still requires a government, says Hermes' Neil Williams
Neil Williams, chief economist of Hermes Global Government & Inflation-Linked Bonds, says the proposed EU Treaty changes to save the euro still look like a political compromise.
Neil Williams, chief economist of Hermes Global Government & Inflation-Linked Bonds, says the proposed EU Treaty changes to save the euro still look like a political compromise.
Even if credible, the proposals will be no panacea. First, by seeking fiscal deficits significantly below current levels, but offering no obvious growth plan to get there, the changes would address only future crises. Deficits in 2011 will have ranged from near balance (Estonia) to about 10% of GDP (Greece and Ireland). Spain has admitted that its 2011 deficit will be closer to 8% of GDP than their 6% target.
Second, ratifying the proposals by March looks optimistic, especially where there are new administrations or elections (Spain, France), and where the smallest countries (Slovenia) are averse to cutting their growth to help bigger ones (Greece). In which case, S&P's own March deadline will be tested, probably triggering downgrades for Germany, France and the four other AAA-rated sovereigns, and further undermining the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
Nonetheless, the biggest challenge will be to appeal to Germany's hawkish principles, and still head off the economic and market tensions now spreading to the core members like Germany and France. We expect the ECB to ultimately capitulate on QE, but not soon enough to stave off the pressures converging to the core. To sanction a sizeable expansion of the ECB's balance sheet, the Bundesbank and German government will need more evidence of its own economic and financial conditions imploding.
The economic deterioration has started; activity levels are becoming so stunted that recession looks inevitable. Even if a common 'euro-bond' follows, 'haircuts' on orderly defaults will probably just crimp growth further.


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Cue Card 2
Talk about an old person that you know well. Please say
- Who is the person?
- Do you like the person?
- How much time do you spend with the person?
- Who is the person?
- Do you like the person?
- How much time do you spend with the person?
I would like to talk about my friend's grand father. He has been an exceptional person unlike the others in thinking. I have been knowing him since my childhood. He used to come for us to school for picking up and to drop. At that time he was used to telling us many stories about great virtues, ethics, sportsman spirit and more about other things. So its been a great fascination in me for him since childhood. He was the person who had given me advice for going in science stream after my secondary education by seeing my strength and interest in machines, gadgets and in circuits. Otherwise, My parents wanted me to go in business management studies. He is my mentor even yet. His anecdotes are very amusing and he has great sense of humour that can create boisterous laughter. We usually meet on weekend at public library that addiction I have got from him. At library we share quality time in discussing about businesses, politics, latest released movies and many more. He always welcomes change not like the other old fogies so he is welcomed everywhere. All people enjoy his company. So he has been a great, a par excellent man.
Discussion 2
- Is there an old person that you are impressed by?
Yes, in fact many of them, as I have mentioned in cue card about my friends's grand father and apart from him many business tycoons are also living in my neighborhood. They have been well established but their discipline and simple way of living completely eye catching.
- Why do old people like to interact with children?
because they always like to share innocent fun that they really enjoyed during their time. Moreover they also develop good skills of citizen in them by telling good stories of mythological stories of heroic deeds of God.
- Why do old people interact with teenage groups?
Just to guide them, to warn
them about their way of living life or decision that can change their career in right or in wrong direction. And they should do.


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Rainforest Lapbook
The Rainforest -- a fascinating topic of study
The tropical rainforest is a fascinating topic for a homeschool unit study! Just the botany and zoology alone could take weeks to cover. There are also the history of the rainforest, the indigenous peoples of the rainforest, and the economy of the rainforest.
You can cater this topic to your youngest of students by focusing on the fascinating creatures such as toucans and leopards or raise the challenge by requiring older students to explore the political issues surrounding the use and misuse of this global treasure.
Your options are almost as endless as the variety of life in the rainforest itself. This lens (or webpage) is designed to point you in the direction of some great online resources and living books that will enhance your homeschool unit study of the rainforest. If you like to make lapbooks, you will be delighted to find free printable templates for rainforest related minibooks. Each photo of a homemade minibook is a link to a template I designed. Get your pith helmet and let's explore the rainforest!
Bromeliads grow in the rainforest.
Plants of the Rainforest
Plant life in the rainforest is known for its gigantic proportions and amazing characteristics. Epiphytes are plants that grow high up on branches and trunks of trees where they can get sunlight through the dense canopy. They absorb nourishment and water from the humid air all around them. Mosses, lichens, ferns, orchids, and bromeliads are all types of epiphytes.
The leaves of bromeliads, a type of epiphyte,are arranged in such a way as to hold water in the center. Inside this water, entire miniature ecosystems can thrive -- tadpoles, insects, and frogs. For a fact sheet about bromeliads, click here.
If you'd like a free template for making a bromeliad minibook of your own, click on the picture of it below. You will access a PDF for a unique minibook I designed that opens on both the right and the left. For the same file in A4 size click here.
Make your own three dimensional bromeliad make your out of paper. Directions are here. The printable template even includes a frog to live inside the flower!
Another fascinating plant of the rainforest is the Amazon Giant Water Lily -- a plant large enough to support 300 pounds of weight! Learn more about this fascinating plant and make your own interactive minibook with pink and white swing-out flowers by clicking on the image. For the same file in A4 size click here.
The kapok tree grows in the rainforest.
Kapok Tree
The giant kapok tree is another monster of the rainforest. Most rainforest plants and trees have very shallow roots. To anchor them more firmly in the ground, many rainforest trees have buttress roots around the bottom of the trunk for support. The native peoples of the rainforest pound on the roots of the kapok tree as if they were playing a drum. The loud booming noices are a way to communicate through the dense jungle.
For a fact sheet about the kapok tree click here.
Click the picture to the left to access a PDF template for making that minibook. Four inside flaps hold these vocabulary words -- canopy, buttress roots, lianas (vines), and epiphytes. For the same file in A4 size, click here.
The Great Kapok Tree is a beautiful picture book, appropriate to introduce your children to the wonders of the rainforest. It is about much more than this fabulous tree, though. The ladies at Homeschool Share have designed a free
Literature Based Unit Study for this book. You will find many printables and lapbooking templates there!
Rainforest Lapbook Pictures
It can really help to inspire you when you see someone else's finished work. Look at these rainforest lapbooks for ideas.
- 4Real Forums
In this forum discussion, one mom posted pics of her child's beautiful rainforest lapbook. The cover is a brilliant idea! Check it out!
- Rainforest Lapbook on Flickr
These are images from my daughter's rainforest lapbook.
- Rainforest Mural
Technically, this article is not about a lapbook, but it does share a beautifully detailed mural of the tropical rainforest.
Giant Science Resource Book - Evan Moor Reproducible Books
This book has a section on habitats, and rainforest gets four pages. You probably wouldn't buy this book just to study the rainforest. But it's a great investment for elementary science reproducibles. I own this book and have turned to it time and time again, not only for our rainforest study but also for many other science topics.
Read a full review at The Heart of the Matter.
If you prefer an instant download, this book is also available at CurrClick in eBook format.
All About the Rain Forest - Evan Moor Reproducible Books
This thematic unit targets a fourth grade student. If you prefer an instant download, this book is also available at CurrClick in eBook format.
Theme Pockets - June - Evan Moor Reproducible Books
This reproducible book features the Amazon Rainforest with these activities: rainforest layers puzzle, blue morpho butterfly model, draw a jaguar, rainforest animals fact cards, and make a kapok pod. (Two other topics covered are Artists and Farmers Feed Us.)
If you prefer an instant download, this book is also available at CurrClick in eBook format.
The Best Rainforest Resources Online
- Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance's Learning Site offers an abundance of printable PDF and online resources arranged by grade level -- from K to 8. Species profiles, coloring pages, slideshows, e-books, lesson plans, and more. This is truly a fabulous resource
- The Living Rainforest
This site offers some printable worksheets and teaching ideas. The volume and quality is nowhere near that of the Rainforest Alliance, but you may still find some gems here. We used the Amazing Adaptations and the Background Worksheets in our own uni
Tarsiers live in rainforests of the Philippines.
Rainforest Poll
What is your favorite part of a rainforest study?
Rainforest Resources - printables, lesson plans, and more
- Ed Helper's Rainforest Coloring Book
A PDF with large coloring book images of several rainforest animals -- aye aye, morpho butterflies, leaf cutter ants, macaws, frogs, slots, toucans, tigers, and more.
- Homeschool Share Rainforest Theme
I've linked to some of Homeschool Share's resources elsewhere on this page, but the site is worthy of a few links! This page has all of their rainforest related materials all on one page. Convenient!
- ABC Teach Rainforest Theme
A long list of average quality resources -- crossword puzzles, coloring sheets, etc.
- Birds of the Rainforest Coloring Pages
Thirteen beautiful black and white drawings done by a professional artist.
- Rainforest Diorama
The American Museum of Natural History has created these free printables for making your own shoebox diorama of the rainforest ecosystem. Another simpler design featuring the layers of the canopy can be found at Storm the Castle.
- RETAIL -- Rainforest Habitats Lapbook from In the Hands of a Child
This lapbook kit is sold at CurrClick as an ebook download.
- Moody Gardens Educator Guides
Scroll to the very bottom of the page for the Tropical Rainforest Curriculum PDF.
Rainforest Resources Online
Click on the leopard picture to go to Chunky Monkey's rainforest friends. You'll find stories set in the rainforest and directions for how to draw several rainforest animals.
For general sites which you can explore alongside your children, visit
I love DK books as unit study spines because they give a broad overview in such a visual format.
Art Connection
For a truly complete unit study, you will want to include many disciplines. Art is an easy one to incorporate into your rainforest explorations because Henri Rousseau painted a whole series of fanciful Jungle images.
Study these paintings with your children. Compare what you see with what you know is true about actual rainforests. Then let your children make their own Rousseau style jungle paintings. Use the online game below, or make your own with crayons or paints. Be sure to include it in your rainforest lapbook somewhere.
- Jungle Interactive
An interactive design activity for kids. Create your own rainforest artwork similar to Rousseau's. Then print it out for your lapbook.
Watch Rousseau's Paintings
This four minute video is just paintings with music accompaniment. The selection includes the jungle art as well as his other subjects.
Jan Brett wrote a book about the rainforest -- The Umbrella. Amazingly, she has posted on the Internet, a multitude of free resources to go along with that book (or with any study of the rainforest). First are beautiful black and white line drawings of rainforest foilage and animals for making your own mural! Any of these could be reduced in size to make a collage or a minibook. And in this fun video, you can watch Jan Brett not only talk about her idea for this book but also draw a toucan!
And Homeschool Share has a unit study with lesson plans to accompany this living book.
Animals of Rainforest
No study of the rainforest would be complete without a look at the diverse wildlife found there. From tarsiers to orangutans, from toucans to piranhas... many of the animals of the rainforest are found nowhere else on earth.
Try coloring these Nine Most Endangered Rainforest Animal pages.
For some online fun, try Animals of a Tropical Rainforest (scroll down for the link). In this online game, you place the rainforest animals in their correct layers of the canopy. Then the image you create can be printed out!
For a template of a layered book about the big cats of the rainforest, click the image. For the same file in A4 size, click here. Three of the world's four largest big cats are found in the rainforests!
World's four largest cats:
1. Tiger
2. Lion
3. Jaguar
4. Leopard
Would you like to create a rainforest environment in your own home? Listen to these fun sound effect files!
See if you can identify the animals making these noises.
Leafcutter Ants
Leafcutter ants are called the first farmers! They use the leaves they carry back home to grow a fungus which they eat. Fascinating!
For directions and a printable template for making this leafcutter ant pocket and book, click the picture.For the same file in A4 size, click here.
Snakes of the Rainforest
Everything is huge in the rainforest -- snakes are no exception! Huge anacondas and tree climbing boas are intriguing animals to add to your rainforest study.
Click the picture for directions and a template for this circle book about snakes of the rainforest. For the same file in A4 size, click here.
The Manatee lives in the Amazon River. This endangered animal is so homely that it is actually cute!
For our mini-book about the manatee we used the following resources:
printable map of the manatee's habitat
Save the Manatee website has sound recordings, video clips, photographs, and printable PDFs.
From the Rainforest Alliance
This resource was not available when we made our manatee minibook, but Homeschool share has an entire manatee lapbook!
Rainforest Hands-on Learning
Kids love getting messy and learning through doing!
Begin your crafts with this free online project. The American Museum of Natural History has some printable diorama templates for three habitats.
The one for the rainforest is here. Another simpler design featuring the layers of the canopy can be found at Storm the Castle.
Do an experiment with a bromeliad -- a pineapple!
Kid's Craft Weekly has a jungle theme issue with an assortment of crafts made from normal household items. (I love this craft newsletter! Search their archives for more topics.)
Then add even more hands-on activities to your unit study with the ideas in these books!
This activity guide is designed for grades 2-6. The book includes facts about the rainforest and accompanying science experiments, crafts, and recipes.
What a delicious aspect to incorporate into your rainforest unit study! This is sure to motivate your children!
Chocolate comes from the cocoa beans which grow on the cocoa tree, a native plant of the rainforest.
Investigate these links for teaching resources about chocolate:
For your mini-book, make a candy wrapper book using these fun sites:
images of scanned candy wrappers (Or just eat your own candy bars and use the real thing!)
blank chocolate bar wrapper template
or use these chocolate kiss shape book templates
Then add in some other facts such as Cocoa Tree.org's printables about chocolate -- a nice map of growing regions of the cocoa tree, a chocolate timeline (5 centuries of cocoa), and other resources.
For more ideas for chocolate related mini-books for a rainforest lapbook, see these bloggers who made chocolate lapbooks:
This book chronicles the history of chocolate and the modern production of a favorite treat.
Rainforest Lapbook Guestbook
I would love to use your Kapok Tree activity but can't find the link. Can you email it to me? email@example.com
Hi Jimmie,
Love your lens - very 'full bodied' - botany, art (!!), related literature ...
Thx for sharing, boiscanot
Great lens! Useful and informative.
Wonderful resource!
Do you have a mini book for the trees, such as canopy, understory, forest floor.
Great resource! A font of inspiration for this grateful mom! Thank you!!
loved the lens, colourfull, artistic, wide variety of photo's. really good, needs 100+ squidlikes.
The rainforrest is def. a place I want to visit once in my life.
Simply awesome. This is an exceptional lens that makes it fun to learn about the fauna, inhabitants, and the environmental challenge facing this fragile ecosystem. Please keep teaching us!
Love this!
Very helpful as we study the rainforest!!!
Jimmie this is fantastic!!
We are going to do rainforests this coming year and I'm so happy to see you have a lens on it....makes all the work so much easier for us, thank you!
I can't even believe how grea this Rainforest Lapbook info is! Thank You! I can't wait to do this with DD. I've already started printing the pages out. :-)
Welcome to the Back to School Group Lensography.
I love the files for the rain forest lapbooks! I can't wait to use them with my students.
Thanks for an awesome lens.
This is absolutely fantastic, as always! We've been working on our own rainforest lapbooks; you've given my a lot more ideas!
Sarah at smallworldathome.blogspot.com
lovely lens
I love this site! Thanks
I absolutely love this 'kid-friendly', age appropriate resource filled lens! Love it!
Jimmie, superb lens - I'll lensroll it when I publish my rainforest walk lens. I've favourited and starred your lens.
Ron Passfield
Squidoo Marketing
Excellent topic of study! Thank you for adding it to the BIG LENSES Group!
Your lenses are all so wonderful! We're homeschooling and so naturally this is a happy find. I'll plug your lenses over on my homeschooling blog... I love to share worthy sites with my readers.
Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see what you come up with next. :)
What a wonderful, helpful lens! It's great to be in the Wild Animals Group with you!
love the rainforest animals!
Wow, this is just fantastic. I started by cheching out your lapbooks on flickr (you gave the link on a yahoogroup) and have now found out that you squidoo as well. And boy, do you do a great job!!
I'm going to have to look at all your lenses now.
Outstanding five-star lens! The illustrations are wonderful. If you'd like, come visit my new lens with pictures of baby animals.
Stupendous! Jimmie, your lenses keep getting better and better...if you keep this up; I'm going to have to get a new dictionary just to find enough adjectives to affirm and appreciate your efforts! LOL! Another great job, Connie ...aka Squid Angel
: )
LOVE the pictures!


text:
Ultrasound Applications Essentials and Image Artifact Analysis
Knowledge of ultrasound system modes, functions and terminology are a huge part of performing proper ultrasound system service, however, this information has not been taught in our industry – until now. This class will demonstrate the various imaging modes and functions of an ultrasound system by performing and projecting a live anatomical scan throughout the session while operating the system. A tissue mimicking phantom will also be used to demonstrate the various types of image resolution. Image artifacts and noise troubleshooting will also be discussed. This class will teach the soft skills to complement the hard technical skills possessed by ultrasound service personnel.


text:
Lakers find some Zen is seriously lacking
(Professional Sports ~ 06/15/04)
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Oh, great Zen Master, what now? How do you turn dysfunction into function? How do you unbreak what is so obviously broken? Can this marriage be saved? Is hope not lost? "Well, right now I don't think there's a challenge that's as imminent as this perhaps since the '95 season when we had to restructure and remake the Chicago Bulls," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said as his Los Angeles Lakers, trailing the Detroit Pistons 3-1 in the NBA Finals, prepared for Game 5...
Crowds celebrate as Baghdad car bomb kills five Westerners
(International News ~ 06/15/04)
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A car bomb shattered a convoy of Westerners in Baghdad Monday, killing at least 13 people, including three General Electric workers and two bodyguards. Crowds rejoiced over the attack, dancing around a charred body and shouting "Down with the USA!"...
Korean ships exchange first radio messages since war
(International News ~ 06/15/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Warships from North and South Korea exchanged radio messages Monday for the first time since the end of the Korean War, following a landmark agreement aimed at easing hostilities. Earlier this month, North and South Korea agreed to adopt a standard radio frequency and signaling system for their navies to avoid confusion that could lead to clashes at sea...
Mines, fighters mar U.N. efforts to pursue new Congo fighting
(International News ~ 06/15/04)
The Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo -- Mined roads and armed factions blocked U.N. officials Monday from pursuing reports of new clashes in eastern Congo, a U.N. spokesman said, as government authorities investigated a failed attempt to oust President Joseph Kabila...
Groups plan gatherings to praise, criticize drug benefit
(State News ~ 06/15/04)
LIBERTY, Mo. -- Hershel Clark worked until he was 73 because he needed the insurance to cover his wife's cancer treatments. On Monday, Hershel, 74, and his wife, Gladys, 69, joined others who lined the streets near a pharmacy President Bush went into before giving a speech at a Liberty school and community center about new Medicare prescription drug discount cards...
Holden signs crime package affecting child porn penalties
(State News ~ 06/15/04)
CREVE COEUR, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden on Monday signed a legislative crime package that extends the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, strengthens penalties for child pornography and outlaws cross burning, among other things. Holden was joined by dozens of state legislators and law enforcement officers at a bill-signing ceremony at the Creve Coeur Government Center in this St. Louis suburb. He called it a "very aggressive package" that was reached in a bipartisan way...
Soggy weather slows planting
(State News ~ 06/15/04)
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Wet weather last week slowed fieldwork in most of the state, the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service said Monday. An average of 3.4 days were suitable for planting, ranging from a low of three days or less throughout northern and central Missouri to five days in south-central and southeast portions of the state...
White House panel wants reduced NASA role in launches
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- A White House panel of space experts, wrestling with questions about how to pay for expeditions to the moon and Mars, wants NASA to give private companies a broader role and a greater share of the financial burden. The presidential commission will recommend that NASA's role in missions be limited to "areas where there is irrefutable demonstration that only government can perform the proposed activity," according to a summary of its conclusions obtained by The Associated Press...
Too many headache pills can end up causing more pain
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- One after another, teenagers trickle into Dr. David Rothner's office with the same complaint: almost daily headaches, despite popping over-the-counter painkillers four, then six, then eight times a week. Many get a diagnosis of rebound headache, a vicious cycle where the more painkiller some people use, the more likely new headaches are to crop up between doses...
S.S. shortfall could occur decade later than previously thought
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- Social Security's long-term prospects are better than previously thought, a congressional report said Monday, estimating the program won't become insolvent until 2052, a decade later than projected earlier this year. The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office still paints a bleak financial picture for the future of the retirement system, which faces significant strain as the aging baby boomer generation retires...
Court overturns pledge case
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday allowed millions of schoolchildren to keep affirming loyalty to one nation "under God" but dodged the underlying question of whether the Pledge of Allegiance is an unconstitutional blending of church and state...
Army reveals new uniform, first major redesign since '81
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The Army revealed on Monday a new combat uniform with a digital camouflage pattern that looks strikingly different from soldiers' current battle dress uniforms. It marks the first major change in the Army uniform since 1981, said Brig. Gen. James R. Moran. He said recruits will be issued the redesigned uniform starting October 2005...
Nation digest 06/15/04
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
Clinton portraits at White House unveiled WASHINGTON -- With political grudges left unmentioned, former President Clinton returned to the White House for the first time Monday and listened with delight as President Bush praised him for his knowledge, compassion and "the forward-looking spirit that Americans like in a president." The occasion was the unveiling of the official portraits of Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton...
Starz to offer movies via download for monthly fee
(Entertainment ~ 06/15/04)
RealNetworks Inc. and Starz Encore Group began offering movies Monday through the Internet for a flat monthly fee -- with a limited selection of year-old films that can take hours to download. Despite that drawback, the companies think their $12.95-per-month Starz! Ticket service will be a hit, largely because byzantine Hollywood contracts give them a virtual monopoly on this type of all-you-can-watch service...
Dad finds something to crab about
(Column ~ 06/15/04)
At first, our family had only a house dog to call a pet. Now we have two more pets. No, we didn't acquire two more dogs. We are now the proud owners of two hermit crabs. Becca and Bailey couldn't be happier. They carry around the shell-covered hermit crabs in plastic aquarium-like containers, feeding them every three days a tiny amount of crab food that they bought from a local pet store. Cassie, our sheltie, would starve on such rations...
A Duval sighting
(Professional Sports ~ 06/15/04)
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- The little things in life bring out the raw emotion in David Duval. He smiled and blinked into the sun when he captured the British Open. He skipped awkwardly around the 18th green in Palm Springs when he shot 59. He defiantly raised the trophy when he won The Players Championship five years ago to become No. 1 in the world...
Indians' defensive coordinator called to active duty
(College Sports ~ 06/15/04)
Southeast Missourian While the happenings in Iraq may seem far away to many Southeast Missouri residents, they have hit close to home for Southeast Missouri State University's football program. Indians defensive coordinator Damon Bradford was recently called up by the Tennessee National Guard and will report for active duty on Sunday...
Cape Legion stumbles late, settles for doubleheader split
(Community Sports ~ 06/15/04)
For 12 of a scheduled 14 innings in Monday night's doubleheader, Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team appeared on its way to an emphatic sweep that would provide a much-needed boost to the struggling squad. But even though visiting Paragould, Ark., rallied for a stunning 13-9 second-game victory to salvage a split -- Cape won the opener 7-1 -- Ford & Sons first-year head coach Michael Minner was far from down in the dumps...
Holden recommends area projects for federal funding
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
Gov. Bob Holden has set in motion a process that may result in the federal government's funding of several local projects that will help build bridges, aid business expansion and fund new educational equipment in Southeast Missouri. Holden recently announced that he has recommended 10 projects totaling $420,582 of federal funding from the Delta Regional Authority, which has just more than $3.5 million to allocate to the eight states in the Delta region this year to help stimulate economic growth and create jobs in that area.. ...
Jackson city officials review building codes
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
Jackson city officials are already bracing for the worst from area builders and contractors. Proposed building codes aimed at keeping buildings sturdy during an earthquake could cost builders and new homeowners much more for supplies. The board of aldermen was introduced to the building code changes at Monday night's meeting. ...
Plans made to straighten out a sharp curve
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
A sharp S curve on Farrar Drive north of William Street would be straightened out this year to improve traffic safety as part of street improvements that would ultimately be paid for by four commercial businesses that own property bordering the road...
Jackson pageant aids contestants later on
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
Appearance, poise, talent and interview answers may be the criteria contestants in the Miss Missouri pageant are judged on. But Miss Jackson's success in the pageant last weekend indicates that experience is also necessary. Miss Jackson, Whitney Weeks of Chesterfield, Mo., was named Miss Missouri in Mexico, Mo., on Saturday. She will compete for Miss America in September...
Trooper struck by car on Interstate 55
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
DON FRAZIER * email@example.com Nurses and an air evac crew wheeled Sgt. Bradley S. Lively away from the helipad at St. Francis Medical Center on Monday. Lively, a Missouri state trooper, was struck by a car on Interstate 55.By Linda Redeffer ~ Southeast Missourian...
State to collect DNA of all felons
(State News ~ 06/15/04)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An impending expansion of Missouri's DNA database to include all felony offenders will greatly enhance the ability of law enforcement to solve crimes in which DNA evidence is collected, supporters of the effort say. Currently, the Missouri State Highway Patrol only collects DNA samples from those convicted of violent felonies or sexually oriented crimes. ...
Playing the numbers
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
After 50 balls, the game changes. Since ball one, the pressure inside Cape Girardeau's Bingo World has been steadily mounting, but when the 49th ball is called on the $1,000 progressive jackpot at the Cape Girardeau Kiwanis Monday Night Bingo, the tension is tangible...
Twisting values
(Column ~ 06/15/04)
Los Angeles Times "Everything changed after 9-11" became, in 2001, the slogan that justified new approaches to national security, including curtailment of civil liberties. Nearly three years later, we learn that even the use of torture was being justified when it came to terror suspects. ...
Rob Lowe roughs himself up for 'Salem's Lot'
(Entertainment ~ 06/15/04)
LOS ANGELES -- A grungy man with a stubbled face and lank hair enters a homeless shelter. Moments later he's locked in mortal combat with a priest, the pair hurtling through shattering glass to the street below. At the start of TNT's adaptation of Stephen King's "Salem's Lot," the priest's patrician profile is easily recognizable -- actor James Cromwell. But it might take a second glance to realize the grungy guy, Ben Mears, is the usually clean-cut Rob Lowe...
Somali man charged in alleged conspiracy to bomb Ohio mall
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- A Somali man has been charged with plotting to bomb an Ohio shopping mall, pursuing the type of vulnerable target in the nation's heartland that U.S. officials have been warning terrorists want to strike. The four-count indictment returned by a grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, alleges that Nuradin Abdi conspired with convicted al-Qaida member Iyman Faris -- an al-Qaida operative who sought to sabotage the Brooklyn Bridge -- and others to detonate explosives at an unidentified mall in the Columbus area.. ...
Learning briefs 6/15
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
Three chosen to attend Boys State at CMSUThree local students, Austin Lee Bock, Ben Jansen and Jared Schoen, have been selected to attend the American Legion Boys State of Missouri this week at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Mo. ...
Disabled parking laws need teeth
(Letter to the Editor ~ 06/15/04)
To the editor; Regarding the article pertaining to new disabled parking provisions: Laws are only of value if local officials believe them to be. I was told police are not allowed to patrol business parking lots unless specifically called in response to a crime. Most business owners do not want to offend their customers and will not call to report violations. Most mall security personnel only warn violators, and many go undetected...
We need choice on supplements
(Letter to the Editor ~ 06/15/04)
To the editor: Lately the press has given much attention to the "dangers" of dietary supplements. Many of these reports call for the repeal of the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act, a law that allows consumers greater access to information concerning the use of vitamins and herbs. Much of the information that is being reported is misleading and designed to make the general public believe that dietary supplements are dangerous and should be classified the same as prescription drugs...
Speak out 6/10
(Speak Out ~ 06/15/04)
Voting in support WE HAVE three voters in our house, and we voted against the tax and fee increases for Cape Girardeau because of the water park. This time we voted yes because it's for the firefighters and the police officers. Trouble with neighbors...
Alva Davis
(Obituary ~ 06/15/04)
DONGOLA, Ill. -- Alva Marie Davis, 85, of Rockport, Ind., died Saturday, June 12, 2004, at the home of a daughter in Rockport. She was born Oct. 27, 1918, at Perks, Ill., daughter of Herman and Virgie Miller Sowers. She was formerly of Dongola, Ill...
Lela Anderson
(Obituary ~ 06/15/04)
Lela Geraldine Anderson, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 14, 2004, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Aug. 7, 1917, at Piedmont, Mo., daughter of Walter and Letha Powers Asberry. She and Carl A. Anderson were married Oct. 7, 1962, in St. Charles, Ill. He died in 1984...
Delphine Uhrhan
(Obituary ~ 06/15/04)
Delphine Christine Uhrhan, 86, of Scott City died Monday, June 14, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 18, 1918, at Kelso, Mo., daughter of Mike and Johanna Bles Enderle. She and Vincent Adam Uhrhan were married July 10, 1948, at Kelso...
Oscar Stein
(Obituary ~ 06/15/04)
Oscar Stein, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, June 12, 2004, at Heartland Care Rehab Center. He was born Jan. 3, 1927, in Cape Girardeau, son of Oscar C. and Bertha Gibson Stein. He and LaVerne Illers were married May 15, 1955, in Jackson. She died March 25, 1980...
Births 6/15/04
(Births ~ 06/15/04)
Mathes Son to Stephen James and Melody Ann Mathes of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 11:49 a.m. Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Name, Andrew David. Weight, 6 pounds 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Mathes is the former Melody Howard, daughter of Anna Lee Howard of Cape Girardeau. She is a teacher at Marquand-Zion School District. Mathes is the son of Alvin and Alma Mathes of Fredericktown, Mo. He is a mold technician at TG Missouri Corp...
Clarification 06/15/04
(Correction ~ 06/15/04)
Friday's story about planned improvements to William Street was unclear as to where Route K begins. State-maintained Route K starts west from the intersection of William Street and Kingshighway.
Correction 6/15/05
(Correction ~ 06/15/04)
Monday's business column should have identified the husband of Hand Me Arounds co-owner Suzanne Buchheit, Bill Buchheit, as the owner of Buchheit Concrete in Perryville. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.
Out of the past 6/15/04
(Out of the Past ~ 06/15/04)
10 years ago: June 15, 1994 Union Electric Co. is working at William-Sheridan intersection this week to upgrade its gas mains as part of ongoing project to replace cast iron mains along William; outside, eastbound lane of William will be blocked from 500 feet west of Sheridan to just east of Sheridan...
Jackson Legion routs House Springs 23-1
(Community Sports ~ 06/15/04)
The Jackson REMAX Achievers American Legion team improved to 7-2 with a 23-1 rout of House Springs on the road Monday. Brandon Gendron led the way with six RBIs on two hits including a grand slam. Tony Longman and Zach Brazer had four hits apiece. Tim Stearns and Jason Meystedt had three hits apiece, while Trey Busch and Brandon Cooper had two hits each. Busch and Brazer had three RBIs apiece...
Global warming's confusing data
(Letter to the Editor ~ 06/15/04)
To the editor: The editorial from The (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle concerning global warming claims Earth's temperature is rising about one degree a year. This must be a typo, otherwise we'd all be dead by now. I'm not an expert, which is OK because most scientists supporting the concept of global warming aren't either. ...
Eagle Ridge continues to expand athletics
(High School Sports ~ 06/15/04)
Eagle Ridge Christian School may not be a part of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, but that has not limited it from trying to build a strong and diverse athletics program. For the first time next year, Eagle Ridge will offer boys soccer in the fall, as well as baseball and possibly fast-pitch softball or soccer for girls in the spring...
Retail sales rebound in May; trade deficit sets new record
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- The appetite of America's shoppers returned in May, boosting sales at the nation's retailers by 1.2 percent, a fresh sign the economic recovery is on solid footing. The latest snapshot of retail activity reported by the Commerce Department on Monday comes after a consumer pullback in April, which depressed retail sales by 0.6 percent. May's increase was slightly larger than the 1 percent rise some that economists were predicting and marked the biggest gain since March...
Fed OKs merger of Bank One, J.P. Morgan Chase
(National News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve has cleared the way for Wall Street powerhouse J.P. Morgan Chase to combine with and absorb Chicago-based Bank One, forming the nation's second-largest bank with more than $1 trillion in assets. The Fed's board of governors, including chairman Alan Greenspan, voted 6-0 Monday to approve the megamerger, finding that it would not threaten competition or unduly concentrate banking resources...
Looking for the spirit of America
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
Patriotism and the love of freedom are the foundation of America. To honor this spirit, the Southeast Missourian is sponsoring the Spirit of America Award and will publish a Spirit of America edition on July 2 with stories about patriotic and veterans organizations...
World briefs 6/15/04
(International News ~ 06/15/04)
Uganda begins handing out free AIDS drugs KAMPALA, Uganda -- Uganda on Monday began distributing free generic HIV drugs in a program aimed at treating all of the country's estimated 100,000 people living with AIDS. Health Minister Jim Muhwezi said the United Nations' Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will give Uganda $70 million over five years to fund the program...
Cape police report 6/15/04
(Police/Fire Report ~ 06/15/04)
Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Kyle A. Turner, 25, 601 Boxwood, Apt. 6, was issued a summons Monday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, failure to use headlights and failure to show proof of insurance...
Cape fire report 6/15/04
(Police/Fire Report ~ 06/15/04)
Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following item on Sunday: At 6:45 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1115 William St. Firefighters responded to the following items on Monday: At 1:20 a.m., an emergency medical service at 525 S. Hanover St...
Reality TV wannabe
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
As I sat in the dark theater watching "The Day After Tomorrow" and seeing the world coming to a catastrophic end, it really got me thinking. What would I be like on "The Real World?" All these people are depicted as crazy/depressed maniacs who argue over the simplest things. Where would I stand in all this?...
University announces spring semester dean's list
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
ADVANCE, Mo. -- Sarah D. Birkman, Kristin N. Dejournett, Heidi M. Delay, Ross D. McFerron, Amanda R. Sanders. ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Julie M. Beardslee, Angela C. Bohnert, Joshua M. Bohnert, Jena L. Mabry, David K. Preusser, Brian Rhodes...
Sports briefs 6/15/04
(Other Sports ~ 06/15/04)
College Bob Huggins' top assistant will coach the Cincinnati basketball team during the head coach's indefinite suspension following an arrest for drunken driving. Interim coach Dan Peters will "have total authority with no outside interference to run the basketball program," athletic director Bob Goin said on Monday. ...
Danforth's new task
(Editorial ~ 06/15/04)
The announcement that President Bush had picked John Danforth of Missouri to be the next ambassador to the United Nations came the day before Ronald Reagan died. As a result, Danforth was thrust into the national limelight, this time as the person selected by the Reagan family to preside at the former president's funeral in the National Cathedral...
Toying with new ideas
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
WASHINGTON Michael Hicks didn't set out to invent a challenging toy. Laid off from his job as an industrial electronics technician, he was supposed to be installing the new dryer at his home in South Carolina. But the dryer hose didn't fit. It had been sitting in the corner on top of his golf bag for a couple of days when Hicks spied it and had an odd thought: "I wonder if I can get a golf ball to loop in and out of this tube?" Four hours later he was still playing with it, convinced that he had his hands on the next hot toy. ...
A year-round commitment
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
Anyone who plays varsity high-school sports knows that it is a lot of work. During their seasons athletes sweat, bleed, cry, go without and give everything they have to their sports. You almost have to if you want to win. So after all the work and all the tears and all the effort, your season will soon come to an end. And then you can relax � you can drink as many sodas as you want and eat potato chips until you're sick...
Trip to Greece proves to be adventure
(Local News ~ 06/15/04)
My stepsister, Molly, went to Greece recently. I wanted to write all about it because I know that it was a wonderful experience for her. She is 16 years old, and an up-and-coming junior at Notre Dame this fall. She and 16 other people, students and adults alike, left June 5 for the trip of a lifetime...
Scott County tax liens
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Scott County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Tom Dirnberger, Scott County recorder of deeds, during the month of May are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For information concerning the dollar amount of the liens, contact the recorder's office at 545-3551...
Mueller - Working seriously from home
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
A recent search under "home-based businesses' on Google showed over seven million results -- wow! Nowadays we can do just about anything from our home. I truly love the commercial where the gal is working from home in her pajamas, with curlers in her hair, hoping that the day when video telephones are the norm never comes to fruition...
Kelsey receives realtor sales award
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Among those receiving the prestigious Realtor's "Award of Excellence" designation for 2003 was Tom Kelsey, broker for Lorimont Place Ltd. Recognition is given to those members who produce multi-million dollar volume for Missouri property sold and leased during the year. The Cape Girardeau broker is involved in commercial, industrial and development property sales and leasing throughout the Southeast Missouri region...
Kempf - Driving versus flying -- which is better
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
During a recent interview with a local television station, I was asked: "Is it more affordable to drive or fly to your vacation destination?" Obviously there is not an exact answer, but it is a relevant question for every traveler. Time Time is the most important consideration. How much of it do you have? How valuable is your time? If you are in business obviously time is money. Most corporate travelers want to get from point A to point B, complete their transaction and get home...
Opinion - Up in smoke stacks
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
The old economy is on fire By Larry Kudlow National Review Online economics editor CEO of Kudlow & Co. NEW YORK -- The much-maligned factory sector is booming. Not rising. Not improving. Booming. According to just-released data from the Institute of Supply Management, which tracks the manufacturing sector, new orders, production, order backlogs, export orders, and employment were very strong in May...
McAlister's Deli coming to Cape
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today Don and Cheri Harris have announced plans to open a McAlister's Deli in the Lorimont Place development at 244 S. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., who handled the transaction, said the new sit-down deli restaurant would occupy more than 4,000 square feet on the development's north end and would be adjacent to Westfield Shopping Mall...
Holcim lands major permit for cement plant
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today STE. GENEVIEVE -- A plan to build one of the largest cement plants in the world advanced June 7, when the Missouri DNR issued the last major permit to allow construction of Holcim's proposed $600 million cement plant. Holcim Inc. plans to build the plant near the Mississippi River in northern Ste. ...
Business degree programs offered in region
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By Mary Ann Beahon director of university relations William Woods University FULTON -- William Woods University is offering residents of Southeast Missouri the opportunity to pursue a variety of business degrees without quitting work. Classes leading to a bachelor of science in management (BSM), a master of business administration (MBA) and an MBA with an emphasis in human resources are ongoing in Cape Girardeau. ...
Keene - Use caution if exchanging variable annuities
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
If you're considering swapping an existing variable annuity for a new one, or you've been approached to switch VAs, think twice before doing so, caution financial planners and regulators. In the past few years, particularly as the stock market has declined, there has been a flurry of exchanges of variable annuity contracts. ...
Stoddard County tax liens
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Stoddard County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Kay Asbell, recorder of deeds, during the month of May are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For information concerning the dollar amount of the liens, contact the recorder's office at 568-3444...
Opinion - Using the Internet to find health insurance
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By Karen Kerrigan chairman Small Business Survival Committee Washington, D.C. Americans bought about $95 billion in goods and services over the Internet in 2003 -- a significant boost to the overall economy. The health insurance sector could use some of that dynamism...
Census - Big farms still dominating agriculture
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today Just 3 percent of the nation's farms -- those with sales of more than a half-million dollars a year -- are producing more than 60 percent of America's agricultural goods, according to the government's most in-depth look at who grows what...
Workforce Development improves its service in '03
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By Kelvin Simmons director Department of Economic Development JEFFERSON CITY -- A new report shows that our department's Division of Workforce Development (DWD) has improved efficiencies and is successfully meeting an increased number of goals in serving Missouri's workers and businesses, at a relatively low cost...
Strickland Engineering continues 25-year tradition
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Strickland Engineering on West Main Street in Jackson hosted the Jackson Chamber Business After Hours in May and celebrated its 25th anniversary to show its appreciation after providing consulting engineering services to its clients for 25 years. The company moved to its new location on Main Street in March 2002 after renovating the former Sander Hardware building, a three-story, 11,600-square-foot building. ...
Unemployment drops throughout Bootheel
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today Missouri's unemployment rate dropped in April as did that in the six-county Bootheel region. The state's unadjusted unemployment rate slipped from 5.2 percent in March to 4.5 percent April, and was a full percentage point lower than the same month a year ago. It was also nine-tenths of a point lower than the national jobless rate of 5.4 percent in April...
Government contracting seminar set for June
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
The University of Missouri Extension Office recently announced that a seminar will be held in Jackson to teach area business people about applying for and obtaining federal, state and local government contracting opportunities. Morris Hudson, state director of the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, will conduct the seminar in the University of Missouri Extension Center at 684 W. ...
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Bankruptcies filed through June 10 for the Southeastern Division of the Eastern District of Missouri's U.S. Bankruptcy Court are listed below with their corresponding case number. The Southeastern Division includes the counties of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscott, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard and Wayne. Court is held in Cape Girardeau...
Cape County tax liens
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Cape Girardeau County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds, during the month of May are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For more information contact the recorder's office at 243-8123...
Bootheel town gets soybean plant grant
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
The city of Lilbourn, Mo., was recently awarded a $595,420 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to help fund improvements to the city's water and sewer system and provide access to a new soybean processing plant. The $20 million plant is expected to employ 35 people and may later be expanded into a biodiesel production facility...
$1.8 million grant goes to Cape airport
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today The U.S. Department of Transportation has released a nearly $1.8 million grant to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport for runway and taxiway improvements. The $1,794,900 grant will go toward working on the intersection of two runways so they will drain better, reworking some ground in one runway safety area and completing the relocation of another runway, airport manager Bruce Loy said...
Penzel awarded $6 million 34-72 widening contract
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today JACKSON -- Penzel Construction was awarded a $6 million contract June 3 by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to complete the first phase of the 34-72 upgrade. The total three-phase project will widen Jackson's city entrance from two lanes to four for three miles beginning at the Highway 25 intersection. The first phase will consist of the first mile. It will include replacing a bridge...
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Marcus Pittman of GH Home Furnishings in Charleston was recently honored for exceptional achievement at the four-day Whirlpool Regional Technology Training Institute. The institute included training sessions on all Whirlpool and Whirlpool-made laundry products. The four eight-hour sessions required hands-on tear down and diagnostic techniques for the products. Training sessions were conducted by certified training instructors and Whirlpool product training specialists...
A look back at local business -- 1998
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
- Healing Arts Pharmacy opened in Healing Arts Center, 3250 Gordonville Road in Cape. - Tinnin & Terry Designs, business doing machine quilting, opened in Jackson. - Mid-America Mortgage Services opened at 1404 Old Cape Road in Jackson. - Northern Reflections and Northern Getaway opened in West Park Mall. Two stores, under one roof, feature clothing for women and children...
Poplar Bluff Farm Equipment
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By LINDSAY CUMMINGS ~ Staff Writer When it comes to marketing, the Beardsley family, who owns Poplar Bluff Farm Equipment, let their products speak for themselves. Offering New Holland tractors, Bush Hog rotary cutters, Kuhn and Deweze hay equipment and Gooseneck trailers, Poplar Bluff Farm Equipment caters to cattle farmers and landowners looking for reliability and performance said owner Bill Beardsley...
More roundabouts may mark Cape streets
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today The proposed extension of new Fountain Street from Morgan Oak Street to William Street could include three roundabouts at major intersections rather than conventional four-way stops. One of three proposed designs by Smith & Co., a Poplar Bluff, engineering firm hired by the city of Cape Girardeau, envisions roundabouts being built at Fountain Street intersections with Morgan Oak, Good Hope and William...
Age affects dynamics of Missouri labor market
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today During the last century, workforce demographics have shifted dramatically. According to the AARP, at the turn of the 20th century, 13 percent of the U.S. population was over 50. Today, more than 27 percent or nearly 80 million people are over 50. And by 2020, it will be 35 percent. Over half of America's 140 million workers will soon be over 40...
Kohl's and Sears Grand coming to Cape
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today Two national retailers will build new stores in west Cape Girardeau in the next year, Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson announced June 10. Kohl's and Sears Grand department stores have agreed on separate tentative proposals to build facilities on opposite sides of Siemers Drive. Both companies will begin construction immediately...
ACS new manager for Great-West facility
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today KENNETT -- Employees at 1000 Great-West Drive in Kennett are experiencing yet another change. In 1997 they began working for General American Life Insurance Co., in offices located in what was once the K-Mart building. Great-West Life and Annuity Insurance Co. then took over operations and the employees worked for a new company. Last week Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, took over management of the Kennett facility...
Arena Golf in Cape has activities for all ages
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today Whether you're a golf fanatic or a keen beginner, golf driving ranges are great places to practice, take lessons, try out new clubs and generally have fun. Arena Golf in Cape Girardeau has covered and open driving tees, an 18-hole miniature (putt-putt) golf course, a full-service pro shop where golfers can buy name-brand clubs or have clubs custom-made, a club repair service and a golf professional who teaches a variety of classes to golfers of all ages...
Ivy Villa -- unique setting for unique gifts
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today CHARLESTON - A turn-of-the-century house has found a new life as a home for a shop offering unique gifts and collectibles. Ivy Villa, owned by Ann Rolwing, opened this spring at 217 E. Marshall St. to provide a wide selection of gifts for all ages...
CVB receives grant for promoting Cape tourism
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today The Missouri Division of Tourism has awarded a $31,203 grant to the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote tourism. Chuck Martin, bureau director, said the CVB will match the grant dollar for dollar with motel and restaurant tax money...
Magee Farm Equipment -- seeds and supplies
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- For more than a quarter century, Magee Farm Equipment has provided seed and supplies to area farmers. The business has grown to be one of the largest suppliers of crop seed in the region. "We know most of them (customers) personally and professionally," said general manager Doug Jackson...
Recycling, document shredding companies enhance each other
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By Jim Obert Business Today JACKSON -- There are two paper-related businesses in one building in north Cape Girardeau County. One business, Missouri Plastics & Recycling LLC, an ISO 9001:2000 company and EPA Waste Wise partner, recycles many grades of paper and ships it for future use as paper products. ...
Business briefs
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI BENTON Express Fuel Center has opened at Interstate 55/Benton Exit 80. The owners are Russ and Kim Mothershead. CAPE GIRARDEAU Special Touch Pet Grooming has reopened at 2719 Thomas Drive. The owner is Sissy Christopher. USA Mattress Outlet has moved from Independence to 2228 Bloomfield. The owners are Terry Stockman and Susan Northorn...
Community anticipates Saint Francis Fitness Plus
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By Dana Hukel marketing and public relations Saint Francis Medical Center The anticipation of the opening of Saint Francis Fitness Plus is felt within the medical center and throughout the community as the Health and Wellness Center takes shape on the Saint Francis campus...
Use words the same way to communicate
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By John Graham The three of us were on our way to a wedding -- mom, dad and home-from-college-for-the-weekend daughter. In response to a particularly tantalizing tidbit of gossip, the college student exclaimed, "Shut up!" Needless to say, mom went ballistic for a few seconds until it was explained that the two seemingly offensive words were really an exclamation -- "You don't mean it!" or "Are you serious?"...
Better mosquito trap takes extra year to build
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
By Scott Welton Special to Business Today SIKESTON --It took two years to take an idea for a better mosquito trap and make that into a viable product for the market, according to its co-inventor, but the wait was worth it. Dr. Ed Masters of Ticks or Mosquitoes LLC in Sikeston said he had hoped to go to market last year with the Biter Fighter. But between additional research, and marketing preparation, it ended up taking another full year...
Holyfield joins Cape bank
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
First State Community Bank has announced that Henry "Butch" Holyfield has joined the Cape Girardeau bank as vice president. Butch has been serving the local community with their residential and other lending needs for over 25 years As vice president, Butch will assist business and individual customers with commercial, residential and individual banking needs...
Cape Air Festival will thrill and mesmerize
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today Take ground transportation to Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on July 9-11 and enjoy the aerial onslaught. This year's air festival is billed as "Heroes and Legends: A Salute to Those Who Serve." As part of this year's outstanding festival, the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team will be featured. ...
Beatles catalog may be headed for digital distribution
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
CNET News.com Talks have begun that could finally make the songs of The Beatles available for sale online, sources familiar with the situation said. Representatives for The Beatles have spoken with numerous online music providers, ranging from small companies to Microsoft, which is planning to open an Internet music store this year. The Beatles' side is asking for a considerable sum in return for providing exclusive online distribution rights, perhaps for as long as a year or more...
New 'shopper' publication
(Business ~ 06/15/04)
Business Today DEXTER -- A new regional publication reaching thousands of homes in Southeast Missouri recently debuted. The new SEMO News Shopper officially premiered June 9 in Stoddard, Dunklin, New Madrid and Pemiscot counties in Missouri's Bootheel. The new publication is product of Delta Publishing -- North Division and will have a combined readership with The Daily Statesman of over 40,000 readers...
Stories from Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Browse other days


text:
Saori C. Jewelry DesignsP.O. Box 51011
Seattle, WA 98115
(000) 000-0000
Saori C. Jewelry Designs handcrafts original bridal jewelry from silver, gold, and the finest pearls, and gemstones. Our wedding jewelry collection features necklaces, chokers, pendants, earrings, and bracelets for brides and bridesmaids. Our designs have been featured in several national magazines, including Bridal Guide.


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Congestion Management Process
The Grand Valley Metro Council utilizes a Congestion Management Process (CMP) as a tool in the transportation planning process. This tool was developed to better meet the needs of the Grand Rapids Metro Area.
Federal transportation legislation requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations to develop and implement Congestion Management Process (CMP) as part of the metropolitan transportation planning process (23 CFR 500). The CMP is intended to be a systematic way of monitoring, measuring and diagnosing the causes of current and future congestion on a region's multi-modal transportation systems; evaluating and recommending alternative strategies to manage or mitigate current and future regional congestion; and monitoring and evaluating the performance of strategies implemented to manage or mitigate congestion.
In Transportation Management Areas that are in non-attainment of ozone or carbon monoxide (CO) standards, Federal funds may not be expended for any new project that will significantly increase the carrying capacity for single-occupant vehicles (SOV's) unless the project results from a CMP. For the Grand Rapids area, a significant increase in carrying capacity for SOV's is defined as a project that adds one or more through-travel lanes for one mile or more on a roadway classified as a Collector or higher on the Federal functional class map for the area.
In the early 1990's MPO staff developed a CMP to meet the federal regulations and serve the transportation planning needs of the urban area. The CMP includes an ongoing method to provide information on the performance of the transportation system and on alternative strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance mobility. The CMP emphasizes effective management of existing facilities through use of travel demand and operational management strategies. In cases where these methods are deemed ineffective to resolve the congestion issue of a corridor, capacity enhancing projects will be selected as the preferred alternative.
Grand Valley Metro Council ( GVMC ) as the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Grand Rapids urban area serves as the central focus for a wide variety of transportation planning activities that encompass all modes of transportation. GVMC coordinates and provides technical support to many regional planning studies. GVMC is also an important source of transportation data used in various traffic engineering studies and roadway design projects undertaken by its member jurisdictions and private consultant organizations. Consequently, GVMC needs accurate and objective data in order to maintain both the validity and the credibility of the decisions that may be based on these studies.
To view the Level of Service (LOS) Map for the MPO click here
To view the GVMC Congestion Management Process report click here


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Welcome to WebmasterWorld Guest from 18.104.22.168
Forum Moderators: open
joined:Jan 27, 2003
votes: 0
For all the luddites and technophobes out there who (inexplicably) still want to do keyword research, don't despair! You don't even need a spreadsheet. Two books will suffice ;)
I'm not sure that 'widgetising' is going to help me with this example...
Let's look at the example of Mr Widget and his Widget Workshop. My first stop is at a dictionary. You can cheat and use an online one if you must.
Here's what I got for 'widget':
noun (informal): a small gadget or mechanical device.
ORIGIN - perhaps an alteration of GADGET.
I now know that people might also refer to widgets as 'gadgets' or 'mechanical devices', and widgets are usually small. There's a suggestion that if my audience is likely to be more formal, gadget might be appropriate. Time to check a thesaurus (which sends me over to the entry for gadget):
concern, contraption, contrivance, gimmick, jigger, thing, widget
The presence of 'thing' is a concern, since it implies my potential customers might not even be sure how to describe their widgets! I think I'm stuck with 'contraption' as the only keeper from that list.
This might be the right time to check some of those new words in our handy reference books, however I'll spare you the gory details.
Just as important, of course, is the specific offering of Mr Widget, who repairs widgets. You know where I'm going with this ;)
The dictionary and thesaurus give me a whole host of other words, including fix, maintain, mend, overhaul, patch, revamp and restore. A pen and paper is all that's needed to make some notes and put the words in the order Mr Widget likes best (he knows his widgets!):
By my reckoning, there's 20 simple combinations of noun and verb alone. Once we account for adjectives, plurals, parts of verbs, word order and so on, we've got everything from 'widget repair' to 'restoring small contraptions': many thousands of potential keywords. Mr Widget and his customers can give us some insight on which phrases are the best to use to describe his services. Not a bad result from two dictionary entries and two in a thesaurus!
So now you want to know which combinations are searched for most often? OK, OK, I give in, although there are plenty of other places to look for useful information. Next time I'll go back to a PC/spreadsheets and post about statistics ;)
But it was a useful exercise, wasn't it? :)
joined:Jan 27, 2003
votes: 0
noun (pl. thingies) another term for THINGUMMY.
This is starting to get complicated ;)
Of course, aside from specific words and phrases, you don't need a computer or a book to know the general words that will apply to most keywords: action words (like buy, order, purchase) and so on, the obvious qualifiers like regions (e.g. UK, Midlands, London) and other words like company, firm and supplier.
I think my 'no-computer' list may have become unmanageable ;)
Word-stemming has become severely important to ranking well for selected keywords/phrases.
Some time back, Marcia (former moderator of Google search News) posted a few links to the Google patents.
They are well worth reading.
At first blush, one would think that a good start to discovering what Google might be looking for re: related words/phrases would be to examine No's 1,2,3,4, & 5 in the desired SERP's, click on
"Similar Pages" below each, and see what's there.
Alas - not very reliable. Why, I can't say; But after months of trial & error...
I made some pretty useful discoveries.
Why? Because the few pages in the 95%/5% website had good internal links to adjacent pages
full of related words/phrases.
E.G. A website about "telephones" is well served to include words/phrases such as 'DTMF' /
'dial tone' / 'handset' / 'cords' and other such words/phases that aren't in the typical layman's
"telephone vocabulary".
To supplement this, may I also mention:
Moreover, Google would often list this pop-up page, (provided it was a full-flavored HTML page with good copy but with it's size trimmed by the pop-up command's dimensions) as the 2nd most important page in the site "about" the key phrase -
However, the pop-up page needed different <title> and <description> text;
Again, using word-stemming.
A good question is: What's all this worth?
After many months, and following the above somewhat didactical policies, I drove three different websites from <50 to Top 5 spots in the desired SERP's.. and some of these SERP's had dozens of relevant competitors, with better PR!
Just my two shakes of flavor..
discover what people are actually searching for
Amen! and Amen! again..
I can't count the number of site owners who've told me..
"We're not seeing enough traffic from Google, what's wrong?"
I look at the SERP's they are in, and 80% of the time, they are
'selling' terms that
a) Nobody is even aware of.
b) Are way too industry-specific.
c) Aren't covered for mis-spelling or truncated versions
d) Aren't backed-up with terms Mr. Consumer would be using
when "conceiving" what they do/make/sell -
And therefore, would in fact be searching for.
The dictionary and thesaurus, a book on the subject matter, coupled with sample searches, pulls up the majority of short and long tail terms, for me.
Put your mind in the place of a prospective searcher.
Go for phrases and terms that people would naturally type.
joined:Jan 27, 2003
votes: 0
The point of keyword research - for me anyway - is to discover what people are actually searching for.
Go for phrases and terms that people would naturally type
While these two goals should be mutually inclusive, there can be an element of artificiality (as engine suggests) to many keyword databases that can be unhelpful.
The other problem with the 'tool-based' approach is that it can dilute focus from keywords that are likely to drive the right sort of visitor - i.e. those that result in sales or other desirable actions.
A useful approach for lovers of statistics (i'm one!) is to start with 'natural' keywords, and then collect usage data on those - cutting out much of the unreliability of external databases. Perhaps that's worth a post in itself.
The biggest problem with bought in databases is that the information is skewed by people checking on their own sites.
>How about reading niche forums and sites like Yahoo and Google Groups?
>How about going to the library (remember those?) and skimming through periodicals that have spent a ton of money on how to use language in their publications that will appeal to their target audience?
>How about going to a "boring" textbook on grammar to refresh memory on what adverbs and adjectives are?
Anyone think users don't use adverbs and adjectives when they think and when they search? Think again!
How about going to the people themselves who we would actually want to reach?
If you fine-grain it, it becomes difficult because you are assuming the SE's are using a dictionary-thesaurus platform to fuel the algos.
Language is fluid, however, and if the workings of Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is anything to go by, there is no need for a traditional dictionary/thesaurus... nor is it necessary to "know" what words mean.
So basically, you can use a thesaurus, by all means (it will help), but to use it for pure SE economics, don't waste your time: the tilde operator (in Google) shows the difference between academic word-relations, and real-world, "actively monitored", relations, computationally derived.
joined:Jan 27, 2003
votes: 0
you are assuming the SE's are using a dictionary-thesaurus platform to fuel the algos
Perhaps it came across that way, but I meant something quite different. I'm assuming that a writer can interpret dictionary/thesaurus entries much more effectively than any current search engine. A search engine relies on a mass of user-supplied data (much of it inaccurate) to approach the same task. With rather mixed results.
the tilde operator
It tells us a lot about Google's current 'understanding' of words. But it also highlights a lot of misunderstanding. I reckon you could get a better list of related words by asking the nearest person to you at the time ;)
We're coming from very different sides of the debate. I think search engines are playing catch-up when it comes to keywords - that's why a concept like LSI even exists, and to some extent is a major reason something like SEO is even necessary.
It'd take a week to write an article employing the OP's theory
I remain a single-finger typist, but a week would be stretching it a bit ;)
It tells us a lot about Google's current 'understanding' of words. But it also highlights a lot of misunderstanding.
That's my point, yeah: real-world.
It's a douible-edged sword - I've seen quite a few synonyms in Google that my thesaurus missed. I've seen the names of manufacturers "linked" (correctly) to abstract brand names... by abstract, I mean word(s) that don't "officially" exist.
The power of computers is often their ability to make connections (and groupings) we don't immediately see.
I think search engines are playing catch-up when it comes to keywords
Catch-up to what, though?
joined:Jan 27, 2003
votes: 0
Catch-up to what, though?
To understanding words; translating a user search to a relevant result.
Every internet search involves a person who usually has a very clear idea of what they want to see when they undertake a search. They'll probably type two or three keywords to try to describe what they're looking for. But if you ask them, they can tell you all kinds of other information about what page they are looking for, including massively complex associations between different words and topics.
Search engines try to close the gap by analysing patterns of data - a very reasonable approach because they need massive scalability - but certainly isn't perfect ;)
I think this is a key advantage that you as (for example) an SEO have over a computer program. Of course, you can also look at how the search engines approach things and combine the two: something that a search engine will never be able do.
Every internet search involves a person who usually has a very clear idea of what they want to see when they undertake a search. They'll probably type two or three keywords to try to describe what they're looking for.
So given the limitations imposed on the SEs, by us mortals, it could be argued that they - more specifically Google - perform an amazing job... maybe it is we, that needs to catch up; could you do a better job, manually? ;)
But if you ask them, they can tell you all kinds of other information about what page they are looking for, including massively complex associations between different words and topics.
And this is where the "advanced" operators come into play: daterange, subtractors and the like, for instance. I think we're now talking about the longtail and corpuses, and stuff.
Again, though, human language itself is limiting - some languages more so than others.
Ask five people to describe the same room in three words - You get the picture, I'm sure.


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