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Introduction: Hello. Welcome to the podcast of our interview with Carl Leibert, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness. I'm Pam Kufahl, editor of Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro magazine, and we're exited to have Mr. Leibert with us today. A transcript of this Q&A will appear on our Web site, and a shortened version of the Q&A will appear in our August 2007 issue.
Q: So, Mr. Leibert, thank you for joining us today. How are you?
A: I'm doing very well, Pam. Thank you very much.
Q: Great. Let's go ahead and get started. I know that 24 Hour Fitness is celebrating an anniversary this year. And you also will be celebrating an anniversary of sorts yourself. You will be celebrating a full year with 24 Hour sometime this fall—I believe it's in October. You have a background that's not really from the club industry. You graduated from the Naval Academy and served in the Navy for five years. And then you worked for General Electric and Circuit City and most recently for Home Depot. So, maybe you can tell us what made you interested in the 24 Hour Fitness CEO position?
A: Well, first and foremost, I felt after my first initial meetings with Mark Mastrov and the time we spent together, I was incredibly inspired by what he had created with 24 Hour Fitness. And extremely humbled [by] the fact that he felt that it was the right time to bring in somebody from outside the industry to come in and take over his company. So, we hit it off together from a personal and professional relationship. And as I continued to do my due diligence about the space and about the industry, I became more and more excited just about the opportunity that was out there, specifically around changing people's lives. I just really felt like this was a space that was going to be both fun, exciting and over the next five to 10 years very, very important to the members we serve but also the entire population as we fight epidemics like childhood obesity and some of the rising health care costs that exist in the space.
Q: So, with your past in the Navy and your work with Home Depot and General Electric, what in that past work experience do you think will help you with your new position? What can you bring to it from your past experience?
A: I've been privileged to work for some great leaders in my background. Certainly the Navy was a great leadership training ground for me and certainly working around organizations that you mentioned. One of the things you learn as a leader is [that] you're very much dependent on the success of making sure you have the right people in your organization. Leadership comes down to selecting, hiring and motivating a team to [succeed]. And I felt like my background plays very well to our business. We have over 19,000 team members that want to serve our members everyday. And I think my job as a leader is to unleash that enthusiasm, potential and get people exited about taking care of members. And, certainly, I've been in some great organizations that have prepared me for that.
Q: Now that you've had almost a year working at 24 Hour and the fitness business, what has surprised you the most about the fitness business in general?
A: How difficult it is for me to get my body fat down to something that I'd be very proud of. That's one of the things. I came in and got one of our personal trainers. I'm spending three days a week in our club getting trained by him. I'm amazed that once you get over 40, it's more difficult than I ever imagined. So that's the first thing on the personal side.
One of the things I'm most excited about is I think this space of fitness and wellness and going after changing people's lives is a space that's certainly wide open and that plays well to my experience of being able to create markets, being able to look at what I would call potential add-on businesses, add-on services whether it be personal training or retail or personal training at home or being able to enable our consumers 360 degrees by enabling it through a Web site. One of the things that is important for us to remember is that 65 percent of Americans are obese or overweight. As you look at what is going on in our country right now, everyone is looking to reduce health care costs. If we are able to bring affordable fitness and wellness solutions to people, I can't think of any more satisfying way to really make your mark both in your career and in your company. We have a special task as well as an opportunity in the industry to be what I'll call that guiding light. With 400 clubs worldwide, we can certainly make a difference.
Q: I know you are part of the [NBC TV show] "The Biggest Loser." Is that one way that you can do that and spread the message further than just your club?
A: One thing that "The Biggest Loser" has done for us is allowed us a way to get in front of consumers and to talk about at a national level that through eating right, through working out, through having a desire to want to improve and improve your health, that it's difficult because you have to go to work, but it's achievable. I think "The Biggest Loser," what it does is it gives consumers who watch the show hope. It's amazing to me. We are only in 16 states in the U.S. but how frequently I'll travel on the East Coast or I'll be in Georgia or I'll be on various business trips where people identify with 24 Hour Fitness through "The Biggest Loser." It's amazing where people will say, "When are we getting a 24 Hour Fitness? When are we going to have a club?"
So it's been a really good partnership for us. What it does is it brings the issues that surround how difficult it is to lose weight and to become healthy and it puts that in a form where a consumer can say, "Yes, I can do that." That really falls in line with our corporate mission and really standing out in the fitness done right. It's been a great ride for us and we value that partnership.
Q: With the items that you mentioned about what surprised you about the fitness industry and your partnership with "The Biggest Loser" in mind, what sort of changes do you plan on implementing at 24 Hour Fitness as CEO?
A: I think number one for us for changes is that I don't want to disrupt some of the great past that we have. We have 24 years of what I call an incredible reputation for being laser focused on really improving people's lives. Mastrov believed when he created the company that trainers and fitness were a valuable part of our success. We have over 3,000 trainers that are certified through NASM [National Academy of Sports Medicine] that are employees of 24 Hour Fitness. One of the things that is an important success factor and foundation builder for us is to continue to develop that aspect of personal training and showing people the right way to train and the right way to eat, the right way to diet, making sure that we leverage every capacity as a company.
One of the things that I see as a big opportunity is that we own a nutrition company by the name of APEX and the ability to partner with APEX and to bring affordable nutrition supplements to our members and make sure we are able to do that either online, to your door or in the club is a great opportunity.
We most recently launched what we think will be a terrific tool to help you manage your weight loss and that's the BodyBugg. It's available through our Web site, it's available through our club and it's available through our trainers. So we are going to continue to look at ways to enhance what has already been started as well as leverage new ways to bring fitness solutions to people.
What that means to me is that we see big opportunities in what I call the children/youth space. The youth space for us means being able to do classes that support the kids of our members to do training of children and kids that parents would like to add on services whether that's basketball, soccer or swimming lessons. We see there is an incredible opportunity out there. Our members are asking for these things, and what we want to do is be able to respond to members in a way that enhances their overall club experience. So we are spending quite a bit of time in the business development side creating a model that allows us to replicate some of these kids programs throughout the country, and I think it's going to be very, very exciting.
We've launched a youth basketball platform in several of our clubs under the brand Hoopology. It's both basketball camps for kids and it's private training sessions for kids. Parents can sign up if you want to enhance your skills, if you just want to learn the game. We have all sorts of kids from all sorts of walks of life that are coming into our club now and using our gyms at off-peak times that our members aren't using them and taking advantage of the ability to use court space.
So we are very excited about those kinds of things. I always say in a retail, consumer-based business, you can really tell the success of your brand when you look around either your stores or clubs and you see kids in there. Because those kids grow up to be future members, and if they are comfortable being in there and training in there, they are going to be future members for us and advocates for the 24 Hour Fitness brand.
Q: I would say that's a major change with 24 Hour because in the past I would not have associated 24 Hour Fitness with being a family-oriented facility with lots of children's programs. I know you have childcare facilities in there. How do you make space for these children's programs? With basketball you can use your basketball courts. Are there expansion plans for some of your facilities to make room for children and children's areas that may include interactive gaming or other equipment specifically for children?
A: Yes. I think you're touching on a fascinating subject for us. I'm a father of three boys and I have a 17-year-old, 15-year-old and a 12-year-old. They want to be in the gym with me. They want to be a part of where I'm going to spend time. And I think one of the things that we're blessed with is over 300 of our facilities have basketball courts or gyms. One of the things that is important is we'll have members who come in and play in the mornings and members who come in and play in the evenings, but usually during the day in the summer, those gyms aren't occupied. Maybe one or two folks come in. So, what we've been able to do is put together some programs that don't inconvenience our current members but also provide add-on services for stay-at-home parents to actually bring their kids and give them something to do in the summer. We've actually had a fun summer of incubating several of these ideas and bringing them to life.
In addition, we feel like our trainers play a very valuable role in this. Our trainers can talk to these kids about nutrition. They can talk to them about diet. Then, they can begin to introduce at what stage do you start personal training, at what stage in your growth and your maturity is it appropriate to start lifting weights and exercising and those kinds of things? We've found that our members—at least our members who are parents—are pretty excited about these programs.
In addition, just like every fitness club, we have group ex classrooms. We have scheduled classes that…quite frankly, we feel there are times that we have an empty classroom. Could we be doing something else inside that classroom that is fun for kids? Could we have a kids' fit class that you can bring kids in to do aerobics, make working out fun for children? So we're experimenting and playing with the concept of taking these rooms that at certain periods of times of the day don't have a scheduled class, could we use it? Could we use it to bring additional classes, services, training, awareness to some of our members' children? We think it's a big idea and a big opportunity for us.
As you start to expand it, then we'll have to look at our club format, the size of clubs, the amenities we offer inside our clubs. This is clearly not our core business, but we believe in order to better serve our core members, it's something we've got to be open to as we continue to evolve as a company. Some of the pilot programs we've run this summer we're pretty darn excited about what it means to us and what it will mean down the road. And we may change the size of our gyms, the size of our pools or change the workout space. I think it's going to mean some great things for us because I think we're going to continue to evolve.
Q: Well that sounds like a big initiative for you guys then. Are there other key initiatives that you specifically are interested in spearheading and getting implemented?
A: Yeah, I think what we've launched and one of the things that is important to me is to really stay grounded in consumer research and make sure we understand emerging trends. We've got several what I'll call pilot programs around designing what the club of the future looks like for us. So we are testing various concepts that are out there from juice bars, to retail space, to Web kiosks to being able to leverage the members that we have but also to be able to reach what I call potential intenders to bring them into a club. What's interesting for me and I've seen it so far in the industry is there is sometimes a little fear in joining a club that everybody who works out at a club has to be beautiful or has to be pretty or already has to be in shape. So we are working diligently with local communities and partnerships and high school and PE teachers to be able to say, hey, the reason you join a club is you want to live better and have a better life. You don't have to be a movie star or a model or somebody who can run a 4-minute mile to join a club. So we're working with our marketing department and our consumer insights group to actually begin to reach out to those consumers or what I call potential intenders to join our club and trying to provide a non-threatening way for them to want to be a part of our product offering.
Q: So does that mean your advertisements will feature more realistic-looking people than a lot of health club advertisements generally do?
A: This is one of those things. My marketing department will kill me for this. I grew up in the Midwest. I was fortunate enough to play high school basketball. I came from a very, very small town. I played college basketball. I never considered myself much of an athlete, but I always considered myself a hard worker. I think the best commercials we have in our clubs are the people's lives that we changed. You asked me what I learned. It's funny. When I was at Home Depot, the best commercial we had was when we told a story that one of our team members told us about. It was a story where somebody came in and did something special—the tree house commercial where the dad came in and built the tree house and Home Depot helped him or enabled him to do that. It was one of our best consumer marketing campaigns because it really made do-it-yourself projects realistic and it made them impactful. You will begin to see—certainly from me and from my team—the ability to leverage our brand and all the members that we have touched over the last 24 years. Twelve million plus members have touched our brand in one way, shape or form over the last 24 years. One of the things I think—and really "The Biggest Loser" has enabled this—is being able to change people's lives. So you'll begin to see us talk about how we changed people's lives, and if I have my way, you'll see us be able to use real-life examples of folks' lives that we've changed. And we're pretty excited about that.
Q: We've been talking about bringing in new members. What are you planning to do to increase member retention? Because I know for a lot of clubs, that's a main problem that they deal with is once you get the member in there, how do you retain them? What are your plans there?
A: Number one is we've added and put in place what I call some diligence around focus on that member and really the team member for us. It's interesting. As I look at the clubs that have the best retention of members, those clubs also have the best team member retention. In other words you really like to see the same person when you come into your club that's at the front desk. You like to see the same trainers. My clubs with the lowest team member turnover also have the lowest member turnover. I'm sure people listening in on the podcast or reading the interview are saying, "Well, gosh, Carl, that's not really rocket science." It's one thing to understand that. It's another thing to go after that and then understand the drivers of why people leave your club.
So one of the things that we're spending a lot of time with our consumer insights group is to make sure we understand what are the key drivers of member satisfaction. What's interesting is you can get that through a whole host of ways. So you go out and do surveys. Members say that they are leaving because the club isn't as clean as they like or the equipment they want is not available or it's too crowded or it's not convenient or I'm moving. So one of the things we see as a big factor in making sure our members stay with us is the ability to really leverage our trainers and making sure that personal training in some shape or form is involved with our members. For example, in the month of June to celebrate our 24th anniversary, we ran a special for the month: Bring a friend in to work out for free. There was a great article in USA Today last week where it talked about your influencers. And the group that you associate yourself with has an impact on whether you are in shape or you are obese. For us, we wanted to create a hassle-free way that if you wanted to bring a guest with you for the month, you could.
In addition, in the month of July, we took four days and said bring a guest to your personal training session with you. So while the trainer was working with you, the trainer would work both of you out during this four-day period. Because one of the things we know—and we have great data around this—is when we teach people the right way to work out and we do that in a way that is non-threatening and we attach that to what I think is one of our best assets and that's our personal trainers, those folks never leave us. So we are focused on making sure people that come in our doors are exposed to the opportunity to train and to receive the right amount of training from personal trainers. So, we are so focused on it that in many cases we are giving that away to let people experience that because it's one of those things that you really have to touch.
The other thing is as we look at and benchmark ourselves against other service brands—and I think this is one of the things that my team spends a lot of our time on—is that customer retention or member retention really comes down to a mindset within the club that you are going to take care of your members no matter what. We spent quite a bit of time and energy reorganizing our field structure to make sure we support the member and that's really making sure our club managers who run these clubs understand that their most important role everyday is to support the members they have. I'm not sure if that was always the case. I think sometimes we get caught up in acquiring new members. But we really know that keeping the members we have is a big deal because those members, they recommend us to a friend. And one of the things that we've spent a lot of time and energy on is understanding how many of our members would likely recommend us to a friend. In the clubs that we get the response where they would recommend us to their friend, those clubs have the highest retention rate. So we are diving into those clubs. We've got quite a few resources doing some human resource analysis as well as service analysis to make that happen.
Thirty days ago I announced the hiring of Michelle Crosby, who was the senior HR professional for Starwood Hotels. She spent over 15 years of her career in the hospitality space. I went out and found her because I felt like fitness is a lot like hospitality in that most of my members they come and stay in my club three to four to five times a week. It's a lot like a hotel in the importance of seeing the same people, getting the quality experience, making sure the equipment I need is working, making sure it's clean and kept up to date. I just felt like Michelle could come in and add a lot of her experience in the hospitality space. I think it's going to play very well toward member retention and team member retention because that's a big, big focus for us.
Q: As you mentioned, you are in 16 states now, but you're moving into New York, and Washington, DC, and Baltimore. What attracted you to those regions, and what sort of challenges do you anticipate facing there?
A: One of the things you started the interview asking [about was] my experiences. I've had the privilege to run Circuit City and Home Depot stores in every state, in Canada, in Mexico, in China. One of the most exciting things about when Mark talked to me about 24 Hour Fitness was we're mostly a West Coast-based company. Having run stores and run markets on the Midwest and the Eastern side of the U.S. for most of my career, I felt like it was a significant opportunity for us—and not just from club opening perception—but a significant opportunity to go learn some new things. One of the things I always try to emphasize to my team is that competition makes you better. And competition, if you're a company that gets excited about the competitive nature and being competitive, one of the things I know that New York Metro and the whole Eastern seaboard, DC, and even if you went down into the Carolinas, the competition and the fitness base is terrific. And there are great fitness companies that occupy those areas. And I think if I look at my company, one of the things we can get better on is there's still a lot we can learn. We're 24 years young, but there's a lot that we can learn from the folks in New York metro, in DC, Baltimore, Boston, in Florida. As I look at what we need to improve upon, I do know that the consumer, or intender or perspective member in New York or Delaware or Baltimore they're a little different than the average California consumer. I think it's going to make us a better company. And in turn, I think that competition is not only going to make us better, but it's going to make our competition better. And if we are doing our jobs as a fitness industry, more people will join clubs. More people will live a healthier lifestyle. I kind of say, we're going to raise all boats. And so as we come into these markets, it's going to expose, we hope, more consumers to the offerings that we, 24 Hour Fitness have, and in turn that's going to allow our competitors to continue to succeed. I think it's a win-win all the way around the industry, certainly, but also for consumers. If we were a country full of saturated workout folks [with] 95 percent fitness penetration in fitness club membership, it would be a little different. But as I mentioned, obesity is a huge issue. So I think it's going to be a fun opportunity for us.
Q: I would think that most people would see the Northeast as probably one of the most competitive markets in the U.S., but as you stated only about 14 to 15 percent of the population actually belong to a health club. There's obviously people out there who aren't being reached by the fitness facilities there in the Northeast already. When you move into those markets, what markets will you be moving into? Will it be the suburban markets, or the urban markets, or a little bit of both? And what sort of club model will you be using there mostly?
A: Great question. You know, I think having operated stores both in New York metro and in the boroughs, and certainly Long Island, and up and down the Eastern seaboard, what happens in the Eastern part of the United States is commuters and traffic—what I call this hustle-bustle style of living. This is an opportunity for us to make both clubs that are convenient for the folks who are on a commute and who are working within the city or near their homes, but also for those parents and/or members who aren't commuting to have an affordable place to work out and receive the amenities that are important to them.
You'll see us with a variety of formats. One of the things that has been so beneficial to us [has been] to be in Asia with our California Fitness brand. We open our first club in about eight weeks in Beijing under that brand with our partner Yao Ming. It's really allowed us to learn how to design and operate clubs in what I call high-density, urban populations. Our Hong Kong clubs have been exciting learning laboratories for us as we get ready to go into the urban markets, and I think it's going to play well for us as we think about the New York metro and Manhattan. But we've also had a privilege, in some of the new territories, for example in Hong Kong, of being able to put a club in what I call the residential area and provide amenities that are important for people [who] in the evenings or on the weekends want a great place to work out at. The great news is, I think you'll see a variety of formats from us for a typical city kind of club. We'll be working diligently with our construction and real-estate teams to make sure that we're in convenient spots for the traffic—and that includes public transportation. That also includes important arteries. But also it plays well into making sure that we have clubs that are open 24 hours a day and that they have the amenities that those members want. A broad brush to your question, Pam, but I think it gives perspective that I don't think there's one single strategy that you can implement on the East coast that will allow you to be successful. It's the breadth of strategy that allows members to say, "Hey, I want to be part of that fitness network." I think what we're talking about as we go East is making sure we leverage that 24 Hour Fitness brand and reach. When a person joins our club, we feel like we should be able to talk about, "You're going to be part of 400-club chain that is quickly expanding worldwide. Regardless of where you travel, we hope to have a 24 Hour Fitness near you." That's really the plan.
Q: You mention people wondering when you're going to move into their area next? So, what are some of the next areas that you're planning on moving into both in the U.S. and worldwide? As you mentioned, you've been in Asia a little bit, but where are you planning to move to next?
A: Those are great discussions. There are no secrets in the space, just like there are really no secrets in any retail space. We are looking for, obviously, real estate on the Eastern seaboard. Obviously, we'd love to be in Manhattan. We'd love to be in the island and in the boroughs. We've made no secret that we like DC, Baltimore and that whole corridor. One of the things is that convenience and location are so important to our members. It's a little difficult to predict which market, which city we'll go into first. We are working on numerous real-estate deals and relationships on the East Coast. We know we're coming. It looks like in 2008, we will open some clubs on the East Coast other than Florida. We've been in Florida for several years now.
I would look for us mid-year 2008 to be able to "crystallize" that East Coast expansion strategy because, what I didn't want to do is put all my eggs in one market and say, "Okay, we're only going to do this market because our members really value that all-club membership." I really wanted to make sure I didn't put all my eggs in DC, Baltimore and all my eggs in New York, and then be able to say we won't open our new club until 2009.
Look for us on the East Coast sometime in mid-2008. As the industry knows, as soon as we get the official leases done and we start construction, the word's going to get out which market will open first. We're pretty excited about that.
The second side of that is globally, we feel that mainland China is a terrific opportunity for us. Our first club I mentioned in Beijing, we'll open with our partner Yao Ming, and that will open in the September-October time frame. And then we'll be following closely with our first club in Shanghai shortly thereafter. We see the Chinese marketplace as a great marketplace for us over the next five to 10 years. Our experience in Taiwan, our experience in Hong Kong, certainly our experience in Singapore and Malaysia are all very valuable as we enter into the mainland. We see that as a big initiative for us as well as we continue to expand our brand in Asia under the title California Fitness.
Q: What makes Asia so attractive? Is it mostly the large population and the lack of fitness facilities there, and how do you determine which regions to move into generally overseas as well as in the U.S.?
A: Great questions. For us, these are emerging markets in some cases. One of the things Mark did several years ago is he recognized the opportunity in Asia and really went in the markets with high density population and put clubs in where public transportation was very popular. Our clubs in Hong Kong, it's amazing, people would say, "They're too close." But they're packed, and they're doing very well. And they're at places where people want to work out. What we're seeing in mainland China is the increased opportunity of people wanting to be more fit. China has similar issues to the United States in obesity and overweight population, not quite to the magnitude that we have, but as you start to look at some of the factors affecting their growth and culture, we feel like—and we know from all of our consumer insights work—that's a market that people are going to be moving toward, improving their lifestyles through fitness. I've been traveling to China now for about eight years of my career, from everything from suppliers to putting in stores and various activities. It's amazing every time I go to one of these Asian cities, the amount of growth, the amount of population as well as the amount of folks that really want and can speak a multitude of languages including English. As we're building these clubs and bringing fitness into some of these cities, they're pretty darn excited about it. When they see the designs of our clubs—and we've got some incredible designs coming, especially for Beijing—we see that as a real important step for us as we prepare for the Beijing Olympics that are coming in 2008. Folks are getting pretty darn excited there.
Q: The design of the clubs over in China, are they significantly different from the design of the clubs here in the U.S., and in what ways?
A: It's funny. You learn a lot. One of the things that I was able to learn with Home Depot and certainly Circuit City is that not every consumer is the same. While there are similarities in business models, one of the things Mark and I talk about all the time is going into China with the ability to open two clubs and then learn a lot. One of the things we know in Asia is that group exercise is very important. Group ex for us is big in the United States. I would say group exercise instructors in Asia are short of rock-star status in the communities in the clubs that they operate in. People just love a kick-fit class, a Tae-Bo class, an aerobics class, a spinning class. One of the things that we see in our clubs in Asia is we have to spend a little bit more time and energy and creativity in those group exercise rooms. They are incredibly busy most of the day. We have to make sure we select the right people to teach those classes that are enthusiastic, inspirational and those things. The clubs really center around those types of experiences. We also know that that population is very excited [about] new technology, making sure that all our equipment has viewing monitors, that it feels new, it feels exciting, it feels inspirational. Music, a little bit louder, maybe a little more edgy, that inspires folks. Every time I go to our clubs in Asia, you just feel an enormous sense of energy. You just don't get the chance to work out or see clubs that are this busy with 80 treadmills and 40 exercise bikes with everybody on them. To see a group exercise class where there are 100 people outside waiting to get into the next class, it's absolutely exciting when you go and be a part of that and that design of the clubs [is] very, very important to enable that.
Q: At Home Depot, you opened about one store a week. What is realistic in 2008 for 24 Hour Fitness in terms of development?
A: Great question. We opened three stores a week at Home Depot, 175 stores a year for almost five years. My team, we'll open somewhere between 40 and 50 clubs this year, and we're working toward that. I've challenged my team that I know how to open three stores a week. I'd like to have the ability someday to open three clubs a week. That means we've got to crank up the real estate, the construction side of the business. We're a long way from that, though. We have an enormous amount of work to do. One of the things that enabled me to do that in prior lives was we were already in all the states when we started that strategy, so it was really an infill opportunity. As we enter into these new markets, what I want to be very thoughtful about is that as we enter in a new state, a new city, a new demographic, is that we take time to learn what's working and not working so that we can leverage that across the enterprise. Certainly, a club a week would be the first goal that I've set in front of my team, and eventually down the road, I'd like to see us opening two clubs a week. I think that would be a lot of fun for both us externally, but I think our team members would get pretty excited about it—the growth opportunities that are going to be provided for our managers, our district managers, our regional vice president and even a team member coming in to just join and start a job right out of high school. One of the things I observed that I was so excited about at my prior experiences in retail was the opportunity for an 18-year-old to come in and start a career and spend 20 years with a company and rise from just out of high school to an executive vice president or even president, and we had many of those. I think that's going to be a great, great opportunity for us. By providing more clubs and more growth, I think it's going to enable a lot of folks to come into 24 Hour Fitness and have a great career.
Q: One other area that you dealt with was staffing enhancements at Home Depot. Keeping qualified and dedicated staff can be difficult for club companies. How will you improve upon staff retention and professionalism?
A: We have really set out a strategic vision for the company—kind of three pillars. Number one is enhancing the member experience. Number two is re-dedicating ourselves to the team member experience. Number three is executing the basics with redundant and repeatable processes. So that middle pillar—that team member experience—we see that as a key pillar in our operating strategy. As we look at the things we're investing in and dedicating ourselves to you'll see us continuing to grow inside our clubs and what we call the learning platforms, digitized e-learning for us to be able to train our team members better, faster. I mentioned already my experience with customer satisfaction. The highest correlation to customer satisfaction in all my prior jobs was associate engagement. If you had engagement and energized associates, they are going to take care of our members, and so we've got to invest in things as simple as uniforms and making sure they are cool, they feel good and our folks love them to learning, e-learning, ways for people to learn through the Web at home, through their iPod, and then the third piece is career growth. You know, most of our folks [the best way to get them to] stay with 24 Hour Fitness is to provide great opportunities. What we've got to figure out is how to articulate very clearly through our teams the career opportunities we have. [When] we get to the point some day where we're opening two clubs a week, we are going to create a lot of great leadership opportunities for some young people that are just starting their career. And as I said, I watched careers form in my prior two roles where we made dreams come true for people. In most cases, the overarching thing that associates say to you or team members say to you in their career process is they don't quit companies, they quit their bosses. And one of the things we know about keeping our team members happy is we absolutely select and retain the best club managers, and so we are beefing up the training, the learning and the development of those club managers because if we hire the right club manager, it's amazing how well that team stays in response to us and how low the turnover is.
Q: You also led initiatives in customer service at Home Depot. Are you implementing any similar customer service initiatives at 24 Hour?
A: First and foremost, it's awareness, making sure our clubs know what their customer service scores are and what their net promoter scores are. The net promoter scores [are] defined as would your members recommend the club to a friend? And so we have and we are investing in technology that will provide a more digitized way for our club managers to get feedback from our members. Right now, that process has been incredibly cumbersome. It's been paper based, it's been through a phone, it's been through a letter. It is the ability to connect our members and our club members through a digitized form of feedback. We know that our members are most satisfied when our club manager can respond to them within 24 hours. The challenge for that though is, we don't have really good vehicles for our club managers to respond within 24 hours. We know we're not going to be perfect, but like in a lot of things, it's how you recover from when you make the mistakes that says a lot about your service model. We know we have some vehicles to put in place at our club level that allow our club managers to feel more empowered and for them to be more aware of some of the service issues that come up from time to time in a club. We will be rolling those out in the next six months, and I think the first step of that strategy was really the reorganization we went through over the past 60 days and making sure every club has a club manager and that all those club managers are going to be going through what I call a "revival" around members and member experience. We're training them now, and in two weeks we are bringing all of them to Las Vegas to spend two-and-half days with me and to go through some eight hours of what I call leadership development training all centered around improving, maintaining and insuring that we provide the best member experience to our members.
Q: Sounds like a big monetary investment then in customer service if you're bringing them all into Vegas for training.
A: Well you have to invest in it if you want to get results on that side. You have to be willing to invest in it. And we have to believe that is important in our industry, and we have to be willing to put some money where our mouth is.
Q: Also at Home Depot, you led the implementation of initiatives such as self-checkout and back-end automated receiving. What role does technology play in 24 Hour's future? What changes do you anticipate in terms of back office systems, online options for members, technology and entertainment options on equipment at the clubs?
A: I've done this before, and it's really got to be Web enabled, but it's also got to be simple. I call it the call, click or visit strategy so we've got to have a mechanized way for a member to send an e-mail or send a text message or just get out and give us some feedback. We've also got to have a way to prioritize those issues in a way that our club manager stays focused on the most important things.
No matter what we do, we [will get complaints]. We make the hot water hotter, and we get complaints from some members. We make the hot water cooler, and we get a few complaints. The temperature of our pool is a hot topic for us. So what we want to be able to do is to create not only online electronic version to being able to create that but also give a way to prioritize that for our club managers because the last thing I want to do is distract those club managers. They have tough roles. I mean, some of our members are very demanding—and they should be—so I want to make sure that the tools that I provide to the club manager to drive customer satisfaction, member satisfaction are tools that are in such a way that keep them focused. And so, yes it'll be a digitized electronic feedback mechanism, but we won't step away from the old "see me before you leave," "if you're angry come talk to me," and you'll see us do things similar to what other great customer service companies have done, and you'll see manager pictures and phone numbers so that members who want to get access to their club manager, they can. In the past we haven't always made that as clear as we should have.
Q: What other technology advancements do you plan on implementing?
A: You know it's funny. That's probably one of the staples of my career is being able to simplify processes and digitize many, many things. Certainly the industry and at least people that know my background know some of the automated things that we were able to do. I envision a day that we are not chained to a desk and that when a member comes in—or a perspective one that wants to join—that we leverage hand-held technology, that we are walking around with that member on a tour talking about the features and benefits of our club, leveraging personal training, being able to sign a member up on a handheld, for example.
We have a tendency to have somebody sit down, and we know that the consumerism in business is much different nowadays and the ability to walk around and talk and chat and experience. I think you will see us move toward the more wireless ability inside our clubs, and you'll begin to see us leverage the ability to use kiosks inside our clubs, for really two things: Number one so our team members can have a place to go for a trusted resource for workouts, fitness, health club experience, address, phone numbers, training, but also for our members to go and say maybe, "I have a question on Creatine. Is that good or bad? Where can I go to get some information?" And they ask a trainer. And I see a day where the trainer walks over and says "Hey, here is the APEX Web site, and here is what we believe about that."
And you'll see us leverage some technology inside our clubs that [will] allow our team members and members to be shoulder-to-shoulder solving problems instead of face-to-face solving problems. And I think, sometimes, we create barriers with the desk in front of us or walls in front of us, and we know our best member experiences are when our team members are right along side our members in solving problems. So I think a kiosk enables us to do that. And then you'll see us also invest in…we're piloting—and it's no secret—in many of our clubs what we call "easy-in" where you come in and put your fingerprint down and punch in a four- to five-digit code, depending on what you're comfortable with—some people use their phone number—and you go right in. And so we are actually testing easy-in, similar to what Disney has done, in several of our clubs in California. So far, members seem to be liking it. That's a pretty exciting technology for us, but we want to be thoughtful in how we go do something like that.
Q: Yeah, that sounds like a nice option. It'll be interesting to see if that is implemented in a lot more clubs in the future.Your company is celebrating its 24th anniversary, not generally a milestone year, but considering your company is named 24 Hour Fitness, you are celebrating big this year. Please give us some details about what you have in place for the year to help celebrate the anniversary.
A: I'll tell you it's funny. We actually pulled the archives, and when Mark signed the papers and borrowed the money to actually do the deal on the company, it was a day in June. It was really Mark's idea. This is our 24th year. It's not about a day; it's about a year of celebration. We rolled out some of the old T-shirts back into the clubs back when Mark was in charge of the clubs and head of marketing. We had some fun with that.
Our convention, coming up in two weeks, is what I call a quasi training session, learning session and bracketing a unique celebration of what I consider our proud past and our bright future. If I told everything we were going to do at the convention, then it wouldn't be a surprise for Mark Mastrov, but it's going to be a very special two-and-a-half days for us. We may bring in a few characters from the past that have helped create this great company. We're going to share in some of the meetings some of the documents, and we're going to celebrate what I call this wonderful heritage of 24 years at 24 Hour Fitness.
You know, I started out saying we've got to have Kiefer Sutherland and should have this "24" theme and thought that would be fun, but it got a little expensive. But every month we may expose our members and our team members to maybe an additional surprise or two—a roll out or two—and maybe roll out a technology solution and some added enhancements. We've got a monthly calendar of the things of where we will be putting in clubs. I don't want to give all those way, but what we are hoping for is to surprise and delight both our members and team members. And each month we have a little something special to roll out and celebrate it.
My biggest fear is most people celebrate their 25th anniversary so I don't know what I'm going to do to top the 24th. So you've got a lot of pressure on me right now.
Q: Well thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us. I really do appreciate it. I just want to remind our listeners that we will be doing additional podcasts in the future with various executives in the industry. Feel free to let us know who you would be interested in hearing from. Thank you again, Mr. Leibert, for getting together with us. We really do appreciate it.
A: Well, thank you very much, and make sure you stop in when you are out this way.
Q: I definitely will.
A: Thank you.
Q: Great, thank you.
A: Ok, bye.


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- Company
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Do you share our passion for discovery? Learn about our current job openings now from
At Rolls-Royce Power Systems we have the right job for you.

subset: commoncrawl


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Did you know, that the first traces of viruses are dated back to 1949 (cite: Panda Security) and was spread related to a game called Core Wars? However, according to Wikipedia, the first documented virus was released in 1971.
The first documented virus, was called as Creeper virus, and was a experimental self-replicating program, written by Bob Thomas. Creeper virus affected networked computers and displayed the message, "I'm the creeper, catch me if you can!".
The term viruswas only coined in 1983 by Frederick Cohen, to describe self-replicating programs. Malicious viruses started making their appearances in 1986, when a virus named Brain boot sector virus coded in Pakistan was released, and affected IBM based PCs. In the same year the first Trojan name PC-Write made its appearance.
The first documented removal of computer viruses is dated back to 1987 and was created by Brent Fix. Several other popular antivirus systems were released between 1987 and 1990, a few of which are widely used even today, including Avira AntiVir, Norton and McAfee.
In those days there was no Internet, however, viruses were usually spread through Floppy Disks and networked computers. However, the virus writers quickly adapted to the internet and started spreading worms through this medium.
At present, viruses have taken a more sophisticated approach and are very hard to spot. There are millions of documented and undocumented viruses going around the Internet. In modern terms, viruses are more than just self-replicating programs and crackers (not hackers) have taken up to scamming people through various means.
You can find more information about the origin of Viruses and Antivirus systems at the Antivirus page on Wikipedia.
More Reads:
- Protect yourself from viruses and Trojans on the Internet
- Online Security Tips: Keep your PC safe and secure on the Internet


text: Puzzles Palace powered by Arkadium logout x These free games are powered by Arkadium, the leading provider of interactive content that delights, excites and drives our partners toward their goals. Are you a Publisher? If you're looking to drive new revenue by keeping your users engaged and on your site, our Arena gaming portal is for you. Getting started is easy: find out how. About Arkadium Our Privacy Policy All Games Word Card Arcade Puzzles Strategy Quizzes More Game › Arcade › Match & Merge x You have logged out Login again Match & Merge x Your game was paused due to inactivity x We noticed that you are using an ad blocker. We believe that games should be free for everyone to enjoy, and ads help us achieve this goal. We take all measures to ensure that the ads shown on this site are secure. In order to continue playing, please enable ads to appear on this site. For ad blocker disabling instructions, click here. You May Also Like… Screenshots Leaderboard Game Description Shimmy, Shuffle, Bully, and Kerfuffle your way through 48 brain-bending levels in this innovative new puzzle game. Match tiny tiles to make bigger tiles, then match those tiles to make even BIGGER tiles! Privacy and Cookie Policy. x Ok x General Data Protection Regulation In order to comply with Europe's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are updating our privacy policy to give you even more transparency into the data that we collect. Please review the items below to continue to enjoy the Games Arena: I'd like to compete by posting my nickname and scores to the leaderboard. I'd like to receive occasional emails about new games and special events. Log me out Let's start playing If at any time, you would like to access or erase your data from our records, please contact us via email at email@example.com or via the Contact Us form on our website. We have recently updated our Privacy Policy to include additional rights that California residents may have. Click here to learn more. By using this site, you agree to Arkadium's Privacy and Cookie Policy. Accept


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Susie Miller Barker necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 285 diseños de 74 diseñadores freelance.
Smart Hound Solutions
25 year veteran educator, policy maker, researcher, strategic planner starting my own consulting business. Clients include those I've worked with over the last 20 years who value my 'smart girl' abilities. I tell people I am now a 'smart girl for hire'. Sadly ' Smart Girl Solutions' was already taken. Most everyone I work with knows I have greyhounds so Smart Hounds Solutions was the name.
I gather, analyze and report on data, do project evaluations, advise and write policy, statutory language, consult with school boards, school leaders, and private organizations in education and healthcare.
My personal and work style is east coast urban directness, and confidence, with a midwest country upbringing.
I want my company to reflect that the smarts I bring translate into solutions that produce solid evidence of success.
Targeting existing education policy market (Boards of Education, State Boards of Education, Policy Makers like the National Governors Association, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, etc.), researchers (in K-12 Education and healthcare patient service provider education) School leaders (principals), and education entrepreneurs (Teach for America, KIPP Knowledge is Power Program, New Leaders for New Schools
Need logo design to be scale able for use in various documents (invoice, cards, note cards, potentially web site, power points,) hate ariel and times new roman fonts, like century gothic type fonts(but please don't limit yourself to that as you are the expert here)
Nothing 'cute' kindergarten-y. If graphic of a dog body is used (and you may choose not to do that - I'm not married to it) would prefer something sleek, stylistic. Of course my 'breed' signature is greyhound so a basset hound, pit or poodle won't cut it.
Most of my current book of business comes from folks who know MY brand - but in building a brand with potential new client I need something more than "Susie Miller Barker"
Want something that translates into note cards as well as traditional stationary, cards and invoices. Color pallets I'm drawn to : Art Deco (greys maroons, black, white, silver, etc.) Blues in the 'royal' end of the blue spectrum (not turquoise tones), not orange, etc.
Attached photos of my place of business which is an 1847 brick front rowhouse (currently used on documents), a picture of me and my husband (thought you might get something from seeing what I look like, how I dress, etc...who knows this is my first time at this!), photos of my two current greyhounds, Gracie and Hatteras.


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Jonny Valiant
The Seattle Mariners serve tuna "Ichirolls" in honor of all-star Ichiro Suzuki.
- Yield
- Makes 8 servings
- Active Time
- 40 minutes
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- 4 Green Thai chiles, stemmed, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 pound sashimi-grade yellowfin tuna fillets, cut into 1/8" cubes
- 4 toasted dried nori sheets, halved lengthwise
- 1 1/2 cups (about) cooked short-grain rice, cooled
- Assorted fillings, such as sliced scallions, English hothouse or Persian cucumbers, cilantro leaves, and chive blossoms
- **Ingredient info:**Look for Thai chiles, nori, and chive blossoms at better supermarkets and at Asian markets.
- Purée chiles, ginger, sesame seeds, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mini-processor until paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in both oils and vinegar. Season dressing with salt. Add tuna; gently toss just to coat.
- Place nori sheets on a work surface with short side facing you. Spread about 2 rounded tablespoons rice evenly on bottom third of each sheet. Divide tuna mixture among rolls, spooning over rice. Top with fillings. Roll into cones or log shapes, using a few grains of cooked rice as "glue" to seal.
calories 182, 9 grams fat, 9 grams carbohydrates


text:
Login Form
Profile Informations
Login Datas
or login
It's made from 2,000,000 SHU's of raw pepper and these effects can last up to 45 minutes and cause no permanent damage. Has a UV identifying dye to help aid in the identification of an attacker. Wildfire 1/2 oz. Pepper Spray has a range of 6-8 feet and comes with a leatherette holster. Each unit provides 6-10 one-second bursts and comes with a quick key release keychain, and safety lock. 4 ¼" x 1 ½"
Available in black, blue, pink and red.


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Gov. Jerry Brown and his advisors have made clear that they are focused on the budget. Which makes sense, given the state's drastic budget problems. But why doesn't their focus include more of a focus on how to rebuild the economy?
The question is raised by reports last week that show the state's unemployment rate remaining stubbornly steady at 12.4 percent. And the answer to the question? Experts of all stripes, as well as the last two governors (among them Brown advisor Gray Davis), don't believe there's very much a governor can do about the economy. National and international economic trends are more important than what California does.
If you believe that, it's dumb politics to emphasize the economy. You end up getting blamed for that.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Fine, but, Brown would be wise to talk more about the connection between budget cuts -- particularly those in education -- and the performance of the economy, both short and long term. Cuts to schools and universities -- which themselves are economic engines -- can do small amounts of damage to California's economy long-term. But they potentially do even more damage long-term, by reducing the state's ability to provide highly-skilled workers and thus making the state less competitive globally.
Brown didn't make the connection during his two-hour-plus education and budget summit at UCLA last week. And Brown is keeping quiet for the most part, a smart strategic move which has allowed him to lower expectations (Gov. Schwarzenegger's various valedictories are filling the media vacuum). But as soon as he takes office, he needs to make the connection for Californians between their budget and their own economic prospects.
Brown needs to do more than get the public to understand the facts of the budget (his stated goal of his two budget summits so far). He needs them to understand the connection between the health of the budget, education (the number one budget item) and the economy (the number one concern). If that connection can be explained to the public in an attention-grabbing, memorable way, it opens the door to the systemic reform the state needs.


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Brandeis Phi Beta Kappa elects 84 new members
Induction ceremony will take place during commencement weekend
The Brandeis chapter of Phi Beta Kappa elected 77 new members from the class of 2013 and seven new members from the class of 2014.
Stuart H. Altman, PhD, the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy, will speak at the 2013 initiation ceremony during commencement weekend.
The ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. on May 18, on the main stage of the Spingold Theater. It will be followed by a reception at 3 p.m. for all new Phi Beta Kappa members, and their families and friends.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization in the United States. Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, its high and rigorous standards of excellence have made election to it one of the highest academic honors an undergraduate at a college in the United States can receive.
Brandeis University fielded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1962, putting it ahead of every other university in America in terms of the time it took the university from the moment of its founding to the moment it became eligible to establish a chapter.
Phi Beta Kappa electees from the Class of 2013
Avigael Moed Aizenman, Marc J. Alsina, Kristina A. Birthisel, Rebecca E. Carden, Kai-Wei Chang, Kaiyan Chen, Lena Chen, Eunsoo Chung, Gabriel F. Colton, Eitan B. Cooper, Jennifer L. Craig, Mengshan Cui, Andi Dai, Yael G. Dai, Avital H. DeSharone, Rachel E. Downs Caroline Abigail Duchin, Jonathan Edelstein, Alison L. Fessler, Michaela E. Greenbaum, Patricia C. Greene, Shen Guo, Ariana M. Hajmiragha, Maya K. Jacob, Julia B. Jerusalmi, Tiffany K. Johnson, Andrew D. Jung, Abigail Kagan, Gabrielle C. Kaplan, Jesse S. Kass, Rebecca C. Kellogg, Samuel K Kim, Sarah E. Koenig, Lanxin Li, Eliana S. Light, Coleman R. Mahler, Mario N. Maletta, Laura C. Mandel, Evgenia E. Markvardt, Emily Margaret Messelaar, Zhuoxin Miao, Scott Mishan, Nicholas B. Monath, Janette M. Myette, Jonathan Ostrowsky, Sarah E. Pace, Lien Phung, Elizabeth H. Posner, Zane R. Relethford, Rebecca I. Richman, Suzanne I. Rothman, Shira B. Rubenstein, Sadye M. Sagov, Rebecca R. Sanders, Benjamin Sargent, Yosef G. Schaffel, Sarah Beth Schneider, Leonard H. Schnier, Amy Marie Schroeder, Alexander M. Self, Alexander Sheehan, Julie P. Shih, Michelle L. Sinnreich, Tali A. Smookler, Ariel A. Snyder, Melanie Steinhardt, Samuel W. Stemper, Walker H. Stern, Elizabeth Stoker, Mitchell S. Tencer, Sophie M. Travis, Rachel L. Usnik, Roger Z.Yang, Anna N. Yankelev, Abigail N. Zadina, Jiaying Zhang and Madeleine J. Ziff
Phi Beta Kappa electees from the Class of 2014
Skyler Whitman Kasko, Michael Dror Keselman, Corrie Elizabeth Legge, Maya Missouri Riser-Kositsky, Aaron Morris Schluger, Sara Shahanaghi, and Songyi Wang
Categories: Student Life


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If you have a piece of furniture or equipment that you need transported somewhere in the Sydney CBD area, or need to pick up an item around the city, our professional small removal team will provide you with a high quality removalist service for your needs.
Just need few items removed from your Sydney CBD home or office?
Not a problem! At Quick & Easy Removals, we want to help you anyway we can.
Whether you have one large piece of furniture or many smaller items that just won't fit in your car, we have a wide range of smaller vehicles at Quick & Easy that can save you time and money. Don't hire a ute or truck for half a day for that small job when our small removal team in Sydney CBD can provide a professional and reliable service at a fraction of the cost.
All of our removalists have completed accredited courses, including OH&S, WorkCover and Handling Practices, so you can be sure that we will provide a professional small removal service for your needs. With our friendly attitude and professional approach to providing small removal services, you can be sure that our removalists will provide a quick and easy solution to your small removal needs.
For those very large or heavy items that are tough to lift onto our trucks through pure brawn, we also have trucks with tail lifts available to ensure that your item is loaded onto our truck without incident.


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Tue, 24 December 2019
The gang reveal their favorite 5 games of 2019.
Direct download: cagcast617.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:05am EDT
CAGcast Video Game Podcast
Since 2005, the CAGcast has been a pretty silly podcast about video games and the topics that affect gamers. Hosts CheapyD, Wombat, and Shipwreck talk industry news, review games, supply game shopping tips and generally share too much of their personal lives. Giving new meaning to "Talk is Cheap", the CAGcast is the official Podcast of the video game shopping community, CheapAssGamer.com.


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Arthur Martin Goodman
- 4911 reads
Mr. Arthur Martin Goodman, 86, of Whynot, passed away Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at the V.A. Nursing home in Kosciusko, MS.
Service began at 11:30 am, Saturday, April 13, 2019 at Bethany Baptist Church and Rev. Wayne Polk officiated. The family received friends from 10:30 am until service time at Bethany Baptist Church. Interment will follow at the Shannon Family Cemetery at 6196 Shannon Rd. Meridian, MS 39301. Robert Barham Family Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with the arrangements.
Arthur married Nell Shannon of Whynot, daughter of Adie Parker and Elma Shannon in 1953; he then graduated from MSU in 1959 and taught school at J.Z. George in Carrollton, MS. He then began his farming career, of rice and soybeans, in Shelby, MS. He and his wife, Nell Shannon Goodman, moved from Cleveland back to Whynot in 1985; where he raised cattle and timber until retirement. He and his wife are members of Bethany Baptist Church.
Mr. Arthur was affectionately known as "Little" and "Uncle Little" by his friends and close family. He enjoyed being outdoors, gardening and keeping his yard and property in pristine condition; he was also an avid classic country music fan. In his later years he picked up the hobby of riding motorcycles; he was often the recipient of the "oldest rider award" on several long distance trips, of which he got a kick out of.
Mr. Arthur loved his family and enjoyed spending time with all family members both young and old. He loved the opportunity to show his skills at dominoes, checkers and pool. He was a man with a strong work ethic who wanted things done right……HIS WAY!
Mr. Goodman is survived by his wife of over 65 years, Nell Shannon Goodman; son, Van Martin Goodman (Barbara), daughter, Lesia Robertson (John); grandchildren, Carley Robertson Ward (Brennan), Mary Parker Robertson, Grace Shannon Goodman, Adie Bowen Goodman, Will Robertson; and the first great-grandchild due in August; sister-in-law, Juanice Fuller Goodman, as well as a host of nieces and nephews.
Mr. Goodman is preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Pearl Goodman; brother, James Goodman, John C. Goodman (Frances), Oscar Goodman (Beth) and Gaythal Dearman (Ben).
Pallbearers will be Adie Goodman, Will Robertson, Commie Goodman, Tommy Goodman, Jimmy Goodman, Gray Goodman, Karl Goodman, Keith Goodman, Kenny Goodman, Rocky Dearman. Honorary pallbearers will be Jason Shannon, John Shannon, Wallace Dearing, Carney Dearing, Chad Thornhill and Joseph White.
The family request memorials be made to the Alzheimer's Association in lieu of flowers.
Family and friends may sign the online guestbook at robertbarhamffh.com
Bethany Baptist Church with Rev. Wayne Polk officiating. Interment will follow at the Shannon Family


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230 0075
Practitioner Activator
The Practitioner Activator can be comfortably worn around the leg to strike your tuning fork. This tool is perfect for therapists working around tables and in locations where it is inconvenient to carry a table top activator. The Practitioner Activator comes with quality elastic strapping that won't loosen or slip, a buckle that closes and releases easily, and a rubber surface for "activating" tuning forks. Designed for professional use. Tuning fork not included.
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Bonjour Vietnam Hotel (2 Star)
Address: 19 Tran Nhan Tong St Hai Ba Trung Dis Hanoi
Phone : 84438229537 (Reservation can be made right now online without calling Bonjour Vietnam Hotel)
Bonjour Vietnam Hotel 19 Tran Nhan Tong St Hai Ba Trung Dis Hotel details and room rates
Get instant availablity at Bonjour Vietnam Hotel, We offer the lowest room rates guarantee. All booking will be confirmed right now. No need for waiting for an email or calling or faxing the hotel.
Check Rates and room availablityFor groups and manual reservation requests please click here to email us we will respond to you within 24 hours
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To request quote for groups or conference package at Bonjour Vietnam Hotel please contact us
facilities and options available at Bonjour Vietnam Hotel
Vietnam Tours is a tour operator in Vietnam. We offer room reservation at best possible rates for Bonjour Vietnam Hotel.
Our reservation system is fully automated you will get instant availablity and instant reservation. Once the reservation is made you will get a hotel voucher which you can print and present to hotel when you arrive at the hotel.
You may also confirm your reservation from the hotel directly by calling Bonjour Vietnam Hotel Hotel at their phone number 84438229537
For more details and information about Bonjour Vietnam Hotel email us
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Vietnam Travel & Culture is a branch of Travel & Culture Services A tour operator offering tours in Dubai, Sri Lanka, Tanzania & Malaysia


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Fossil Gallery
Vauxia gracilentaA common group of sponges with distinct bush-like forms
Demospongea (Order: Verongida)
Vauxia was placed within the hexactinellids by Walcott in his 1920 original description but Rigby (1980) transferred the genus and family to the Demospongea. Demosponges, the same group that are harvested as bath sponges, represent the largest class of sponges today.
Species name:
Vauxia gracilenta
Described by:
Description date:
Vauxia – from Mount Vaux (3,319 m), a mountain Peak in Yoho National Park, British Columbia. The name refers to William Sandys Wright Vaux (1818-1885) an antiquarian at the British Museum.
gracilenta – from the Latin gracilis, "slender," referring to the delicate structure of the sponge.
Type Specimens:
Lectotypes –USNM66515 (V. gracilenta),USNM66508 (V. bellula),USNM66517 (V. densa),USNM66520 (V. venata), in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
Holotype –ROM53572 (V. irregulara) in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.
Other species:
Burgess Shale and vicinity: V. bellula Walcott, 1920; V. densa Walcott, 1920; V. irregulara Rigby and Collins, 2004; V. venata Walcott, 1920.
Other deposits: none.
Middle Cambrian, Bathyuriscus-Elrathina Zone (approximately 505 million years ago).
Principal localities:
Burgess Shale and vicinity: Vauxia species are known in the Walcott, Raymond and Collins Quarries on Fossil Ridge, the Trilobite Beds, Tulip Beds (S7) and the Collins Quarry on Mount Stephen, and smaller sites on Mount Field and Odaray Mountain. Vauxia is also known from Monarch in Kootenay National Park.
Other deposits: V. bellula Walcott, 1920 from the Middle Cambrian Wheeler and Marjum Formations in Utah (Rigby et al., 2010); V. magna Rigby, 1980 from the Middle Cambrian Spence Shale in Utah (Rigby, 1980).
Brief history of research:
This sponge was originally described by Walcott in 1920. The genus was reviewed by Rigby (1980) and the species redescribed by Rigby (1986) and Rigby and Collins (2004) in their examination of the Burgess Shale sponges.
Specimens of Vauxia gracilenta can range from simple unbranched forms to more complex branching forms and reach up to 8 cm in height. Each branch is deeply conical and almost cylindrical, with a simple open central cavity (spongocoel) ending in a rounded of flat opening (osculum). The skeleton is double layered with a thin dermal layer and an inner layer (endosomal). The dermal layer has small openings (ostia) and is composed of a dense network of ladder-like fibers supported by radial fibers from the inner layer. The inner layer forms a regular reticulated net-like skeleton of fibers with 4-6 sided polygons which is characteristic of the genus and species. The fibrous elements (spongin) represent tough collagen proteins. There is no evidence of siliceous spicules in the skeleton.
The different species have been identified mostly based on variations of the skeletal elements and the shape of the branches. Some species can reach up to at least 15 cm in height (V. bellula, V. densa).
Vauxia is relatively common in the Raymond Quarry and other sites on Mount Stephen but is rare in the Walcott Quarry where it represents less than 0.05% of the community (Caron and Jackson, 2008).
Maximum size:
80 mm
Life habits:
Epibenthic, sessile
Feeding strategies:
Suspension feeder
Ecological Interpretations:
Vauxia would have lived attached to the sea floor. Particles of organic matter were extracted from the water as they passed through canals in the sponge's wall.
CARON, J.-B. AND D. A. JACKSON. 2008. Paleoecology of the Greater Phyllopod Bed community, Burgess Shale. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 258: 222-256.
RIGBY, J. K. 1980. The new Middle Cambrian sponge Vauxia magna from the Spence Shale of Northern Utah and taxonomic position of the Vauxiidae. Journal of Paleontology, 54(1): 234-240.
RIGBY, J. K. 1986. Sponges of the Burgess Shale (Middle Cambrian), British Columbia. Palaeontographica Canadiana, 2: 1-105 p.
RIGBY, J. K. AND D. COLLINS. 2004. Sponges of the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale and Stephen Formations, British Columbia. Royal Ontario Museum Contributions in Science (1): 155 p.
RIGBY, J. K., S. B. CHURCH AND N. K. ANDERSON. 2010. Middle Cambrian Sponges from the Drum Mountains and House Range in Western Utah. Journal of Paleontology, 84: 66-78.
WALCOTT, C. D. 1920. Middle Cambrian Spongiae. Cambrian Geology and Paleontology IV. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 67(6): 261-365.
Other links:


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Obama talks to Chinese leader about Ukraine
David Jackson
President Obama spoke to the leader of China on Sunday night as part of his outreach over Russia's military incursion into Ukraine.
Obama and President Xi Jinping "affirmed their shared interest in reducing tensions and identifying a peaceful resolution to the dispute between Russia and Ukraine," said a White House statement on the call.
"The two leaders agreed on the importance of upholding principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, both in the context of Ukraine and also for the broader functioning of the international system," the statement said.
Obama stressed his "overriding objective of restoring Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," and he and Xi agreed "to stay in touch as events unfold," the White House said.


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Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill knows just how significant his side's win over Azerbaijan could be.
Not just the three points to overtake Azerbaijan and head into second, but the swagger in which it was done could no doubt prove vital in Northern Ireland's quest to reach Russia.
It ended 4-0 and could have been more as the hosts time and time again ravaged a defence that has kept three clean sheets in the first three Group C matches.
"The manner is important because we didn't concede and we play Azerbaijan after Norway so this will still be fresh in their mind," said O'Neill. "At the end of the day, the game's won and lost in the final third of the pitch in both halves. I thought tonight we were excellent defensively but also in capitalising on the opportunities that we had."
Northern Ireland will have plenty of time to reflect on what was a job well done. Croatia do visit Windsor in a friendly on Tuesday evening, but the next World Cup qualifier isn't until March 26, when Norway come to town.
"We've had a good start to the group," continued a pleased manager. "We now have a massive game in March and a win would put us a good distance away from Norway.
"Azerbaijan will play Germany and as opposed to being four teams fighting to go to the World Cup with Germany, it might lessen. That's what we've got to do. The fifth game for me is always crucial. Once you get to 10 points, you're within touching distance of getting enough points to possibly get there.
"That's what we've got to look to do. We've been very good here at home and the fact that the game in March is here is a bonus as well."
Kyle Lafferty grabbed Northern Ireland's opener early last night. That was undoubtedly the most crucial moment of the match - unhinging Azerbaijan's constant defensive strategy.
"We worked hard on the opportunities we would get," said O'Neill. "Azerbaijan are a very organised team but if you let them get into their defensive shape earlier, they'll be hard to break down in the three games to date. We didn't do that.
"We got the ball forward quickly and turned it into a very British style game and we don't apologise for that. The quality of the goals, the delivery was very emphatic. The players took on board how we would play against them.
"You can be lulled into keeping the ball, thinking you're playing well and nothing coming of it. We made sure that didn't happen and we were excellent from start to finish."
O'Neill, unexpectedly, named both Lafferty and fellow forward Josh Magennis in the starting line-up. Magennis played wide right of a front three, with Shane Ferguson pushed up on the opposite flank. And it was a spearhead that cut ruthlessly through the visitors' back line.
"The decision was whether we would play Kyle from the start or from the bench," said the boss. "I just thought with his aerial presence and dropping Josh onto the right would give us a lot of power and pace in the forward area. Kyle's still short of match fitness but what he is capable of is getting you goals out of nothing.
"He knows his sharpness and fitness isn't where it could be but the goal he scored is typical of him. He's off and running in this campaign. He's got three goals in four games and hopefully that will lead to an improvement in his club situation.
"When we look at the games we've had, there have been a lot of positives. We've probably had to deal with a few more problems in terms of injuries - Ward, Dallas, Cathcart, Washington - there's four players that are important to us that weren't with us tonight."
And finally, of course, there was a word for the man who bagged his debut goal - along with another outstanding display at right-back.
"The decision to leave Conor (McLaughlin) out in Germany was tactical more than anything else," explained O'Neill.
"I thought he was excellent tonight - he was back to the Conor that we saw previously - making great inroads into the opposition's half, good deliveries, good use of the ball.
"I think we saw again what a top player Chris Brunt is as well. Tony Pulis put him straight back into the team and now he's straight back into ours.
"I'm delighted for him to be back, delighted for him to score. It was a good night for him and you saw the reaction of the crowd to him - he's a very important player to us."


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Why Do We Judge Some Areas as Being Safer Than Others? [StreetView]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5831668/why-do-we-judge-some-areas-as-being-safer-than-others
This interesting project, borne from MIT's Media Labs, juxtaposes two images from Google Streetview, and asks subjective questions such as "which place looks safer?" and "which place looks more upper-class?" But why does MIT want to know?
In their own words, "Place Pulse is a website that allows anybody to quickly run a perception study and visualize the results in powerful ways." They hope to gather over a million votes, which could help them gather geotagged images into powerful groups, such as which area in New York City is deemed to look the safest.
Inspired by Kevin Lynch's book The Image of the City, which published in 1960 and focuses on urban planning and how people perceive their surroundings, MIT hopes to make more sense of why we think the way we think. Once all of the information has been collated, the team of researchers will organize the data into graphs and present it in their report, but until then you can see a small taste of their results here. [Place Pulse]


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Dear Ant Experts,
My name is Roger, and I am 5 and a half years old. We have an ant farm, and we have ants (not fire ants, harvester ants), and we would like to know how to mark them so we know what their names are and what they're doing every day.
I like science and experiments and inventing. I would like your help because I really want to remember my ants and remember their names and know what they're doing every day. I thought maybe we should paint them, but I thought that might cover the holes on their body. What kind of paint do we need to use?
Thank you,
Roger (With some transcription help from his mother, Andrea)
Dear Roger (and Andrea),
How great that you are already so excited about biology! Keeping an ant colony is always great fun and we understand that you want to know your ants by names.
Marking ants can be difficult. The paint you can use is non-toxic acrylic paint. You can paint very small dots with a very fine wire (for small ants) or a very fine brush (for large ants). You don't need to worry about harming the ants, researchers paint them for some experiments and the ants do well after they have been painted. It is only very difficult because the ants don't like to be painted. To slow them down, you can put the ants in the fridge. This only slows them down for a very short time. But you can also put the ants in the freezer. That slows them down for a longer time, but be careful not to leave them in the freezer too long. Try 2-3 minutes first and see how long they need to recover. If they recover very fast, you can leave them in the freezer a bit longer, maybe 5 minutes. You can also work with them on a cooler pack that is refrigerator temperature (freezer temperatures might harm the ants if you take too long while you're painting them), this will help keep them cool for longer. Some scientists use a special refrigerated table for keeping organisms at a certain temperature while they are working with them. Be careful when you handle them! Feather-weigth forceps (e.g. found here) are best for holding the ants and picking them up. This type of forceps is very soft and does not harm the ants.
We also have to warn you not to get stung by the ants. If you really have harvester ants, they have a very painful sting. This sting can have severe effects on you for several hours.
Here you can find some great pictures by Alex Wild of ants that have been marked by researchers.
Enjoy your ant colony!
Steffi Kautz, Jesse Czekanski-Moir & the AntAsk Team


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Week 3 saw a series of comebacks, golazos and great saves. What it didn't produce was any kind of clear consensus, since more than half the week's games ended tied and a couple of the league's best had a bye. Still, there are always some winners and losers in the rankings, and if you've got an issue with ours, vote for your own! All match times for this week's games are ET.
Nothing anyone in the league did this past weekend could have knocked RSL out of the top spot: a 4-0-1 mark in all competitions heading into Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League semifinal second leg, Nick Rimando the Player of the Month for March and every reason to believe the RSL machine will keep chugging along indefinitely.
Last Week: Bye
This Week: Tuesday at Saprissa (CCL), Saturday at New England (7:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
Which isn't to say the Rapids are far behind. It's not often MLS Cup champs get better and deeper, but it looks like that's exactly what happened this offseason with the addition of Caleb Folan and Sanna Nyassi. A midweek US Open Cup play-in loss at the Chicago Fire in which the Rapids played largely a reserve squad – is a blip, not a trend.
Last Week: Beat D.C. United, 4-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Friday at FC Dallas (9 pm, Fox Soccer)
New York are not the first team to have their night ruined by Tally Hall, but Juan Agudelo and especially Thierry Henry were complicit in the 1-1 scoreline. Despite the addition of Dwayne De Rosario, there are real questions to ask of this team, first and foremost being, "Where are the goals going to come from?" No definitive answers yet.
Last Week: Tied Houston, 1-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday at Philadelphia (7 pm, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
The Power Rankings committee was right to give LA a mulligan for their 4-1 drubbing at RSL last week. The return of some key starters – none more so than Omar Gonzalez – and a clever tactical shift from Bruce Arena provided the best defensive performance of any team this year, even while down a man.
Last Week: Beat Philadelphia, 1-0 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday at D.C. United (7:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
The Union kept their core pieces from 2010, but look like a totally different team. They're now defined by a lock-down defensive unit and a solid veteran 'keeper. Gone too, though, is the attacking verve and creativity that was the highlight of the inaugural season. They need Sebastien Le Toux and Justin Mapp to get healthy — and Danny Mwanga to rediscover his confidence.
Last Week: Lost to LA, 1-0 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday vs. New York (7 pm, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
The place of the Fire is still up for debate since they've played most of the season up a man and then beat a Colorado side in the Open Cup play-in that was short-handed. But there's no denying the attacking power of Gastón Puerari, Diego Cháves, Marco Pappa and Patrick Nyarko. Things are looking good in the Windy City.
Last Week: Bye
This Week: Saturday at Seattle (4 pm, MatchDay Live)
The Quakes still have some kinks to work out with Frank Yallop's new 4-3-3, but there's no question they're generating chances and playing some good soccer. With Ike Opara returning to full health and fighting for minutes, there's a good chance the defense will improve as well.
Last Week: Tied Seattle, 2-2 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday vs. Toronto (10:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
On First Kick weekend, the Revs played a 1-1 draw at LA that probably felt like a win. This past Saturday, their 1-1 home result against the Timbers probably felt like a loss. The good news, though, is that last year's leaky defense is a thing of the past and central defender A.J. Soares is an early Rookie of the Year contender.
Last Week: Tied Portland, 1-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday vs. Real Salt Lake (7:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
For about 65 minutes they were climbing up the rankings behind some of the most exciting attacking play in the league. Then the questions about their outmanned defense cropped up again in what was a stomach-punch of a draw. How they bounce back can reveal a lot about this team.
Last Week: Tied Vancouver, 3-3 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Bye
It's looking very likely that the 'Caps aren't your run-of-the-mill expansion franchise. Their 3-3 comeback draw sent the crowd into delirium – rightly so – and spoke to a heart and solidarity that any team in the world would envy. When Eric Hassli and Russell Teibert get back, and Jay DeMerit and Davide Chumiento get healthy, Vancouver could be a force.
Last Week: Tied Kansas City, 3-3 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Wednesday vs. New England (10 pm, TSN, MatchDay Live), Sunday at Houston (7 pm, Galavisión)
Getting a point from a very good San Jose team at their house is a positive result. Doubly so when two goals are part of the package, and newest signing Mauro Rosales shows his playmaking chops in the final third. Also, Steve Zakuani looks like he's made the leap and become one of the top five players in the league.
Last Week: Tied San Jose, 2-2 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday vs. Chicago (4 pm, MatchDay Live)
The Crew finally got the ship headed in the right direction with their 2-0 win over FC Dallas on Friday. Emilio Renteria provided the spark and Eddie Gaven iced the cake, but the questions about the team's form in front of net will continue to be real until Andres Mendoza starts scoring from the run of play.
Last Week: Beat FC Dallas, 2-0 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday at Chivas USA (10:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
For the second straight week, Tally Hall stood on his head and got his team a point on the road. He has faced nearly 50 shots in the last 180 minutes, and only two have found their way into the back of his net. It's great to have a goalkeeper who can get you points, but Hall's teammates are going to have to do some heavy lifting of their own soon.
Last Week: Tied New York, 1-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Sunday vs. Vancouver (7 pm, Galavisión)
Hand-wringing about De Rosario, debates about sacred locker rooms and the miss of the century overshadowed what was a strong last 70 minutes from TFC. Tony Tchani protected the back line, Danleigh Borman got up and down the left wing and their shape was solid throughout. The new beginning looked good, even though the result was disappointing.
Last Week: Tied Chivas USA, 1-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday at San Jose (10:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
This marks the second straight week that DC conceded goals in bunches, a worrying trend for Ben Olsen. Relying on rookie Perry Kitchen to come back and right the ship is promising but dangerous as Kitchen is just 19 years old. The offense, however, still looks good – even when playing at the champs, and even without a number of starters.
Last Week: Lost to Colorado, 4-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday vs. LA (7:30 pm, MatchDay Live)
It's not crisis time in Dallas just yet: FCD were equally bad to start the 2010 season. But it looks like the loss of all the "little things" Dax McCarty did has taken a big-picture toll. Add in some defensive injuries, under-performing rookies and the fact that they keep giving their opponents a man advantage, and it's been an ugly start to 2011 in Big D.
Last Week: Lost to Columbus, 2-0 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Friday vs. Colorado (9 pm, Fox Soccer)
The Timbers got their first win in MLS with a midweek victory over Chivas USA in a US Open Cup play-in game, then got their first point in the league by going on the road and playing pretty well at New England. Jack Jewsbury was the key man in both results, and the Timbers now have something to build upon.
Last Week: Tied New England, 1-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Bye
A point on the road is a good result for a team looking for anything at all to be positive about. But they were lucky to get that much, and haven't consistently been threatening in the final third. Robin Fraser & Co. have a lot of work yet to do to prevent a long season for the Rojiblancos.
Last Week: Tied Toronto, 1-1 (RECAP/WATCH)
This Week: Saturday vs. Columbus (10:30 pm, MatchDay Live)


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There's no shortage of parody and/or critique videos for some of the biggest blockbusters of the year nowadays, but rarely are they put together with both an admiration for the material and a keen sense of the film's shortcomings. Such is the case with the latest "How It Should Have Ended" video, which takes on Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Instead of simply pointing out the film's faults, the video in and of itself is actually a really funny piece of work. Hit the jump to take a look.
Via HISHE. I suggest you watch all the way to the end.


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'Gay Exorcist' Targets Youths in Alabama
Anti-gay clerics who view homosexuality as a "sin" sometimes declare that gays are "possessed" by "demons." In Africa, as a gay British radio host recently discovered, witch doctors shill a ceremony designed to "cleanse" gays of such evil spirits. What may surprise some is the fact that essentially the same thing goes on in the United States.
The most recent example to hit the gay press is Alabama preacher Damon Thompson, who targets GLBT teens -- and outs them to their community in the process.
A June 21 posting at Ex Gay Watch reports, "Thompson, who heads up fiery youth ministry The Ramp in Hamilton, Alabama, employs every trick in the spiritual abuse playbook to coax his young congregation into outing themselves as gay and then stepping forward to be exorcised of their demons."
The posting includes a YouTube video of teens being coaxed by the preacher, who tells them. "God has not, nor will he ever, coexist in the same house with the Devil. And God's not gonna come live in there with you and your homosexual devil."
"You will not go anywhere at any time and find a harder altar call that the one we're about to give," Thompson tells his audience of teens, going on to invite gay youth to step forward if they are "serious about being free."
Thompson tells his teen onlookers not to worry about what their peers might think if they effectually out themselves by stepping forward, saying that the opinions of others who might later bully or harass them are "deemed irrelevant."
"Nobody's here to judge you," Thomson declares, "just Jesus!"
The preacher coaxes his young charges to come forward, telling them, "come to the ramp and fake it until you make it!" Adds the preacher, "Come on, just stand right here. It's gonna happen for you."
Ashton Elijah, whose description of the meeting was re-posted at Ex Gay Watch, posted the video.
"He and members of The Ramp began to work the crowd into a frenzy as they labored to draw people out of the closet and onto the altar," Elijah wrote. "At first, only a few guys and girls came forth. But, aided by music, the ministry leaders continued to pluck at the heartstrings of every struggling gay kid in the audience, promising that if they would only make themselves known, God would grant them the deliverance they so longed for."
Going on to note that some of the gay teens who stepped forward were disclosing their sexuality for the very first time, Elijah added, "Some fell to their knees in brokenness, rocking back and forth as they prayed for absolution; others stood with their arms spread out as tears spilled from their eyes. By the end of the morning, dozens had approached the altar hoping to lay their burden down."
Proponents of so-called "reparative therapy" tell gays that they are living in sin and that their sexuality is a "choice." They also insist that innate romantic and sexual urges focused on members of the same sex can be surmounted and replaced with sexual attraction toward the opposite gender through prayer and counseling. Often, the model offered is an antiquated Freudian one that blames homosexuality a weak or distant father and a dominating mother.
At one "conversion camp," heterosexual writer Ted Cox wrote in an essay published last year, the "gay cleansing" rituals took on distinctly homoerotic overtones, as in one exercise that entailed men laying back into one another's arms. Cox -- who has never identified as gay -- was nonplussed to realize that the man into whose embrace he had surrendered himself had an erection that dug into Cox's back. Other exercises involved imaginary acts of violence targeting fathers who had "failed" the participants by "allowing" them to become gay.
Cox described his reaction to the camp's narrative that gay men are not naturally predisposed to be sexually attracted to members of their own gender due to physiological reasons, but rather are seeking to heal some deep-seated psychological injury from childhood. Cox declared that at various points throughout the weekend, "I want to stand up and scream, 'Are you fucking kidding?' "
Mental health professionals reject "reparative therapy" as a valid therapeutic avenue and warn that gays who attempt to "convert" to heterosexuality may be overcome by shame and guilt when the promised "cure" does not manifest itself.
For youths from a religious background, the failure of such "cures" and "exorcisms" might be taken as proof of their own weak and sinful nature, increasing their sense of dejection, shame, and isolation to an even greater degree.
The author of the Ex-Gay Watch posting, Dave Rattigan, wrote, "Thompson's display is like a tutorial in spiritual abuse. I experienced a similar religious atmosphere time and again during my days in the charismatic movement."
Rattigan went on to add, "Thompson hardly tries to hide his manipulation, audibly encouraging the worship band to 'pick it up' in order to heighten the atmosphere and get more troubled gay teens to come forward."
The writer went on to recollect, "I wasn't exposed quite like these young people, many of whom appear never to have admitted their sexual orientation until they were manipulated into coming out in front of video cameras and a live audience of hundreds." Rattigan goes on to call the pubic "exorcisms" "Not only terrible but disgusting, shameful and abusive."
Next: Mental Health Experts: "Reparative" Therapy Repairs Nothing


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Are there certain records you heard years ago that sometimes you hear and it takes you right back to those times? You never found out what the song or group was, and so when you finally hear it, you are there in the past?
I have a number that are like this, but of course I wont remember until I hear them again. The problem in the past was that it was virtually impossible to find out the name of the song or group you liked until you heard it again and asked. The internet has changed
Updated 09-15-2010 at 07:30 PM by Paulclem
Today yet another Bach purchase arrived in the mail... although in this instance the work is something of the Holy Grail of Bach recordings:
Last December I had planned upon purchasing this set of Bach recordings by Gardiner...
... but I ended up putting off this purchase wanting to save the money
French Mélodies Part 3
I was looking over my CD shelves today and found myself somewhat (OK... not really) surprised that I own far more music by Russian composers than I do by French composers... in spite of my expressed preference (and in spite of the fact that my collection of the greatest Russian composer, Tchaikovsky, is woefully malnourished). What I have come to recognize is that there is a huge gaping void in French music that limits the amount of music I have by French composers
Updated 02-14-2010 at 07:38 PM by stlukesguild
French Mélodies Part 2: Gérard Souzay
My preference has long been for female singers... at least when dealing with the repertoire of the French Mélodies. The music and the poems both have such a degree of sensuality that they seem to call out for the female voice. Obviously with Philippe Jaroussky I have made an exception... then again, his artful and artificial countertenor is almost a perversely decadent exception.
Recently, however, I discovered Gérard Souzay.
I've been listening quite a bit to a number of absolutely gorgeous vocal collections. The first of these, in my opinion, is an absolute must-have disc... an expression of the triumph of love... even in the face of tragedy... and death:
This recording is is an absolutely heart-wrenching experience. The composer, Peter Lieberson (born 1945), studied music and composition with Milton Babbitt and
Updated 01-17-2010 at 01:01 AM by stlukesguild


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I think this is a great viral campaign case study for anyone thinking of diving in to create viral content. The first thing you'll learn, is that viral doesn't have to be a funny video posted on YouTube! This is the (now) famous, Jesus Kit Kat Viral Campaign that was launched last year, and talked about on over 150,000 websites and blogs within 4 days.
It was strategically created on the back of a run of Jesus image sightings in Europe and launched with a single, fake email to a number of online editors, and once picked up, took off on most major news sites and blogs around the world within days. A great example of how strategic viral marketing can generate waves of free media.
I've no idea who the agency was, so if you know, please post it below! (via Daniel on Adverblog)